Tucker’s Jealousy

The heavy silence that hung between them was thick with unspoken words, as if the world outside the small office had momentarily ceased to exist. Tucker Beaumont stood in the doorway, his hand resting on the frame, his tall, imposing figure casting a shadow over the room. His sharp blue eyes locked onto Scarlet, but his gaze was distant, guarded something she wasn’t used to seeing from him.

She had noticed the change in him. The man who once loved her with an intensity that had terrified her was now colder, more distant, like the embodiment of a wall she couldn’t break through. The animosity that simmered between them had only grown stronger with each passing day. But it wasn’t just animosity it was something deeper. Something more visceral.

Tucker’s chest tightened at the sight of her with Bernard. It wasn’t just the proximity, the way their shoulders were so close, their voices low but filled with familiarity. It was something else, something Tucker couldn’t quite put into words. He had never been a jealous man, never the type to let emotions cloud his judgment. But standing there, watching them together, a feeling he hadn’t experienced in years surged through him raw, hot jealousy.

It was irrational, he knew. He had no right to feel this way. Bernard was her friend, her childhood confidant. They had shared their entire lives together, had been through things Tucker could never even understand. But still, the sight of them laughing, of them sharing something that seemed so intimate, was like a knife twisting in his gut.

Scarlet looked up, her gaze briefly meeting his before she quickly looked away, as if sensing the shift in the air. Her posture had changed since their last meeting. Where she once stood tall, confident in her defiance, she now seemed… smaller. Her movements were less assured, her eyes clouded with something Tucker couldn’t decipher. And that, more than anything, made his chest tighten.

“Everything alright in here?” Tucker’s voice was low, the coolness of it brushing against her skin like an invisible breeze.

Bernard stood up, sensing the tension in the room immediately. He shot Tucker a look, a silent acknowledgment of the delicate situation, before he turned to Scarlet, his eyes soft with concern. “I think we’re done here for today.”

Scarlet barely nodded in response, her eyes flicking between Bernard and Tucker. The unease was palpable like the calm before a storm. Bernard made his way to the door, offering one last glance at Scarlet, a silent promise that he’d be there when she needed him.

When the door clicked shut behind Bernard, leaving just the two of them, the silence between Scarlet and Tucker was suffocating. Tucker took a step forward, his gaze unwavering, his jaw tight. He could feel the anger bubbling beneath the surface, the frustration that had been simmering for days now threatening to spill over.

Scarlet avoided his gaze, her fingers picking at the edge of the desk as she leaned against it. “What do you want, Tucker?” Her voice was soft, but there was an edge to it one that was becoming more familiar with each passing day. She had been patient, tried to play by the rules of their arrangement, but her patience was wearing thin.

Tucker’s eyes flickered with something darker an emotion he hadn’t allowed himself to feel in years. His chest tightened as he took another step forward, closing the distance between them. “You’ve been spending a lot of time with Bernard lately,” he said, his voice low, almost too calm for the storm brewing beneath the surface.

Scarlet straightened, her eyes snapping up to meet his. “What’s your point?”

“My point is,” he began, his voice dropping a fraction of an octave, “I’m starting to wonder just how much you’re relying on him these days.”

The words hit her like a slap. She opened her mouth to respond, but nothing came out. There was something in the way Tucker’s eyes darkened, something that felt almost possessive. She had never seen him like this had never known him to be so… territorial.

“I didn’t think you were the type to get jealous,” she said, her voice laced with sarcasm as she crossed her arms over her chest, a defense mechanism she had used for years to protect herself from hurt.

Tucker’s jaw clenched, his frustration mounting. He could feel the blood rushing to his ears, the heat of anger rising in his chest. He wanted to argue, to lash out, but something inside him held him back. Maybe it was the memory of the man he used to be, the man who had loved her without hesitation, without reservation. Maybe it was the realization that the feelings he had buried for so long were bubbling back to the surface, threatening to break free.

“You don’t understand,” Tucker muttered, taking another step closer, his voice barely above a whisper now. “I’m not just some businessman you can keep at arm’s length, Scarlet. I’m not just a man you can push aside whenever you feel like it.”

Her breath hitched as she met his gaze, her heart skipping a beat. There was so much intensity in his eyes, so much unspoken pain. She hadn’t expected this hadn’t expected him to be so raw, so… vulnerable.

“Tucker…” she whispered, but the words were lost in the air between them, hanging in the space where they had once been so close. She wanted to reach out to him, to bridge the gap that had grown between them, but the fear of what they had become held her back.

He stepped even closer, his body so close now that she could feel the heat radiating off him. “You don’t get to play games with me anymore, Scarlet. Not when I’ve already lost so much.”

Scarlet’s heart pounded in her chest as the words hit her like a punch. She had never realized how much he had suffered over the years, how much he had kept hidden beneath his cold, calculated exterior. The walls he had built to protect himself from the pain of her abandonment were crumbling before her eyes.

“I didn’t mean for this to happen,” she whispered, her voice trembling.

Tucker’s eyes softened for a brief moment, but the anger was still there, simmering beneath the surface. “Then why are you letting it happen, Scarlet? Why are you letting him get so close?”

She shook her head, unable to answer him, the words choking in her throat. She had no good excuse for Bernard. She had no way of explaining the strange connection that had been forming between them. And yet, there was a part of her that knew knew deep down that it wasn’t just about Bernard. It was about the man standing before her, the one who still had the power to make her heart race with a single look.

The silence that followed was thick, heavy with the weight of their unspoken feelings, and then, without another word, Tucker turned and walked out, leaving Scarlet standing there, her mind a whirlwind of confusion, regret, and longing.