Falling asleep in Ken's apartment was easier than I anticipated. I passed out almost immediately after showering, though I think the fact that I was in Ken's room helped—it was calming, his scent lingered everywhere. I woke up early the next morning, out of habit, and wandered around their apartment before heading to the kitchen. I figured I'd cook something as a thank you, since I didn't have anything else to offer them.
As I searched through the fridge, I found pasta, some fresh ingredients, and even a bit of cheese, so I decided to make pasta. But before starting, I grabbed my AirPods from the room—I loved listening to music while cooking. Once I had them in, I got to work. I made enough for four portions, not knowing exactly how much Ken and Matt typically ate. As I hummed and swayed to my favorite song, "jin, jin, jin jiniya," a voice interrupted me.
"What's going on here?" the voice asked. I pulled my AirPods out and turned to see a cute guy—he wasn't very tall, but definitely good-looking. Not my type, but cute nonetheless.
"Hi," I said, awkwardly waving.
"What are you doing here? Dancing?" he asked, looking me up and down.
I opened my mouth to reply when he shot out, "Are you Matt's new boyfriend?"
I started to respond but was cut off again. "But that doesn't match. I'm sure he's still with Neo, so who are you?" He kept talking before I could get a word in, and before I could stop myself, I said, "Can you at least let me talk before assuming things?"
But he didn't hear me and rambled on, "Or is Matt cheating on Neo with you? Oh my, I'm gonna kill Matt! How could he do this to sweet Neo? It's just not fair!"
He paced back and forth, completely ignoring me, which was honestly kind of adorable, but also getting a little annoying. My food was ready, so I turned off the stove and shouted, "Hey, stop pacing!"
He didn't hear me, so I shouted louder, "HEY! Stop pacing!"
Finally, he turned around to face me, ready to speak, but just then, Ken burst out of the room with Matt trailing behind him. Ken had that adorable bedhead, but I tried to focus on what he was saying.
"Are you okay, What's going on?" Ken rushed to my side, concern written all over his face. "I'm fine, Ken, really," I tried to reassure him, but Matt jumped in, "Liam, are you okay? We heard yelling and came out immediately. What's going on?"
The stranger glanced between us, eyes wide. "Oh my, what's going on here?" he muttered. At that moment, both Matt and Ken turned to him, and Ken shouted, "Boston!" Both Ken and Matt ran over to hug him.
"What are you doing here, and how did you get in our apartment?" Matt asked, pulling back from the hug.
"Well, bro, you gave me a spare key in case I needed to crash when I got drunk or stayed out late," Boston explained.
"Oh, right," Ken nodded. "I remember how you begged for that key until I finally agreed." They all laughed together.
Boston turned to me then, curiosity in his eyes. "Matt, who's this guy? When I came in, I saw him cooking and dancing. He's really handsome, but if you're cheating on Neo with him, I swear—"
Hearing Boston call me handsome made me feel a little embarrassed, but I just smiled and waited for Ken and Matt to clear things up.
Ken smiled, walking over to me. "Oh, right. Liam, this is my younger brother, Boston. Boston, this is my friend Liam. He's staying here with us for a while."
"Your younger brother?" I blinked. "I thought he was just a friend of yours."
Matt chuckled. "Nice to meet you, Boston," I said. "And don't worry, I'm not Matt's boyfriend," I added, giving Boston a reassuring smile.
Boston's face lit up. "Thank God! You're not?" He grinned, then quickly grabbed my arm. "Bro, how are you so pretty? Your skin is perfect! What products do you use? And your shoulders! How do they look so broad? And what are you cooking?"
I chuckled, pulling him gently away from the kitchen. "Okay, slow down, Boston. Thanks for the compliments, but the food is for Matt and Ken. Let me serve theirs first, then I'll fix you a plate."
Boston pouted for a moment before breaking into another smile. "Okay."
I couldn't help but like Boston. He reminded me of Cain—a younger brother figure. And honestly, he was adorable.
Ken's POV:
Matt and I watched the interaction between Boston and Liam, and to say I was surprised at how easily they were getting along would be an understatement. Liam seemed to forget all about the awkwardness of the situation and just went with the flow. I was honestly impressed. I don't know if I was caring too much, but right now, I didn't mind.
"Bro, you didn't have to cook for us," Matt said. "I usually take care of the cooking."
"Yeah, Liam," Matt added. "You can leave the cooking to me."
"No, don't worry, guys," Liam said, flashing a warm smile. "I wanted to cook as a little thank you, and cooking helps me relax. Plus, I enjoy it. So don't worry about it—I can cook whenever you want."
"Thanks" I said, heading to the kitchen island. "So what did you make?"
"I made pasta," Liam said.
"Whoa, I really want to try it!" Boston said. " you're good-looking, so I'm sure your food will be amazing too!"
We all sat down, including Matt and Liam, and Liam served us the food, even though we insisted he didn't have to. We started eating.
"Wow, this is so good, Liam," Matt said, impressed.
"Yeah, bro, it's delicious!" Boston added.
"They're right," I agreed. "Where did you learn to cook?"
"Oh, I didn't really learn, K," Liam said, smiling. Then he realized what he'd said. "I mean, I meant Ken," he corrected himself, looking embarrassed.
"It's fine, bro. You can call me K. It's cute coming from you," I teased, and Liam smiled back.
After we finished eating, we all thanked Liam for the food. I volunteered to clean up while Matt and Boston chatted.
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End of Chapter! 🎉🎉 (This is a filler chapter, but it's fun!)
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Matt and Boston's Conversation:
Boston: "Bro, don't you think Ken cares a lot for Liam?"
Matt: "Oh, you noticed that, huh? Even though you just got here?" "I guess I'm not the only one who picked up on it. Something's bound to spark between them soon. It's only a matter of time."
Boston: "I'm sure too. Looks like Ken's walls are about to crumble down."