Where the f**k is Rocco?
“It’s like p**n and Christmas morning, all rolled into one,” Tyler whispers in wonder.
Charlotte, finally realizing where we are and that we’re not alone, screams so loud I have to cover my hands over my ears to stop my head from exploding.
“TYLER! Turn around! Turn around right now and stop staring at me!” she shouts, attempting to cover her boobs and crotch with her hands while she frantically yanks the couch cushions off and holds them in front of her.
“Jesus, could you guys keep it down? I’ve got the worst headache ever,” Rocco complains, stepping out of the kitchen, holding his hand against his head.
“OH MY GOD WHY ARE YOU NAKED?!” Tyler screams, covering his eyes. “I JUST SAW A GAY PENIS! MAKE IT GO AWAY, MAKE IT GO AWAY!”
Oh, that’s right. Rocco felt left out after Charlotte and I got naked.
Rocco laughs and leans against the doorframe. “Honey, my penis is the same as yours.”
With his hands still shielding his eyes, Tyler shakes his head frantically back and forth. “FALSE! My penis prefers the pink and yours likes the stink. Put that thing away!”
Rocco sighs and goes in search of his pants.
Unlike my sister, I’m not one to shy away from nudity and I couldn’t care less who’s in this living room right now. I need water and aspirin STAT.
Pushing myself up from the floor, I work out the kinks in my neck resulting from a night spent on the floor and head towards the kitchen.
As I walk past Gavin and Tyler, Gavin averts his eyes from me and Tyler smacks him in the arm.
“I told you not to make any sudden movements. Now our chance of seeing real-life sister p**n is ruined and filled with g*y penis. RUINED!”
Gavin rushes over to Charlotte and helps her up from the floor and down the hall to their bedroom. While I rummage through their cupboards for a bottle of aspirin, Tyler comes up behind me and wraps his arms around my waist.
“So, I was thinking-”
“No, Charlotte and I will not recreate that scene for you later tonight,” I interrupt him as I find the bottle, unscrew the top and shake three pills into my hand.
Tyler moves away from me, grabbing a glass from the counter and filling it up with cold tap water. He hands it to me and smiles. “Even though I believe you should seriously reconsider, I was actually going to suggest something else.”
I pop the pills in my mouth, grab the glass from his hand and chug the entire thing. He takes the empty glass from my hands, refills it and hands it back. My heart stutters as he reaches out and slides his hand down the top of my head before cupping my cheek.
“Ava, will you go on a date with me?” he asks softly as he stares into my eyes.
Everything that happened last night with Charlotte and Rocco comes rushing back - the missing shoe, shoveling pasta in my mouth with my hands and the fact that I can’t deny my feelings for Tyler any longer. Standing in the middle of my sister’s kitchen without a stitch of clothing on, I suddenly feel more naked than I ever have in my entire life. I really do love this guy, as crazy as it sounds. I should tell him, I should just blurt it out like it’s no big deal so we can move on and this moment won’t be so uncomfortable anymore.
“A date? Are you serious?” I say instead.
Tyler nods, leaning in to place a kiss on my forehead. “Yep, a real date. I want to do something special with you, Ava. We can do whatever you want, as long as it’s just the two of us.”
I close my eyes as his lips leave my forehead and change my mind about blurting how I feel about him right now when I’m naked and have the hangover from hell. I suddenly realize I want to do something special for him, as well, something to show him how I feel so that when I do finally get the courage to tell him, it will be extra special.
Leaning up on my tiptoes, I kiss his cheek. “I think that’s a great idea. Don’t make any plans for tonight around seven o’clock.”
Putting the finishing touches on the table, I stand back to admire my work. Not too shabby for someone who just learned how to cook today, if I do say so myself.
“Alright, the lasagna has about five minutes left to cook. When the timer goes off, take it out and let it sit on the counter for about another fifteen minutes before you cut into it,” Molly tells me as she comes out of our parent’s kitchen.
Thank God for my baby sister. Being in culinary school, she was able to stop by in between classes and help me whip up dinner since I’m pretty much clueless in the kitchen unless I’m baking dessert. Molly is majoring as a pastry chef, but she’s a genius with food no matter what she’s making. She also let me know that our parents are out of town for two days so that I could sneak over here and have a quiet night alone with Tyler without having to worry about Gavin or Charlotte interrupting us.
I turn around to thank her for her help and she’s already disappeared like the ninja she is. With a shake of my head, I look down at myself to make sure I didn’t get any food on my new dress. All of this – having a romantic date, cooking dinner for someone I love so I can tell him I love him – it’s all new to me, so obviously that required a new dress. Luckily, Nordstrom’s sent over a new Jessica Simpson black and white scallop lace tiered dress for me to blog about yesterday. Not cut nearly low enough and far from slutty, it isn’t a dress I would normally wear, but it’s perfect for tonight. It’s simple and elegant and I feel pretty. It’s nice to feel pretty once in a while, especially when you’re gearing up to pour your heart out to a guy and hoping he doesn’t laugh in your face.