Chapter 43: Do you want to kill me, bro?

"Pork, pork, pork!" Amanda repeated excitedly, bouncing a little with each step as she walked back home.

She’d been lucky enough to get a ton of pork meat at a steep discount, and she could hardly wait to cook all of it.

Her refrigerator didn’t have space for the amount she’d bought, so she’d need to eat most of it that night, but she was sure Arthur would be up to the task.

And really, she could always call the neighbors over to share the meal. More importantly, she was excited to try out some new pork recipes.

Opening her front door, she found Arthur already inside, playing with Luna, the little cat he’d rescued. The kitten had grown stronger and was slowly losing her fear, wandering around the house and, every now and then, attempting to leap from the sofa to the floor.

The kitten was still very small, so she often tumbled, but the little creature always got right back up to try again.

"I see you’re finally back home," she said to the man sprawled on the floor, a small cat parading across his chest.

"Yeah, sorry for disappearing for so long," he replied. He had sent Amanda messages before going to stay at Iris’s apartment for the whole weekend, but still, he’d been gone a long time.

"No problem," Amanda said with a cheerful smile. "Did you have fun with your friends?"

Arthur scooped the cat gently into his arms, spun back up onto his feet in one quick motion, and set Luna on his shoulder, leaving her perched there as he walked over to Amanda.

"Yes, I had a ton of fun," he smiled, offering to take the bags from her hands. "But you should’ve told me you were buying this much; I would’ve helped you carry it all."

"Don’t worry, I can handle a few groceries," Amanda said, rolling her eyes with a grin. Then she clapped her hands excitedly. "More importantly, take a look at what I bought!"

Arthur leaned over the bags and let out a low whistle. Shoulder of pork, thick-cut belly, a whole rack of ribs, and what looked like two pounds of fresh sausage.

"Amanda. That’s enough meat for a week."

"That’s enough meat for tonight," she corrected, already kicking off her shoes and rolling up her sleeves. "I have a plan. The belly gets braised low and slow, and the ribs get a dry rub: smoked paprika, brown sugar, cumin. Four hours in the oven, and they’ll fall apart."

He raised an eyebrow, genuinely impressed. "And the shoulder?"

"Carnitas. Sear it hard, drown it in its own fat, shred it at the end. We are going to get crispy edges, soft middle." She was practically vibrating. "I’ve been dying to test this recipe for weeks."

"It sounds great... okay, chef," Arthur said, his lips curling. "Put me to work."

"Yes, let’s work!" Amanda jumped, her boobs bouncing wildly under her conservative clothing, so much so it was hard not to look.

Arthur nodded and approached the sofa, giving Luna a chance to hop down from his shoulder onto the sofa.

Both he and Amanda washed their hands, and immediately fell into a perfect working rhythm. The man left the planning to Amanda, who had clearly thought a lot about it, as they worked hard.

An hour passed, in what seemed like the blink of an eye to the duo, and then a full banquet finally sat on the table.

Arthur served himself once, ate slowly, and when he reached for a second helping of ribs, his hand hesitated in the air.

Amanda noticed immediately. "Oh no. No, no. What did I just see?"

"I’m watching what I eat," he said, a little sheepishly. "I’ve been losing weight well. I don’t want to blow it on one night."

She planted a serving spoon full of ribs on his plate before he could protest. "Arthur. Look at yourself. It’s obvious that you’re turning into a strong, handsome man right in front of my eyes. And eating well is important for that."

Arthur actually blushed after being called handsome, not used to being so openly praised like that.

"And that little bit of belly you keep fussing over?" she added, her voice softening. "It’s not going anywhere by starving yourself. It’ll slowly melt into sculpted abs. You just need to keep working hard and eating properly."

"Yes, chef."

"Very well." Amanda smiled.

Of course, in the end, the two of them alone couldn’t eat everything. Amanda took on the mission of knocking on the doors of all the neighbors in the apartment complex and offering them food.

Meanwhile, Arthur stayed back because he had promised Alan he would at least play with him for a bit. He balanced the laptop on his thighs and opened a shooting game Alan had grown fond of.

He also sent a message to Iris, asking if she played online computer games. He hadn’t had a chance to speak with her properly that day and wanted her to join them, but she said she was too tired.

​

〇〇〇

Meow! The next day, Arthur was woken up early by his cat.

Having nothing better to do, he got up and made breakfast, which he shared with Amanda, who had also woken up early.

Then he headed to college earlier than he needed to, and once there, went straight off to find Iris; he wanted to have a chance to talk with her.

Her office door was half-open. Inside, he saw her looking down, soft, uneven sniffles coming from her.

Arthur knocked gently with two knuckles. "Iris? It’s me."

She jumped, hastily wiping at her face, but her eyes were already red and glassy. "Arthur! I... come in, sorry, I was just..."

He didn’t ask. He just walked in, quietly pulled a spare chair around to her side of the desk, and sat down close, his shoulder nearly touching hers.

"Hey," he said softly, tilting his head to catch her downcast eyes. "Whatever it is... you can tell me."

Iris looked down, blushing; Arthur’s caring eyes made her heart pump faster.

"I’m fine," she whispered, unconvincingly. "It’s nothing."

"Please, if anything is wrong, tell me."

Her face went crimson from embarrassment. Then she bit her lower lip, feeling guilty over worrying Arthur.

"Promise you won’t laugh?" she mumbled, deciding to be honest. It was much better than worrying over nothing.

"I promise."

A long pause. She took a breath. ℯℯ𝑙.

"...I was watching a dorama," she admitted, her voice barely audible. "And the finale was quite dramatic..." She looked down, extremely embarrassed.

Arthur blinked once. He looked at her attentively, but he saw no sign that she was lying. Then a warm, helpless smile spread across his face.

"That’s it? That’s what has you hiding in here?" He shook his head, eyes soft. "You are so cute right now!" he said, unable to hold back.

"It is not cute!" Iris protested, blushing furiously. "There is nothing cute about me. I’m just a big, clumsy woman. Most people think I’m scary, you know. I’m not cute!"

Her cheeks grew redder as she moved her arms quickly, making her look even cuter.

"Well, most people are wrong." He leaned in a little closer. "You’re cute. Adorably, hopelessly cute. The scariest thing about you is how cute you are."

"Shut up," she breathed, but she was blushing so hard now that her ears had gone red.

Unable to hold back anymore, Arthur kissed her.

Deep and unhurried, one hand cradling her jaw, the other tracing the soft curves of her body, until he reached her massive tits.

Iris melted into the kiss, but was finally able to push him back. But her resistance was weak; her palms barely pressing against his shoulders, her breath ragged.

"Arthur..." she panted, cheeks blazing. "You’re way too naughty."

"I learned from the best."

She laughed, and then winced, glancing at the clock on her wall. "I can’t. I can’t do anything right now. First of all, I’m still sore from the weekend, you brute. And second..." She gestured helplessly at the clock. "I have a meeting in five minutes."

Her eyes flicked down, quite deliberately, to the front of his pants. A slow, wicked, and unapologetic smile curved her lips.

"...Sorry about being just a tease," she said, not sounding sorry at all.

Then, before he could recover, she plucked his phone right out of his hand. Next, she shrugged her blazer off her shoulders and loosened the top button of her blouse just enough to give herself a generous cleavage.

With a horny smile, she took a sexy picture of herself. Then she dropped the phone back into his palm and stood, smoothing her skirt like nothing had happened.

"But you can think of me if you want, naughty boy. Now go."

"Okay," Arthur obeyed.

He thought of going to the men’s bathroom, but instead opted to sit down and talk with a few classmates he saw in the cafeteria.

There was too much on his mind on this first day of classes, so he didn’t feel like he forged any friendships in his class. Hell, the person he talked to the most was Kat, so socializing a bit was not a bad idea.

He only left his classmates behind when he felt Alan’s gaze burning a hole in his skull. The two talked a bit and headed together to class.

Then, after some boring lectures, William entered the room and asked everyone to sit with their groups.

So Arthur took Alan with him, walking up to Kat. Behind him, Alan tensed immediately.

"Wait, don’t tell me that blond chick is our group?"

"Yes," Arthur smiled. "Weren’t you the one who wanted me to introduce you to a good-looking girl? I think she is almost as beautiful as Iris."

"I would say she is even more striking than our teacher," Alan gasped hard. "And she is the most popular girl in class. I can’t do it."

Alan began shaking; he was not expecting Arthur to really grant his request. And certainly was not expecting a girl this popular.

His stomach clenched.

"I can’t do that!" He grabbed his best friend’s sleeve. "Do you want to kill me, bro?"

Arthur simply smiled.