Page 73 of Drew
“Be careful what you offer, Drew,” Chloe pipes in. “If you cook like this all the time, we might just suddenly appear for dinner every night.” Laughter erupts in the room.
“That’s always my plan,” Grey admits. “I’m more than happy to clean if this man’s cooking. In fact, if it weren’t for him, I’d be eating at the school cafeteria every night.”
Abby looks at me expectantly, to see if Grey’s joking and unfortunately, I must agree with him. “Well, it’s a talent to boil water and not burn it,” I deadpan.
“Hey, it was one time.” Grey shakes his head as he takes his seat at the table again. “You’re never going to let me live that down, are you?”
“Can you blame us?” DeShawn chuckles. “The pot had to be thrown away, and the place smelled of smoke for days.”
Grey rolls his eyes and sighs heavily. “I know… I know… I deserve it. I totally forgot about it when my brother called. He’d been stationed overseas, and I got so excited to hear his voice, I didn’t notice.”
“Hey,” I interject. “I would’ve done the same thing… but that doesn’t mean I’m not going to give you shit about burning water. You know me better than that.”
Grey’s grin nearly splits his face in half. “I know… did you ever stop to think that maybe I just pretend I can’t cook, because I like yours so much?”
DeShawn and I exchange glances, and for a slight moment, I wonder if he could be speaking some truth because of our visitors, but we decide better of it. “Naw…” we say at once, but I continue, “I’m sure your talent is cleaning, when it comes to meal prep.”
“Boy, this is a tough crowd.” I hear one of the girls at the table mumble, which earns more laughter.
Grey waves a hand dismissively in the air. “It’s all good. The house reeked for weeks, and I can’t blame them. I would never let that shit go if it had been one of them, no matter what the reason. I mean—come on—I burned water. Who does that?”
I see DeShawn mumble something to Chloe, but I don’t quite catch it. But her reaction has her face turning a darker shade of pink. Whatever it was, I’m not privy to the joke.
After dinner, DeShawn asks, “Did we get dessert?” I eye him in surprise. He typically doesn’t have a sweet tooth, and I honestly didn’t even think to pick up something.
“Uh, no. I didn’t.” I shrug.
“I’m stuffed,” Sydney says as she stands to take her dish to the sink, but Grey cuts her off.
“I have this. You all can just sit tight.” Sydney hands off her plate to Grey. He sets it on his own, then carries them to rinse off before putting them in the dishwasher.
“Would anyone be up to some ice cream?” DeShawn asks the room.
“Who turns down ice cream?” Chloe asks incredulously.
“I can’t eat another bite.” Sydney pats her stomach. “That garlic bread was the devil.”
“I’m full, too.” Abby shakes her head as she stands to clear her place.
“I was thinking of heading to the ice cream shop up on campus. Anyone want to join me?” DeShawn offers the room.
“I gotta study for an exam tomorrow, but thanks for the offer,” Grey announces as he puts the leftovers into some smaller dishes.
Sydney pipes in, “Me, too. This is my only night off this week, and I need to finish a paper.” She glances at her watch then looks to her roommates expectantly.
Chloe looks from Sydney to DeShawn as if she’s on the fence.
“I’d be happy to take you to ice cream, Chloe, if you’re interested. I can drive you home when we finish.”
Did he just ask her out?I look to Abby, who just shrugs. “I had brought my things over here so we could finish our chem assignment. I’m stuffed. Mind giving me a ride home later?”
“Of course,” I offer with delight. Any excuse to spend more time with Abby is okay in my book.
Over Abby’s shoulder, I notice Sydney eye Chloe and give her a not so subtle look that clearly states she doesn’t approve, but it’s gone before anyone else is any the wiser. Chloe just shrugs and glances to DeShawn. “Sydney drove. So…” She takes a deep breath as she glances at Sydney one more time, then surprises me with, “If you don’t mind dropping me off, I’ll take you up on that ice cream.”
DeShawn’s eyes light up as he hops up from the table. “Sure. Just let me get my keys and wallet.”
Sydney thanks me again and says her goodbyes to Abby and Chloe. I swear she gives Chloe a warning about being careful, but I can’t be certain. Abby starts a conversation with Grey as he finishes cleaning the kitchen, and my focus is drawn to her instead. I’m not sure what the deal is with DeShawn and Sydney, but at this point, it’s not any of my business, so I dismiss it.
