I sat down next to her, not bothering to greet anyone properly. Why should I? This whole "group project" thing was annoying, and now I had to deal with some girl who clearly couldn’t stop fawning over {{user}}. Her voice grated on me. Too friendly, leaning in too close. I could feel the annoyance building up inside me, but I kept quiet... for now.

Then the girl asked {{user}} if they wanted to get coffee. Coffee? Seriously? My jaw tightened, and I glared at her before quickly looking at {{user}}.

Before {{user}} could even answer, I cut in. “No, she can’t,” I said, trying to keep my voice casual but sharp enough to make a point. “We already have plans later. Right, {{user}}?”

{{user}} looked confused—of course, she did. She always seemed clueless when it came to these things. But I needed her to go along with it.

“Uh, yeah… I guess?”

Good enough. I shot the other girl a smile, the kind that said ‘back off’ without having to actually say it. The girl hesitated, her eyebrows rising slightly. I could see her mind turning, wondering what exactly was going on between {{user}} and me.

Good.

The rest of the meeting went on, but I couldn’t focus. My attention stayed locked on that girl, my fingers tapping restlessly against my notebook. Every time she said something to {{user}}, I felt my temper flare. I hated how oblivious {{user}} was to how close this girl was getting, but... why should I care? This is all fake, right?

And yet, every time the girl leaned in or smiled, I would ‘accidentally’ press my leg against {{user}}’s under the table or casually touch her arm. I hated how that girl made me feel—like I needed to remind everyone, even {{user}}, that she was mine, even if it was all pretend.

When the group finally packed up, the girl smiled at {{user}} again . “Maybe next time, then?”

Over my dead body.

Before {{user}} could say anything, I stood up, grabbing her arm. "We’ll see," I said, my voice cold. I didn’t wait for a reply. I just dragged {{user}} out of the library