Husband With Benefits

"Someone is doing this intentionally," Dora muttered, stirring the pot of soup on the stove, her brow furrowed in frustration. She tasted a spoonful, then shook her head and added a pinch more salt. "And I don’t like the suspects I have in mind." "You mean, you do like the suspects," Cai corrected from beside her, his knife scraping lightly against the cutting board. He grabbed a slice of carrot and casually popped it into her mouth, interrupting her before she could argue. "And that’s why you don’t want them to be suspects." He smirked, wiping his hands on a towel. "But seriously, why are you so hung up on this? You don’t need to carry the weight of the world on your shoulders, Dora. Let someone else deal with it for once."

Dora chewed the carrot, giving him a side-eye before turning off the heat and resting her hands on the stove. She let out a deep sigh, her shoulders slumping. "Maybe. But these rumors? They’ve gone too far. Even my picture—stolen from my phone, mind you—was called a fake! Now people believe that doctored story instead of the truth!" She tossed the spoon into the sink with a little too much force, the clatter echoing through the kitchen. "I don’t care what Kael says about not letting it bother me as he is handling the rumors pretty well. It does bother me. I hate it!"

Cai handed her a bowl of chopped veggies and shrugged as she poured them into the pot. He leaned against the counter, wiping it down methodically, as if trying to clean away her worries. "We can’t control every rumor. What matters is how we react. From what I’ve seen, Kael’s handling it pretty well. So why are you still trying to be the knight in shining armor here?"

Dora turned around sharply, her eyes narrowing. "Hey! I am not a knight! I’m a princess in shining armor, okay?" She pointed at him with the wooden spoon, her tone teasing but with a bite of seriousness. "And why not? If the situation were reversed, and someone was spreading rumors about Kael, I’d want to step in and protect him. A relationship is about give and take, isn’t it?" She shot a quick glance over her shoulder, making sure Kael wasn’t around to hear.

Cai rolled his eyes, folding his arms. "A relationship is also about trusting your partner to handle things on their own. You’re not trusting Kael right now."

"I am trusting him!" Dora’s voice was defensive, but her expression softened as she stared at the pot. "I just... I don’t want to sit by and do nothing."

Before Cai could respond, the kitchen door opened, and Kael stepped in. He paused for a moment, his eyes narrowing slightly at the sight of the two standing so close together, whispering. That old, familiar flicker of jealousy surfaced, though he quickly pushed it aside. He knew they were close but sometimes, he couldn’t help but wish Dora would open up to him like she did with Cai.

But for now, he could only smile and wait for the day when she’d turn to him first.