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“Then what are you doing?”

I can’t keep the excitement from my voice when I tell him, “I made bananaless bread.”

“Banana bread? Why—” Somehow his frown deepens. “For Guy?”

“Less. Bananaless bread.”

Shaking my head, I continue toward the kitchen.

Since Khaos follows me, I explain the situation to him on the way.

“So you made Guy…bread?”

“It’s not for anybody in particular. I just wanted to try baking.”

My eye roll’s hidden as I grab the oven mitts I saw at the bottom of a drawer earlier to pull the loaf pan out of the oven, my stomach already growling. I wonder how long I have to wait until I can eat it.

While setting the pan on the counter, the batter jiggles in a very unappetizing way.

I glance at Khaos.

Arms crossed over his chest, he’s eyeing the bread suspiciously.

“Does it look a little underbaked to you?”

“Underbaked?” He side-eyes me. “Kota, that shit’s raw.”

Raw?

“It can’t be. It’s been baking for fifty-five minutes.”

“At what? Ten degrees?”

“No. Three hundred fifty.”

When he disappears from my side, I give the bread another inspection, this time closer. It does look raw, but I don’t understand how. I followed the instructions on the box precisely. Except for the bananas.

The bananas. That must be why—

“The oven’s not even on.”

I spin around to face Khaos standing in front of the oven, waving a hand over the open door.

“Did you turn it off?” I accuse, my arms crossing. He’s the only other person here.

“Why the fuck would I do that?”

“To sabotage me.”

“You think that little of me? That I’d go out of my way to ruin your stupid banana bread?”

“I don’t think of you at all.”

He scoffs.

“And it’s bananaless bread! There were no bananas in it!”

My stepbrother should really get his hearing checked.