I returned back to the flat an hour later and was surprised to find the house smelled wonderful, all centering from the kitchen. Michelle danced around, barefoot, moving in odd ways to one of her favorite songs. I laughed to myself and pulled up my phone, trying to video her. A whisper from my side told me that I wasn’t alone.
“I’ve got five minutes already. It’s gold,” Tom murmured in my ear. I almost jumped, but managed to keep myself cool and collected. However, when I turned to look at him, I dropped my phone and it clattered to the floor.
“Oi! You two! Are you filming me?!”
“No,” Tom and I chorused. Tom shoved his phone in his back pocket and I picked mine up in a hurry. She placed her hands on her hips and scowled.
“I shouldn’t even cook for you! And look, it’s looking fantastic. Both of you can suck it. I know that you’ve hidden food everywhere, Tom, I’m not blind. Taping apple slices under your chair only works when no one cleans or moves the chairs. And Liss, you better not have gone out to eat!”
“I just got a latte at the café down the street,” I protested, raising my hands. Michelle waggled her eyebrows at me, suddenly interested.
“Did you happen to meet Eli?”
I rolled my eyes. “The cute blonde boy? Yes, I did. Why?”
“Because he’s adorable, and you’re totally his type.”
“But is he Elisabeth’s type?” Tom interjected, looking at me curiously. I met his gaze for a moment too long then turned away, unable to voice my thoughts. And those thoughts were, no, my type is exactly you, really, but no biggie. Michelle spoke first, so I was saved from having to answer.
“Well, he’s cute. But she’s more into dark hair, I think. And she loves the bookish, smart types. But hey, sometimes you end up with someone you didn’t expect,” she finished, grabbing Tom’s hand to smile up at him.
“Okay, your lovey-dovey mush is gross,” I told her, pulling a face. Maybe I was just bothered that for the first time in my life, Michelle had went for the guy that I would’ve loved to been with. But she wouldn’t have known. She met him first, and she probably wasn’t thinking, gee, I should really set Liss up with this guy. She was probably thinking, wow, this guy is super-duper-hot and smart and I’m going to date him!
I had issues.
Michelle wasn’t finished talking though, and she was finishing off with one of her blatantly honest statements. “It’s kind of funny, though, because Eli is totally my usual type, and Tom, you’re totally Lissie’s type. It’s like Freaky Friday or something!”
Tom nearly choked on his water, but I just shook my head. I was use to her just blurting out whatever she was thinking, and I had been thinking the exact same thing. But I’ll be darned, I would not even think about that path where Tom and I would be together. For heaven’s sake, I barely knew him and she was my best friend. I would not even think about it, or dream about it. And just to prove it to myself and to her and the rest of the world, maybe I’d go back to that café and ask for Eli’s number.
“Mimi, you seriously have got to filter,” I scolded lightly. I slipped past Tom, my arm brushing his, so that I could check the oven. “And I think your chicken is done.”
“It’s not burned, is it?” she was easily distracted. She busied herself with the food and shooed us out, claiming that we would only make her forget about her very important dishes. I followed Tom out into the living room and sat on the chair across from him. Michelle turned her music back up, and I was sure that she wouldn’t be able to hear us even if we shouted.
