Malia’s POV
“No, it’s okay. We can talk about it. I just felt sentimental for a moment. For me, cooking for someone is one of the ways I show how much I love them. I loved Zade, so naturally, I loved cooking for him.”
Ronan was thoughtful for a moment as he stirred the contents of the pot.
“Why do I feel jealous?” He asked and I smiled.
“Please, let’s not go there,” I said and he frowned.
“But why not?” He queried.
“Ronan,” I warned.
The last thing I wanted to discuss was how he felt about me.
Ryder was already mad at me because of him.
I was to blame too anyway.
“Alright. Fine,” he said with a frown and focused on his cooking.
I finished my apple and went to the fridge for another.
I turned and saw that he was staring at me with an arched eyebrow.
“What?” I asked innocently.
He shook his head. “It’s just so fascinating how you guys take stuff from my kitchen unapologetically,” he said and I giggled.
“At least, I’m not as bad as Scott,” I said and bit into the apple. I moaned in delight on purpose as I chewed, just to irritate him a little bit.
He pointedly ignored me and put the lid over the pot.
“I’m going to take a quick shower. Please do not eat the whole kitchen before I get back. And the pasta is almost ready. Do remember to turn off the heat in two minutes. Are you sure you’re going to remember or should I write it down somewhere?”
“I wouldn’t dare eat it all,” I replied with a straight face. “And I do think you should write it down. My memory is like a sieve these days.”
He gave me a look and scoffed before heading towards his room. I tried not to stare too long at the way his pants hung low on his hips.
He disappeared out of sight and I allowed myself a smile and reached for a carton of juice. I didn’t bother with a cup. I just gulped a large quantity directly from the carton.
My eyes widened as I remembered that I was supposed to turn the heat off.
I checked to see if my forgetfulness had caused any damage to the poor pasta.
To my relief, it still looked palatable.
My stomach growled insistently this time, demanding that it be fed. I was tempted to serve myself some food but I thought it rude not to wait for the one who cooked it.
So I took another apple and munched slowly on it pending the time Ronan got out of the shower.
Why the hell was he taking so long anyway? I wondered. I thought men were supposed to be very fast when it came to bathing.
He reappeared just at the same time I finished eating my apple. The stalk and seeds were not spared either.
“Wow, you still look the same,” I commented.
He arched an eyebrow in puzzlement.
“I thought you were going to become more handsome with the amount of time that you spent in there,” I explained.
He rolled his eyes. “Don’t even start. You know you’re worse,” he said, reaching for the plates.
“But I’m a woman. It’s normal for us to spend a longer period in the bathroom,” I stated.
“Says who?” He queried as he spooned a serving of pasta onto a plate.
I was about to tell him that I was going to eat a lot more than that when he added another spoonful.
I was silent until he added three more spoonfuls.
He turned to give me a knowing smile and I playfully glared at him.
“Foodie,” he murmured.
“Let me help with these,” I said, reaching for the plates of food.
“As you should, seeing as you didn’t help with the cooking,” he grumbled.
I chuckled. “You sound like an older sister,” I remarked and nearly tripped over my feet.
His hands automatically went to my waist. “Easy. It seems you can’t perform a task and talk at the same time,” he teased.
I frowned as I racked my brain for a suitable retort. I placed our plates gently on the table and pulled out a chair for him.
“Here, sit,” I said with a sweet smile.
His eyes narrowed slightly in suspicion as he looked from me to the chair. Then he shook his head. “Thanks for the kind gesture, but I think I’ll go sit over there,” he replied, gesturing to the chair on the opposite side.
I frowned. I had planned on pulling the chair from under him when he was about to sit so that he’d land on the ground with his bum.
I shrugged. “Whatever,” I said as I sat down.
He chuckled as he went around the table and sat on the opposite chair. “Sometimes, you are as predictable as a teenager,” he commented.
I pointedly ignored him and attacked my meal with my silverware. The meal tasted heavenly and I gobbled it up.
“Tasty right?” He asked with a smirk.
I swallowed what was in my mouth and took a few sips of water.
“Don’t look so smug. I’m just starving,” I said and reminded myself to reduce my pace while eating.
After taking a few forkfuls, I realized that he was still staring at me.
“What now?” I asked as I sat up straighter.
“Nothing,” he replied with a grin. “It’s just that you look even more dazzling than when you first arrived here. This place suits you.”
I snorted but I knew I was blushing. He chuckled.
“You should learn how to receive compliments with grace.”
I rolled my eyes. “Trust me, you do not know about gracefulness more than I do. I was once a queen remember?”
“Yeah, yeah. You do not have to brag,” he murmured.
I giggled and polished off the rest of my meal.
“There’s more if you want it,” he said and I shook my head. I didn’t want to be accused of gluttony.
He chuckled. “Don’t worry. I’m not going to tease you about being a foodie,” he said as though reading my thoughts.
I didn’t need any more encouragement. I stood up and marched to the kitchen armed with my empty plate.
I served a generous amount of the pasta on my plate and returned to the dining room.
His lips quirked in amusement when he saw the quantity of food but he wisely remained quiet.
“How come you eat so slowly?” I asked immediately as I settled on my chair.
“And how come you eat so fast?” He returned with a smirk.
I was about to open my mouth to give a retort when we heard the door burst open.
I mentally groaned as Lila appeared in the dining area. She glared at me.
“What is she doing here?” She asked Ronan.
I arched an eyebrow and looked at him wondering why she’d ask such a question.
He took a deep breath.
“Lila please can we not do this now?”
She scoffed. “You are just as bad as your brother. When are you going to realize that she’s just a snake?”
I winced at her shrill voice and wished that I was anywhere but right there at that moment.
“It’s enough Lila. You should leave now,” he said.
Her face twisted into a mask of hate as she looked at me.
“I don’t care whatever spell it is you’ve woven around these brothers. But I assure you that it’s not going to last for long. And I’m going to destroy you.”
“Oh. I’m so scared right now,” I said in a small voice.
The corners of Ronan’s mouth twitched but he knew he dared not laugh. Lila looked murderous.
She grabbed my half-eaten plate of food and smashed it on the ground.
I gasped and then I started to get annoyed.
My food was innocent.
I glared at her and she grinned devilishly before walking out.
“What was that about?” I asked still looking at the mess Lila had made. I definitely wasn’t going to be the one to clean that up.
“Ignore her. I guess she’s just angry at whatever my brother said to her off your case.”
“I see. But I was kind of surprised when she warned me to stay away from you too,” I said hoping for some sort of explanation from him.
He shrugged. “Lila’s crazy. I find it difficult to understand the way she thinks. But I’m just glad she’s no longer threatening you,” he said and stood up to take his plate to the kitchen.
“Don’t forget about the mess Lila made because I’m not going to clean it up,” I said and he smirked.
“Of course, your majesty.”
He disappeared into the kitchen and returned with the carton of juice I had drunk from.
“Why is this nearly empty?” He asked and I blinked innocently.
“I have no idea. I think you should ask Scott or Derek. They’d know,” I replied.
He shook his head and emptied the remaining drink into his mouth. “I’d have to really consider putting locks on my fridge and cupboard to avoid any further invasion.”
“You should,” I replied, nodding in agreement.
He scoffed and began cleaning up the mess on the floor.