Where We Begin Again...

Chapter 5: A Minor Misunderstanding

Nathan 

It all started with something small. Isn't that how it always goes? A little crack that, over time, grows into something much bigger. I should've known better. I should've trusted Aurora, but the jealousy that had been quietly gnawing at me finally caught up. It was a Friday afternoon, and we had made plans to spend the evening together—just the two of us, unwinding after a long week of classes. But around midday, Aurora texted me, saying she was going to study with Tom and a couple of classmates for a group project. 

That name. Tom. It sent a familiar pang of unease through me. We hadn't talked much about him since that night at the party, but he still lingered in the back of my mind. I told myself it wasn't a big deal. They were working on an assignment, that's all. But as the hours passed, that insecurity festered. When Aurora texted again around 8 p.m. saying she'd be late because they were grabbing dinner, I could feel the jealousy boil over. Dinner? With Tom? That shouldn't have bothered me so much. 

It was a group thing, right? But I couldn't shake the image of them sitting together, laughing, maybe a little too close. My imagination ran wild, and before I knew it, I had worked myself into a dark place. By the time she showed up at my apartment later that night, the jealousy had twisted into anger. I knew I shouldn't have let it get to me. I knew it. But when she walked through the door, looking all apologetic for being late, I couldn't help it. The words spilled out before I could stop them.

 "Had a nice time with Tom?" ---

Aurora 

 I didn't expect Nathan to be upset. It was just a study session, just dinner with the group. But the moment I walked into his apartment; I could tell something was wrong. His voice had that cold edge to it, the one he got when something was eating at him. 

"Yeah, we finished the project," I said, trying to gauge his mood. "I'm sorry I'm late. We grabbed dinner afterwards." I wasn't sure what I expected his reaction to be, but I didn't expect what came next.

 "With Tom, right?" he snapped, crossing his arms. "Just the two of you?" I blinked, caught off guard. "No... there were four of us," I said, confused. "What's going on, Nathan?" He laughed, but it wasn't a happy laugh. It was bitter, full of something dark and unfamiliar. 

"You've been spending a lot of time with him lately, haven't you?" It took me a moment to process what he was saying, but when I did, I felt a wave of disbelief. "Wait, are you... jealous?" "Shouldn't I be?" he shot back, his eyes narrowing. 

"It's always Tom this, Tom that. I'm starting to wonder if there's something going on." My mouth fell open in shock. 

"Are you serious right now?" I asked, my voice rising.

"Nathan, it's a group project. I don't even think about him like that!" But he wasn't listening. His mind had already made up its own version of events, and I could see the hurt in his eyes, the way his insecurity was taking over. It was like he was battling his own demons, and I didn't know how to reach him. ---

Nathan

 I knew I was being irrational, but the jealousy had taken control. Every logical part of me was telling me to stop, to trust her, but I couldn't. The more I thought about Tom, the more I convinced myself that there was something there—something she wasn't telling me.

 "Aurora, you've been spending more time with him than with me," I said, my voice quieter now, but still edged with frustration. 

"How am I supposed to feel?" She sighed, running a hand through her hair, clearly exasperated.

 "Nathan, you know you're the one I love," she said, stepping closer. 

"You're the one I want to be with. Tom is just a classmate. Why can't you see that?"

 "I don't know," I muttered, turning away from her. I couldn't even look at her, because deep down, I knew she was right. But I couldn't stop the doubts from swirling in my mind. She reached for my hand, but I pulled away, and I saw the hurt flash across her face.

 "I can't deal with this right now," I said, my voice colder than I intended.

 "I need some space." ---

Aurora 

 His words hit me like a punch to the gut. Space? He wanted space? I hadn't done anything wrong. I had spent the entire evening working on a project, and now he was acting like I had betrayed him. 

 "You're seriously doing this right now?" I asked, my voice shaking. "You're going to push me away because of some stupid, baseless jealousy?" 

 He didn't answer. He just stood there, staring at the floor, refusing to meet my eyes. That was the moment I felt something inside me break. For weeks, I had been holding it together— trying to balance my family's expectations, my schoolwork, and this relationship. But I couldn't hold it together anymore. I had reached my breaking point. 

 "Fine," I said, my voice sharp with hurt. "You want space? You've got it." I grabbed my bag and headed for the door, my heart pounding in my chest. I didn't look back as I left. I couldn't. I felt like if I did, I might fall apart completely. ---  

Nathan 

 The second she walked out the door, I felt the crushing weight of regret settles in. What had I just done? I stood there for a long time, staring at the spot where she had been, my mind racing. I knew I had screwed up. I knew it was my fault. Aurora had done nothing wrong, and yet I had let my jealousy take over, pushing her away when all she had ever done was care about me. I wanted to chase after her, to tell her I was sorry, but I couldn't move. 

It was like I was frozen in place, paralyzed by my own insecurity. The apartment felt cold and empty without her, and as the minutes ticked by, I started to realize just how much I had let my jealousy destroy something beautiful. I had pushed away the one person who had always been there for me, who had always believed in me. And for what? Because I couldn't handle my own fears? I sank down onto the couch, my head in my hands, the weight of my mistake crushing me. ---

Aurora 

 I walked back to my dorm in a daze, my mind swirling with everything that had just happened. I couldn't believe it. Nathan, the person who had always been so supportive, had just accused me of something that wasn't even remotely true. And worse, he hadn't even tried to listen when I explained. By the time I reached my room, I felt numb. I dropped my bag by the door and collapsed onto my bed, staring up at the ceiling, replaying the fight over and over in my head.

 How had it come to this? How had we gone from being so happy to falling apart in the span of one evening? The worst part was, I could still feel the weight of his jealousy hanging in the air. It wasn't just about Tom. It was about something deeper—something inside Nathan that I couldn't fix. And for the first time since we had started this relationship, I wasn't sure if we could make it through. ---

Nathan 

 The night stretched on, and the more I thought about it, the worse I felt. I wanted to call her, to tell her I was sorry, that I had overreacted. But the words wouldn't come. I was ashamed of how I had acted. Ashamed of how I had let my own insecurities destroy everything we had built. 

 I lay awake for hours, staring at the ceiling, the silence of the apartment deafening. Without Aurora, everything felt off. The weight of her absence pressed down on me, and I couldn't shake the feeling that I had made the biggest mistake of my life. I kept thinking about the way she had looked at me before she left—hurt, disappointed. 

And I had caused that. I had been the one to make her feel that way. By the time the sun started to rise, I knew one thing for certain: I needed to fix this. I couldn't lose her over something as stupid as jealousy. But I wasn't sure if I even knew how to fix it. ---