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Here’s a picture of Paul to brighten your day 🙂
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On Saturday morning, Jayden went up to Noel’s door and knocked firmly but gently. He waited for a few minutes, but the door remained resolutely closed.
Jayden sighed. ‘You and I both know I can pick this lock within seconds so why don’t you save us the trouble and just open the door.’
There was silence and then a soft click. Jayden breathed out in relief. ‘Thank you.’
He opened the door to see Noel sitting on his bed and biting his lips as he watched him come in. Jayden walked up to the bed, forcing Noel to look up at him.
‘We need to talk.’
Noel hesitated before moving over. Jayden sat down beside him and for a few moments there was only silence.
‘I am sorry,’ they both said in unison.
They blinked at each other in surprise before Jayden offered, ‘Let me go first.’
Noel chewed on his bottom lip as he shook his head. ‘No, let me. I am sorry for all the things I said to you, and for yelling at you. I also shouldn’t have hit you. You are my best friend and I know you are only looking out for me.’
‘I’m sorry too. I shouldn’t have called you a whore and whiles I don’t trust Charles, I trust you and that should be enough. I know you’ll make the right decision in the end, whatever that might be, and you will be careful so I’m not going to try to stop you anymore.’
A look of relief washed over Noel’s features, and he nodded grateful. ‘I am being careful really. I know you think Charles will only hurt me and to be honest, I’m afraid of that too but I’m willing to take the risk. He is a good person inside; he just needs someone to show him how to be one. He will change, I can see him changing.’
A wary look came upon Jayden’s face. ‘For your sake, I hope to God you’re right.’
A knock came from the door and Noel stood to go answer it with Jayden following curiously behind him. He opened the door to find Cam and Leo on the other side.
Leo’s hand was paused in mid-air as if he had been just about to knock again. He placed it back down when he saw them and glanced in surprise between them.
‘You two finally made up huh? Good, cause Samuel wants us over at his place for brunch.’
Noel looked puzzled. ‘Why?’
‘Apparently we are supposed to help taste Paul’s new recipes for the cooking fair. Now hurry up and let’s go, I’m starving.’
Cam rolled his eyes at him. ‘You’re always starving. Honestly, someone will think I don’t feed you enough, your stomach is like a bottomless pit of hell.’
‘Oi! I am a growing boy I need my nutrients. You just don’t eat enough.’
Jayden and Noel glanced at each other as the two continued their argument down the hall before shaking their heads and following them.
They continued to argue all the way to Samuel and Paul’s dormitory, stopping only when Noel elbowed them sharply before knocking on the door.
Samuel opened the door with a beaming smile on his face. ‘You’re finally here! Come in, come in. The weather is absolutely lovely today, isn’t it? Perfect day to have a perfect meal!’
The others entered with varying looks of concern on their faces.
‘Is it just me or does Samuel seem overly cheerful today?’ Cam whispered to Leo.
‘I was thinking the same, and I’m not going to lie, it’s kind of scaring me right now,’ Leo whispered back with a cautious look on his face.
‘What are you two whispering about?’ Samuel asked and it seemed his smile had gotten even wider.
Leo silently backed off a few steps as Paul came over from the kitchen. ‘Oh, the guys are finally here. Why are you keeping them standing? Bring them over.’
‘We will be right there!’ Samuel said pleasantly. ‘We just can’t wait to try the amazing dishes you made today! This is going to be an absolute success!’
Paul went back to the kitchen and Samuel turned immediately to them. ‘This is going to be a disaster!’ The smile had disappeared from his face and his eyes were filled with terror.
The others blinked in surprise at the sudden change. ‘What are you talking about?’ Noel asked.
Samuel closed his eyes as if he had a terrible headache and by the look on his face, he probably did. ‘To put it simply, Paul can’t cook. He is absolutely terrible at it. He is a prince who has spent his entire life being waitered on hand and foot, why the hell does he think putting on an apron magically turns him into a chef?’
Cam glanced at the kitchen. ‘It can’t be that bad.’
‘Oh, you’re going to regret saying that,’ Samuel replied wryly.
‘If he’s that bad then why don’t you tell him?’ Noel asked.
Samuel gave him an incredulous look. ‘I’m his best friend, I can’t tell him his food tastes like cat vomit. That’s why I invited you guys over.’
The others gave him incredulous looks. ‘Why the hell are you dumping this on us? It’s your problem.’ Leo protested.
Samuel scoffed. ‘If we don’t stop him, it’s going to be everyone’s problem. To put it bluntly, if we let him serve his meals at the school fair next week, he would be arrested for the largest mass murder ever seen since the red wedding.’
‘What do you propose we do?’ Cam asked hesitantly.
‘It’s simple really, we use our trump card.’ Samuel glanced at Jayden. ‘Him.’
Jayden, who had remained silent since he entered, rose a perfectly shaped eyebrow in interest. ‘Oh?’
Samuel nodded. ‘Yes you. When he begins serving the dishes, we will all eat and compliment him, pretending to enjoy it so he wouldn’t feel bad. Then you would come in with you cuttingly blunt honesty and tell him exactly what you think.’
‘That’s actually not bad,’ Leo said approvingly. ‘We can use Jayden’s meanness to our advantage.’
They turned to look at Jayden who considered it for a moment. ‘You mean something like, “this looks like it was made by three rabid dogs tied up in a bag” and “there are blind mice in Neptune who could fry a better sausage than this”?’
Samuel sighed in relief. ‘You are amazing! That would work. Let’s go and get seated before Paul gets suspicious.’
They went in and took their seats just as Paul came in from the kitchen and began to serve the dishes.
‘Alright, everyone,’ he said after he was done serving and took a seat. ‘Dig in.’
Samuel’s smile was back on and he nodded enthusiastically. ‘They smell heavenly. I can’t wait.’
They all took a bite and immediately their expression turned to stone. Paul who was watching them closely didn’t notice and he asked eagerly, ‘So? What do you think?’
Leo’s face began to twitch as he tried to keep the smile on his face. ‘Mm, mmm,’ he nodded, unable to open his mouth for fear he might puke.
Paul turned to Noel and frowned. ‘Are you crying?’
Sure enough, tears were streaming down Noel’s face, but he smiled bravely and said, ‘It’s just so good, I can’t help it.’
Meanwhile Cam’s face was beginning to turn red as he struggled to swallow the food. He gave Paul a shaky thumbs-up.
‘It tastes divine,’ Samuel finally managed to say after a while.
They all turned to look expectantly at Jayden who was munching his food thoughtfully with an unreadable expression on his face. He finally swallowed and turned curiously to Paul.
‘Do I detect a hint of saffron?’
‘Why yes, I added a pinch or two.’
Jayden nodded and turned back to his plate. ‘It’s marvellous. May I have another?’
The others watched in disbelief as Paul happily scooped another serving onto his plate but sure enough, Jayden ate it all with relish. He turned to them and said to Paul, ‘I don’t think the others are satisfied yet.’
‘You’re right,’ Paul agreed before ladling generous servings into each of their plates. Paul was watching them expectantly, so they reluctantly forced themselves to eat everything on their plate.
Jayden meanwhile was going through each of the dishes with surprising alacrity.
‘Is that Vermouth you used here? Impressive. Yes, basil does rather bring out the flavour. Oh, I can taste persimmons here, brilliant! You really did outdo yourself.’
Paul was looking exceedingly pleased as he turned back to them. ‘Oh, you’re done. Hold on, I will get more from the kitchen.’
The moment he left; Samuel turned to Jayden with a low whisper. ‘What game do you think you’re playing?’
‘I have absolutely no idea what you’re talking about,’ Jayden responded innocently.
‘That wasn’t part of the plan!’
Jayden blinked in innocent confusion. ‘Oh, I thought the plan was that I taste the food and tell him exactly what I thought. Well, I think his food is delicious, you really should stop judging it so harshly.’
‘Please,’ Leo groaned as he lay his head on the table. ‘Not even a mad man would find this delicious.’
‘I think I’m going to be sick,’ Cam said, looking more than a little green.
‘Please make it stop,’ Noel pleaded as he clutched his stomach. ‘I can’t take any more of this torture. I’ll do anything, just make it stop.’
Jayden took another bite as he watched them with faint concern. Samuel was about to speak when Paul emerged from the kitchen carrying a large platter of food.
‘These are just fresh from the oven,’ he announced pleasantly as he placed the dish on the table.
They looked at the slightly charred food before them and as soon as the scent hit their nostrils they gagged.
‘That’s it, I’m actually going to be sick,’ Cam announced before standing and rushing to the bathroom.
Leo couldn’t hold it back any longer and rushed to follow Cam. ‘So am I.’
Soon Noel and Samuel followed suit and it was only Jayden and Paul sitting at the table. Paul glanced at Jayden who appeared unconcerned as he continued to eat with a straight face.
‘I wonder what’s got into them. I don’t know what they’re talking about this is perfectly delicious.’
A few hours later, Paul was patting Leo’s back as he continued to retch into a bucket. Cam and Noel were lying on the ground half-passed out while Samuel was trying hard to sit up.
‘Honestly, you guys should have just told me my cooking was horrible. You didn’t have to go through all that.’
Samuel finally managed to sit upright. ‘I couldn’t,’ he said with a groan. ‘I didn’t want to hurt your feelings.’
‘So, you leave it to your boyfriend to do it,’ Jayden said as he walked in from the kitchen carrying a plate.
‘How can you keep eating that?’ Leo moaned from his position on the floor.
Paul looked up at Jayden sheepishly. ‘You really don’t have to keep eating, I know it’s horrible.’
Jayden shrugged and took a seat on the couch. ‘Don’t listen to them Paul, I for one found it quite nice. They don’t share the refined palate that comes from our aristocratic blood.’
‘I’m an aristocrat as well, you filthy liar,’ Cam said as placed his glasses back on his face. ‘I have centuries of blue blood in my veins and even I find it despicably horrifying.’
Jayden shrugged and continued to munch on his meal. Leo finally stopped retching and wiped his mouth with his sleeve. Paul patted his back comfortingly and cast a glance around the room, which -except for Jayden who continued to munch on quite happily- was full of miserable faces.
‘Really though, you should have told me. I appreciate the fact that you were trying to spare my feelings, but I could have handled it.’
‘I wish we did,’ Noel muttered groggily.
‘Oh, that reminds me,’ Paul said suddenly. ‘Are you and Jayden no longer fighting?’
Jayden hummed in assent. A sly smirk found its way to Paul’s lips. ‘That means,’ he went on as he glanced at Samuel. ‘Jayden no longer needs to sleep in your room.’
Samuel blinked as he realized this. ‘Oh,’ he said simply, trying to keep the disappointment form his voice.
Jayden glanced at his boyfriend and sighed. ‘You’re right Paul but, that slap Noel gave me still stings and I’m not sure I’m over it yet. I probably need another night away from him before I can fully forgive him.’
Samuel’s face lit up at that and Paul tried to hold in his snicker. Noel rolled his eyes at them and rolled over to his side. ‘Do what you want, I’m way too weak to care. I don’t even think I can get on my feet.’
‘You can sleep over if you want.’ Paul offered. ‘It’s the least I can do. You can have my bed; I’ll sleep on the couch.’
Noel just turned on his side and didn’t respond. Paul glanced at Cam and Leo. ‘What about you guys? You can also sleep over if you want.’
Leo groaned and got to his feet. ‘No, thanks. I just want to get out of here and forget this day ever existed.’
He went over and helped Cam to his feet. Cam nodded and glanced blearily at Leo. ‘Are you supposed to have three heads?’
Leo frowned at him with worry. ‘We should probably have him checked for food poisoning too?’
Jayden scoffed from the couch. ‘He will be fine, just give him a glass of salt water and a teaspoon of vinegar and let him sleep it off.’
Leo nodded and they helped each other walk towards the door, turning back to give a half-hearted wave before disappearing out of the dorm. Paul watched them go with a rueful look before turning to Samuel.
‘Come on, let’s get you to bed.’
Samuel groaned and sat up, but Jayden stopped him. ‘Don’t worry, I’ll take care of him. Help Noel.’
Paul nodded and walked over to Noel, bending down to scoop him in his arms before making his way into his room. Jayden watched them go before putting down his plate and turning to his incapacitated boyfriend with a sigh.
He reached over and helped him to his feet, helping him walk with slow steps into his room. He put him on the bed and took off his shoes before pulling the blanket over him.
‘I’m going to help Paul clean up, will you be alright by yourself?’
Samuel nodded and he turned and walked out of the room. He picked up his unfinished plate and walked to the kitchen where Paul was already doing the dishes.
Paul glanced at him and shook his head with a rueful expression. ‘I have to say, it has been a while since I saw four boys puke in a perfect synchronous formation.’
Jayden snorted at that. ‘It was quite amusing to watch.’
Paul glanced behind him. ‘How is he?’
‘He’ll live.’
‘It’s strange. I can remember when he used to bother you and you couldn’t stand him. Now you’re dating.’
Jayden shook his head at the memory. ‘He’s very persistent.’
‘That he is. I haven’t seen him this happy before. He’s never been like this in his previous relationships.’
‘It might have something to do with the fact that’s he’s dating boy this time,’ Jayden noted with wry amusement.
Paul shook his head. ‘It’s not that. He’s just… different with you.’ He hesitated before continuing. ‘I know he comes off as this happy-go-lucky person, but he gets hurt very easily. What I’m trying to say is…’
‘I understand,’ Jayden replied. His eyes were serious as he looked at Paul. ‘It’s different for me too.’
Paul nodded in understanding and turned back to the dishes. ‘Don’t worry about the rest. I’ll finish up in here. Knowing him he’s probably sulking that you are not with him.’
Jayden nodded and cleaned his hands before leaving the kitchen. He opened the bedroom door to see Samuel sitting cross-legged on the bed as if waiting for him to come back.
‘I’m sorry,’ he blurted as soon as he saw Jayden.
‘What are you sorry for?’ Jayden asked curiously.
‘I shouldn’t have tried to get out of telling Paul by dumping it on you. That was wrong and I’m sorry.’
Jayden sat down beside him and scratched his boyfriend’s head. ‘It’s alright.’
Samuel shook his head firmly. ‘No, it’s not. I hurt you. I know you tried to hide it, but I can tell. I’m sorry.’
‘I’m not…,’ he trailed off when he saw the warning look on Samuel’s face. ‘Fine, I guess I was a little bit hurt by that. I just hoped you saw me as more than the cold mean person who doesn’t care about people’s feelings.’
Samuel grabbed his hand. ‘Of course I see you as more than that. And sure, you don’t care about other people, but you care about the important people in your life and that’s more than enough.’ He shrugged. ‘Most people are dicks anyway.’
Jayden flicked his forehead. ‘That’s my line. Now get some sleep, you look like a vampire who has lost all interest in his career.’
Samuel wrinkled his nose and lay back on the bed. ‘I thought being your boyfriend meant, I won’t be at the receiving end of your witty remarks anymore.’
Jayden scoffed. ‘That’s never going to happen.’
Samuel sat up and threw his arms around Jayden’s shoulders, burying his head into Jayden’s neck. Jayden tried to shrug him off, but Samuel clung stubbornly to him and refused to let go.
He finally gave up and rolled his eyes. Samuel smiled into his neck before raising his head curiously.
‘I do have one question though.’
‘Mhm?’
‘How did you manage to eat all of Paul’s food -and with such a straight face too- without throwing up?’
Jayden chuckled despite himself. ‘His food really was terrible, wasn’t it?’
Samuel groaned and buried his face back into his boyfriend’s neck. ‘Don’t remind me.’
Jayden chuckled again. ‘Well, back when I was a kid and still lived in that tiny apartment with my parents, my dad used to travel days at a time for the hotel, so my mum had to take up the cooking. Compared to my mum’s food, Paul’s tastes like a five-star meal. Growing up on Victoria Mills’ food has given me an ironclad stomach.’
Samuel hummed in thought. ‘Your life really is interesting you know.’
Jayden snorted. ‘I highly doubt it.’
‘No, it really is,’ Samuel insisted as a yawn escaped from his mouth.
Jayden shook his head at him. ‘Go to sleep you big baby.’
Samuel nodded tiredly. ‘Okay.’
‘Wait, I didn’t mean on me.’
But Samuel had already fallen fast asleep on his shoulder. Jayden shook his head at his sleeping boyfriend. He gently entangled himself from him and placed him gingerly on the bed.
‘You really are the biggest baby ever,’ he said to the sleeping figure but there was a warm tone in his voice. He placed a soft kiss on Samuel’s eyelids before laying down beside him and it wasn’t long before sleep also reached out to claim him.
AUTHOR’S NOTE: Hello hello hello, how are you all doing?
Hope you enjoyed this chapter and if you did, please don’t forget to vote and comment! ☺️
See you all in the next chapter!
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