REBORN: MEET MY BROTHERS-Chapter 62: GOOD GIRL

Ava opened her eyes, adjusting to the soft glow in the dimly lit room. Sitting up, she looked around the room. She’d fallen asleep next to Maximus, but now he was gone. There was no life in the room except hers. She rubbed her sleepy eyes, yawning lightly when her stomach growled loudly.

Ava placed a hand on her belly with a small frown. "Guess you’ve been through a lot too," she muttered to herself, sliding out of the bed in search of something to eat, or better still, Maximus.

The clock flipped from 12:22 am to 12:23 am by the time she found her way to the kitchen, after searching for Maximus without finding him. Since she was too hungry to continue her search, she decided to stop for a quick snack before she continued. 𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢

Ava walked to the fridge and began scanning for what she needed. Suddenly, she was craving a weird combo she hadn’t had in years.

Just as she assumed, the soy sauce and whipped cream were inside the fridge so she quickly brought them out and set them on the counter before hunting for her last ingredient.

"Whipped cream... Soy sauce..." She mumbled as she opened and closed the endless rows of cabinets, in search of her last ingredient.

Most of the cabinets were really high that she had to stand on her tiptoes to see into the back. Coupled with her injured hand that she tried not to put to use, Ava’s other hand and thighs were beginning to ache from stretching so much.

’Why did Maximus have so much storage space and why were they so high?’ she thought angrily.

How was someone who was shorter than her supposed to get things from these stupid cabinets?

Her eyes and free hand continued rummaging through the cabinets, until she saw it - the bag of chips by the far end of the cabinet. She stretched her feet even more, despite the pain and just when she was about to reach it, she heard soft footsteps from behind her.

"What are you doing?"

Ava jumped and stifled a scream from the unexpected voice. Her hips banged against the counter when she turned, and she moaned inwardly.

Maximus stood amused by the doorway. His confused face slowly paved way for his charming smile as his eyes darted between Ava and the opened cabinet.

Ava didn’t know why she was embarrassed by this scene, but she swallowed her embarrassment as she took in Maximus’s appearance.

His white shirt stretched across his broad shoulders, highlighting the hardness of his muscles, and a pale grey joggers, resembling the color of ashes hung below his waist, low enough to infiltrate dirty thoughts into her mind, thoughts that Ava fought to squash.

"You scared me! What are you doing here?" Ava breathed huskily. When Maximus leaned against the door, she exhaled softly. "I was searching for you... but I was so hungry, so... I decided to grab a snack."

"Hmmm," Maximus hummed and stopped smiling as his eyes traveled over her body. His dark blue eyes suddenly had a fog of darkness that scared Ava when they delved deeper down her body.

Ava looked down at herself and her heart stumbled when she saw what caught his attention.

She was wearing his black shirt. The first clipped button was hanging just above the swell of her breast. The shirt barely covered past her inner thigh, so her slender legs were revealed.

She didn’t have time to think about how she got into these. When she looked up, Maximus was already walking toward her, and only stopped when he was barely a feet away from her. Picking up her injured hand, "Did it hurt?"

Ava pushed away some strands of hair from her face. "No. I barely used it."

"I mean your ass cheeks. You hit them earlier, didn’t you?" His eyes darted to her waist, but when she didn’t answer, Maximus looked at her face once more.

"I- I’m fine," she stuttered. Again, she didn’t know why she was suddenly so nervous.

When Maximus didn’t utter another word, but leaned in closer, Ava became afraid to breathe.

"What were you looking for?"

"Chips." She said the first thing that came to her mind.

Maximus reached the cabinet above her head. "When did you wake up? I stepped out for a while and when I got back, you were gone."

The tiny breeze from from his movements brushed against Ava’s skin, causing goosebumps and something hot to curl up in her stomach. Ava smiled nervously. "I was hungry, so I decided to hunt for food," she said honestly.

He retrieved an unopened pack and handed it to her. Ava took the pack. "Thank you."

But when Maximus saw her struggle with the pack, he collected it from her and opened it. "What do you want me to make for you?"

"Huh?"

"I said, what do you want me to make for you?" Maximus repeated with a small smile.

Ava heard it the first time, but she couldn’t believe he would do something like that. "Oh, I don’t want to bother you."

One of his brows rose slightly. "Who said anything about it being a bother?"

Before she could say anymore or protest, Maximus lifted her up effortlessly and placed her on the counter. Ava gasped softly as her legs dangled over the edge. The cool surface sent a tiny shiver up her spine, but it was nothing compared to the heat radiating from him as he stood between her knees.

He trapped her gently with both his hands that he placed by her sides, leaning in closer to her. "Stay here while I cook something for you," he said softly.

Ava blinked at him. "You don’t have to, Maximus. I can manage," she muttered weakly, holding the pack of chips close to her chest.

"You’re my fiancee, Ava. You don’t ’manage.’ You eat properly, rest properly, and get taken care of properly. End of discussion."

Ava’s cheeks warmed as she listened to him. She bit her lips, unable to look away from him. "It’s midnight. I don’t want food. The snacks will do just fine." Her stomach growled loudly, betraying her and Ava pressed her lips together.

Maximus smiled before leaning into her stomach. He rubbed it gently. "Don’t worry, I’ll feed you properly," he whispered.

"Don’t starve the little guy, little one." He slid the back of a finger along the length of her nostrils, before he turned to the fridge and started pulling ingredients.

As he placed the items on the counter, he noticed the items Ava had pulled out. He froze for a moment before giving her an incredulous look. "Soy sauce and whipped cream? Were you planning on eating this together with the chips?"

"It’s a nice combo," Ava said sheepishly. "Don’t knock it till you’ve tried it."

"My apologies," Maximus responded mockingly. "I’ve never been more grateful for my culinary skills. It’s unimaginable that you’d have soiled your stomach with this abomination if the reverse were the case."

Ava laughed, covering her lips with her hand. "It’s not an abomination," she retorted shyly. "I promise if you try it, you wouldn’t want any other snack."

"The only snack I wouldn’t stop wanting is you," Maximus said with a straight face, making Ava’s heart pound in her ears as his eyes darted to her soft lips.

Noticing her nervous face, he smiled yet again before he returned to the meal he prepared. In no time, the creamy spaghetti he prepared for her was ready.

Maximus placed the mouthwatering dish beside Ava who still sat on the counter amazed by his culinary skills. Picking up the cutlery, he rolled the spaghetti in a fork and lifted it to her mouth.

"I can help myself with this. This is the least I can do," she protested, but Maximus silenced her with: "Look at your hand. What can you do when it’s looking like that? Just relax, little one..."

"...it’s my job to take care of you."

Ava: "..."

Reluctantly, she opened her mouth for Maximus to feed her.

"Good girl."

Ava thought the first bite was the best but the meal kept getting better with each bite. And before she knew it, she was having her last bite with a full stomach.

~~~~~~~~~~

After a windy night, it started to shower lightly.

The soft patter of rain against the hospital window mixed with the steady beeping of the monitor, creating an oddly soothing rhythm. But Matilda wasn’t soothed. She sat stiffly in the chair beside William’s bed, resting her head against her palm.

Her eyes burned with exhaustion, but she refused to let them fully close. Not yet. Not when there was still so much at stake.

William’s face was pale as he lay motionless on the bed. The steady rise and fall of his chest should’ve been comforting, but to Matilda, it was a reminder of how much work still needed to be done.

She smiled as she glanced at the IV line running into his arm. She was going to make sure he remained like this, until she’d successfully gotten rid of Ava.

Matilda barely finished that thought when her eyelids fluttered again. The few seconds she let herself drift peacefully into sleep, William’s finger moved slightly.