Chapter 70 A jealousy spark
Chapter 070
DARIUS
After the brutal combat training session ended, everyone was exhausted and ready to collapse.
I was wiping sweat from my face with a towel when Dorian walked over to where Ravenna was catching her breath against the wall.
"Hey Ravenna, want to grab lunch at the canteen with me? I am absolutely starving after all that."
I immediately took offense at the casual invitation, my jaw clenching hard enough to hurt. "When exactly did you start eating lunch with the human, Dorian?"
Dorian turned to look at me with an expression that clearly said I was being ridiculous. "Her name is Ravenna, not human. You know that perfectly well."
"I do not care what her name is," I shot back, feeling heat rising in my chest. "I asked you a question. Why are you going to have lunch with her instead of with me like we always do?"
Ravenna's voice cut through the tension before Dorian could respond, and I could hear the amusement in her tone. "Is that jealousy I smell in the air? How interesting."
I glared at her with all the fury I could muster, my eyes narrowing dangerously. "Stay away from my friend, Ravenna. I am warning you now."
She tilted her head and smiled sweetly at me in a way that made my blood boil. "No, I do not think I will. Make me if you are so adamant about keeping us apart, Darius."
Dorian sighed deeply and ran both hands through his hair in clear frustration. "Please do not start your usual banter again. I am really not in the mood to deal with your sick love drama right now. I am too tired and too hungry."
The words hit me like a slap across the face. "It is not a love drama," I snapped, probably louder than necessary. "I definitely loathe Ravenna. It is the complete opposite of love, actually."
"The feeling is entirely mutual," Ravenna added, crossing her arms over her chest.
Dorian looked between us with exasperation written all over his features. "You are doing it again. This is exactly what I just asked you not to do."
I wanted to argue more, wanted to tell Dorian exactly what I thought about him spending time with Ravenna, but I forced myself to swallow the words.
Instead, I just grabbed my bag and followed them out of the combat room in tense silence.
We made our way to Angela's, the familiar café where we usually ate between classes. The afternoon crowd was lighter than usual, and we managed to snag a decent table near the windows.
Ravenna pulled out his phone as we sat down, typing something quickly.
"Are you texting Samantha to see if she wants to join us?" Dorian asked, and I noticed the knowing smile on his face.
Ravenna's ears turned slightly red. "Maybe."
“Is she available?"
"She is in class right now," Ravenna replied, checking her own phone. "But I can let her know we are here if she gets out early."
I sat across from them, watching this easy interaction with growing irritation.
They were so comfortable together, laughing and chatting like they had been friends for years instead of just weeks.
Atlas bristled inside my head, his presence pushing forward with confusion and territorial aggression.
"Why are you talking to her so much?" Atlas growled internally. "Tell Dorian to stop. She is ours. He should not be making her smile like that."
"Shut up," I hissed back mentally. "She is not ours. I do not want her."
But even as I thought the words, I knew they were becoming less and less true with each passing day.
Our food arrived, and I picked at my meal without much appetite whilst Dorian and Ravenna continued their conversation.
They were discussing something about the upcoming trials, but I was not really listening.
I was too focused on the way Ravenna threw her head back when she laughed at something Dorian said, the way her eyes lit up with genuine amusement.
"I really owe you for helping me yesterday night when I got drunk," Dorian told her with a grateful smile. "Thank you for making sure I got back safely."
Something inside me snapped. "You owe her? Are you serious right now?"
Dorian looked at me with confusion. "Yes? She helped me when I was stumbling around like an idiot."
"I was the one who had to deal with you throwing up for hours in the toilet," I reminded him, my voice rising slightly despite my best efforts to stay calm.
"I prepared warm water for your bath because you could not do it yourself. I tucked you into bed like you were a small child. I put extra blankets over you because you kept complaining about being cold. And this morning, I woke up early to prepare hangover soup so you would feel better. All you gave me was a mumbled thank you."
The entire table had gone quiet. I realised I was breathing hard, my hands clenched into fists on the table.
"But you are treating Ravenna to lunch," I continued, unable to stop the words from pouring out. "Someone who did absolutely nothing except steady you for two seconds when you slipped. That makes perfect sense."
Ravenna's voice was gentle when she spoke, which somehow made it worse. "That is definitely jealousy speaking, Darius."
She laughed softly, not mockingly but almost fondly. "I promise I am not trying to steal your best friend away from you. You can calm down now."
Dorian was staring at me with wide eyes, clearly shocked by my outburst. "Are you alright, mate? That was a bit intense."
The concern in his voice made me realise how ridiculous I must sound. I took a deep breath and forced myself to relax my hands. "I am fine. Just tired from training."
But I was not fine. Atlas was still growling inside my head, and I could feel the jealousy burning in my chest like acid.
I hated seeing Ravenna with Dorian.
I hated how easy their friendship was.
I hated that she smiled at him without any of the walls she kept up around me.
My phone buzzed, saving me from having to continue this painful conversation.
I picked it up wondering who could be messaging me.
Father?