His Best Friend

Two

The aroma from the stove filled the air. Spices and seasonings had the entire house smelling delicious. The sizzling from the pan. The steam from the crockpot. It warmed me unlike anything else.

I bobbed my head as the music blasted from my phone. I swayed my hips to the beat as I focused on cutting the red pepper. Crushed red pepper & actual red peppers made the dish all the more greater.

"Well something smells good," a voice spoke entering the kitchen.

I smiled placing the peppers into the crockpot. "Thanks dad,"

He stood beside me, looking over my shoulder at the dish. "Looks good too, but we won't know until we taste it,"

Before I could stop him he stuck a fork in the pan & pulled out a piece of chicken. "Hey!" I laughed.

"Testing for poision," he kissed my forehead despite the mouth full of chicken.

Saying that I was a daddy's girl would be an understatement. We have always been close. In most families the father is the hard worker & the mother is close to the kids, my family is the opposite. Both my parents work but my mom's schedule is more hectic than my dad's. Whenever we needed help with homework, a ride to practice etc. my dad was the one we called on. Being the oldest, I was closer to him than my siblings.

However, I also bumped heads with my dad more than my mom. I was a teenager, he was a parent. It was a growing pain. The one thing my dad couldn't bend on was boys. The Apple of his eye was not supposed to date ever, if he had his way. Whenever something male related came up, I could count on my mom.

"Food! Glorious foooood!" A voice sang.

I turned around to find Dylan walking into the kitchen. He was dressed in a tank top & basketball shorts. His workout bag thrown over his shoulder. Basketball conditioning.

I turned on my heel to face him. "Its polite to knock before you come into someone's house singing Ice Age songs D," I smirked.

"Dylan!" My dad cheered. He walked over to him giving him a pat on the back. "How we looking this season?"

"Great Mr. Thomas. I'm taking us all the way to the championship this year," he pretend to make a jump shot.

"That's what I like to hear,"

"Oh my God," I rolled my eyes before turning back to the food.

Dylan was probably the only guy my dad liked. It was hard to determine if it was because we were just friends, or if it was because we had known each other for so long. Either way, my dad acted as if he wasn't a guy he needed to be worried about at all. I wondered if my dad knew Dylan's reputation would he still love him as much as he does now.

"Ooo what are we having tonight?" Dylan asked as he stood behind me.

"Cajuan chicken pasta & fresh veggies," I sniffed. I stuck my tongue out & gagged as the smell of sweat and boys locker room filled my nostrils.

"You smell disgusting," I pretended to vomit. I put my hand on his chest and pushed him back lightly. His tank top was still damp. It was clingly to his chest, allowing me to feel exactly how toned it was. I quickly pulled my hand back.

"What? You don't love me, sweat and all," he lifted his arm above my head putting his armpit directly near my face.

"Oh," I gagged. "Get out. Get out of my kitchen. You cannot be in here until you shower,"

He leaned against the counter with one elbow. He leaned forward slightly to get a closer look at the food. "Technically it's not your kitchen,"

"Its my kitchen when I cook. If you dont like it you could always eat at your house,"