She walked toward him, completely at ease. "Welcome home, baby."
Instead of standing up to pull her close, Elisha remained seated, instinctively leaning back as Jasmine approached.
"Jasmine, we need to talk."
Jasmine stopped in her tracks, the smile slipping from her face as her eyes narrowed slightly. She crossed her arms over the towel and tilted her head. "Talk? About what?"
Elisha looked straight at her, his expression unyielding. "We need to talk about how you keep coming to my house without letting me know beforehand. I understand you’re my girlfriend, but I deserve some privacy. You’ve been showing up here entirely too often. I need some breathing space."
Jasmine scoffed, throwing her hands up in disbelief. "What are you even talking about, Eli? You should be happy I’m here! I want to spend the night with you, not stand here listening to you complain."
"I’m not complaining, Jasmine. I’m asking for privacy," Elisha countered, his voice tight.
Jasmine took a step closer, her eyes narrowing suspiciously. "Let me ask you something. If it were Henry coming to your house unannounced, would you say the same thing to him?"
"Henry only comes around for business or a quick drink," Elisha said, his jaw clenching. "He doesn’t just show up and take over my space the way you do."
"You’re not answering my question," Jasmine shot back. "Would you tell Henry the same thing?"
"Will you please stop bringing Henry up every single time we have a conversation?" Elisha snapped, rubbing the bridge of his nose. "I’ve told you over and over again, he’s my friend. What else do you want from me?"
"A friend? Is that really all you see him as?" Jasmine demanded, her voice rising.
"What else would he be? We’re both men!" Elisha shouted, his frustration finally boiling over. "You need to stop all of this, Jasmine. I’m getting so tired of it."
"He’s just a friend, but you always act so cold toward me in front of him!" Jasmine snapped, the resentment she had been holding in finally spilling over. "Just like you did earlier today! I still don’t understand why you were acting so cold to me in front of him, Eli. Every time that man is around, you completely shut down. You act like I’m the intruder in your life!"
Elisha let out a slow, exhausted breath, pressing his fingers against his temples as a dull headache began to throb behind his eyes. He didn’t look up at her.
"I wasn’t acting cold, Jasmine. I was trying to get you to leave because you clearly only went there to pick a fight with Henry."
"I did not go there to pick a fight!" Jasmine fired back, stepping closer. "I went to check on you and your supposed best friend, and what do I find? The two of you are acting like a couple of teenagers caught in the act!"
Elisha’s head snapped up, his dark eyes flashing with anger. He pushed himself off the edge of the bed, towering over her.
"We were not acting like anything! You forced your way into his house uninvited, and then you deliberately made a scene just to prove a point to him!"
"Because he looks down on me!" Jasmine shouted, her voice cracking with frustration and insecurity. "Henry looks at me like I’m dirt beneath his shoes! He thinks he owns you, Eli! He thinks he can have a permanent place in your life while I’m just supposed to stand quietly on the sidelines and accept it!"
"He is my best friend! He has been like family to me since we were kids!" Elisha roared, his patience finally snapping. "Unlike you, he has never tried to manipulate me or dictate who I can and cannot talk to!"
The harsh words hung heavily in the air.
Jasmine froze, her chest heaving as she stared at him in disbelief. Tears welled up in her eyes. "Is that really how you see me?" she whispered, her voice trembling. "A manipulator?"
Elisha looked away for a moment, staring blankly at the wall before turning back to her. His expression had gone cold.
"Just drop it, Jasmine," he said, his voice flat and firm. "If you’re going to stay here tonight, you need to drop this obsession with Henry. Because I’m telling you right now—I’m not going to tolerate it anymore."
Jasmine stood frozen in the center of the room, her fingers tightening around the towel as she watched him.
When Elisha turned his back, her expression changed. The hurt in her eyes hardened into something darker.
Fine, she thought bitterly. Keep pushing me away for him. See how long it lasts.
Elisha seemed to sense that the tension between them was far from over. He turned back to her, his expression stern.
"Listen to me very carefully, Jasmine. If you try anything stupid behind my back regarding Henry, I’m going to break up with you."
The threat left Jasmine completely stunned. Her mouth fell slightly open, but no words came.
"Every single time, it’s Henry, Henry, Henry," Elisha continued, his chest rising and falling heavily. "Why are you putting so much pressure on me? Why can’t I have my basic privacy? Why can’t I have my closest friend in my life without you turning it into a war? Why?"
Without waiting for an answer, Elisha turned on his heel and stormed toward the master bathroom. He disappeared inside and slammed the door shut behind him.
Once inside, Elisha locked the heavy door behind him and stripped off his clothes, tossing them aside before standing in front of the illuminated vanity mirror. He stared at his reflection, his chest still heaving as the crushing weight of his life pressed down on him.
What exactly am I so afraid of losing? he asked himself bitterly, gripping the edges of the marble sink.
On paper, they had it all. Both he and Henry were successful, running their own thriving companies at a remarkably young age. They had status, respect, and independence. Yet when it came to his personal life, Elisha felt completely powerless. He loved Henry. He had loved him for years. So why was loving him openly still so damn difficult?
He weighed the terrifying alternatives in his mind. Would being disowned by his family, facing their disappointment and harsh judgment, really be worse than giving up his happiness just to maintain a hollow, miserable facade?
Jasmine won’t leave me alone unless I finally put my foot down, but I dread the fallout, he thought, squeezing his eyes shut as exhaustion washed over him. I’ve tried to break up with her so many times, but she always clings to me, crying and wearing me down. I don’t want to cruelly shatter her, but how do I tell her to walk away cleanly? How do I stop hurting someone who hasn’t technically done anything unforgivable while destroying myself in the process?
More than anything, Elisha wanted to openly choose Henry. He wanted to claim him in broad daylight instead of hiding in the shadows. But the heavy reality of his family’s deeply ingrained homophobia loomed over him. Would Henry even be ready to face the scrutiny and drama that would come with their relationship? And what about Henry’s own parents? How would they react when everything came out?
What do I do?
Elisha let out a ragged breath, a rare tear slipping down his cheek as frustration burned behind his eyes.
I can’t keep living like this. I’m hurting her by stringing her along, and I’m destroying myself piece by piece. I just want to love freely without constantly looking over my shoulder. Is that really too much to ask?
Out in the bedroom, the atmosphere was thick with resentment.
Jasmine stood frozen near the edge of the bed, her face stinging from the reality of Elisha’s threat. The hurt quickly turned into a dark, burning fury. If Elisha was ready to throw their entire relationship away over Henry, then her suspicions weren’t just paranoia, they were painfully, undeniably true. She needed proof. She needed to know exactly what was going on between them.
Just then, the silence of the room was broken by a sharp buzz.
Jasmine snapped her head toward the nightstand. Elisha’s phone lay facedown on the wood, vibrating softly as a new notification lit up the screen.
A cold, calculating smile touched her lips.
All I have to do is check his chat with Henry, she thought, her heart hammering against her ribs. I know I’ll find something.
She knew Elisha’s phone passcode by heart. She had watched him unlock it countless times. Hurrying over, Jasmine snatched the device off the table and entered the digits without hesitation. The home screen flashed open.
Without wasting a second, she tapped on the messaging app and went straight to Henry’s pinned chat at the top.
She tapped it, fully prepared to uncover whatever Elisha had been hiding, only for her breath to hitch.