Husband With Benefits

"We often talked about you, Lily."

Lily’s gaze snapped up to meet Cai’s, a question forming on her lips, but he had already turned and started walking away. She hurried after him, her voice chasing him down the hall. "Wait, what do you mean you talked about me? You can’t just drop a bomb like that and walk away. That’s not fair!"

Cai grinned over his shoulder and, with a casual flop, sank into the couch. He patted the empty space beside him, signaling her to join. "Come sit. I’ll explain."

Reluctantly, but intrigued, Lily walked over and settled beside him, turning so that she could face him properly. Cai grabbed a cushion, hugging it to his chest, his expression thoughtful as he started to speak.

"Well, you know, we were just two dumb teenagers, right? Jasmine used to joke that she’d dump me before we even made it out of high school."

Lily blinked, utterly taken aback. To her, Jasmine and Cai had always seemed inseparable, like the kind of couple that was meant to last forever. They were the epitome of young love, at least from the outside looking in.

Cai caught the surprise on her face and laughed softly. "Ha! I see you’re shocked. But think about it, how many couples do you really know that have stayed together since high school? Forever’s a long time."

"There are exceptions," Lily protested, though her mind reeled. Jasmine and Cai were supposed to be one of those rare exceptions. Weren’t they?

Cai shrugged, nonchalant but with a hint of wistfulness. "Sure, exceptions exist. And maybe we could have been one of them. But Jasmine... she had doubts. And a lot of those doubts had to do with you."