Chance

Chapter 8 - Home Sweet Home

    Cami grabbed her purse and slung it over her shoulder before heading out of the house. I got my car keys and quickly followed her. She really had nowhere to go, I was the one that was driving yet she was in a rush.

The two of us hopped into my car and I drove off. My parents didn't live too far away but I wanted to get there before my brother did. Cami turned on the Bluetooth and hooked up her phone. I held my breath as I waited to find out what she was in the mood for today. Her taste in music was so mixed that it was difficult to determine what genre she'd play on a given day. Thankfully, she settled on RnB for this car ride. All of the familiar songs from the late nineteen nineties and the early two thousands filled the car. We sang our hearts out until we pulled up in front of the beautiful two story home.

I parked the car behind my brother's, much to my dismay. I hated getting here after him. I needed the bragging rights. We walked up to the house and I twisted the doorknob which, unsurprisingly, didn't budge. My parents didn't play that game- leaving doors unlocked. We knew that there were many types of people out there and didn't want to risk someone casually strolling into the house. It may not provide the most protection but it gave everyone in the family a little piece of mind.

It was that exact same reason why we never left curtains drawn during the night. If we couldn't see outside then no one outside was getting to see us. I got my key and unlocked the door. The first thing that greeted me was the heavenly scent of my parents cooking. They almost always prepared Sunday meals as a team.

"Well well well," My brother, Elijah commented with a grin once I was in view of the living room, "Mark the day, Sunday the twenty-fourth of November twenty nineteen, Addison Mills is late."

I groaned and rolled my eyes before sitting on the couch beside the one he was on, "I'm literally half an hour early. Don't be such a prick."

Elijah raised one of his eyebrows and smiled at me, "And yet, you're still twenty minutes later than me."

My body relaxed into the chair as I watched my best friend betray me by sitting beside my brother. She was such a traitor. I was going to respond to Elijah but decided against it. I knew I was going to end up flustered and he'd be grinning from ear to ear for the entire afternoon.

"Mom, Dad!" I shouted through the house, "We're here!"

Elijah grimaced and shot me a glare that I shrugged off. He wasn't scary in the slightest. I watched him run a hand through his twists, tugging his hair lightly. He hated when I did that which made the satisfaction that much sweeter.

My phone buzzed in my pocket but I ignored it. I'd get it a little later. Instead, I chose to watch the scene that was unfolding in front of me. Eli turned to face Cami, a sly smile on his lips. I almost gagged at the way the looked at each other,

"Hey, Beautiful," He murmured and I took that as my opportunity to join in on the conversation. After all, he just called my name.

"Hey, Eli." I grinned. His head snapped over to me, his scowl ever-present. Did he really think that I was going to sit here all nice and quiet while he attempted to flirt with my best friend? If he did then he had another thing coming, "How's Lilah doing?"

At the mention of his girlfriend's name, he instantly smiled, "I know what you're doing." He accused but answered anyway, "But she's good. She had to work today so she wasn't able to make it."

My work here was done. I nodded and got up and made a beeline for the kitchen. Maybe that would put a damper on their conversation while I was gone. Just as I thought, my parents were working like a well-oiled machine. My dad was chopping up the vegetables while my mom heated butter in a pan. She then took the lid off one of the pots, peered inside and placed the lid back on again.