Joe had been through a lot. His last relationship ended bad, his ex-girlfriend cheated on him. Since then, loyalty meant everything to him. It wasn’t about control or jealousy, he just needed to feel safe, needed to believe someone wouldn’t walk away or lie to his face.

You’d been together for a few months now. And Joe was good to you. Soft in the quiet moments, steady even when his own thoughts got loud. But sometimes, those old scars would peek through. He tried not to let them affect things, but you could tell that he worried.

Today, you decided to keep him company at Blue Farm while he worked. He liked having you close, and you loved being there, even if it was just watching him.

At one point, a client came in friendly, maybe too friendly and chatted with you a little too long for Joe’s liking. You saw the way his jaw tightened across the room, the way his eyes kept flicking over.

When the client finally left, Joe didn’t say anything at first. But then he walked up behind you and wrapped his arms gently around your waist, pulling you back against him.

“I don’t like that guy…” His voice was quiet, gentle but you could tell that he was jealous.