Bad Decisions

Chapter Fourteen

-Devin-

He and Sam were the last ones to walk into the dining area that night. Everyone else was already seated at the table, except for Avery, who was standing at the stove wearing an apron. He turned around and smiled at them, and Devin had the urge to wrap him up in a hug and kiss him. He didn't think it was possible for Avery to be any cuter than he looked right now.

"It's almost ready," Avery said cheerfully. "We're having chicken thighs with rice. I also made some grilled vegetables for Amanda and there's enough for everyone to have some. But there's plenty of meat, Devin."

He cracked a smile at Avery's meat remark, and even though it had caused controversy when he had originally said it, he noticed a few of the others trying not to laugh. His eyes drifted back to Avery and were drawn to Avery's ass. It was compact and perky and filled out the pants he was wearing just right. He knew he should give it more time, but he was tempted to pay a visit to Avery's cabin tonight.

"I see you and Sam made it back alive," Marc said to him.

"Yeah. The world didn't end because we had to spend a day together."

"That's good to hear," Peter replied. "I'm glad you could set aside your differences."

Avery walked over to the table and set a plate in front of him and one in front of Sam, and then turned to go back for everyone else's.

He looked down at the food on his plate and raised both eyebrows. The meal looked like it had come out of an upscale restaurant. The chicken thighs were perfectly browned and covered in an even distribution of seasonings. The rice was colorful, with small pieces of red onion, peppers, and cilantro mixed in. There were at least five types of grilled vegetables heaped next to the rice. 

"You're a chef too?" he asked, looking up at Avery in amazement.

Amanda laughed. "He's not, but it's definitely a valid question. I keep telling him he should put more time into developing his skills."

"Avery is the best cook we have," Peter said. "Unfortunately for us, he works the hardest so we don't think he needs to make dinner on top of that. It's always a treat for us when he cooks."

"I can cook more often," Avery offered, finally sitting down at the table. "It's not a problem."

Devin picked up one of the chicken thighs and bit into it. It was full of flavor, moist, and practically melted in his mouth. 

"Holy shit," he said, his mouth full of chicken. "This is amazing."

Avery flashed a huge smile at him, his big blue eyes practically sparkling. He couldn't remember seeing Avery this happy in a while, and he realized it was probably because they were all here together and so far, everyone was getting along.

He tried to participate in the conversation, but he was too busy eating every morsel of food on his plate. It all had tons of flavor, even the grilled vegetables. It was the best meal he'd had in a long time. The steak Avery had cooked him for his birthday had been great, especially for being over a campfire, but when Avery had access to a kitchen, his food was phenomenal.

"Do you want more chicken?" Avery asked, noticing that he had cleaned his plate.

"I'll take anything you have left."

"Same," Marc said. "It was all so good."

Avery brought over more chicken thighs for him and Marc, and then Sam got up and pulled an item out of the freezer.

"I've got something for you, Avery," she called out. "I was saving this for the next time you cooked for us, since you deserve a treat for putting in all this work."