A Game of Hearts

A week after getting to know Selena, she started reaching out to me more often.

[Sebastian, there's a new movie out that's supposed to be really good. Want to go see it?]

[Sebastian, do you like Eastern cuisine? I know a place that has amazing food.]

[Sebastian, we got a ton of coffee beans at work, but I don't usually drink coffee. Can I bring some over for you?]

I loved drinking coffee, which was something Jessica knew all too well.

Seeing Selena's message gave me a little jolt of excitement, so I replied: [Do you get coffee beans from your company every year?]

Selena responded instantly: [Yep! I save them all up. I'm not really a coffee drinker, but it's good stuff. Want me to bring it to you from now on?]

Selena and Jessica worked at the same company, where they received coffee beans every year. Jessica knew how much I loved coffee, yet she had never brought me any—not once in five years.

Thinking back, it hit me how much I had invested emotionally, only to come up empty-handed.

I didn't reply to Selena right away, but when I got off work, she showed up looking flustered.

When she saw me, she looked genuinely anxious and babbled, "I didn't mean to show up unannounced! You didn't reply to my message, and I wanted to bring the coffee beans for you…"

Her nervousness made me smile.

Perhaps having a girlfriend this cute might actually be fun.

Selena handed me the coffee beans, and the next day, I asked her to join me after work for a movie I had been wanting to see.

I really enjoyed the atmosphere of a movie theater. I had tried to take Jessica out to see movies a bunch of times, but she always found an excuse to bail. Going alone felt pointless, so eventually, I just stopped asking.

While scrolling through my phone yesterday, I discovered that this particular movie was back in theaters. Since it was an old movie, there weren't many people watching it, and the environment was comfortable and open.

As the movie approached its climax, I suddenly heard a light laugh that felt oddly familiar. I instinctively looked down to see the outline of a face in the row ahead. Without needing a second glance, I recognized them immediately—Jessica and Cameron.

So, Jessica didn't dislike movies; she just didn't want to watch them with me.

But seeing her now, I felt surprisingly calm. The fluttering of my heart had quieted down.

As the credits rolled and the audience started to leave, Selena and I walked out together, only to bump right into them.

"Lena?" Jessica called out.

When her gaze landed on me, her expression grew more serious.

Selena smiled and nodded. "Hey, Jess. Were you guys here to see a movie too?"

Jessica tightened her grip on Cameron's hand. "Cam said this movie was really good, so I came to keep him company."

When Jessica spoke, her face lit up with a warm smile. It was a look I had never seen in the five years we were together. Maybe it was the glow of true love. Her typically cold eyes sparkled softly, and her smile was brighter than I ever remembered.

I could see her love for Cameron clearly, and it made me feel like I'd been a fool for the past five years.

I exchanged quick pleasantries with the two of them before turning to Selena. "Shall we go?"

Selena waved goodbye to Jessica and followed me out of the movie theater.

As we passed a café, Selena glanced inside for a while, so I decided to buy a drink for the two of us. I ordered her a hot chocolate, which was still warm in my hands as I handed it to her.

"The air conditioning in the movie theater was too strong. Your hands must be freezing. Do you like hot chocolate?"

Selena cradled the cup and nodded with a smile. "I do!"

Just then, my phone buzzed. It was a message from Jessica. This was the first time she had reached out to me since Cameron returned.

[Did you enjoy the movie with Selena?]

What did she mean by that? Was it a genuine check-in after cutting ties, or was it a sarcastic jab at my happiness?

I didn't reply. A few moments later, another message from Jessica popped up.

The words felt like a slap.

[Things seem to be going well with you and Selena. I guess you two have slept together already? What position did you use?]

I stared at the screen, processing the message for a few seconds before I typed out my response.

[Are you that curious? Want me to send you a video to watch?]