My best friend's brother and my brother's best friend (2016)

Turning my back

*Picture of Nicki*

"There we go all saved!" Cara laughs turning the tap off and pulling a face at me.
"Um, you and I obviously have different definitions of saved," I state holding up the damp tea towel that is now sporting a very large black hole in its middle.
"Hey, it was an accident! I didn't mean to turn on the wrong flame," she protests pouting, "who knew cooking green beans could cause such chaos?"

Shaking my head in amusement, I head over to the oven, checking the now bubbling lasagne through the door.
"I think it needs five more minutes," I say thoughtfully, inspecting my work.

I have always loved to cook. My Nan started teaching me the way around a kitchen as soon as I was old enough to hold a wooden spoon and mixing bowl. She'd tried with Jeremy too but was fast to abort that idea when flipping his first pancake he'd dropped it perfectly on his face and almost suffocated causing his first panic attack. I still say he did it on purpose just to get out of her cooking lessons. "The best way into a mans heart is through his stomach, Dani," she would say to me every time we cooked together, as if it were for the first time. Cooking consumed me and made me forget about all my problems, that was probably the reason I liked to cook so much when we came here for the summer.

We leave the kitchen and mount the stairs to go and get ready for dinner, "Mason's supposed to be here any minute, so he'll probably be another half an hour," Cara says looking at her watch and rolling her eyes "you know who wanted to come tonight but Jeremy put her down saying it was strictly family, you should have been there."
"What? When was this?" I question shocked.
"Before when she was leaving and practically dry humping my brother on the driveway," she says in disgust.
"Why would she even want to come?" I ask truthfully, didn't she have street corners to go and charge on?
"God knows, maybe because she wanted to mark her territory like a little bitch?"
"Ironic that the cheater is the controlling one," I respond laughing.

We head into Cara's bedroom and she goes and sits at her vanity table.
"You know part of me wanted her to come, I'd love to see her jealous little face when she saw how much Eli adores you." I roll my eyes at her statement, before falling back on her bed.
"Cara," I say sternly "you promised ..."
"I know, I know!" She says irritably brushing me off "I won't interfere but a little careful prodding is totally alright," she promises before proceeding to make up her eyes.

***

"Mason!" I grin as I swing open the front door to see Al's much younger brother stood on the door step, holding a bottle of Prosecco and a bunch of lilies. He was always such a sweetheart to his sister. He grins back at me.
"Dani is that you? You've grown so much!" He expresses waltzing in and wrapping his arms loosely around me.
"Well yes, since I was twelve!" I laugh when he pulls a mock offended face.

"Hey Mase! How you doing?" Jeremy shouts, walking towards us.
"Hey Jer! Long time no see!" Mason repeats greeting Jeremy before leading us through to the kitchen. He had exactly the same confident personality as his sister.
"Something smells good!" He says with a big smile on his face as he enters the kitchen.
"Well you have Dani to thank for that," Al says gesturing to me smiling, "she's quite the chef."
"I helped!" Cara chirps in grinning.
"Yeah at nearly setting the house on fire I'll bet!" Mason replies putting his arm around his niece, and grinning at my agreeing nod.
"You knew the risks when you asked me for help," she says defensively before winking at me.

***

"Where's my nephew?" Mason asks, helping himself to the green beans.
"Oh on the phone, dealing with ..." my brother hesitates as he pulls his chair in next to Cara who raises her eyebrows at me. Dealing with Nicki.