When Rowan woke up the next day, he found a text from Sera already waiting for him on his phone.
My Sera: Good morning!! :)
"It's not a good morning." He grumbled, getting out of his bed and taking his phone with him.
He didn't sleep well if even at all, and Rowan was the type of person who got grumpy if he hadn't gotten enough sleep. Regarding the circumstances though, he would've ended up grumpy either way.
Me: Good morning, did you sleep well?
My Sera: Yes, did you?
Me: No.
My Sera: Why?
Me: Just couldn't sleep, are you feeling better?
My Sera: Yes, thank you.
Rowan hesitated before sending his next text, but he knew that he couldn't suffer through another night of this.
Me: Are you staying at your friend's dorm tonight as well?
His fingers tapped his phone impatiently.
My Sera: I don't think my sister and her fiance went home yet, so yes, I think.
Rowan closed his eyes and exhaled a long and slow breath.
My Sera: Why?
Because I fucking don't want you to.
The thought of Sera being near any other man but himself made his chest tighten. He didn't want any other man to see her smile, to see the cute scrunch of her nose. He didn't want her asking another man to rate his day or to even ask him anything at all. He felt insane but he didn't seem to care.
The phone started vibrating in his hand, shaking him from his thoughts. The name 'My Sera' was plastered on the screen.
Shit, I took too long to reply.
"Hi." Her sweet voice came right after he answered the call, it did something to his chest hearing it so close to his ear.
"Hey." He said casually as if he wasn't freaking out just a moment ago.
"Are you okay?" She asked, her voice sounding concerned.
"Yeah, why?"
"I don't know, you seemed really..." She trailed off, not knowing how to put it into words. Rowan secretly hoped that she hadn't picked up on his jealousy.
"Are you mad at me?" She suddenly blurted.
"No, why would I be mad at you?" Absolutely no reason to be mad at all.
"Are you mad just in general, then?"
"Sera, I'm not mad." His tone came out harsh, stern.
Fuck.
"Sorry, it was just a bad night." He rubbed his eyes harshly, frustrated with himself.
He could hear her still there on the other line, but she wasn't speaking anymore.
"I'm really sorry I ruined your night, I promise I won't drag you into my problems anymore." Her voice was small, and she sounded sad.
"That's not what I meant, I just didn't get enough sleep." He explained.
"I'd rather if you did drag me into your problems, Sera, believe me." He added after a while.
"Are you mad that I'm staying at Wessy's place?" He almost choked on his own saliva.
He knew that Sera wasn't stupid, but he expected that if she at least knew why he was acting this way, she'd keep it to herself and not confront him with it. But then again, Sera wasn't a very predictable girl.
Rowan cleared his throat and decided to stick by his 'no games' rule.
"Kind of, yeah." He could feel his cheeks heating up upon admitting it to her.
"Kind of?"
"Kind of."
"Do you have any plans today?" She asked out of nowhere.
"No." He had to see Jamie but he could worry about that later.
"Wanna hang out?" There was a smile in her voice.
"Yes."
ꨄ
"He is absolutely jealous." Wes teased his best friend, he was going at it for a solid fifteen minutes by now, and Sera regretted telling him about the phone call she had with forest man.
"Shut up. No, he's not." She mumbled, she thought it over again in her head as she ate another spoon of cereal. Rowan wasn't jealous, he was just mad that she was staying at an all-boys dorm, and he honestly has a point.
"The problem is I know that you know that he's jealous, you just don't want to admit it to yourself." Wes said. He was setting up the table for his large breakfast meal that Sera absolutely couldn't eat. She normally skipped breakfast and only ate cereal so Wes wouldn't bug her about it for the rest of the day.
"I know you." He was going to keep talking about it if she didn't say something.
"Wessy, he's just mad because it's a boys' dorm, and because I'm not supposed to be here." She defended, done with her cereal because she was frustrated by now.
"Yeah, keep telling yourself that." He stood near the counter, arms crossed as if challenging her, "Why the fuck would he be mad, then?"
"Because I'm breaking the rules." Sera's voice was low, a sign that she wasn't believing herself either.
"Uh-huh, of course." He turned back to preparing his food, "You're an idiot."
"You've been calling me an idiot since last night." She pouted.
"The only non-idiot thing you've done was telling those fuckers that he's your boyfriend."
"That was the most idiot thing, though."
"See, only an idiot would think that."
Right as she was about to come up with a comeback, her phone vibrated next to her on the table.
"Is that him?" Wes asked.
Sera's hands shook while opening the message, and she bit her lower lip in anticipation.
Forest Man: I'll pick you up in 15?
Sera squealed excitedly and couldn't stop the smile from adorning her face. She could hear Wes speaking from behind her but she completely ignored him and went to get ready.
"Such a simp." Wes mumbled.
It was only a few moments before he heard her yell that she didn't have anything to wear except the same outfit from last night, and an evil smirk stretched on his lips.