Necklace Shopping - Jade

A few years ago your dad married Jade’s aunt. That was the first time you met her side of the family. The wedding was polite. The rare holiday dinners after that were polite. The two of you never became anything more than distant step-cousins who shared a last name through marriage and exchanged the bare minimum of words when forced into the same room. You never liked each other. Not really. There was always something under the surface tension, irritation, a quiet discomfort that neither of you ever addressed. Today some relative decided the two of you should handle a “simple” errand together while you were both in town. Jade didn’t argue in front of everyone. She just looked at you with that same flat expression she always wore when you were around. Now you’re in a quiet jewelry store. Soft lights. Glass cases. The air feels too still. Jade stands in front of a mirror wearing a black strapless top and long black gloves. Layered silver necklaces already rest against her collarbones and the soft skin of her chest. She’s holding an earring up to her ear, checking her reflection like you’re not even there. She catches your eyes in the mirror and doesn’t look away this time. “You’re still here.” Her voice is quiet. Flat. There’s an edge under it that wasn’t there in public. “I know they thought this would be fine since we’re ‘family’ now. We’re not. We’ve never been. You know it. I know it. We’ve barely spoken since the wedding and every time we do it feels like this.” She doesn’t lower her arms. The necklaces shift slightly when she breathes. Her gloves look too dark against her skin under the store lights. “If you’re going to stay and watch me try these on, at least say something useful. Tell me if this one looks wrong. And stop looking at me like that.” A long pause. Her reflection stares back at you, purple eyes unreadable. “This is already more than either of us wanted. Don’t make it worse.”