🐞MTOABB🐞

"Rossita! Rossita!"

"Get down here! NOW!"

I am woken up by Chloe's screams coming from downstairs. I jump into a sitting position, hitting Gomes with the back of my hand. He groans and winces in pain.

"Sorry," I whisper. He flutters his eyes wide open and reaches for his glasses and puts them on.

"Good morning," he says.

"It won't be a good one if I don't get downstairs right now," I tell him and he looks at me quizzically.

Chloe's banging on the door clears up his dazed look. "Something happened?" He asks.

"We are meant to make breakfast today."

"Why? I can cook up something for you two."

"Look at you being way too sweet this morning, but no. This is a competition, and I am going to win. I am a better cook than her." I look at him with such determination as I quickly get out of bed.

He leaves the bed and joins me in the bathroom and I have to stop in the middle of washing my teeth. "Did you sleep only in that?" I mumble as I point at his very short black brief.

He hums in response as he goes to grab his toothbrush and squeezes toothpaste on it.

"Did I drink last night, because I don't remember us having sex."

"You don't remember?" He asks hurt. "You were practically begging me for a release," he states.

"I was?" I ask in embarrassment. "Gomes, tell me we didn't do anything."

"Finish brushing your teeth." He turns to look in the mirror with a smile as he starts to brush his teeth.

Ugh, we clearly didn't do the dirty deed - just look at that smile. Is that a smile of someone who had sex with you a few hours ago? I doubt it, so I nudge him in the shoulder before finishing up with rinsing my mouth with lukewarm water.

"We didn't have sex, hey?" I ask him.

He stares at me through his glasses and laughs. "No we didn't."

"I knew it!" I jump up against his chest and he wraps his arms around my waist to keep us from falling.

"Rossita! I am counting to ten, and I swear if you don't come out of that room, I will break it down." She wasn't joking. She's the same girl that runs around my room naked and throws water on me to wake me up -- a method that always works.

"She is really serious about this competition?" Gomes asks and I nod.

"I'm coming out," I say as I open the door.

"I told you we were going to make breakfast today so why did you oversleep?" She asks annoyed.

"I am awake now," I tell her and she grunts.

"You're scared I am going to win, it's obvious."

"Sure." I roll my eyes. "We still have to go buy groceries before we can even start," I inform her since we all ate sandwiches for dinner last night.

"I already went with Cassandra and Juliet. Imagine if I had waited for you? We would have breakfast in the afternoon."

"No we--"

"Check the time." She cuts me off as she points at the digital time displayed on the microwave.

Right. It was half past nine. She is probably right -- okay, maybe a hundred percent right, but we don't have to tell her that.

"Let's start. Juliet you will keep the time for us. One and a half hour, not a minute more." Chloe looks at me and then at the ingredients on the counter with so much focus.

I snicker and she gives a death stare. "What?" She asks.

"I just can't take you seriously in what you're wearing," I tell her. She had on her Barbie and Ken pajamas that Brody and I had bought her. We thought it would be hilarious but she really loved them and couldn't stop wearing them for a whole month straight.

"They are my lucky set," she states. "Now focus."

I decided on making the classic French toast - who can go wrong with making those and I know how she loves when I make them for her, so I already have her point in the bag. I finished up decorating the plates with sliced strawberry pieces and a drizzle of syrup on the top.

We brought our dishes to the table outside where they were waiting for us with their freshly squeezed orange glass juice. Chloe decided to grill her buttered up bread slices and made Sunnyside eggs and had it flipped so the yolk would cook hard. She then had two grilled sausages on each plate. Zack loved sausages so that was a clear point for her.

I take a seat next to Gomes and she sandwiches herself in between Juliet and Cassandra.

"These look mouth-watering, ladies," Gomes compliments as he kisses my cheek.

"Dig in and since you don't know who cooked what, there won't be any cheating," Chloe says and I nod in agreement.

Once everyone has already taken a bite from each plate, Chloe stands up from her seat and forces me to do the same as we stand in front of everyone. "You and I won't be voting," she says, smirking.

"What?! Fine."

She starts with Zack, "Which one tinkled your taste buds more?" Zack doesn't even take time to think about it as he picks Chloe's dish. Juliet picks mine and so does Cassandra. Gomes was the last to pick. His decision either brings me out victorious or I'll tie with Chloe, which shouldn't happen - I am the better cook between the two of us.

Gomes stares at me and then Chloe and then back at me. Clearly Chloe was showing traits that she was going to lose and since we all know how Gomes has a soft spot for her, I already knew where his vote was going to go. He picked her dish and I rolled my eyes.

She released a sigh of relief from beside me and I smiled. She would be a sore loser so Gomes did what was for the best and although I knew I was the clear winner, I let it be.

I walk back to my seat. "You should teach me how to make French toast taste this good," he whispers in my ear.

I turn to look at him and he smiles - Oh stop with that smile that gets me weak every time.

Cassandra clicks her fork lightly against her glass to get all of our attention. "I am thankful for the people around the table," she says and I turn to smile at her.

We then went around saying what we were thankful for and then it was my turn. I clear my throat, "I am thankful for new friendships." He squeezes my thigh gently in agreement.

"I am thankful for you." He turns and looks at me seriously. He places his hand on the back of my neck and draws me near as our lips touch.

"You two can cut it off now, I am still sitting here," Zack comments and we both pull away.