22. Potluck Natalie “I am not going anywhere!” Amy yells and shuts her door so loud, my table trembles with shock. I peek towards my door to see what this drama is all about. “What happened?” I ask Mom as I see her in front of her door. “She is just being…” Mom shrugs and air quotes, “Amy.” I chuckle and Amy opens the door, “Oh really!! Only because I am young doesn’t mean I always have to run errands. Everyone just bosses around me.” I choke at her words. She may or may not be right. I confess I often send her downstairs to bring a thing or two, twice or thrice every day. That doesn’t mean I boss her around. Noo... She is just.. too polite to say no. Amy is either too quiet and shy or angry and yelling. There is no in-between. I understand her meltdown, so I ask mom, ”What is it? Do you need something done?” Mom sighs. ”Yeah, I baked some cake. Just wanted to send it to Rachel’s house while it’s still warm.” “Rachel?” “Jacob’s Mom.” I frown. ”But you sent her cookies yesterday. Are we opening some bakery and this is a trial run going on?” “Exactly my point!” Amy chimes in. “Ever since they shifted here, every other day they have been sharing food as if it’s some potluck between two houses… and who has to go every time? ME!!!!” She is trying to control her voice, but I can hear her frustration. I grin and mom scowls. “It’s called being a good neighbor.” “We have plenty of neighbors…” I say, trying to contain my amusement. “But they don’t share the same enthusiasm for food… Now, will you go there already?” Looks like Amy’s frustration is infectious. I better get out of here already. When I reach Jacob’s house, Mrs. Miller sees me from the window. She opens the door for me. After taking the cake, she insists that I stay for a beverage. I am getting a glimpse of why Amy doesn’t like it. She is probably tired of drinking hot beverages every other day. But I don’t mind. I look around to see the interior. It’s beautiful. Completely different from what it was before. I came here once years ago when there were different people living here. “Oh, I just realized, this is your first visit here?” I smile and nod. “I must say your house is beautiful.” Her pride swells from my words. I am not lying. It’s refreshing to see a bright, modern interior. My house has a rather vintage look. “I must give you a tour.” GOD NO!! I like her house, but I am not sure how I would react to every room in the house. I mean, I cannot act surprised every time. Do I need to use different phrases? or repeating ‘its beautiful’ for all rooms is appropriate? I have limited-expression and words to express myself. I look awkwardly at the coffee mug in my hands, and she senses my discomfort. “Let me call Jacob. He will show you around.” I nod too quickly.” Where is Coco?” I ask, to hide my eagerness. No, I am genuinely eager to meet her. “Probably upstairs.” Mrs. Miller calls Jacob. He doesn’t answer, but June comes to the living room. “Where is he?” “Probably wearing his headphones.” She shrugs. June shows me around the living area and kitchen. I don’t see the point of seeing a bathroom, but I am glad I went inside. It’s humongous & luxurious. I am wondering if this is their common bath and what the one attached to the master bedroom looks like. I doubt the master bedroom is included in the tour. June is giving all details like what was there before and whatnot. I wonder if there’s gonna be a quiz afterward. But still, it’s entertaining to listen to her. I probably misjudged her in our first meeting. We make small talk and go upstairs. We cross a closed door and she smirks. ”Let’s check my room first.” Her room is so fucking cozy it is luring me to lay in her bed instantly. I wonder what Jacob’s room looks like. Then we skip Jacob’s room and go back to the master bedroom. Are we even allowed here? When she knocks on the door, I realize it’s Jacob’s room. The one we skipped must be the master bedroom. When Jacob doesn’t open it, I tell her I can see it another time. But she lures me saying Coco is in there. Soon enough, I hear Coco scratching the door from another side and June opens the door. I have hopes to hug her but she zooms past me running downstairs and I look at her confused. Where is the love she showed me last evening? June chuckles.” She probably smelled the cake. She has a very strong nose." Ahh, nothing is above food. I respect dedication. When I turn my head, the sight in front of me is so overwhelming. My knees go weak and I am surprised at myself that I didn’t double over. It’s Jacob at the door. With no shirt on. He looks… Not Happy? I am too distracted to read his expression. I cannot tear my gaze from his chest, his broad shoulders, strong biceps… I haven’t had a pretty sight for so freaking long. It’s wrong, it’s wrong. Stop staring. And my stupid mind, instead of looking at his face, decides to look further down. Jeez, Jacob! Go wear some trousers already. June was standing in front of me, so I didn’t realize it sooner. I blush profusely and turn. But I cannot help but think about the bulge too big in his shorts. I pinch myself to focus. It’s not the time. Finally, I am able to focus on what June and Jacob are bickering about. “Just admit it. You wanted to embarrass me.” “No, I just wanted to show her your room” Yeah exactly! Why would she want to shame her brother? She wouldn’t have brought me here if she knew he wasn’t wearing anything. I mean barely wearing anything. “and if you are embarrassed, go and wear something.” He vanishes inside, leaving the door open. June pulls me because apparently, my mind isn’t working. Then I realize, when he said June wanted to embarrass him, He wasn’t talking about his clothes. His room… He was talking about his room. What should I say? I am sure a tornado passed through this house and, for some reason, only touched his room. His clothes are on the bed. Oh my God, so many clothes. Probably all of his clothes. Why are all these clothes on his bed? Then it clicks. He is probably arranging his closet. But what is all this stuff laying on his floor? Some wires, some led lights, books, and paper. So much paper. Yup!!! definitely, a tornado passed through. Jacob comes out of the closet wearing... Sigh… clothes. Did he wear this tight-fit t-shirt on purpose? Now that I have seen him without one, I cannot help but behold his muscles I never noticed before. It’s certainly been long since I last got laid. That must be the reason I cannot stop imagining all the inappropriate things I haven’t done in a while. I would love to try those with him.. I look at him again but cannot settle my eyes on his face. God, I need to get a grip before they notice how I am ogling him. “As you can see, we are a family of neat freaks with one and only black sheep, called Jacob,” June says. I would have killed Amy if she did this to me. Not that I would have sat in my room with no clothes. But still, it is embarrassing. For him. For me.. I wish I would stop blushing. My brain has gone haywire and I am barely able to process anything. Jacob grabs a towel and smacks it at June, and she dodges it. “You knew I was cleaning my room right now” I look around, trying to see the evidence. I cannot see any. “Oh, really..” she sneers. “Over there,” Jacob points at a corner behind us. Yes, it looks like he indeed was in the process of tidying up his room. “That’s barely a corner.” “I gotta start somewhere, June!” June is smirking. I want to divert myself from the warming sensation spreading my cheeks so I laugh. I have no idea about Jacob’s expression. I still cannot look at him or his face. “I am just curious,” I ask, trying to stifle my laughter, hoping I haven’t offended him, “you guys shifted here only 2 weeks ago.” June cuts in," My point exactly. How is this even possible?" She waves her arms around the room. “God damn it! Let’s go downstairs,” Jacob says while steering us out of his room. I steal a glance at his face. He is smiling. “But she hasn’t seen your room properly.. your bathroom, your huge closet.” I have no interest in material things, June... Not anymore. “She has seen enough.” Not enough! “I should head home now” “Don’t you wanna meet Coco?” He asks with an eyebrow raise. No... I need a bath... Cold one. I just want to take a bath. They both look at me, confused. GOD!! Did I say that out loud? My brain has turned into mush. “I mean I was about to when mom sent me here,” I add in hopes of damage control. “Uhmm, so see you later for our walk? With Coco I mean…” Can I bear being around this boy one more minute? I don’t think so. “I cannot let that be my impression for the day.” He says, pointing towards his room. Did I say that out loud too? “I will come to pick you up in an hour.” He adds. I don’t hear a question there. So I nod. Little does he know his room couldn’t leave any impression because my brain is overloaded with mental snapshots of his flawless body. Yeah, he was wearing his boxer shorts. But who counts that? As soon as I leave their house, I hear June running and Jacob thumping behind her upstairs.