Love me like this (Supernatural Re-up)

Chapter 27: Jealousy but then the bad memories

As Xander was walking along the halls or Pretoria High. The recent tension between him and Leo had been building, and though they were growing closer, Xander couldn't ignore the nagging emotions that kept resurfacing. Every time he saw Leo laughing and chatting with others, particularly Carlos, something inside him twisted. It wasn’t that he didn’t trust Leo, but the sight of Carlos, always at his side, stirred feelings Xander wasn’t sure how to handle.

As he turned the corner, he spotted them—Leo and Carlos, standing together near the lockers, talking like they always did. Carlos leaned in, making some joke, and Leo burst out laughing, his eyes lighting up the way they always did when he was having fun. Xander stopped in his tracks, watching them for a moment. His chest tightened with a familiar pang of jealousy.

He clenched his fists, feeling the possessiveness bubbling up inside him. It wasn’t right, he knew that. Leo wasn’t his to control, and Carlos was his friend. But every time he saw them together, the irrational part of him flared up. What if Leo liked Carlos more than him? What if they were closer than Xander thought?

*Stop it,* Xander told himself, trying to push the feelings down. He had no reason to feel this way. Leo wasn’t his boyfriend, and Carlos wasn’t a threat. But the possessiveness gnawed at him, refusing to be ignored.

Xander’s first instinct was to turn around and leave, to avoid confronting those feelings. But as he stood there, watching Leo and Carlos laugh together, something inside him snapped. He couldn’t just walk away—not this time. The jealousy was too strong, and though he hated himself for it, he needed to intervene, to do something.

Taking a deep breath, Xander walked toward them, trying to appear calm even though his heart was pounding in his chest. As he approached, he saw Leo glance up, his smile softening when he noticed Xander coming over. Carlos turned as well, giving Xander a quick nod.

"Hey, Xander!" Leo greeted him, his voice light and cheerful, as though everything was perfectly normal. But Xander could feel the heat rising in his chest, the jealousy still simmering beneath the surface.

"Hey," Xander replied, trying to keep his voice steady. He searched for a reason to explain why he was interrupting, something that wouldn’t make it obvious that he was jealous. But his mind drew a blank, the possessiveness clouding his thoughts.

Leo tilted his head slightly, noticing the tension in Xander’s posture. “Everything okay?”

Xander forced a smile, shrugging as casually as he could manage. "Yeah, just... wondering if you wanted to grab something to eat later? I thought we could hang out."

Leo smiled warmly, clearly oblivious to the storm of emotions swirling inside Xander. "Sure, that sounds good! What time?"

"Maybe after class?" Xander suggested, still trying to keep his tone light. He glanced at Carlos, who was watching him with a raised eyebrow but didn’t say anything.

"Cool," Leo agreed easily, turning back to Carlos to finish their conversation. But that small exchange hadn’t been enough to soothe Xander's jealousy. He could feel it building again, the possessive urge to keep Leo close, to make sure no one else got between them.

Without thinking, Xander spoke again. "Actually, I wanted to talk to you now, Leo. It’s... important." He knew it was a weak excuse, but the words came out before he could stop them. Carlos glanced between them, sensing the tension but wisely choosing not to comment.

Leo blinked in surprise, his brow furrowing. "Uh, sure. What's up?"

Xander swallowed hard, realizing he didn’t actually have anything specific to say. He had just acted on impulse, driven by the irrational need to pull Leo away from Carlos. Now he had to think of something that wouldn’t make him sound ridiculous.