Then You Saw Me by Carrie Aarons
25
Taya
“Is that fire?”
Bevan points to one of the boy’s burners, and sure enough, boiling water is pouring out of the stove and onto the kitchen floor.
“Oh, fuck!” Callum runs to the stove and flicks off the gas, fanning the boiling pot with his hands.
“Yeah, that’ll work.” I hear Austin chuckle from where he’s chopping carrots at the cutting board.
“Do they get points deducted for almost burning down the house?” Amelie taps her chin.
“This isn’t a gymnastics meet, Ams.” Scott laughs, not helping in the slightest.
Austin is really the one running the show on the boys’ side, which is definitely a turn-on. They’re planning to make parmesan chicken wings as their appetizer, which is such a guy food. But Austin is attempting to make duck tacos for their main course, and I have to say, it smells fucking delicious. That is, if Callum doesn’t burn the pot boiling water for their Cajun mashed potatoes that are going on the side.
The whole atmosphere in our house is giddy, everyone is into the competition, and there is no drama going on between us roommates at the moment. It’s one of those peaceful times where all I can think is, life is good.
I’m chopping the apples for our brie bake when I hear him.
“Blame it all on my roots!”
Austin’s random outburst of song has us all turning to face him, and Scott just starts laughing. It’s so out of character for my guy, the call for attention whether he realizes it as that or not. Austin is usually pretty quiet and lets his looks or aura do the talking. People are naturally drawn to him, and I’ve learned he’s actually pretty shy and reserved.
But him busting out in a Garth Brooks’ tune is shocking and also pretty damn sexy.
“I showed up in boots!” Amelie continues, smiling at the guy who has captured my heart.
It’s one thing to be falling in love with a guy. It’s another thing entirely when your friends also accept him and bring them into their inner circle. That’s what tonight feels like, and the smile on my face is so wide it starts to hurt my cheeks.
“And ruined your black-tie affair,” Scott, Callum, and Austin all sing together.
There is also something downright hot about three hulking males cooking and singing an old country tune. Completely domestic, effortlessly handsome, and I get a front row seat.
“The last one to know, the last one to show, I was the last one you thought you’d see there!” I contribute, my pipes a little rusty.
We all join in, besides Bevan, who hates country music, and start to belt out the lyrics. Everyone is shaking their hips, walking around the kitchen checking on our dishes, and the whole atmosphere makes me want to weep. It’s one of those special moments that I want to soak in, because I know it will be a golden memory when I play it back in my head years from now.
When it gets to the chorus, I wrap an arm around Bevan’s neck and shake her until she sings.
“’Cause I’ve got friends in low places, where the whiskey drowns and the beer chases my blues away,” I sing in her ear, and she finally rolls her eyes and jumps in.
Scott grabs a bottle of whiskey from the counter and begins to pour shots.
The whole thing is comical and perfect in the best way possible, and our little family sing-a-long is a scene out of a movie. These are the moments in life that I wish I could capture on a loop and carry with me in my back pocket.
In the end, the girls win the cooking competition, though the whole meal is delicious. And I win the best prize of all, because Austin is waiting for me in bed after I washed my face and took the day off.
Oh, and he was completely naked.