I Cleaned His Fridge For Three Years For Nothing Chapter 01

I Cleaned His Fridge For Three Years For Nothing Chapter 01

I’d lived in Kai Voss’s downtown loft for three years, and I’d finally figured out the right way to stock the fridge.

The left side belonged to Kai. Steaks lined up by expiration date, six-pack craft beer always fully stocked, airtight crates of organic greens never ran empty.

The middle shelf was reserved for Elara Reed, my best friend. Bottled spring water, her artisanal cream cheese, and the low-sugar Greek Yogurt Kai set aside just for her.

Only a tiny bottom cranny was mine.

I’d never complained once.

I wiped down the entire fridge every single Sunday, and I knew every single one of his favorite foods by heart.

Even Elara’s groceries were restocked by me on schedule.

Today, I reached in to grab a carton of vanilla strawberries, only to find my small cranny crammed full of low-sugar yogurt.

Kai didn’t even lift his gaze from his blueprints, tossing a casual line over his shoulder.

“Sage, quit rearranging things. Elara’ll show up any minute and won’t be able to find her stuff.”

He paused for half a beat.

“It’s just one little spot. You barely keep anything in the fridge anyway.”

I stared at the squashed strawberries abandoned on the kitchen counter, thick pink juice seeping into the cardboard edges.

A crushing exhaustion washed over me all at once.

Three years of reaching for someone who’d never met me halfway. I was done trying.

—-

I stood quiet for a minute, then shut the fridge door and turned away.

I picked up the ruined strawberry carton off the counter.

Kai finally looked up and stepped over, raising a hand to brush my forehead.

“Sage, you look awful.”

I squeezed my eyes shut and jerked my head to the side, dodging his touch.

His hand fell uselessly to his hip, his tone sharp and dismissive.

“What’s wrong with you now?”

Once, I would’ve rushed to explain every little hurt.

Now all I wanted was to get as far away from him as possible.

I bit down hard on my lower lip and nodded toward the fridge.

“Where am I supposed to put my groceries?”

Kai followed my line of sight, silent for a long moment before he spoke again.

“Elara’s cutting sugar right now. Her doctor said her diet has to stay consistent—you know that.”

I knew every detail, all right.

Elara had a sensitive stomach and lactose intolerance; she couldn’t drink anything cold, and she took half a melatonin tablet every night before bed.

I’d written down half of those little habits myself.

Kai used to praise me nonstop for it. “You’re so thoughtful, Sage.”

Slowly, that line shifted into something colder. “You could stand to learn from Elara. Stop letting your life be such a mess.”

But one night he stumbled home dead drunk from a client dinner, tossing his work coat all over the sectional.

I folded every piece neatly and reminded him not to drink coffee on an empty stomach the next morning.

He didn’t notice any of my effort. All he saw was a spreadsheet Elara sent him, and he smiled soft enough to break my heart.

“See how attentive Elara is? You could take notes.”

A bitter laugh caught in my throat.

I’d loved him wholeheartedly and tended to every small thing he needed for three years, yet Elara still occupied every single important corner of his heart before I ever got a look in.

The doorbell chimed, and Kai sprinted past me to answer it, a bright grin spreading across his face.

“Elara, I saved your yogurt just like you asked.”

Elara blinked, her smile easy and unforced.

“Kai, you’re spoiling me rotten.”

She nudged his arm playfully.

“Careful, Sage’ll get jealous.”

Elara let out a light scoff, like she’d only just remembered I was standing there.

“She won’t mind. Sage’s always the sweet, easygoing one.”

I swallowed the ache burning in my throat and said nothing.

My mind drifted back to the day I moved in three years prior.

Kai pressed the front door key into my palm. “This place is yours too, now.”

I’d stayed up all night buzzing with happiness.

I took a half day off work the next morning and sorted every single one of his clothes by color.

Three years later, and all I had in this loft was that single tiny fridge cranny.

After dinner, Elara opened the fridge and let out a soft gasp.

“Sage, did you move my cream cheese? I need it for breakfast tomorrow.”

I hadn’t even opened my mouth to reply when Kai crossed the room, his eyes cold and sharp.

“Elara walks on eggshells every time she comes over, scared she’ll upset you.”

“And you still go moving her things around. When are you gonna grow up?”

I stayed rooted in my dining chair, not moving an inch.

It felt like a gaping hole had torn open in my chest, cold wind rushing straight through me.

Minutes later, Elara patted her own tote bag and tugged at Kai’s sleeve.

“Found it! I stashed it in my bag earlier, my bad.”

Kai’s entire expression softened instantly, and he reached up to ruffle her hair gently.

“How careless of you. Work stress must’ve fried your brain, huh?”

I watched them lean into each other, wrapped up in their own little bubble.

I didn’t have the energy to argue anymore.

I’d said the same things a hundred times before, and every single time I got labeled sensitive, petty, overreacting.

The misunderstanding got cleared up—but no one bothered to say they were sorry to me.

That night, I dragged my blanket and slept in the guest room.

Kai leaned in the doorway, staring at me like I was a misbehaving kid throwing a tantrum.

“Quit being dramatic, Sage. It’s not even a big deal.”

When I didn’t answer, he tried again.

“I’ll take you out for fancy pastries tomorrow to make it up.”

That was always his move.

Knock you down, then toss a tiny sweet treat to smooth things over.

Once, I would’ve caved and gone back to our shared bedroom.

Not anymore.

“I don’t want pastries, Kai.”

His gaze locked up tight, and the door clicked shut as he tossed out a final line.

“Suit yourself. Don’t come crawling back regretting this tomorrow.”

Rain tapped soft and steady against the window. A text popped up on my phone from Elara.

[Aren’t you still upset? Kai cares about you more than anyone, he’s just terrible at putting his feelings into words.]

Another message popped through seconds later.

[Let’s hit the art gallery tomorrow. I’ll smooth things over between you two, give you an easy way to make up.]

I locked my phone screen dark.

I used to love the Maple Lane Vintage Bookstore out by the university campus.

Kai had called it dusty, pointless, and said there was no reason to go.

I’d never brought it up again after that.