Izzie was already annoyed, and the day had barely started.

She wasn't naive-she knew Jordan had history with Simone. They had been together for a long time, and even though things ended badly between them, Simone was still a presence in his life, whether Izzie liked it or not.

But what she didn't expect was for Simone to come looking for Jordan first thing in the morning.

Izzie spotted her across the quad before Jordan did, standing near one of the benches, her long braids pulled into a sleek ponytail, arms crossed like she had been waiting. And sure enough, the moment she saw them walking together, her eyes locked onto Jordan.

"Jordan."

Her voice was calm, controlled-but Izzie could hear the underlying tension in it.

Jordan sighed under his breath but didn't let go of Izzie's hand. "What's up, Simone?"

Simone's eyes flickered between the two of them, lingering just a little too long on their intertwined fingers. "Can we talk?"

Izzie already didn't like this.

Jordan hesitated, and she felt the slight shift in his body. He was trying to be respectful, but Izzie knew him too well-he didn't want to have this conversation.

"About what?" he asked, his tone neutral.

Simone glanced at Izzie again, then back at him. "Alone."

Izzie didn't even flinch. She wasn't about to step aside like she was some random girl Jordan was just messing around with.

Jordan, to his credit, didn't let go of her. Instead, he shook his head. "Nah. Anything you gotta say, you can say in front of Izzie."

Simone's lips pressed into a thin line. "It's about us, Jordan."

"There is no us," he corrected, his voice steady but firm. "Hasn't been for a while."

Simone exhaled, clearly frustrated. "Look, I just-I need to say something, okay?"

Jordan looked at Izzie, silently asking if she was okay with this. Izzie shrugged, acting like she didn't care, even though she hated the idea of Simone trying to drag Jordan back into the past.

He finally let go of Izzie's hand, but only to take a step toward Simone. "Say what you need to say, then."

Simone crossed her arms, her expression unreadable. "I know we didn't end on the best terms, but I never wanted things to be like this. I never wanted to hurt you."

Jordan's jaw clenched. "Yeah? Could've fooled me."

She sighed. "I know you're mad. And you have every right to be. But I just... I wanted to clear the air between us."

Jordan let out a short, humorless laugh. "Clear the air? Simone, you lied to me about a whole baby. And when the truth came out, you left like I was the one who did something wrong."

Simone looked down, as if she had the decency to feel guilty. "I was scared, Jordan. I didn't know how to handle it."

Jordan shook his head. "That's not an excuse."

"I know," she admitted. "And I'm sorry. I really am."

There was a long pause. Izzie stayed quiet, watching Jordan's expression carefully. He wasn't the type to hold grudges, but she also knew he wasn't about to just forgive Simone and act like everything was cool.

Finally, he exhaled, running a hand over his face. "Look, Simone. I appreciate the apology. But I've moved on. I'm happy now. And I'm not gonna let the past mess with that."

Simone's gaze flickered toward Izzie again, and Izzie knew exactly what she was thinking.

He moved on with her?

But instead of saying anything else, Simone just nodded. "I guess that's all I needed to hear."

Jordan gave a small nod. "Take care of yourself, Simone."

And just like that, the conversation was over.

Simone turned and walked away, and Jordan immediately reached for Izzie's hand again, intertwining their fingers like nothing had changed.

"You okay?" he asked, searching her face.

Izzie smirked. "I should be asking you that."

Jordan rolled his eyes. "I'm good. That was just... closure, I guess."

Izzie studied him for a moment, trying to see if there was even a sliver of doubt in his expression. But there wasn't. He was sure about them.

And that was all she needed.

"Well, if you're good, I'm good," she said, squeezing his hand.

Jordan leaned in, pressing a soft kiss to her forehead. "Good. 'Cause I've got way better things to focus on."

Izzie raised an eyebrow. "Oh yeah? Like what?"

Jordan smirked, pulling her closer. "Like kissing you."

Izzie laughed, letting herself melt into him, the past officially behind them.

How's this for Simone's attempt at talking to Jordan? Do you want it to be more dramatic, or does this feel like the right balance?