In the dim light, I couldn't tell if it was just my imagination, but Jessica's expression darkened for a moment before she laughed.

"Sebastian, are you trying to spite me?"

I bent down and adjusted her neatly packed suitcase as I spoke in a steady tone, "You're overthinking it. After meeting her a few times, I thought she seemed like a great girl."

Jessica frowned, skepticism written all over her face. "Are you sure you're not just trying to get back at me?"

"You said it yourself that I should look for someone else. Now that Cameron's back, I'm returning you to him. I have to move on too, right?"

She didn't respond and just stared deeply at me. I caught a fleeting glimpse of something in her eyes—a moment of sadness that passed too quickly.

"Since you're interested in her, I'll set up a gathering soon to introduce you."

With that, Jessica grabbed her suitcase and walked out. The door slammed shut behind her with a resounding bang. She was clearly angry that I hadn't begged her to not break up with me, instead mentioning her best friend and how I thought she seemed like a great woman.

-

Jessica was giving me the cold shoulder again. When she ignored me in the past, I would spiral into a pit of gloom, racking my brain for ways to make amends. But these days, I found a strange sense of relief in not reaching out to her.

I threw myself into work, pouring all my energy into it. Without the constant weight of my emotions dragging me down, my productivity soared. I received commendations from my boss two days in a row.

A week later, Jessica called me. She was serious about playing matchmaker between her friend and me, and to that end, had arranged for a dinner.

I agreed with a smile.

When I arrived, Jessica and Cameron were already there. As I walked over, I spotted their interlocked fingers right away. Cameron glanced at me, lifting Jessica's hand slightly.

"So, Jess and I are together now."

I raised an eyebrow, allowing a small smile to form on my lips, as if I'd known this was coming all along.

Jessica grinned too. "You're going to wish us well, right, Seb?"

I recognized her attempt to provoke a reaction, but felt no stir of emotion inside me.

"Of course. Congratulations! It's nice to see lovebirds find their happily ever after."

Jessica then introduced me to her friend, Selena Morris.

"Hi, Sebastian. I'm Selena," she said softly, her gaze warm and inviting.

Suddenly, I remembered the last time we had met at the bar—when she had drunkenly clung to me, asking if I wanted to sleep with her. Now, with her sweet demeanor, I found myself questioning if that had really been her.

I hesitated, lost in thought for a moment. She fluttered her long eyelashes, looking a bit flustered before she smiled again.

Without waiting for my response, she continued, "I asked Jess to set this up. Please don't be mad."

I snapped back to reality and smiled back at her. "So, does this dinner mean you're interested in pursuing me?"

Selena's face flushed bright red. "Do you not remember me? I actually knew you before Jess did. I've liked you for a long time, but it always seemed like you only had eyes for her…"

As her friend spoke, Jessica cleared her throat, clearly uncomfortable. "Lena, what are you talking about?"

It was only then that Selena seemed to remember Cameron was standing next to her.

"Cameron, it's just my personal opinion. Jess and Sebastian are only friends!" she explained hurriedly.

Cameron chuckled and affectionately ruffled Jessica's hair. "I won't read too much into it. I've known since university that my girl is never going to fall for anyone but me."

I remained quiet, just standing there.

At that moment, I felt a wave of failure wash over me. I had been living with Jessica as her boyfriend for five years, yet our relationship was so unremarkable that even her best friend was completely in the dark about it.

Seeing me lost in thought, Selena waved a hand in front of my face. "Sebastian, don't feel embarrassed! If you're not interested, that's fine—we can just be friends!"

Jessica was watching us while sipping her juice with a thoughtful expression.

I smiled. "I'm not embarrassed at all. You seem really great."

After a moment, Selena seemed to gather her courage to say, "I know it's a little forward for a girl to say this, but if you're open to it, I'd like a chance to be your girlfriend."

I noticed how Jessica set down her juice, her fingers idly tapping against the glass. Selena's gaze was intense, and I felt a strange warmth radiating from it.

I chuckled. After ensuring that there was no bitterness or desire for revenge in my heart, I replied calmly, "Sure, let's give it a shot!"

The sound of tapping fingers stopped abruptly.

"Give it a shot? What does that mean?" Selena asked, momentarily taken aback. But she quickly regained her composure, her cheeks reddening even more. "Okay… that's fine!"

"Since I don't have much experience with dating, let's just start as friends," I added.

Jessica took another sip of her juice, her tone light and teasing as she chimed in, "Yeah, he really doesn't have any experience."

Her comment casually dismissed the five years I had poured into chasing after her.

After dinner, I naturally offered to drive Selena home. Jessica watched as she climbed into the passenger seat. When I opened the door, Cameron and Selena noticed the sticker on my dashboard that read 'Sebastian's Lover's Seat'.

The last time Cameron was in my car, it had been dark. Also, he was sitting in the back, so he hadn't caught sight of it.

"'Sebastian's Lover's Seat'? Nice touch, man! You've got a flair for romance," Cameron joked. "But honestly, you should be more direct—just slap 'Selena's Seat' on there."

Selena's cheeks turned crimson at his comment. I couldn't help but remember the moment I bought that sticker. My intention had been to surprise Jessica, hoping it would touch her heart. I thought she would be thrilled. But instead, she had found it childish.

Later, when I was upset about her reaction, she'd tried to cheer me up by posting a picture on social media with [Sebastian says this is my special seat] as the caption. At the time, I'd been genuinely moved.

It wasn't until three months later that I stumbled upon the fact that her post was only visible to me. It was a sobering realization that, from the very beginning, I had been a complete joke in her eyes.

I reached over and ripped the sticker off, hastily concocting an excuse, "I lost a bet playing Truth or Dare with some friends and just forgot to take it off."

I smiled, hoping to deflect any further questions. Besides, Jessica probably didn't care about it.

As I closed the door for Selena with care, Jessica pursed her lips, then said in a lighthearted tone, "Lena, Seb's got the worst insecurity. Now that you've claimed his passenger seat, you can't sit in another guy's passenger seat ever again!"

Knowing Jessica's personality, I didn't take her words as mockery. At that moment, I realized she felt a flicker of guilt towards me. She was at least somewhat aware of the pain and anxiety I had experienced over the past five years in our relationship.

But Cameron had always been her first choice. She had made up her mind before ever really considering me.

As I started the car, Jessica and Cameron took a few steps back. Unexpectedly, she looked up and glanced at me. After driving a certain distance, it struck me that she was watching as I drove off, her gaze locked in the direction I was heading.

A week after getting to know Selena, she started reaching out to me more often.

[Sebastian, there's a new movie out that's supposed to be really good. Want to go see it?]

[Sebastian, do you like Eastern cuisine? I know a place that has amazing food.]

[Sebastian, we got a ton of coffee beans at work, but I don't usually drink coffee. Can I bring some over for you?]

I loved drinking coffee, which was something Jessica knew all too well.

Seeing Selena's message gave me a little jolt of excitement, so I replied: [Do you get coffee beans from your company every year?]

Selena responded instantly: [Yep! I save them all up. I'm not really a coffee drinker, but it's good stuff. Want me to bring it to you from now on?]

Selena and Jessica worked at the same company, where they received coffee beans every year. Jessica knew how much I loved coffee, yet she had never brought me any—not once in five years.

Thinking back, it hit me how much I had invested emotionally, only to come up empty-handed.

I didn't reply to Selena right away, but when I got off work, she showed up looking flustered.

When she saw me, she looked genuinely anxious and babbled, "I didn't mean to show up unannounced! You didn't reply to my message, and I wanted to bring the coffee beans for you…"

Her nervousness made me smile.

Perhaps having a girlfriend this cute might actually be fun.

Selena handed me the coffee beans, and the next day, I asked her to join me after work for a movie I had been wanting to see.

I really enjoyed the atmosphere of a movie theater. I had tried to take Jessica out to see movies a bunch of times, but she always found an excuse to bail. Going alone felt pointless, so eventually, I just stopped asking.

While scrolling through my phone yesterday, I discovered that this particular movie was back in theaters. Since it was an old movie, there weren't many people watching it, and the environment was comfortable and open.

As the movie approached its climax, I suddenly heard a light laugh that felt oddly familiar. I instinctively looked down to see the outline of a face in the row ahead. Without needing a second glance, I recognized them immediately—Jessica and Cameron.

So, Jessica didn't dislike movies; she just didn't want to watch them with me.

But seeing her now, I felt surprisingly calm. The fluttering of my heart had quieted down.

As the credits rolled and the audience started to leave, Selena and I walked out together, only to bump right into them.

"Lena?" Jessica called out.

When her gaze landed on me, her expression grew more serious.

Selena smiled and nodded. "Hey, Jess. Were you guys here to see a movie too?"

Jessica tightened her grip on Cameron's hand. "Cam said this movie was really good, so I came to keep him company."

When Jessica spoke, her face lit up with a warm smile. It was a look I had never seen in the five years we were together. Maybe it was the glow of true love. Her typically cold eyes sparkled softly, and her smile was brighter than I ever remembered.

I could see her love for Cameron clearly, and it made me feel like I'd been a fool for the past five years.

I exchanged quick pleasantries with the two of them before turning to Selena. "Shall we go?"

Selena waved goodbye to Jessica and followed me out of the movie theater.

As we passed a café, Selena glanced inside for a while, so I decided to buy a drink for the two of us. I ordered her a hot chocolate, which was still warm in my hands as I handed it to her.

"The air conditioning in the movie theater was too strong. Your hands must be freezing. Do you like hot chocolate?"

Selena cradled the cup and nodded with a smile. "I do!"

Just then, my phone buzzed. It was a message from Jessica. This was the first time she had reached out to me since Cameron returned.

[Did you enjoy the movie with Selena?]

What did she mean by that? Was it a genuine check-in after cutting ties, or was it a sarcastic jab at my happiness?

I didn't reply. A few moments later, another message from Jessica popped up.

The words felt like a slap.

[Things seem to be going well with you and Selena. I guess you two have slept together already? What position did you use?]

I stared at the screen, processing the message for a few seconds before I typed out my response.

[Are you that curious? Want me to send you a video to watch?]