"Elijah Knight, for the last time, stop eating all the ingredients!"
Aurora grumbled as she slapped away the sneaky hand trying to steal a piece of charbroiled pork off of her plate of ingredients. Elijah pouted, looking at Aurora like a child getting scolded for leaving all of his toys out.
Aurora sighed, feeling the need to give into his puppy dog face. "Fine." With her clear plastic gloves that were too big for her hands, she fed him a piece. A happy smile immediately broke out on his face as he munched away. "Last one— or else I won't have enough to make my spring rolls."
Still chewing, he nodded with content. He knew Aurora couldn't resist his puppy dog face— I mean, who could? Thankfully, Aurora had prepared more ingredients— knowing something like this was bound to happen.
It had been a month since Megan's graduation and since it was the summer, weekend family barbecues were inevitable. Today was the first time they were hosting it at their house and Aurora couldn't help but feel the excitement as everyone began to arrive. Most of the Knights were already there to help prepare the food. Even her parents and Connor were going to be there and it'll the first time their families were officially meeting.
Aurora had decided to make Vietnamese spring rolls— seeing as it was one of the only dishes she could make without burning the kitchen down. It seemed easy to make— she had her iPad out in front of her to show her how to make it step by step. And thankfully, she had some help chopping up the ingredients.
It was funny because as soon as she held the knife in her hand, a chorus of "wait a minute, Aurora,", "let me do that for you, sweetheart", and "no"s rang out in the kitchen. It was obvious who said the second one.
Apparently, word spread within the Knights that she was rather clumsy in the kitchen— no thanks to Xavier, so even with the directions written out in front of her, they were all still worried.
After getting over the hurdle of chopping up the ingredients, the next hurdle was to stop the Knight brothers from eating all of the ingredients. Even now, because Elijah had a bite, Damien had to have one too— or else it would be, "unfair". How old were they— 8?
Damien walked up to them with an identical pout on his face. "What about me?"
"I swear you Knights are such a handful," she muttered, reaching up to feed him as well.
"But you love us," Elijah cheekily replied. He must've had amazing timing because right at that moment, Xavier walked in with a scowl on his face. He placed the deliciously grilled steaks that had been cooking in the grill onto the cutting board to cool so they were ready to be sliced.
"The only one she should be loving is me," Xavier grumpily muttered. He walked over to where Aurora was sitting at the breakfast car and placed an arm on the back of her stool possessively. Leaning down, he placed a small kiss on her forehead before opening his mouth, so that she could feed him.
Aurora rolled her eyes but gave in immediately. "Last one." She gave the three a stern look, repeating the same two words again for the nth time. "Now, go away, so I can actually begin."
Of course, no one listened and stayed rooted to their spots. Sighing dramatically, she began anyways, ignoring their lingering stares. How exactly did they expect her to work with their stares on her? All it did was give her even more pressure.
Dipping a sheet of rice paper into the warm water, she let it soak for around 10 seconds as the paper became soft and bendable. She placed the now slippery rice paper onto her plastic mat and lay a piece of lettuce towards the bottom. She topped it with cucumber and thinly sliced carrots. Next, she added the charbroiled pork and some of the vermicelli noodles. A bit of basil, mint, and cilantro are added and then, three pieces of shrimp at the top.
She folded the sides inward, then tightly rolled the rice paper like a burrito. With a proud smile, she dipped it into a peanut sauce she had made earlier and took a bite. The brothers looked at her expectantly and her eyes widened. There was no way she just made this— it tasted exactly like the ones you would buy at a Vietnamese restaurant.
"How is it?" Asked Damien, eyeing the spring roll like a predator. You could practically see his eyes begging to be fed.
"It's so good," moaned Aurora, nodding her head happily. "Who wants to try?"
"Me," All three of them shouted simultaneously.
"Me first," argued Xavier, glaring at his brothers. "I'm not letting them take a bite after you."
Both Damien and Elijah scoffed, rolling their eyes. Even with this, Xavier was oddly possessive over Aurora.
Stifling a giggle, Aurora dipped it into the peanut sauce again and brought it up to Xavier's lips. He smiled with triumph, seeing that Aurora chose him over his brothers, and took a bite.
"That was such a big bite, you asshole," protested Elijah, stomping his foot like a child. "Save some for us."
Xavier ignored Elijah— his eyes widening with surprise. To be honest, he was a bit hesitant when she began to add mint and cilantro, but surprisingly, it all went well together.
He continued to chew as Aurora turned to feed Damien and then, Elijah.
"This is so unfair," Elijah pouted as Damien took a bite. "Why do I have to be last? It's like I'm giving you two idiots an indirect kiss. I'd rather take a bite after Aurora."
Xavier rolled his eyes and sent Elijah a warning glare. It seemed like whenever they were together, Elijah would use every opportunity to annoy Xavier, especially now since it was the summer and he stayed over at their house quite often.
But as soon as the last of the spring roll entered his mouth, like his brothers, his eyes widened with surprise. The burst of flavor immediately filled their mouths. It was both new and foreign, something they've never tasted before. It tasted healthy but so delicious that they all craved more.
"How does it taste?" Asked Aurora worriedly, when all of them continued to silently chew.
"Baby, you're a chef," praised Xavier excitedly. His hand rested on the back of her neck and he used this opportunity to plant a kiss on her lips. Her smile widened.
Hell yea she was.
"Holy shit, Aurora, that sauce is amazing," Damien looked at the bowl mesmerized, ignoring the couple's physical display of affection. "I could eat 10 of these."
Aurora had made two sauces, not sure which one they would prefer. Ever since she had moved in, there were a few Asian ingredients, which included sauces, that she couldn't live without. There was even a cabinet in the kitchen now filled with different sauces and ingredients.
"This is the best thing I've tasted all day," Elijah exclaimed. "God, I could just kiss you right now," Elijah leaned forward with his lips puckered, but his face was immediately pushed away by an annoyed Xavier.
Aurora laughed as the brothers began to fight. Glad that the taste test went well, Aurora looked at her ingredients again and blinked.
Only around 50 more to go.
Around halfway through, the doorbell rang. Before anyone could answer it, Aurora jumped up excitedly, having a sense of who was at the door. After all, It was a surprise.
She began to run to the door but turned around again. She rolled her eyes when three hands reached for the plate of spring rolls, but immediately stopped when they were caught.
"Get back to wrapping the spring rolls, boys," she gave them a stern look, making them look down with embarrassment at getting caught. "I'll know whether or not you guys ate one."
"Damn it, I told you guys she would catch us."
"Does she have eyes on the back of her head or something?"
Having given her warning, she continued to the door. She was greeted by a very familiar face, making her smile widen.
"Noah!" Grinned Aurora, pulling the 18 year old into her arms for an awkward hug. Like the rest of the men in the house, he towered over a good couple of inches, and again, Aurora wondered what kids were being fed to get so tall nowadays. "I'm so glad you could make it."
"Hi Aurora," He shyly greeted when Aurora pulled back. She watched as his ears turned red. "Thank you for inviting me."
"Of course," She quickly ushered him in with a big smile.
She led him to where everyone stood helping out in the kitchen, not yet noticing who was next to Aurora. As usual, the brothers were bickering while trying to wrap the spring rolls. Keyword, trying.
"Elijah, what the fuck is that?" Xavier scoffed, looking over at messed up roll that Elijah was trying to roll.
"Looks like a deformed salad in a pouch," muttered Damien, chewing a slice of carrot. "You're eating that one."
Elijah scoffed and gave his brothers the middle finger. "As if you two are doing any better. I mean— what the fuck?" His eyes immediately narrowed in Noah's direction. "Why the fuck is he here?"
With Elijah's outburst, everyone in the kitchen stopped what they were doing and focused their attention on Aurora's guest.
"Yeah, why is he here?" Damien crossed his arms and glared at Noah. Both Elijah and Xavier followed suit and began to glower at the poor teenager. Even Alexander had his eyes narrowed in Noah's direction.
Aurora rolled her eyes. "Be nice, boys. I asked Megan to invite him."
"What?" A chorus of disbelief rang out throughout the kitchen, mainly from the males.
"Sweetheart-" Xavier began.
Aurora sent him a warning glare, immediately causing him to shut his mouth. Next to her, Noah cleared his throat and began to approach the group. Walking past the annoyed men, he stopped in front of Isabella who looked at him with glee.
"It's nice to finally meet you, Mrs. Knight," Noah sent her a charming but nervous smile, which immediately caused the brothers to scoff. "These are for you."
He handed her a beautiful bouquet of roses, which she took happily.
"And you must be Noah," Isabella being Isabella pulled him in for a hug. "I've heard so many wonderful things about you. And please, dear, call me Isabella." Alexander stood next to her, watching the interaction with calculating eyes. "Oh, and this is my husband, Alexander."
"Sir," greeted Noah, holding his hand out towards Alexander. When he made no move, Isabella nudged her husband and glared up at him.
The older man just simply grunted, before taking Noah's hand in a firm handshake.
Aurora watched with an amused smile as she sat back in her seat. She could tell everyone was on edge. She felt like she was watching a Korean drama unfold in live-action and subconsciously reached over to grab one of the boy's deformed spring rolls and began munching on it.
Right then, Maddie walked in with a large tray of baked pasta with Lucas following in after her holding another large plate in his hands.
Maddie gasped, placing the tray on the counter. She ran up to Noah and pulled him into her arms, causing Noah's eyes to widen with alarm.
"Noah!" She cheered, squeezing the life out of the poor guy. "It's so good to see you again!"
"It's good to see you too, um-"
"Maddie, I'm Megan's older sister," grinned Maddie, patting Noah on the back one last time before letting go.
"Who is Maddie hugging and should I be concerned?" Lucas walked up to them, casually reaching over for a piece of shrimp.
"Lucas!" Scolded Aurora, slapping his hand away, causing him to pout.
"Bro," grunted Damien, wrapping an arm around Lucas' shoulders. "That's the guy from graduation."
His face scrunched with distaste as they all continued to stare at Noah's back.
"Oh, the one that kissed her on the forehead," exclaimed Lucas, eyes widening with realization. He scratched the back of his head with confusion. "So...we hate him?"
"Yes," All three brothers said at the same time. Lucas nodded and like the three brothers, he was now glaring at Noah's back.
Aurora rolled her eyes. "Idiots," she muttered under her breath.
"Is Megan here?" Asked Noah, feeling a bit uncomfortable from all the staring. He could practically feel the brother's glares on the back of his head.
"She's in her room— just go up the stairs, past the lounge, first door on the right," Maddie chirped, sending him a wink.
"Maddie!" Came a chorus of protests. The men sent a glare in Maddie's direction who just shrugged her shoulders.
Noah quickly thanked Maddie before leaving the kitchen, making sure to walk fast, so he wasn't stopped by any of the men.
"Oh, hell no."
Both Xavier and Elijah were about to storm after him but was immediately stopped by Aurora. She quickly grabbed onto her arms, which did nothing since she weighed nothing compared to the two of them. They both managed to drag her and the chair she was sitting on a good couple of inches.
"Just let him go," Isabella ordered, causing all the men to begin protesting.
Aurora rubbed Xavier's arm soothingly. Well, that went better than she had expected. In her dreams, the day ended with her trying to stop the boys from murdering Noah.
"Sweetheart," Xavier grunted as a pout formed on his handsome face. "I still can't believe you invited him without telling any of us."
"Well," Aurora gave the boys a sheepish look before glancing at Maddie and Isabella.
"Ma, you knew?" Elijah looked at his mother with betrayal. But it was Alexander who looked at his wife like he had been betrayed the most.
"Well," Isabella gave them all a sheepish smile. "He seemed like a nice boy. And besides, I thought it would be nice to get to know him— you know, in case he ever does become family."
The last part was said quietly but was definitely heard by everyone in the kitchen.
"Hell fucking no— not under my watch," Damien shook his head, as the brothers murmured their agreement. If it were up to them, Megan wouldn't even be allowed near that little piece of shit.
"Nice my ass," muttered Xavier, tightening his hold on Aurora. "Like I said before— he looked like Elijah, trouble."
"Like I said before," mimicked Elijah, rolling his eyes. "Yeah, whatever. The kid does not look like me."
"Yeah, he doesn't," agreed Maddie, nodding her head.
Elijah sent his sister a grin. "Thank you, my dear sister." He gave his brothers an accusing glare. "See, someone understands me."
"Because he's better looking," continued Maddie, making both Elijah and Lucas' jaws drop.
Lucas made his way to his girlfriend, shock still evident in his system. "But I'm the best looking one in your eyes right? Right?" He continued to pester Maddie until she answered him. "Right?"
Isabella giggled at her children before looking at Maddie and Aurora. "He is a cute one, isn't he?"
"Ma," complained Elijah, stomping his feet like a child. "You're supposed to be on my side."
"She's not wrong," murmured Aurora, as she pretended to mind her own business while wrapping the spring rolls. She couldn't help but to add her opinion— she only hoped Xavier wouldn't hear.
"Baby," Xavier glared down at his girlfriend who only gave him a sheepish smile.
Whoops, too late.
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Thank you for the 77k reads and 3.1k votes! I really appreciate it <3 Also, my update schedule is going to change a bit starting next week since classes are starting soon and I have to start my grad school apps. Sorry in advance!