Fireworks 1 and 2

Chapter Ninety

    The following morning, Mia chewed on her bottom lip as she moved around the kitchen. She'd woken up to go to the bathroom. Instead of getting back in bed afterwards, she had showered and thrown on a black tank top and matching sweatpants. Then she'd crept downstairs with the intention of making breakfast for everyone. A chef was available to prepare meals, but she wanted to make Drake a meal by hand, to show her appreciation for how much care he'd taken with her the night before. If she made a meal for him, she felt it was only right that she also made a meal for everyone else.

    She leaned a hip against the counter, frowning down at the ingredients. "What am I forgetting?" she muttered, tapping her bottom lip with an index finger.

    Bri entered the kitchen, wearing red shorts and a plain white t-shirt. When she saw Mia, she made a beeline for her.

    Mia continued staring down at the ingredients, still frowning in concentration.

    "Oh, bitch, you're just going to act like you don't see me standing here?" Bri demanded, raising her hands to her hips.

    Mia lifted her head. "Sorry, I was deep in thought."

    Bri blinked at her. "That's it?"

    "What do you mean?"

    "What do I mean?" Bri asked in disbelief. "How about, 'Hey Bri, sorry for abandoning your ass last night.' I was five minutes away from forming a search party for your ass and for Drake's goofy ass. Where the hell did you go?"

    Mia scratched her head. "Oh, yeah."

    "Oh yeah?" Bri repeated.

    "We were in the grotto," Mia told her. She started opening cabinets, looking for the cabinet with the spices.

    "You were in the grotto getting your groove on?" Bri asked her. "Well...at least I didn't hear you this time. There is a God. And He works in wondrous ways."

    Mia narrowed her eyes at Bri. "Speaking of which, you mentioned the hotel shower episode to Aubrey?"

    Bri's eyes widened. "No I didn't, I-" She stopped herself and covered her mouth with her hands. "Damn, maybe I did."

    "Yeah. He asked about it and I had to tell him," Mia said, finally finding the spice rack. "So be happy that I wasn't around you last night."

    Bri cracked up. "My bad. I didn't mean to." She examined the ingredients on the counter. "Who are you cooking for? An army? The entire state of California?"

    Mia shrugged as she sorted the food items. "I never know who out of the crew will be around."

    Shawn padded into the kitchen, yawning. "Oh, shit, you're alive," he said as a form of greeting Mia.

    Mia scowled at him.

    Bri arched a brow at her. "See? We feared for your life."

    "I'm sorry I didn't warn you where I was going," Mia apologized as she cracked an egg into a clear bowl. "It was kind of a spontaneous thing."

    "Spontaneous my ass," Bri said, crossing her arms over her chest.

    "Next time I'll warn you," Mia said, cracking another egg.

    "Mmmhm." Bri walked over to the island counter and plopped down on one of the stools. Shawn claimed the stool beside her, tugging at the collar of his gray t-shirt. "How are you feeling?" she asked, the tone in her voice turning serious. "Well, I mean duh. If you were doing hanky panky with Drake, then you must be feeling pretty damn good."