Chapter's song: I see Fire by Ed Sheeran
The night was restless once more. I couldn't stop thinking about Bryan, seeing those unique eyes on me or the way he pulled me to him. It all seemed surreal, like it was a figment of my imagination. It wasn't. I was very real.
I didn't want to put a label to it, but at the same time, I hated to feel so uncertain about everything. After tossing and turning around in bed, I decided to go downstairs and make me a cup of tea.
Tiptoeing through the house, I tried not to wake anyone. Yet, I almost trip down the stairs as I tried to jump two steps at a time without shoes. As I felt myself slipping away, I grabbed myself to the rail, preventing an awful fall. Glad to have made it in one piece, I made my way to the kitchen. My feet froze at the door. I rolled my eyes at the sight of my brother's bum peeking out of the fridge.
"What are you doing, Seth?" I crossed my arms, suppressing a smile when he jumped back scared.
"Damn it, Jess! You scared the crap out of me!" He placed a hand on his chest making me crack up completely.
I ignored his glare. "Why are you up?" I padded through the kitchen to get my mug as he went back to the fridge to get something out to eat.
"I'm hungry," his voice came out muffled since he was already chewing whatever he'd found. His head popped out of it just after he put a big chunk of something dark inside his mouth.
I narrowed my eyes at him. "Are there brownies?" I tilted my head trying to get a better view at the inside of the fridge.
"Not anymore!" he patted his stomach while closing the door. Little crumbles spitting out of his mouth as he talked.
I shook my head. "You're so gross, Seth."
He shrugged before plopping down in one of the chairs. After swallowing the last chocolaty treat, he signaled at my mug, "Can you make one for me too?"
I rolled my eyes again, but complied anyway. I took out another mug and poured hot water in both. Taking out chamomile tea from the counter, I placed one bag in each one before slowly taking them to the kitchen table.
"What's eating you?" Seth asked before taking a sip of his tea and jumping back because he'd just burn his tongue. I tried not to chuckle at that, without much success. I had to cover my mouth with my right palm trying not to wake Juno up with my giggles. Seth glared at me while I managed to sober up.
"That's what you get for eating all the brownies!" I teased him as he blew on his tea.
He placed the mug back on the table. "Seriously, what's worrying you?"
My grin completely faded at that. I shrugged. "I don't know. Everything, I guess." I didn't want to talk about Bryan with my brother.
"Is it because of Bryan?" He pressed on.
I pursed my lips. "I shouldn't think much about it, you know?"
Seth's gaze was soft as he nodded. "Then don't."
"I'm trying not to," I muttered before blowing over my tea and taking a sip. "What about you? How was your date?" It was his time to squirm around. I smiled at that. My little brother was growing up so fast.
I could clearly remember those times when he begged me to play soccer with him and then do a tantrum when he couldn't catch up with me. We stopped playing when our roles reversed. I understood how frustrated he'd been all those times, not being able to get the ball for more than ten seconds.
"It was okay. I took Amy out for a movie and then we got coffee." He blushed and my heart warmed for him. "But seriously, dating is too darn expensive!"
I laughed at that. "Good thing you got a job now." He rolled his eyes. "But if you need anything, I'd be happy to help out."
He raised a hand. "I got it. No worries. Your job is for you, sis. You've earned it."
"I love you, dimwit." I grinned at him.
He smiled back. "I know. I'm too irresistible."
Snorting, I added, "But you know I've got your back, okay?"
He pressed his lips together. "I know, Jess. I've got it. Thanks."
We finished our tea and climbed up the stairs shoving each other playfully. The warmness of the tea did the trick and I fell asleep for the last three hours of the night. However, since I'd been tired, I overslept and Juno had to wake me up with barely time to get to school. I took a five-minute shower and pulled up my hair in a messy ponytail. I grabbed the first clothes I could snatch before trotting down the stairs and finally getting to school.
Fifteen minutes before the classes started, I pushed open the front doors. A small trail of sweat ran across my forehead as I took the stairs, two by two until I reached the kitchen lab. "I'm so sorry I'm late!" I screamed as I stepped in, shoving my backpack to the floor and going to my small office to get the list of ingredients of the day.
"You don't need to shout." Bryan's deep voice greeted me as I was putting on my chef coat.
A blush crept upon my cheeks as I finished buttoning it. "Sorry. I overslept." I looked up to find him leaned on the door's frame with his arms crossed. He was all dressed up for the day. Butterflies fluttered in my stomach. Bryan's best outfit was the chef coat. He looked utterly handsome.
"It's okay." He bobbed his head to the right. "Just don't let it happen again." Nodding, I searched for the ingredient list on my desk, but I couldn't find it. "I'm already sorting it out." He uncrossed his arms and gestured to the first kitchen counter, where a bunch of veggies were piled on top of another. "Sort of." His lips curved up on that boyish smile that made my heart flutter.
"Thank you." I stepped closer to him, trying to pass through the door, but his body was blocking the way.
His eyes lit up at my proximity and his smile widened. His right hand caressed my cheek as he studied me with a stormy stare. Having a courageous moment, I leaned on my toes to reach out for him when voices loomed through the hallway, making us both pull apart. I was blushing like crazy when Bryan cleared his throat. "I'm just going to...go." He scratched the back of his neck before walking away to his office.
Several guys passed by my office as I regained my breath. Only one nodded his head as a sort of greeting at my sight. I sighed. Bryan was right. Nobody interacted with each other. There were like four groups in the class and they all had built walls from one another. I guessed the camping trip was in order.
I finished setting the rest of the ingredients and eventually, Bryan came out of his office to start the class. He talked about vitamins and nutrients and how important for any chef is to make a tasty dish, but also nutritious. Then, he told us to make a vegan dish with the ingredients we had on the counter. It was sort of a free challenge as he announced that the team with the best dish could choose the restaurant for their practices for the rest of the week.
Vegetarian was not my favorite subject. I didn't know what to cook at first. I thought it hard as I recalled every healthy dish Juno had made. Which weren't many, but they seemed complicated and we had few ingredients. I glanced at the rest of the teams, trying not to look at Bryan, I remembered about Ratatouille. It was my favorite Disney movie, because I always felt like Remy. Seth used to tease me all the time about it. But hey, if the languid man in the movie came through after eating ratatouille, I could pull it off. Hopefully.
I got to work. I copied everything from the movie. Even the way they arranged the vegetables and all that. I had to improvise a bit since I had no freaking idea what kind of spices worked, but I remembered super tiny leaves, so I figured it could be thyme and so on. The result didn't look like the dish in the movie, but I didn't have time to change it, so I arranged my almost mashed veggies in what I though was an abstract masterpiece. I even used a nice glass plate to make it look better.
Then, I prayed that at least, it tasted good.
Tom had arrived without anyone noticing. At least not me. I was really into the challenge. And I had a feeling that Bryan expected the best for me. When we had to set up the plates, they asked us to move aside while they judged them. We didn't have music on the background, but this would be the time where you'd hear the annoying suspense music as they both walked from one side to the other.
There were uglier dishes than mine, so I felt better.
They both took turns testing the food. They had their backs to us, so we couldn't see their faces. It was the first time the whole class was silent following their every move. When they tested the last dish ─mine─ Bryan set his fork on the counter before turning to us.
"It was awful." His eyes were stern as he looked at us. "Apparently, you've learned nothing, so far. Most vegetables were overcooked and resembled baby food. And the ones that weren't too soft, were too raw." He shook his head. "This is basic stuff, you guys. You should know this." He ran a hand across his face, completely disappointed.
"Clean up your stations." Tom added with a serious tone. "Don't forget to get the list of things we'll need for camp, okay?" He glanced at me. I had those lists on my desk. "See you tomorrow, people. Bring a better attitude or you won't find a job anywhere."
Everyone was silent as we cleaned up our station. I couldn't finish since I had to hand out the lists. When they all left, I went back to my counter to end my task.
My plated ratatouille was the last part to clean. I took a fork and tried it just for the heck of it. I almost spit it out. It was awful. It needed salt and it tasted too much like thyme. My veggies were definitely overcooked.
Do I have what it takes to become a chef? My shoulders tensed as I threw the food away and scrubbed the plate. What if I really sucked at it?
Someone touched my back, making me jump. I dropped the plate and it broke on the sink. "Shit!" I cursed immediately trying to reach out for the broken pieces. I couldn't see much from all the foam in the sink, but I did feel a sharp pain on my right palm.
Bryan was next to me. The warmness of his hand left my lower back the moment I jumped. "Sorry. I didn't mean to startle you."
I shook my head. "It's okay." I raised my hand and it was all covered in blood.
"Damn. Let me see that." I was about to protest and say that it was fine, when he grabbed my hand and placed it under the running water. He examined the cut as I blatantly gaped at him. A strand of hair was in front of his eyes as he maneuvered my hand.
My eyes trailed across his nose to his lips and I didn't care that my hand hurt. I so wanted to kiss him. "Apply pressure here." He said out of a sudden, bringing me out of my trance. "I'm going to get the first-aid kit." He turned to me. "Wait here." He stared at me in a way that made my stomach clench. He licked his lips before walking away to get the kit.
Breathing out, I looked at my hand and it wasn't such a big deal. It was just a large slash on the middle of the palm. Yet, the hands were a nasty thing. They dripped blood as if your heart was about to burst out of it.
He brought the kit and applied alcohol but the wound didn't stop bleeding. "Fuck." His jaw clenched as he grabbed a band and wrapped it tightly around my hand. "You're going to need stiches." His gazed at me as I swallowed hard. "Are you afraid of needles?" His lips curved up in a soft smile as he gestured me to follow him. "Didn't you have a tattoo the other day?"
"It was a different needle, though." Someone sewing my hand seemed much scarier than the tattoo thing.
Bryan chuckled as we arrived at his car. He opened the door for me. "Hop in. I promise to hold your hand, Jessie." He smirked, totally making fun of me.
He did step on it and we were at the hospital in no-time. The emergency room was packed because there had been an accident on the highway and they were bringing all the injured there. A nurse explained it to us before she told us to wait for our turn.
Bryan sat next to me and grabbed my hand, pressing it harder. The cut was starting to sting a bit more and the cloth was turning crimson too. When I noticed it, I felt lightheaded. He saw it too because he pulled me closer to him. "Don't worry, okay?" His eyes were serious but his tone was laced with concern.
Thankfully, the nurse called my name and they made us walk through a series of hallways, until we reached a large room with several beds. Blue curtains divided the room. Bryan didn't leave my side and held my other hand as the doctor came in. He asked a few questions when screams rattled through the hall. They were bringing a girl with major injuries, the doctor explained.
I hated hospitals, they reminded me of Mom. It was a place of pain and grief. It didn't help that the girl started to cry and yell. I squirmed uneasily as Bryan caressed my cheek. He leaned closer and pecked me lightly on the lips.
His sweet gesture took me by surprise and sort of numbed everything outside the curtain. The doctor came back again. He numbed the area after a small shot, before taking out the needle and thread and getting on with it. I got four stitches. He prescribed pain meds and gave me a few more instructions, before sending us our way.
As always, Bryan didn't let me pay for it, saying that we had insurance and all that. It was starting to make me uncomfortable. I felt like a freeloader. We reached his car, and before I took my seat, he grabbed me by the waist and spun me to him. Without saying anything else, he crashed his lips on mine in a passionate kiss.
My whole body was on fire as he pulled apart. "How are you feeling?" He asked as if kissing me was the most normal thing in the world. "Does it hurt?"
My breathing was ragged as I stared back at him. My lips felt as if they were burning. "Why are you doing this?"
His lips curved up slightly. "You seemed worried back there." He was playing dumb. My brows furrowed. Maybe he didn't want to talk about it because he was like those guys that you read in books that kiss every other girl as they pleased.
My heart clenched. Oh God, please no.
"I texted Juno, she's a bit worried about you."
I didn't say anything as I climbed on the car. He drove me back home playing Ed Sheeran's music on the background. I was still jumpy from hearing the girl scream and I was getting antsy at the fact that he played it dumb when I asked him about the kiss.
When we got home, I grabbed the car's handle with my left hand, trying to open the door. I felt like I needed some air. Or some space between us. He jumped out of his seat to help me out when the door opened. "I'm fine. Thank you. I should go." I said it all in one breath before trying to walk away.
"Jess." He grabbed my hand. "You got hurt because of me. I'm sorry." His eyes were darker as he stepped closer to me. They roamed all over my face. "Do you want me to stop kissing you?" My stomach rolled. I bit my lip before shaking my head. He smiled. "Great, because I don't want to stop either." My heart was racing as he leaned closer and kissed me again.
And darn. It was a good kiss.
No multimedia because I have a headache :(
What do you think so far? What will happen at camp? Have you ever gone camping? Share your stories and I can add them to the story!
Love you guys!