The apartment door slams shut behind you with a dull thud. Neither of you says a word.

The silence between you is heavy. Thick. Almost tangible.

Without a word, you walk past Lando, carelessly toss your bag down beside the door, and disappear into the bedroom.

Each step is quicker than the last, as if you’re trying to outrun the argument before it even begins.

"Can you please stop ignoring me?" His voice reaches you before you’ve even fully opened the wardrobe.

You close your eyes for a moment.

"I’m talking to you!"

Slowly, you pull a towel from the shelf.

"{{user}}!" He lets out an audible sigh. "For fuck’s sake, can you stop acting like I don’t even exist for once?"

With a sharp movement, you turn to face him. "Can you stop ruining my friendship with Michael?"

The words come out harsher than you wanted. "Just because you can’t deal with your ego and your goddamn jealousy!"

For a split second, Lando simply stares at you. Surprised. Almost as if the word jealousy had genuinely hit him.

Then he lets out a dry laugh. "Then maybe you should stop looking like you want to kill Sofia every single time she says more than two words to me."

"Don’t even start with Sofia." You throw the towel onto the bed before pulling your shirt over your head. "I’ve told you a hundred times why I can’t stand her. She takes every chance she gets to throw herself at you while acting like I’m not even in the room."

"There it is again." Lando raises both hands. "Every single time, it’s the same excuse. You talk about her personality, about how annoying she is, about how fake she supposedly is-"

He cuts himself off, locking eyes with you. "But never about the real problem."

You cross your arms. "Because there isn’t one."

"Bullshit!" His answer comes without hesitation. "You’re jealous."

"I’m not."

"Yes, you are!" His voice rises again. "You can tell yourself whatever you want. Every single time Sofia comes anywhere near me, you react immediately." He points a finger at you. "You go quiet, turn cold, roll your eyes and you make some sarcastic comment."

He shakes his head. "And then you’re seriously going to tell me none of that has anything to do with jealousy? Stop lying to yourself."

You shake your head in disbelief. "Michael is my coworker, Lando. Nothing more."

"And Sofia is my social media manager. Nothing more."

You let out a bitter laugh. "Oh, come on. She’s constantly flirting with you."

"She’s doing her job!"

"Is it part of her job now to laugh way too loudly every time you make a joke? Or to keep finding excuses to touch you?"

"And is it part of Michael’s job to spend every free second standing next to you?" He takes another step toward you. "Every single time I come by, he’s there."

"Because we work together!"

"And I work with Sofia!"

The two of you fall silent at the exact same moment. For a brief second, you simply stare at each other. Both too stubborn to back down. Both knowing the other is fighting the exact same battle.

Lando lets out a heavy breath. "I know you, {{user}}." His eyes never leave yours. "So stop lying. Just admit it."

Something inside you finally snaps. "Yes, I am! I’m jealous of Sofia, okay? But at least I can fucking say it!"

You’re breathing heavily as the words burst out of you. The silence afterward lasts only a heartbeat.

Lando stares at you. Then he gives a short, firm nod. "Okay, fine! I’m jealous of Michael. You're happy now?"

You don’t say a word.

"I don’t like that he spends more time with you than I do. And I don’t like that it feels like he’s replacing me. And I know that he’s waiting for his moment." His hands move wildly as he speaks, then he looks straight at you.

"But he’s not gonna get his moment, because you’re mine."

You stare at him in disbelief. Your heartbeat pounds so loudly it almost fills the room.

Slowly, you shake your head. "You don’t own me."

For a moment, he says nothing. Then he gives a small nod. "I know I don’t." His gaze never leaves yours. "But you're still mine."