"I'm picking the next movie," she says walking out of the room.
"Sure thing, now get to baking!" I yell after her. Seconds later, I hear pans banging, cabinets closing, and Tay talking to herself. Jerry and I have fun repeating the words to the movie. Taylor re-enters the room and sits back down on the couch ten minutes later. "They'll be ready in twenty minutes," she announces while playing on her phone. We continue to watch the movie, quoting words, and laughing. I hear a door open and then close; Vaughn comes into the living room a second later and crashes on Dad's recliner. He doesn't say anything but joins in on our little movie night.
"What's baking?" Vaughn asks a couple of minutes later.
"Brownies," Taylor says, still fiddling with her phone.
"Niccce," He hisses.
"No plans?" I look towards Vaughn.
"Waiting for John to call me," He answers but doesn't bother to look at me. Vaughn only has a couple more months until he's legal to go to the bars. I know once that happens, he won't be home as much. It happened with each of my brothers until the excitement wore off. I ponder what I'll be allowed to do when I turn twenty-one.
Vaughn's phone starts ringing, and he quickly says, "Yo." A second later, he gets up and goes upstairs. The oven timer starts beeping in the kitchen and Taylor shoots up and runs out of the room. All the commotion is taking away from my favorite movie.
"Can't people just sit and enjoy a freakin' movie?" I mumble.
"For real! Hello! Jake Ryan is on TV," Jerry agrees.
"I'm so glad you're here!" I rest my head on Jerry's shoulder, and wrap my arm around his, snuggling into him. He pats my leg with his hand. Vaughn comes down the stairs, wearing something completely different from just a few minutes ago. He disappears into the kitchen and I hear voices but can't make out what they're saying. "Save me some!" he yells before going out the door.
I laugh out loud and say, "I can eat a whole pan of brownies by myself, and he wants three of us to save him some? He’s crazy." Jerry laughs too. Taylor walks back in with a plate full of brownies. The aroma is mouthwatering, and I grab one before she can even sit. Jerry doesn't wait either.
"Ohmygod," I say with a full mouth. They're warm, chocolatey goodness.
"I know, they're amazing. I'm awesome," Taylor says, taking a bite of the brownie in her hand. "You are! These are delicious!" Jerry agrees. We all finish watching the movie; our mouths too busy chewing to do anything else. The credits are scrolling when Taylor holds out her hand and demands, "My turn."
I place the remote in her open palm and she pulls up the guide searching for our next movie. My phone dings, and I look at it curiously, wondering who would be texting me. I immediately assume it's one of my brothers. I let out a breath, wondering if any of them landed themselves in jail. It hasn't happened yet, surprisingly. I swipe open my phone and see a message from ‘McSwoony’. What in the world? My mouth breaks into a huge grin, and I can’t help but feel giddy.
McSwoony: You have that pillow fight yet?
I straight up giggle. It just bubbles out.
"What the hell are you giggling about?" Taylor asks.
I can't wipe the smile from my face. He managed to program his number into my phone. He's at a bar, and he's texting me.
Me: Oh yeah ;) Worked up quite an appetite, so we're eating yummy warm brownies.
"Uh, Hello? Who's got you smiling like that? Are you texting Chase?" Taylor yells. I can't help but laugh as I tell her, "Yeah."
"When in the world did you guys exchange numbers?"
"We didn't. He did it himself."
"Shut up!"
I nodded excitedly. Like a freakin' bobblehead.
"When?"
"I honestly have no idea, I'm assuming when you came with the pizza. I left it on the counter, and he had this mischievous expression. I knew he was up to something, but I didn’t expect this."
"Hmm. I wish a hot guy would text me," Jerry pouts. My phone pings.
"What is he saying? What are you saying?" Taylor bounces on the couch. I wave my hand at her and say, "Aren't you supposed to be picking a movie?"
"This is so much more interesting!"
I shake my head. Jerry leans into me, and I look over at him. He's leaning into me because Taylor is leaning into him. "Oh my--what the hell is he saying about a pillow fight?! Are you guys sexting?!"
I tell her, "No! It was a joke." I can’t stop laughing at her trying to figure out what we are saying.
"Send him a picture of your boobs!" Taylor suggests.
"Taylor! No way!"
"Why? I send them to Wes all the time."
"Yes, he's your boyfriend."
"Does he send you dick pics?" Jerry asks.
Taylor puurs, "All the time."
"Giirrrllll," Jerry drags out the word. She laughs and pulls out her phone, then I'm sure showing Jerry the pics. "Oh, Giirrrllllll!"Jerry says again.
She laughs, "Oh yeah."
I ignore them and swipe my phone open to read Chase's text.
McSwoony: Damn, I'm coming back.
Me: Oh, Jerry would love it if you'd come back.
McSwoony: I wouldn't be coming back for Jerry.
I pause and reread his last text. A smile overtakes my face. I decide to keep teasing him.
Me: What? Why? Jerry is hot!
McSwoony: No, no. I prefer the female anatomy.
A small laugh escapes from me.
"What's so funny?"
I look over at my friends, and for a minute I forgot they were here. They're silently watching me, and I'm not sure how I feel about that. "Sorry, Jerry. I was trying to talk you up, but apparently, he likes the female body more."
"That's okay, He couldn't handle me anyway," he declares as he waves his hand like it's no big deal. He takes the remote from Taylor and starts scrolling through the guide on the TV. Taylor is looking at me with a large smile on her face, she tells me, "I like this."
This makes me smile because I like this too.
Smitten
The bar is crowded and there's a live band playing. So not only is it crowded, but it’s also loud. Very loud. We grabbed a couple of high-top tables towards the back, pulling two together to accommodate us. It's a little less noisy, but it still requires us to shout.
"I'm gonna go get the first round!" Vance shouts and walks to the bar on our left.
I take in the band at the front of the place. They set up on a raised stage, and honestly, they're not half bad. They’re currently playing a cover of a widely popular song right now--smart move. I drum my fingers on the table, enjoying the music. Vance returns with our first round of beers. He shouts among us, "Check out the table straight ahead." I lean around him and spot the table he's talking about. A table of beautiful women. The brunette holds my attention, her long hair almost reaching her waist. It immediately reminds me of Veronica. Fuck! I just nod my head in acceptance.
"Dude, the blonde...." He makes a gesture with his hands in front of his chest. "Nice." I laugh and take a sip from the bottle Vance set in front of me. "Wonder if the redhead is a natural. I can take her home and find out," Nate says next to me, then nudges me with his elbow.