here is a bit of a filler, enjoy :-)
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Pulling into the drive way of a modest two storey house, Alex parked his car and quickly hopped out allowing himself to usher Kamdyn out of the silver sports car. On the way over Alex had explained that one of his best friends, Rian and his wife Tay had been informed that Kamdyn would be coming along and both were very excited to meet her. Kamdyn didn't know what the big deal was, but she was anxious to meet Alex's friends as well.
He had given her a brief rundown on exactly who Rian and Tay were, explaining that they had met in college thanks to Tay's cousin, Cameron, who had been roommates with Rian. They had started dating and had been together since. Alex mentioned that Rian was an electrician and Tay was a hairstylist, joking that if Kamdyn ever needed a decent light job in the bathroom to check out her new hair cut they were the people to talk to.
Alex didn't bother to knock or ring the doorbell, instead he pushed the large perfectly detailed glass door open and walked inside like he lived there, holding Kamdyn's hand he pulled her in behind him and shut the door. Off to their left, in what looked to be a living room, a tall, lanky dark haired man gave Alex a nod and then went back to the phone he was holding.
"That's Jack." Alex explained before calling out to let the others know they had arrived.
"You're a whore!" Jack shouted at the phone, taking Kamdyn a bit by surprise. Alex only shook his head. "A no good, gold digging, two timing, cheating, filthy, slimy whore!"
"Is he going to be alright?" Kamdyn asked pointing at Jack, who was holding his phone at arm's length yelling into it.
"Yeah he's talking to his ex-wife, Cassadee. She's everything he is saying and then some." Alex stated with a shrug. "I just wish he wouldn't do this in here."
"Ouch, I guess he didn't take it well?"
"She divorced him about eight months ago, took everything he owns and now he's living in my house. Jack is a good guy, he's really sweet, he's my best friend but he's not this nasty usually." Alex answered listening to Jack yell some more. "He'd give anybody anything and she's just being a bitch."
"She's not quite Satan, but I really think I hate her." a shorter brunette piped up with a chuckle as she approached them. Holding out her hand to Kamdyn she grinned. "I'm Tay."
"Kamdyn, it's nice to meet you." Kamdyn said shaking Tay's hand.
"Hey what is that?" Tay asked pointing to the pan Alex was holding.
"Brownies, Kamdyn made them." Alex said holding the pant out to Tay.
Pulling the cover off of the pan, Tay furrowed her brow and glared at Alex when she noticed a few of the brownies missing. Taking one out and shoving it in her mouth, she grumbled about how much of a pig he could be.
"Those are good brownies, I couldn't help it!" Alex replied faking hurt. "Kamdyn can cook."
"Being able to cook automatically makes you popular in this group. Come on, I have a bottle of wine and a whole cheese cake my mother in law sent over that we can test." Tay grinned clutching the brownies like her life depended on it and grabbed Kamdyn's wrist dragging her further into the house.
"I guess I'll see you ladies later." Alex called after them as they disappeared.
Finding his way to the back patio, where he knew Rian and Zack would be hanging out; Alex stepped out into the bright sun to be greeted by the other two men. Exchanging their usual greetings, Alex took a seat in a deck chair next to Rian and accepted the cold bottle of beer that his friend handed over. Popping the top, Alex took a long drink and sighed happily. Glancing over at Rian he eyed his friend curiously for a moment.
"Okay out with it." Alex urged sitting forward in his chair and resting his elbows on his knees.
"Out with what?" Rian played dumb, taking a drink of his own beer and grinning.
"I saw you peeking in the window when I came in; go ahead ask whatever it is you want to ask." Alex continued.
Rian shook his head. "I have nothing, but she is cute. A bit young for you, but cute."
In the kitchen, Tay and Kamdyn sat with a bottle of wine and a homemade cheese cake between the two of them. Shoving her fork back into the cheese cake and taking a bite, Tay continued their conversation about anything and everything. She liked the girl, a lot. Alex had a habit of picking some really snooty bitches, but Kamdyn was really laid back and from what Tay knew she was exceptionally easy going too which would score big points with Alex's friends.
The two ladies sat telling each other about their lives, families and even sharing a few silly stories about past lovers. Tay threw in a few stories about Alex in the time she had known him, which she felt gave Kamdyn a nice clear view on just who the attractive man goofball was. Taking another bite of cheese cake, Kamdyn listened as Tay told her about the last girl Alex had brought over for a similar afternoon. The girl had been so uptight, Tay was positive it would have cracked her face to smile.
Kamdyn knew the type and she just couldn't picture Alex having a good time with a girl like that. So far the people Kamdyn had met in Alex's life were all open, warm and very friendly. She especially enjoyed Tay's company; the cute brunette told it like it was and didn't give a care who thought what about her or her opinion. Kamdyn appreciated an honest opinion like that.
"We need to get together, just the two of us sometime." Tay said, pouring Kamdyn another glass of wine.
"I'd like that." Kamdyn agreed, taking a sip of her wine and smiling.
"Just be careful, Tay has a way of making you do things you may later regret." A man's voice came from behind Kamdyn.
Turning around, Kamdyn saw the tall, lanky man from the living room. She knew his name from the vet clinic, but this isn't how she pictured Dr. Jack Barakat. Kamdyn hadn't expecting someone so...handsome was the word she was looking for. Jack had dark features and looked like he could easily be Alex's cousin. His hair was styled, dark with a blond stripe running through the center of it. He had intense brown, almost black eyes and a hint of a beard.
Allison, the clinic receptionist, had once admitted during a yoga class that he was stunning, too bad his attitude sucked. She wasn't kidding about the looks.
"Fuck you Barakat." Tay bit at him in a playful manner.
"Hey, because of you I have ended up in some very unpleasing situations." Jack laughed stealing Tay's fork and diving into the cheese cake, licking his lips as he made the same motions again.
"Jacko blames me for him marrying Cassadee." Tay explained, rolling her eyes and slapping his hand away, grabbing her fork for herself. "He met Cassadee in college, shortly after I met Rian."
Tay went on to explain that it was her birthday party in which Jack had met his future ex-wife, she had known of Cassadee, but didn't actually know her. She had encouraged Jack to ask the other girl out; after she found out he had a huge crush on her. Jack did as Tay suggested and the rest was history.
"Don't get married." Jack said slinging his arm around Kamdyn and chuckling. "It will only cost you."
"I don't know, Tay and Rian seem to be doing well." Kamdyn replied, her first words to Jack.
"Yeah, but they just got married. You have to let these things take time, look at me. I have a bitch of an ex and then you have Zack." Jack continued with a shrug,
"Jack." Tay raised her voice. "Enough!" she warned. "Why don't you go outside with the men and leave us girls be, before I turn you into my kitchen bitch."
"Yeah yeah. I'm going." Jack muttered, stalking off toward the large patio doors and onto the deck.
Tay sighed and gave Kamdyn a sympathetic look. Kamdyn raised her brow in reply and took a much needed sip of liquor.
"He gets like this after an argument with Cassadee." Tay explained, putting the empty cake plate and dirty spoons into the dish washer. "He knows better than to bring up Megan though, especially around Alex or Zack. If they were in here he'd never..."
"It is fine; Alex explained to me what happened." Kamdyn answered with a small shrug. "I commend Zack for doing as well as he is."
"Under the shy smile and all that ink, Zack still isn't what he used to be." Tay sighed grabbing a set of plates from the cupboard and setting them on the counter.
Changing the subject, Kamdyn began asking Tay about a photo on the fridge of the group of friends, on what Kamdyn assumed was Rian and Tay's wedding day. Happily going on about the photo, Tay told Kamdyn all about her wedding, which changed the mood back to the happy atmosphere that the two had going on before Jack Barakat ruined it.
After a bit, a man a little shorter than Alex with a close buzz cut and the brightest smile, literally, Kamdyn had ever saw walked into the kitchen with a plate of food. Sitting it down in the middle of the counter, next to the rest of the food the girls had got together, he kissed Tay and introduced himself to Kamdyn.
Smacking herself in the forehead and then Alex in the arm, Tay complained about how idiotic they were not introducing Kamdyn to Rian sooner. Both Kamdyn and Rian laughed it off, neither one overly offended by the action. Unlike Alex, Rian didn't hold cockiness, nor was he bitter like Jack and unlike Zack he certainly wasn't shy. Kamdyn quickly concluded that the even mannered, happy go lucky Rian Dawson was likely the glue that held the four friends together as long as they had been.
Soon enough there was food to be eaten, drinks to be consumed and stories and chatter to be had as they all sat around on the back patio laughing and carrying on. This was much better than Alex's idea of a date the day before, not that Kamdyn didn't enough herself the previous day; this was much less awkward.
With the food gone and everybody else inside, Kamdyn was banished from the kitchen, by Rian who was working on cleaning up the mess with his wife he insisted Kamdyn was company and he refused to let her help. Jack was in the kitchen making their job that much more difficult and Alex had disappeared completely. Jack said Alex had to take a work related phone call and was likely hiding in a quiet place to do so. Not wanting to be in anybody's way, Kamdyn retired to the back deck where she had noticed Zack sitting by himself.
"Flying solo today?" Kamdyn asked Zack with a grin.
"Yep, Alex dropped Sophie off with his parents after he took her for pizza." Zack explained grabbing another bottle of beer from the cooler and offering one to Kamdyn. "So you're still willing to hang out with Alex? How much is he paying today?"
"Top dollar of course." Kamdyn giggled taking a drink of her beer. Staring out across Rian and Tay's back yard, she turned slightly to look at Zack who was in the chair next to her. "Why do you all assume he is paying? Does he have a history of escorts?"
Zack shook his head and chuckled. "Nah, we just like to piss him off. Alex is an easy target, he gets sulky but he laughs it off. He just never has a girl he brings around more than once is all."
Kamdyn nodded.
"I'm not saying he's a whore or anything, because he is a really good guy, he just has shit luck with girls." Zack explained himself a bit better.
"You two could always go into business, share what you don't want." Kamdyn joked with a shrug and a wink. "The ladies must chase you for weeks just to get a date. A good looking guy like you and all could help draw in the girls for a goof like Alex."
Why wouldn't the girls chase this guy? Hell, if Kamdyn had spotted Zack before Alex had the chance to ask her out, she would have been after him too. He was the classic tall, dark and handsome. Not to mention his adorable smile, green eyes and his body wasn't hard to look at.
"I don't date, I've only ever had one girlfriend and that was my wife." Zack answered dryly.
"Oh god, Zack I'm...I have a really big mouth and I don't always think." Kamdyn babbled.
"Don't worry about it; it's not your fault you didn't know I've decided to become a monk." Zack chuckled uneasily as he stood up leaving Kamdyn on her own.
Sitting with her face in her hands, feeling like a complete idiot, Kamdyn looked up when she noticed someone else take the chair Zack had left. Seeing Alex next to her, she wrinkled her nose and made a face. Alex chuckled and took her hand urging her to sit in his lap instead.
"What's up?"
"I think I just offended Zack." Kamdyn muttered staring at her feet.
"He'll get over it, he doesn't hold grudges long." Alex assured her, kissing her temple and lacing his fingers with hers. "So, you ready to blow this joint?"
"Tay and Rian probably want us gone huh?" Kamdyn giggled in reply.
"No, they'd let us stay all night and never tell us to get out." Alex replied with a chuckle. "However, I have to work early in the morning and I should probably get you home before too long."
Departing from Rian and Tay's, Alex honked the horn on the way out of the drive, both he and Kamdyn waving to Jack who was climbing into his own suv. Alex kept the mood light on the drive to Kamdyn's, as usual. He chatted about the most insane topics, which Kamdyn adored about him. He was serious when he had to be, but otherwise Alex was a complete cheeseball and it worked well for him.
Following Kamdyn to the door of the house, Alex stood on the step below her as she unlocked the door and let the dogs out. Her car was the only one in the yard, which meant Dez wasn't home to interrogate her the second she walked inside, which was a bit refreshing. Turning to Alex, Kamdyn shifted uneasily for a second before she began to speak.
"I know Wednesday you are done work early, do you want to come over and I'll make dinner?" Kamdyn asked confidently.
"I'll bring a few movies and some popcorn." Alex replied with a smile.
"Perfect!" Kamdyn agreed, giving him a kiss on the cheek before slipping into the house.