The boy was hanging out at the bar one night, which has always been strictly forboden unless I offer a direct invitation (which he is not allowed to refuse), when a guy was trying really, really hard to get to know me. "It's just that you're really pretty," the guy said while standing right next to the boy. "And really nice. So...could I get your number?"
"No," I said with a smile and a tilted head, not acknowledging the boy who, as he told me later, was prepared to drag the guy outside. He has a jealous side, he told me, but I wouldn't have known if he hadn't.
To the guy, I should have said something like, "I have a boyfriend," or something like, "I'm sorry, I'm dating someone right now and I would be really hurt if he was going out with other girls," or something like, anything to cushion the blow. But I just said, "No," and kept smiling while the guy's face fell in disbelief. I studiously avoided looking at the boy, and he didn't bring it up until I'd forgotten all about it. That's when he informed me of his rampant jealousy issues. His actions don't yet reflect his words, so he is either a king of self-restraint or a liar.