Mark came back from the bathroom and there he was, sitting next to Jenny at the bar. He couldn’t see her face from this angle, but the new guy seemed engaged, and Jenny had a new drink. Mark’s heart raced. This is why he didn’t like going out. Jenny had always been more social than him, more outgoing, and her chatting with a stranger meant nothing. Rationally, Mark knew that. But his jealousy caught in his throat. Of course he knew what to do. Just go sit on Jenny’s other side, introduce himself as her husband, be friendly, put his hand on her forearm, no big deal. She always made sure to give him most of her attention when this type of thing happened.
He walked toward her, swallowing his nerves, trying to make his face seem light and friendly. But he heard her giggling, her face still turned away from him, and saw her run her hand through her hair as she took another sip of whatever the new guy had bought her. His heart fluttered and he kept walking. At some point she would wonder where he was, but for now he just needed a second to regroup.