TESSA'S COOKING.

Tessa's P.O.V.

I stepped into the kitchen, clutching a serving spoon like it was my last line of defense. My heart? Beating faster than a generator running on borrowed fuel. It was drumming so loud in my chest that I swore the entire house could hear it. The moment of truth was approaching, and the mere thought of everyone tasting my food sent shivers down my spine.

Cooking wasn't exactly my strong suit. As a matter of fact, this was my first time cooking for my roommates, and even they couldn't yet confirm whether I had culinary skills or if I was about to commit mass murder with a pot of spaghetti. And to make things worse, today of all days, these boys decided to show up uninvited. Just my luck.

"Relax," a voice said from behind me. The deep tone alone sent my body into temporary shutdown. "If it's that bad, then you'll do better next time."

Next time? NEXT TIME? No, there would be no next time. Even if, by some miracle, this food turned out to be edible, I would still have to be tied down with ropes and chains before attempting this again. Cooking for myself was one thing, but cooking for an audience? That was like standing in front of a firing squad, blindfolded, waiting for judgment.

I refused to turn around to see who was talking. I just stood there, rooted to the spot, back stiff as a broomstick, pretending like I didn't hear a thing.

And then, as if the gods of embarrassment weren't done with me, Light had to step in and make things infinitely worse.

"Tessa is shaking," she announced dramatically. "She cooked rubbish."

I swear, if this girl wasn't my friend, I would have thrown this entire pot of spaghetti at her head.

That was the final straw. I turned around, fully prepared to unleash my wrath, but then—I let out a small sigh of relief. Thank God, it was Joshua standing behind me.

"Look, don't mind Light," Joshua said, his usual calm and reassuring tone softening my nerves a little. "Everybody makes mistakes, and if it really is that bad, I'll continue to eat your food until it's perfect."

Once again, my number one fan, my 001, the only man in this house with sense. Don't worry bro, you'd pass the girlfriend material test with flying colors. You're free to Date my friend, I taught smiling.

But even with his encouragement, I still wasn't convinced. I had to put on my big-girl skirt and face this nightmare head-on. There was no escaping it now.

I took a deep breath and started dishing out the food. Spaghetti. A simple dish, right? Except I had gone all out, adding eggs, tuna, and meat, then frying it all together. It looked good—at least, I thought so. But would they like what I liked? That was the million-dollar question.

I had only cooked for my roommates, so I wasn't mentally prepared to be judged by an entire panel, which now included Justin, Joshua, and worst of all—Daræy.

Oh, my Beastly Beauty.

His presence alone made my heart skip. Ugh, today was absolutely not my day.

As I served the food, everyone immediately started throwing in their comments.

"Tessa, this food is looking too beautiful to be true," Light said, eyeing her plate suspiciously. "Are you sure it's not poison?"

Somebody hold me because I'm about to commit a crime.

I ignored her, quickly serving the rest and then making a strategic retreat. Before they could even lift their spoons, I had already blocked my ears with my earphones, crawled onto the bed, and wrapped myself tightly in my sweater, like a caterpillar going through emotional distress. I didn't want to hear a single word of what they had to say.

And then, just when I thought I could escape this moment, laughter erupted in the room.

Daræy.

That deep, rich, almost smug laughter that made my stomach do somersaults. And soon enough, the rest joined in.

Justin, being the sweetheart that he was, tugged at my sweater, trying to coax me out of my cocoon. "Tessa, be bold."

"To be bold, you need confidence," I said, peeking out just a little. "And right now, I have none."

"So that's why you served us first," Light said, her voice dripping with playful accusation. "In case anything happens, you can run, abi? Oya, carry spoon. You eat first."

Before she could force me to take the first bite, a deep voice cut through the noise like a blade.

"I'll eat first," Daræy said.

Silence.

The room went dead quiet.

Every single head turned towards him.

"Waw," Light whispered, clearly thrilled. "Tessa has seen the one that would die for her."

And then, like a coordinated choir, my roommates echoed in unison, "Awwwwwww."

"God, when?" Ruth added for extra dramatic effect.

I swallowed hard, my hands gripping Justin's arm like he was my only lifeline. My eyes were wide, my ears tuned into every single movement, and my heart? My heart was giving up on me.

Oh God, this idiot was going to take his sweet time, wasn't he?

We all watched as Daræy took his first bite.

Chew.

Chew.

Chew.

Why was he taking so long? What was going through his head? Was he questioning all of his life choices up until this moment? Was he contemplating the meaning of life? Oh my God, did he just—did he just raise his head and look at us dramatically?

I couldn't take it.

Then, as if he had personally trained in the art of suspense, he swallowed—slowly. Too slowly.

My soul left my body. I could barely breathe.

Then, he opened his mouth, ready to speak.

And then… he didn't.

Instead, he took another bite.

I was going to die. Right here. In this kitchen. My soul would be trapped in this house forever, haunting whoever decided to cook next.

Then, Light, the queen of chaos, spoke again.

"I said it—POISON! I will not die here." She dramatically pushed her plate to the side, laughing.

Daræy finally looked at me, eyes deep, expression unreadable.

And then he smiled.

My heart flew out of my chest. I didn't even know when I started smiling too, the tension in the room reaching an all-time high.

And then he said it.

"It's rubbish."

And just like that, he dropped his spoon.

I was ready to throw hands.