Chapter 78 I love you, tesoro
The kitchen door creaked open behind her.
“Jasmine?” Richelle’s voice floated in, cheerful and light. “What is taking you so long? The popcorn is about to turn into charcoal and I refuse to eat sad, burnt corn for movie night.”
Jasmine didn’t turn from where she sat.
Richelle frowned and stepped closer. “Girl?”
She stopped when she saw Jasmine’s posture—rigid, unmoving, her shoulders drawn tight as if she were bracing herself for impact.
“Hey,” Richelle said more softly. “What’s wrong?”
Jasmine didn’t answer. Her eyes stayed glued to the phone screen.
Richelle leaned over her shoulder, trying to peek. “Whatchu looking at?”
Jasmine snapped her head toward her. “Don’t.”
Richelle jumped back slightly, hands flying up. “Whoa. Sorry, sorry. I wasn’t trying to invade your privacy.”
Jasmine stood abruptly, turning fully to face her. Her eyes were sharp now, unsettled. “What did you do?”
Richelle blinked. “What?”
“What did you tell him?” Jasmine demanded.
Richelle stared at her. “Tell who?”
“Damien.”
Richelle’s brows knitted together. “Jasmine, I haven’t talked to Damien since he left this morning" she lied "What are you talking about?”
Jasmine’s lips trembled. She thrust her phone forward. “Then explain this.”
Richelle hesitated before taking it. She glanced down at the screen, reading the message once… then again. Her eyes widened slightly.
“Oh,” she murmured. “Oh.”
Jasmine crossed her arms over her chest, defensive. “You told him, didn’t you? You told him what I said. That I didn’t know if I loved him.”
Richelle looked up sharply. “What? No!”
“You did,” Jasmine insisted, her voice cracking just a little. “You must have. That’s why he sent this. Because you went behind my back and told him.”
Richelle handed the phone back slowly. “Jasmine, I swear on my favorite shoes, I did not say a word to Damien about that conversation.”
Jasmine shook her head. “Then why would he say this now? Out of nowhere?”
Richelle exhaled and leaned against the counter. “Maybe because he feels it?”
Jasmine looked away. “Or maybe because he thinks he has to.”
Richelle studied her carefully. “Why does that scare you so much?”
Jasmine swallowed. Her fingers tightened around the phone. “Because if he loves me… then everything changes.”
Richelle tilted her head. “In a bad way?”
Jasmine hesitated. “In a very bad way.”
Silence stretched between them.
The popcorn machine popped loudly in the background, filling the quiet space with sharp bursts of sound.
Richelle stepped closer and gently took Jasmine’s free hand. “Listen to me. I did not tell him anything. I would never betray you like that.”
Jasmine searched her face, looking for any hint of deception. Richelle’s expression was open, earnest.
“You promise?” Jasmine asked softly.
“I promise,” Richelle said without hesitation. “I tease you, yes. I meddle, absolutely. But your heart? That’s not something I play with.”
Jasmine’s shoulders sagged a little. The tension drained from her posture, replaced by confusion and something dangerously close to fear.
“Then why would he say it?” she whispered.
Richelle smiled gently. “Because someone like Damien don’t say those words lightly. Trust me. He didn’t wake up and decide to experiment with romance. If he said it, it’s because he’s been holding it in for a long time.”
Jasmine looked back at the message again.
I love you, tesoro.
Her throat tightened. “I didn’t even reply.”
Richelle raised a brow. “What were you going to say?”
“I don’t know,” Jasmine admitted. “What if I say the wrong thing?”
Richelle snorted. “Girl, the wrong thing would be pretending you didn’t see it.”
Jasmine let out a weak laugh, then pressed the phone to her chest. “I thought you told him because of what I said earlier. That I wasn’t sure… about loving him.”
Richelle shook her head. “No. I only told you that you would love him soon. Big difference.”
Jasmine’s cheeks warmed. “You’re sly”
“And you’re in denial.”
Jasmine glanced up at her. “About what?”
Richelle pointed at the phone. “About the fact that your heart just did a backflip when you read that message.”
Jasmine opened her mouth to argue, then closed it again.
Richelle grinned. “See?”
Jasmine sighed and sank back onto the stool. “I don’t know what to do with this.”
Richelle picked up the popcorn bowl and placed it between them. “You don’t have to decide anything right now. Just… let yourself feel it.”
Jasmine stared at the screen once more, her thumb hovering over the keyboard, uncertain.
Jasmine’s heart beat harder.
Somewhere far away, Damien was waiting for a reply.
And she wasn’t sure if she was brave enough to give him one yet.
Jasmine remained seated at the kitchen counter long after Richelle walked back toward the living room with the popcorn.
The television hummed faintly in the background, some romantic comedy playing that she wasn’t watching at all. The world felt distant, muted, as if everything existed behind glass except for the phone in her hands.
I love you, tesoro.
Her thumb hovered over the screen again.
She typed three words.
I love you too.
Then erased them.
Her breathing hitched. She pressed the phone against her chest and closed her eyes.
What if she said it and it wasn’t true yet?
What if she didn’t say it and broke something fragile between them?
Her thoughts twisted in circles until her chest ached. Richelle peeked around the corner. “You alive over there?”
Jasmine forced a small smile. “Barely.”
Richelle chuckled and disappeared again, leaving her alone with her storm of feelings.
Jasmine unlocked her phone once more and opened the message thread. Her fingers trembled as she began to type slowly.
Damien…
She paused.
Deleted it.
Typed again.
Why would you say that? She stared at the words. That sounded accusatory. She erased it too.
Her heart hammered. She didn’t want to question him. She didn’t want to sound afraid. But she was afraid. Her chest tightened, but she didn’t open the thread this time. She locked her phone, held it against her palm like it might burn her, and forced herself to breathe.
When it vibrated, she jumped.
Damien was calling.
She hesitated for half a second, then answered.