“ it’s fine. ” christian replies, though his tone is anything but convincing. “ you have to do this, it’s just the way it is. you can’t change that. ” he attempts to smile a little, to make sure she doesn’t feel too bad about everything. the truth is – it hurts. a lot. and it hits a LITTLE too close to home. it reminds him of his ex, the man he believed was the love of his life until he was snatched away by someone else and left behind like he was nothing. and now, after deciding to give love ONE more chance, he can’t even be seen with her. there’s this tiny pain in his chest filled with anxiety and worry but he tries to suppress it. find any means of distractions to let the ‘what ifs’ escape from his mind. which, includes mingling around with the guests. although, he’s completely oblivious to his girlfriend’s jealousy because he was too distracted to notice how touchy that other girl had been with him. “ where’s, uh– where’s your date? you should probably get back to them before they come looking. ” although what he really wants is to hold jillian tightly in his arms and keep anyone else from looking at her. to run off somewhere where it can just be the two of them and jillian doesn’t have to worry about some social obligation. and he doesn’t have to worry about l o s i n g again. “ are you okay ? ”
AS IF HER STOMACH ISN’T already churning from moments prior, christian’s response does l i t t l e to settle the feeling and extracts a sigh from jill; she murmurs his name as she worries her brow, head nestling further into her palm as if it’ll DO something about the frustration and guilt weighing heavy on her chest. he looked so handsome tonight — making it difficult for her to stand so far away, let alone look elsewhere — and to know that she’s responsible for his dejection, for such a shift in his usual demeanour, sees her looking away and down upon the couch’s cushions. jillian can’t imagine how infuriating it is, how much it bothers christian to see her acting like a couple with the other man, if she can’t handle one bold gesture from one woman when — as far as everyone ELSE is concerned — he’s single. it’s that thought which sees her taking another swig of champagne before moving the glass to sit on a nearby coffee table, turning her attention back to her boyfriend as he speaks only to smirk slightly. “ in the nearest private bathroom with some old money heiress, i’m guessing. ” trust him to make the m o s t of his night once the photo op and brief mingling are out of the way. “ even so, ” the brunette adds, her free hand moving to rest gently on his knee, “ we only just got in here — ” at least, that’s what it felt like, “ — and he can WAIT if he’s done. ” besides, she’s sure that tally’s doing a good job of keeping the nosy few’s focus on herself, thus jill shrugs his minor concerns off as the present issue continues to occupy her mind. and if she wasn’t convinced that he was deflecting before, she’s certain of it once another question rolls off of his tongue. “ are you ? ” while jillian knows it’s a genuine question from christian, she considers herself secondary when he’s clearly hurting.
