Jasmine stood in the quiet of Cameron's apartment, the tension thick between them. Her pulse was erratic, her thoughts scattering like leaves in the wind, but she couldn't help herself. She had to say it again—she had to make Cameron understand.
"I love you," she whispered, the words feeling foreign even as they left her lips. But the urgency was undeniable, and as she stood there, she realized it wasn't just the desire to keep Cameron by her side anymore. This had turned into something else entirely.
Jasmine began to pace, running a hand through her hair, her fingers trembling as she grasped for the right words. She wasn't good at this. She had never been good at talking about her feelings; after all, she had spent so long controlling the narrative of their relationship, keeping Cameron at arm's length until it was convenient to pull her closer. But this? This was real, this was… messy. Jasmine could feel the edges of her constructed persona fraying, and it terrified her.
"I'm sorry," she started, her voice wavering for the first time in front of Cameron. "I know I've been… playing games. I always push and pull you, and I never really give you a chance to make decisions. But it's because I need you, Cameron. I need you in a way that I can't explain, and I know that sounds selfish, but it's true."
She could feel Cameron's gaze on her, the weight of it pressing against her chest, but she couldn't stop now. She had to keep going, and had to make her believe it.
"I always knew how you looked at me," Jasmine continued, forcing herself to meet Cameron's eyes. "From the beginning. You were always drawn to me, and I enjoyed it. I was never starved for attention, but with you? I felt special. When I first met you, I didn't think I'd ever see you again. But I made sure you remembered me. Every time, every single time, I made sure you were drawn to me."
Jasmine stopped in her tracks, her words stumbling over themselves as she thought back to the first meeting. It had been easy then. Cameron had barely said two words to her when they first met during that training. Jasmine had kept it light, surface level, like a game. She'd reveled in the way Cameron's attention had felt, but that was all it had been—attention. When she had seen Cameron at the party a year ago, there had been no hint of flirting. It had been the simplest greeting, the casual introduction to her boyfriend, Andrew. But Jasmine had noticed the way Cameron's eyes lingered, how she'd picked up on the subtle shift in her demeanor. That was when it had clicked—she could keep this going.
She kept playing her part, pulling Cameron closer, reeling her in just as she had done countless times before. Jasmine couldn't help herself; it was too easy. The control she held over Cameron, the way she could manipulate every situation to her favor—it was intoxicating.
But somewhere along the way, the game had changed. She had developed feelings for Cameron. Real feelings. And now, she was staring at the girl she had toyed with, the girl who had become her muse, her obsession, the one person who had made her feel something genuine.
Jasmine swallowed hard, wiping away a tear that had escaped. She was never this vulnerable. Not like this. But she needed to make Cameron understand.
"You don't get it, Cameron," she said softly, her voice cracking. "All of this, it's been me trying to hold onto something real. I thought maybe if I just kept you close enough, I could figure it out. But it's been hard. It's hard to love someone when you don't know how to let them love you back. You never really asked for any of this, did you? You never asked for me to pull you in and out of my life. And I know I've been selfish."
Jasmine paused, taking a shaky breath, and for a moment, she looked so small, so human. She wasn't the untouchable, perfect girl who had everything under control anymore. She was just… scared. She was scared of losing Cameron. Scared of realizing that everything she had built to keep herself from feeling anything real was crumbling beneath her.
"I didn't think it would be like this," Jasmine admitted, voice barely above a whisper. "I thought I could keep you at arm's length, but… I can't. I can't anymore, Cameron. I can't stand the thought of you walking away from me. I know I've messed up, I know I've been awful to you. But I love you. I really do. I don't know how to fix this, but I had to tell you."
Her hands were shaking as she wiped her face, her usual mask of control slipping entirely. The reality of the moment hit her harder than she had anticipated. For the first time, Jasmine was confronting the truth: she didn't have all the answers.
Jasmine stopped pacing, taking a step closer to Cameron. She needed to make sure she was heard, that Cameron didn't slip away from her again. But as her eyes locked onto Cameron's, she saw something that sent a shiver down her spine—a glimpse of doubt.
And in that moment, Jasmine did what she had always done in times of uncertainty: she clung to control. She clung to the words that would keep Cameron in her orbit, the words that would make sure she stayed.
"I love you, Cameron," Jasmine said, her voice now steady, but beneath the surface, it was full of desperation. "I just need you to know that. I can't lose you, and I'll do whatever it takes to keep you by my side."
And with that, Jasmine watched as Cameron stood there, her face unreadable, and Jasmine's heart skipped a beat. She didn't know what would happen next, but in that moment, Jasmine's grip on the situation felt stronger than ever before.