Dana leaned back in her chair, her arms crossed tightly over her chest as she listened to Steven talk. It had been like this for the past few days—every conversation, every moment they spent together, revolved around Melanie.
"Mel this, Mel that..." Dana muttered under her breath, her frustration building. She had been patient, offering advice, listening to Steven's plans, but now she was starting to feel something she hadn't expected. Jealousy.
Steven was so obsessed with Melanie that it was beginning to feel like he didn't even see her anymore. All her effort, all the hours spent helping him navigate his emotions, seemed to be overshadowed by his single-minded fixation on the woman who clearly had his heart. And it wasn't just the obsession with her; it was the way Steven seemed to take her feelings for granted.
He didn't appreciate Dana for all the time she'd spent advising him, for being the one who was there when he needed someone to talk to. No, she was just a tool to him, a means to an end—a stepping stone to win Melanie over.
Dana clenched her jaw. She had always been the type to keep her emotions in check, but now… Now, she felt like she was being used.
"Honestly, Steven," she finally spoke up, her voice cold, "do you ever talk about anything else? It's always Melanie. You need to get over her."
Steven looked up at her, surprised by the sudden shift in her tone. "What? What are you talking about?"
"You heard me," Dana said, standing up and pacing across the room. "It's always about Melanie. It's like I'm just here to help you get her, like I'm some sort of assistant in your little quest to win her over. You never even ask me how I'm doing, what I think about anything. It's just 'Melanie, Melanie, Melanie'!"
Steven stood up quickly, his face scrunching in confusion. "Dana, wait—"
"No," she cut him off, holding up a hand. "I'm done. You're using me. You don't care about me at all. You just want your plan to succeed."
Her words hit Steven harder than he anticipated. He took a step back, the realization slowly sinking in that his obsession with Melanie had overshadowed everything else around him, including the person who had been there for him all along.
"Dana, that's not—"
"Save it, Steven. I don't need to hear your excuses. You've made it clear what your priorities are," she said, her voice shaking with emotion, but she refused to let him see how deeply his actions had cut her. "I think it's better if we stop here."
Dana turned to leave, but before she could make it to the door, Steven grabbed her wrist gently. "Wait, please."
She froze, staring at his hand on her arm, then looked up into his eyes. "You're making a mistake," she said, her voice barely above a whisper.
Steven opened his mouth to say something, but his words faltered. He had been so wrapped up in Melanie's world that he hadn't even realized he was pushing away the one person who had been by his side through everything.
"Dana," he said softly, his grip loosening. "I didn't mean to hurt you. I've been so focused on Melanie that I didn't see how it was affecting you. I'm sorry. You're right… I've been selfish."
Dana's eyes softened for a brief moment, but the hurt was still there, lingering in her chest. "I just don't want to be a pawn in your game, Steven. I'm not your backup plan."
"No, you're not," Steven said, his voice full of regret. "You've never been a backup plan. I should have treated you with more respect. You've been nothing but supportive to me, and I took that for granted."
There was a silence between them, thick with unspoken emotions. Dana's heart softened just a little, but she wasn't ready to let go of the walls she had built up.
"Maybe we both need to rethink things," she said, pulling her wrist gently from his grasp and taking a step back. "You need to figure out what you really want, Steven. And I need to figure out what I want, too."
Steven nodded slowly, a deep sigh escaping his lips. "I don't want to lose you, Dana. I'll fix this. I promise."
With that, Dana left the room, her mind a whirl of confusion. What had started as a simple mission to help Steven had turned into something far more complicated.
As she walked away, she couldn't help but feel like this might be the beginning of something new—not just for Steven, but for herself as well.