🥀 Caleb McDaniel x Black!Reader
𝐈𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐫𝐮𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐝. | Part One — Breakfast
pairing: Caleb x Black!Reader
genre: fluff, slow burn
warnings: none
summary: You and Caleb have never managed to finish a conversation—until now.
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You and Corbin have been arguing since yesterday, so you a feeling he wouldn’t bring you breakfast.
Trinity told you not to think he would go that low, he did. He hadn’t even attempted to come in the dressing room with a plate for you.
After you had got dressed, you went downstairs cause you were hungry.
Before you even reached the kitchen, you heard someone humming.
Caleb, Gray sweatpants hanging low on his waist.
A plain white tank stretched across his shoulders.
One hand flipped pancakes while the other reached for the bacon sizzling beside them. You couldn’t help but smile. “I didn’t know you could cook.”
Caleb looked over his shoulder, his lips instantly curling into a grin. “Of course I can.”
He had made himself a plate and took another upstairs, obviously for Kenzie.
You thought of what’s been going on with you and Caleb. Every other time the two of you talked, something happened.
The first time… Kenzie had pulled Caleb for a chat.
The second… Corbin had wrapped an arm around your shoulders, asking if you wanted to go to the daybeds.
The third… A text had interrupted everyone.
The fourth… One of the producers had called Caleb for Beach Hut.
It had become almost funny at this point.
Like the universe refused to let the two of you finish a conversation.
You didn’t notice he came back down til he was in front of you causing you to back up.
“You hungry?” Caleb’s voice pulled you back.
“Hm?” “I asked if you were hungry.”
You looked at the plate sitting on the counter. “Oh…”
“I mean… yeah.”
Without another word, he slid it toward you.
That’s when you noticed that this was his plate. Caleb had given up his food for you.
“Aren’t you gonna eat too, I don’t wanna eat it when you made it for yourself.” You looked at him confused.
He shook his head. “Nah, eat it.”
You started eating then looked up at him. “I hope you’re not tryna poison me.”
He laughed with his head back. “I would never poison the princess.”
No smirk. But he knew what he was doing.
You smiled before you could stop yourself “Thank you.”
“Don’t thank me til you finish it.”
You started picking at it again.
“Tough critic?” Caleb asked, turning toward you with one brow raised as he leaned his hip against the counter.
You shrugged, twirling your fork between your fingers. “I got standards.”
A grin tugged at the corner of his lips. “Oh, so now there’s pressure?”
“You’ll be alright,” you teased, taking another bite. You chewed for a second, your brows lifting “Okay.”
Caleb folded his arms across his chest, a smug smile already creeping onto his face. “Okay what?”
You glanced at him before looking back down at your plate, trying not to give him the satisfaction.
“This is actually really good.”
“I know,” he said without missing a beat, nodding to himself like he’d expected nothing less.
You let out a laugh, shaking your head. “Oh, humble too?”
He pressed a hand dramatically against his chest. “I try.”
“You fail.”
Caleb chuckled, his shoulders bouncing as he looked down at the floor for a second. “I do.”
The two of you laughed together. For the first time since he’d walked into the villa…Nothing interrupted you, And somehow…
It felt like talking to someone you’d known much longer than a week.
You didn’t notice the way Caleb looked at you whenever you laughed.
Or how he kept finding little excuses to stay in the kitchen even after he finished cooking.
You were too busy thinking about one thing.
“Maybe… I was wrong about him.”
You didn’t even realize how long the two of you had been standing there until you heard footsteps coming from the stairs.
Trinity was the first one to notice. Her eyes moved from you, to Caleb, to the empty plate in front of you.
Then back to Caleb. A small smile tugged at her lips.
Ohhh.
She knew.
You quickly looked away, pretending to be very interested in the floor.
“What?” you asked, trying to act normal.
Trinity raised an eyebrow as she grabbed a cup from the cabinet. “Nothing.”
The way she said it made you narrow your eyes. “Trinity.”
She laughed softly, shaking her head. “I didn’t say anything.”
But she definitely saw something.
Because Caleb wasn’t standing across the kitchen like he usually did.
He was closer, Comfortable.
And for once, neither of you looked like you were waiting for someone to interrupt.
The other girls started talking about their plans for the day, and the moment slowly faded into the background.
But Trinity kept looking between the two of you.
She wasn’t saying anything..Yet.
⸻
Later that morning, the boys were outside by the pool.
The girls had gone upstairs to get ready for the challenge, leaving them alone to talk.
Caleb sat back on one of the loungers, listening as everyone joked around.
“Bro, I’m telling you,” Zach said, laughing, “you were moving different this morning.”
Caleb looked over. “What are you talking about?”
Zach gave him a look. “Don’t do that.”
The other boys started laughing.
Caleb shook his head, already knowing where this was going.
“You talking about breakfast?”
“Nah,” Zach said, leaning forward. “I’m talking about you and her.”
Caleb stayed quiet.
Zach continued. “I seen y’all.”
Caleb looked away, reaching for his water bottle. “Seen what?”
“The whole conversation.”
A small smile almost appeared on Caleb’s face, but he quickly hid it. “It wasn’t like that.”
“Mhm.”
Zach wasn’t convinced.
“You don’t make breakfast for just anybody.”
Caleb laughed quietly, shaking his head. “Y’all do too much.”
But the smile didn’t fully leave his face.
He changed the subject before anyone could dig deeper.
“Anyway, what y’all think about the challenge today?”
The boys immediately started talking about something else, but Caleb could feel someone watching him.
He glanced over.
Corbin.
Sitting across from him, watching.
Caleb held his stare for a second before looking away.
Because even if nobody had said anything out loud… Everyone was starting to notice.