Bedmates Soulmates

Love Quotient

He grumbled, but decided to give in lest his life of domestic bliss be jeopardised.

Phone in hand, Luca reluctantly headed into the kitchen.

"It's Austyn. For you."

The slim woman standing in front of the counter whipped around.

Luca's white shirt was splashed with soy sauce from the spatula in her hand. "Austyn?" she snatched the phone.

The way she said the man's name made Luca want to kick over the trash can.

But he knew if he did it, Isabel would just make him clean it up.

He flounced out of the kitchen.

"Yes, Austyn, what can I do for you?"

Luca heard his wife's voice, which seemed sweeter than usual.

"You're a psychologist. I have a question."

No chitchat.

Austyn got straight to the point.

Isabel donned a serious look when it came to her profession. "Shoot."

'Kai has met a girl. He seems incapable of controlling his emotions around her. Normally, he's not one to wear his heart on his sleeve and exercises remarkable self-restraint. But as soon as she shows up, all that goes out the window." After a pause, Austyn added, 'Kai's too embarrassed to ask you face to face, so he's begged me to relay the question."

'What's the question?"

'What's wrong with him?"

Isabel answered straight away, 'Nothing's wrong with him. He's just in love."

'Impossible!' Austyn blurted, before quickly adding, 'He told me he doesn't like the girl."

"How can he be sure? Isabel countered. 'Love is not a tap you can just switch on or off, Nor is it

something entirely within our control. He can't control the way he feels about her, just like he can't control his patellar reflex."

"His what reflex?'

The knee jerk reflex. Someone taps your knee with a hammer, your leg kicks out. It's reflexive. Can't be helped. How can Kai be so sure that he doesn't like the girl?" Austyn was stunned into silence.

Isabel, sensing something from that silence, asked, 'He doesn't like the girl, or he doesn't want to like the girl?

Austyn didn't speak for so long that Isabel thought he'd hung up.

Love CautionE

When he did speak, his words were slow and unsure a rare occurrence for him. 'Maybe...it's the latter."

'He doesn't want to like the girl? Why? She's already attached? Too young for him? Too old for him? Or is it a star-crossed lovers thing, like Romeo and Juliet?' Isabel let her imagination run wild.

Austyn was stumped

by her questions.

He couldn't produce a single answer.

"I never would have pegged Kai for the high IQ, low LQ type, mused Isabel.

'LQ?"

"Love quotient. The ability to feel and express love for yourself and others. Jack Ma says it's what differentiates us from machines."

An idea suddenly dawned on her. "Wait a minute. Is it really Kai's question? Or yours?"novelbin

Beep beep.

The call was cut off.

Isabel pulled a face.

When would Austyn get rid of his atrocious habit of ending a call without saying goodbye?

Luca, who had been eavesdropping shamelessly, pulled his wife into his arms.

"What's wrong? he nuzzled her hair.

'Is Austyn

Austyn in a relationship?

The more she thought about it, the more it sounded like Austyn was asking that question for himself, not his plain-spoken assistant who often shot from the hip.

If Kai had a crush on someone, he would have shouted it from the rooftops.

Luca smirked. 'Oh, that's right. I forgot to tell you that Austyn is now a married man. He got hitched some time ago.

"So you can ditch all those hopeless daydreams you have about him,' he added in his heart.

"He's MARRIED?!

'Ow." Luca rubbed his earlobe. 'You don't have to shout Why? Are you sad about it?"

Isabel elbowed her husband in the ribs. 'Not this again, it was ages ago. How can you still be jealous?"

It

Luca growled. "How dare you! That was an assault on a law enforcement officer! I shall have to detain your

Giggling, Isabel wriggled her hips against him. 'Okay, Officer. I've been a bad girl. Are you going to punish me?

Luca gulped, his pants suddenly too tight. I don't have my handcuffs with me. I'll have to use my belt." Isabel rolled her eyes and broke loose from his embrace. 'Stop that. I'm serious. When did Austyn get married? Who's the bride? How come we didn't get an invitation to the wedding?"

Luca grabbed her hand and started playing with her fingers. 'He got married about a year ago. None of us was invited because there wasn't a wedding reception. They registered in secret. The girl is a nobody from an underprivileged family."

He planted light kisses on the back of her hand. "Forget about dinner. I want to go straight to dessert."

The lustful look in his eyes made it clear he wasn't talking about food.

Isabel blushed and gave him a playful shove in the chest. 'Cut it out. I'm trying to think here. Do you remember how miserable he was in the entire year after Deborah's accident?

"Uh-huh." Luca wasn't paying attention.

'It was such a huge blow. I don't think he ever got over it. That's why I'm so surprised to hear he's married now. They say time heals, but some wounds are just too deep, especially of the psychological kind. He may seem fine on the surface, but who knows when the trauma of the past will come back to haunt him.

Luca nibbled her earlobe. "Are you sure you want to talk to your husband about another man, when said husband has his hand in your pants?"

'Come on, be serious. I'm a clinical psychologist. I'm concerned about your friend's mental well-being. Unprocessed trauma could be a ticking time bomb.

'Did you also know that unfulfilled sexual desire could be a bigger bomb? Luca pulled her in. 'Isabel, I want you

"Let's finish talk-

"Austyn knows what he's doing." Luca said with a trace of impatience. "He's a grown man. Deborah's gone. He's had a long time to come to grips with it. Isn't marrying another woman a sign that he has moved on? We should be happy for him."

Isabel pushed him away. You men are all the same. You claim to love one girl but have no trouble sleeping with someone else. If he really loves Deborah that much, how can he have moved on already? Not to mention, Deborah died because of him. His love for her should be enshrined forever in his heart."

Luca tried to draw her back in. "Honey, don't get upset. It's Austyn's business, not ours. Come on, let's head into the bed-

She poked a finger in his chest. If he's in love with his new wife, he will have betrayed his memory with Deborah. If he still has feelings for Deborah but marries someone else anyway, he's a hypocrite and a liar!"

Isabel stomped out of the kitchen.

Luca was stunned.

"Wait, honey, you're mad at him, not me! Come back!

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