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Aiden crouched down to look inside the oven and chuckled under his breath when he saw the mess he’d made. “I don’t think I’m destined to be a chef.”

“Probably not,” I agreed.

He let out a breath and stood tall again. “Well, there’s no salvaging what’s left in there. I’ll put another pizza on.”

“No!” I protested a little too hurriedly. I was hungry, and I wasn’t sure I could handle round two of Aiden attempting to cook.

He turned his eyes on me. “You don’t like pizza?”

“It’s not that,” I replied. “How about I make something for us instead?”

“You know how to cook?”

“I may know a thing or two.” It was a complete understatement, but I didn’t want to brag. I’d been cooking for myself for years now. My mom and dad were both hopeless in the kitchen, and some of their attempts would have given Aiden’s burnt pizza a run for its money. Luckily, I’d become obsessed with cooking after taking a home economics class at school.

Cooking was like a form of therapy for me. Life always seemed so much simpler when I was in the kitchen. My brain seemed to switch off, and all my troubles went away for a while. It was also a skill that came in handy since my parents went on work trips so frequently.

“Then be my guest.” Aiden waved an arm at the rest of the kitchen. He looked relieved he didn’t have to repeat the pizza ordeal again. And my fingers were practically itching at the opportunity to cook. This had kind of worked out best for all of us.

As I opened the fridge, I was happy to see it was well stocked with lots of fresh vegetables and plenty of meats. I was in the mood for something hearty, and after I’d also taken a quick look in the pantry, I came up with a few ideas.

“How do you guys feel about spaghetti Bolognese?” I asked, turning to the two boys. They’d been awfully quiet as I explored the kitchen, but their eyes were locked on me as I made the suggestion.

Aiden placed a hand over his heart. “If you cook me Italian, I might never let you go.”

Elliot laughed. “He’s not kidding either.”

“So, I can take that as a yes?”

“You can take that as ahellyes,” Aiden said, a broad grin brightening his features as he took a seat at the kitchen counter by his brother’s side. It seemed like I was going to have an audience for this.

I tried to ignore them as I got all the ingredients out and began preparing them for the meal. I always liked to have everything ready before I started cooking. I was also a bit of a clean freak and always made sure to wash dishes and utensils as I went.

When my mom cooked, food ended up everywhere. It always found its way onto the floor, got spread all over the counter, and often caked itself on the handles of the cupboards. Cleaning up after she was done took longer than the cooking itself. It drove me crazy, but I still wished she was here with me to mess up the kitchen tonight.

“Dayum,MJ, you got skills,” Elliot said as I sliced into an onion. My knife whipped across the chopping board with practiced ease, and I only looked up when I’d finished. I was completely in the zone as I cooked and I had almost forgotten the two boys were there.

“It’s just chopping.” I rolled my eyes. “And my name’s not MJ.”

“That’s not chopping. That’s art,” Elliot replied. “And I’m still convinced you’re going to be my Mary Jane.”

A laugh escaped me. Elliot sounded like he’d been watching trashy “how to flirt” tutorials on the internet. His words were so at odds with his sweet baby face.

“I bet you say that to all the girls.”

“He does,” Aiden said before focusing on his brother. “Don’t you have somewhere else to be?”

“Like where?” Elliot shrugged. “We’re in lockdown, remember.”

“Well, you’re annoying Clary. Gofindsomewhere else to be.”

Elliot looked like he wanted to object, but I was guessing Aiden usually won their fights because Elliot started muttering under his breath as he jumped off his chair.

“Spoilsport,” Elliot grumbled as he traipsed from the room.

Aiden let out a sigh once he was gone. “Sorry about that. I’m probably going to be spending a lot of time apologizing for my brother while you’re here.”

I tilted my head and frowned in Aiden’s direction. Did he really just apologize to me? Even if it was on behalf of his brother, the words still felt strange coming from his lips. Aiden was completely unrepentant about everything in life, and I was surprised he even knew the word sorry existed.