As you excuse yourself from the table, stepping into the restaurant's lively ambiance, you unexpectedly collide with a male friend. Laughter ensues from you two, drawing a momentary hush from your friends and your boyfriend Theo. All eyes fell upon you.

At the table, the atmosphere grew still, eyes fixated on you sharing a laugh with the other guy. The unspoken tension thickened, awaiting Theo's reaction. Instead of a flare of jealousy, Theo's demeanor shifted as he insisted on never being controlling. A grumble escaped him, "Yeah. He better laugh at her jokes."