He Clings to Me Every Night

It was Benjamin Johnson’s voice, with a trace of pain and worry, as if he cared about her deeply, as if her well-being mattered tremendously to him. Could she be hallucinating?

Jay snapped back to reality, looked up, and indeed saw Benjamin.

At that moment, Jay looked utterly startled, a sourness rising in her nose once more. Unconscious of herself, she felt like crying again.

“You didn’t hurt yourself, did you?”

Jay shook her head, tears unceremoniously flowing from her eyes.

Benjamin’s voice turned tender as he gently picked up Jay and placed her on the couch.

He took both her hands and carefully examined them, saying, “I’m glad you’re not hurt. Be careful next time. I worry you’ll burn down the house, or worse, hurt yourself. Maybe you should leave the cooking to someone else. I’ll hire a housekeeper to cook for you.”

Jay remained silent, with tears streaming down her face even more fiercely. Her eyes had swollen from crying.

If Benjamin didn’t like her, she’d rather him be cold towards her. That way, she’d harbor no illusions and expect nothing more.

The more he cared for her, the nicer he was to her, the more she could not bear to let go.

Just the thought of him loving someone else caused her more heartache.

Jay continued to cry, leaving Benjamin somewhat at a loss.

Reflexively, Benjamin pulled out a tissue and gently wiped away Jay’s tears. He softly comforted Jay, “Everything is alright. Don’t be afraid. I’m here. I’ll get you a glass of water, sip on it to calm yourself. I’ll clean up the kitchen. Later, I’ll cook something for you.”

Jay’s eyes were still filled with tears. “I feel so useless. I wanted to make some meals for the kids, but I can’t even do that. I made a mess and no one seems to like it.”

“Silly girl, stop worrying. The kids at the orphanage all like you. You’re talented and that’s something they don’t have. You’re amazing. Nobody is perfect. You should ease your mind and stop overthinking things. Life can pass in the blink of an eye, and while we can’t predict the future, we can make the most out of the present.”

Jay nodded.

Although she couldn’t forget those flirtatious photos, she utterly despised Olivia Jenkins. She didn’t know who had sent the photos, but she must learn to forget it all.

Playing dumb should give her a good present existence, right? She and Benjamin could still happily be together, right?

Benjamin gave Jay a gentle hug. Comforting her with a pat on her back, he then left to fetch her a glass of water.

Jay held the cup with both hands, warming her fingers.

No more crying. She quietly watched as Benjamin cleaned up in the kitchen.

After he finished cleaning the kitchen, he started cooking for her.

She didn’t need much. If Benjamin could stay by her side and take care of her like this, she was more than content.

After some thought, Jay deleted those photos.

She pretended not to have seen those photos, feigned ignorance. That way, she could still lean on Benjamin.

Even if it meant deceiving herself, as long as she could be with Benjamin, playing dumb didn’t matter.

…

The dumplings Grandma brought were delicious. Daniel ate a lot.

Olivia Jenkins said she was busy and couldn’t see Daniel this morning. Daniel said many kind words to Grandma, showing his forgiveness towards Olivia and his support for her career.

Mrs. Jenkins noticed the tension between the young couple, but she also saw Daniel’s sincerity.

“In the past, I was in the wrong, which made her rather sensitive. She’s had a hard life and might overthink things. Daniel, you need to be patient with Olivia, and to be more understanding of her.”

Daniel promised, “Don’t worry, Grandma. I will always love her. I won’t give up on her.”