HIDDEN (Hide Or Die)

Chapter 46

Caution ⚠️ (Smut ahead)

ANDREW'S P.O.V.

"Hey man, what are you doing?" Despite the sweat on his forehead and the stains on his clothes from hours of housework, Matthew breezed into the kitchen with a skip in his step and a contagious air of happiness that was impossible to ignore. He leaned casually against the counter and raised an eyebrow, silently demanding my attention as I rummaged through the fridge already stocked by Emily and Lilian, and of course, it wouldn't have been  Matthew if he didn't have a mischievous smile in his eyes.

"What does it look like? I'm raiding the fridge for dinner options." I took out some eggs from the fridge, closed it, and then turned to give him a raised eyebrow. I don't know but something about his aura made me suspicious.

"Looks like you're on cloud nine. What's got you so cheerful? Did you win the lottery or something?" I asked, turning away from him for a second to get a pan out of the cabinet.

"I won the lottery, believe it or not, but let's not dwell on that. Are we in for a déjà vu of seventh grade?"

"Déjà vu?" I turned my attention back to him a bit confused before I saw him covering his mouth and clutching his stomach, contorting his face in the phoniest act of pain I had ever seen, and in an instant, realization hit me and I couldn't help but roll my eyes, knowing exactly where this was going.

"Seventh-grade flashbacks, huh? That's rich! I doubt you'd recognize gourmet cuisine if it walked up to you and slapped you in the face." I tsked, then refocused my attention on getting some vegetables and other dinner ingredients from the fridge, determined to ignore him.

Grinning mischievously with his pointed canines on full display, He replied, "You know, Drew, there is this thing called 'taste,' and I am willing to bet you have no idea what it is. I could send you a few articles on it; it might just change your life for the better." Matthew placed a hand on my shoulder, feigning concern and I just had to chuckle.

"No thanks. If I ever want my food to taste like ash, I'll be sure to consult your articles but for now, get out of my kitchen," I retorted. Matt threw his head back and burst out laughing.

"Okay, soothe yourself. I reckon Bird Boy fancies a man who lives and eats dangerously. Just a heads-up, once you've polished off this concoction, I'll be all over it like Sherlock Holmes on a case. Can't have my Albert suffering food poisoning like I did; you know your family can't be trusted with anything stomach-related." With a knife in hand, I shifted my attention to him, adding a touch of drama by biting my lip and flaring my nostrils.

"Go wash up before I accidentally stab you," I yelled. Matthew recoiled and his hands raised defensively.

"Good grief! What did they do to you? All I see is violence!" he exclaimed, darting out of the kitchen, laughter trailing behind. Pinching the bridge of my nose, I sighed, accustomed to Matthew's playful antics.

Despite his theatrics, his presence always injected vibrancy into any situation. As he teased, I couldn't help but feel grateful for the light-heartedness he brought to the simple task of dinner preparation and our 'fleeing from bad guys' situation in general.

Setting the knife aside, I resumed my interrupted task.

"Wow, something smells amazing." I glanced up from my sizzling pan to find Kyle at the top of the stairs, he looked simply breathtaking. Dressed casually in gray cargo shorts which complimented his long pale straight legs, and a sleeveless white tank top that went well with his white and blue feathers, Kyle effortlessly descended the steps, and with every stride he took, my attention was captured along with it. He exuded this captivating aura around him. The more he descended the more he reminded me of a sleek predator. Just looking at him made me want to crawl up to him and beg.