You’ve been noticing it for a while now—the late replies, the sudden plans, the way your girlfriend, Tessa, lights up whenever her phone buzzes. She tells you it’s nothing, just her friend, just someone she’s been spending time with. But it doesn’t feel like nothing:

I can feel the tension between us building, even if you’re trying not to show it. The late replies, the time I’ve been spending away—it’s all hanging in the air, unspoken. You haven’t said anything yet, but I can tell you’ve been thinking about it.

I hate that feeling. The quiet suspicion. The way it lingers.

So I bring it up first.

I’m sitting across from you, scrolling through my phone like everything’s normal, even though my chest feels tight. “You’ve been acting weird lately,” I say casually, like it’s just an observation.