At first…
Jay believed everything was fine.
She had Yuri.
They went out together.
They talked for hours.
They went on dates.
And Jay kept telling herself that she had made the right choice.
Even if Keifer was no longer part of her life.
One evening Yuri took Jay to meet his friends.
They were sitting in a café.
Four of his friends were already there.
Loud.
Confident.
Talking about expensive cars and business.
Jay sat quietly beside Yuri.
She smiled politely.
Trying to be friendly.
One of the girls looked at Jay and asked,
"So… you're Yuri's girlfriend?"
Jay nodded gently.
"Yes."
The girl raised her eyebrow.
"You're very quiet."
Jay gave a small laugh.
"I just met everyone."
Another guy chuckled.
"Yuri, she looks like a school kid."
Everyone laughed.
Jay forced a smile.
She looked at Yuri.
Expecting him to defend her.
But Yuri simply smirked.
"Yeah… she's a little innocent."
The group laughed again.
Jay's fingers slowly tightened around her cup.
Later they started talking about college life.
One of Yuri's friends asked Jay,
"So what do you usually do for fun?"
Jay brightened a little.
"I like helping kids in my colony and feeding stray cats."
The guy laughed loudly.
"Seriously?"
Another girl giggled.
"That's so childish."
Jay felt her cheeks burn.
She looked at Yuri again.
But he leaned back casually.
"That's Jay."
"Very simple."
The way he said it…
Didn't feel like a compliment.
As the night continued…
Jay spoke less and less.
Every time she said something…
Someone laughed.
Someone made a comment.
And Yuri never stopped them.
Instead sometimes…
He joined them.
At one point one of the girls said,
"Yuri usually dates really bold girls."
She looked Jay up and down.
"This is… a different choice."
The group laughed again.
Jay's heart sank.
She glanced at Yuri.
But he simply shrugged.
"What can I say."
Jay felt smaller with every passing minute.
After they left the café…
Jay finally spoke.
Her voice was soft.
"Yuri…"
He looked at his phone while walking.
"Hmm?"
Jay hesitated.
"Your friends were making fun of me."
Yuri sighed impatiently.
"They were just joking."
Jay looked down.
"But it didn't feel nice."
Yuri stopped walking and looked at her.
"Jay… you're too sensitive."
She stayed quiet.
Yuri continued,
"You need to grow up a little."
Jay felt something break inside her.
"I was just saying…"
Yuri interrupted her.
"And honestly… you were acting a bit embarrassing."
Jay froze.
"What?"
Yuri rubbed his forehead.
"Talking about feeding cats and helping kids in front of them?"
Jay's voice trembled.
"But that's what I like."
Yuri shook his head.
"You should learn how to behave around people like them."
Jay felt very small at that moment.
Very small.
When she reached home that night…
She sat on her bed quietly.
Her mind replayed everything.
The laughter.
The comments.
Yuri's words.
And for a brief second…
A memory flashed in her mind.
Keifer laughing loudly.
Teasing her.
But always proudly saying,
"Jay is the kindest person I know."
Jay quickly pushed the thought away.
But the feeling remained.
For the first time since she chose Yuri…
Jay wondered something.
Was she really happy?
Or had she lost something far more important? 💔