A couple of weeks ago, I noticed the kitchen sink had developed a small leak.

By the next day, it had turned into a real problem, with water pooling under the cabinet.

“Mark,” I said, leaning against the doorway. “The sink’s getting worse. There’s water everywhere now.”

Without looking up from his phone, he barely acknowledged me. “So call a plumber.”

“It would take you 15 minutes to fix it. The plumber charges—”

“For God’s sake,” he interrupted. “I don’t have 15 minutes to spare for something so trivial. Just call the plumber and let me focus.”

For illustrative purposes only.
A week later, I wrote a check for $180 to a plumber who took exactly 12 minutes to fix the issue.

Later that day, I was lugging groceries back to our apartment when I ran into our neighbor, Lily.
She was a bright, bubbly blonde in her late twenties, with the kind of effortless beauty that turned heads.

“Hey, Claire!” she called, hurrying over. “Let me help you with those!”

“Thanks,” I said, handing her a couple of heavy bags.

“No problem! Neighbors help each other. Speaking of which, your husband is amazing! Not every man would drop everything to help a neighbor in distress.”

I blinked. “What do you mean?”

She beamed. “Mark’s at my place right now! My sink was completely backed up, and when I knocked on your door, he answered. He grabbed his toolbox and came right over!”

I felt my stomach tighten.

For illustrative purposes only.
We walked into her apartment, and she gestured toward the kitchen. “He’s been at it for almost half an hour. Said it was trickier than he expected.”

Half an hour. Funny how he couldn’t spare 15 minutes for our sink but had no problem dedicating twice that to Lily’s.

Stepping into the doorway, I spotted him kneeling in front of her sink, sleeves rolled up, completely focused.
“Is it going to be expensive to fix?” Lily asked, leaning against the counter in a way that accentuated every curve.

Mark chuckled. “Not with me doing it for free! If you’d called a plumber, they’d have charged at least two hundred bucks.”

“You’re a lifesaver,” she gushed. “I don’t even know how to thank you.”

“Just being neighborly,” he replied smoothly.

For illustrative purposes only.
That was enough for me. I picked up my groceries and left without a word. Neither of them noticed.

That evening, Mark came home around six, looking freshly showered. I said nothing. No accusations. No passive-aggressive remarks. I had bigger plans.

That weekend, I organized a neighborhood barbecue.
Mark had no idea what was coming.

When I spotted Lily arriving in a sundress that hugged her perfectly, I watched Mark’s subtle double-take. He quickly averted his eyes when he saw me looking.

I waved Lily over with exaggerated enthusiasm, slinging an arm around her shoulders.

“Lily, I’ve been meaning to ask you something,” I said, making sure my voice carried. “How exactly did you get Mark to fix your sink so fast? I’ve been trying for years to get that kind of service!”

I felt Mark freeze at the grill.

Lily giggled, oblivious. “Oh, I just asked! He was so sweet—he came right over!”

“Isn’t that interesting?” I mused, locking eyes with Mark. “Because when our sink was leaking, he told me he was too busy, and I had to call a plumber. Cost us almost 200 bucks!”

Lily’s hand flew to her mouth. “Oh no!”

Mark abandoned the grill, striding toward me with a stormy expression.

For illustrative purposes only.
“Excuse us for a second,” he muttered, gripping my elbow and steering me toward the house.

Inside, he rounded on me. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?”

I folded my arms. “You tell me, Mark. When Mr. Jensen next door needs help with his sink, will you be running over shirtless?”

His jaw tightened. He had no answer.

I stormed out, but I wasn’t done yet. The grand finale had just begun.

For the next few days, I made myself spectacularly unhelpful.
Monday morning? His alarm didn’t go off.

Tuesday? No clean underwear in his drawer.

By Thursday, he came home starving to an empty kitchen.

By Friday night, he sat across from me at the dining table, shoulders slumped.

“Okay,” he sighed. “I get it.”

I raised an eyebrow. “Get what?”

“That I take you for granted.” He exhaled. “I’m sorry. I didn’t think about how it would look… or how it would make you feel.”

I held his gaze for a long moment. Then, finally, I nodded.

Lesson learned