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Simon grinned. "Your wish is my command. It's just getting warm in the oven. I'll get it."
As Simon disappeared into the kitchen, Sarah sat down next to me and slipped off her sandals as well.
"What do you guys want to drink?" asked Marcus, always the gracious host. "We have beer, but I can always whip up whatever you'd like."
"I'll take a beer," Sarah replied.
"Me too," I said. I was hoping a drink would calm my nerves a little. I had given myself another one of my pep talks before coming over tonight, but it seemed as ineffectual as the one I had given myself yesterday. I still felt too aware of Simon, making it hard for me to feel completely at ease. I usually felt comfortable around my group of friends, feeling accepted and not worrying about having to explain myself. I was determined to keep it that way.
"I got it," Simon yelled from the kitchen before Marcus could walk over to grab our beers, having overheard our conversation. He walked out clutching two opened beer bottles in one hand and a casserole dish and bag of tortilla chips in the other. He set the casserole dish and tortilla chips on the coffee table and handed Sarah and I the beers. I avoided touching his hand as I took the beer from him.
"Thanks," I murmured, immediately taking a long swig.
"Here it is," Simon announced, opening the bag of chips. "Dig in."
He grabbed a folding chair and slid it next to me, instead of sitting on the other side of Sarah where there was plenty of room on the couch.
I concentrated on taking a chip and scooping it into the concoction in the casserole dish. I took a bite and smiled at Simon. "It's delicious." And it was delicious. There were several layers in the dip, and I could make out seasoned ground beef, beans, cheese, sour cream and a multitude of other ingredients that blended together.
"This is awesome," exclaimed Sarah after she had taken a bite as well. "You sing, you play the guitar, you cook. Is there anything you can't do?"
Simon laughed. "There's plenty."
Grant snorted. "Yeah, I can attest to that."
Simon feigned a wounded look. "So much for family. You'll miss me when I move into my own place."
"Oh, did you get the apartment?" Sarah asked. "Did you talk to Sherry?"
"Yeah, I called her earlier today and stopped by the apartment," Simon said, leaning back into his chair and laying an arm next to mine on the armrest of the couch. I tried to ignore how close his arm was. I could almost feel the warmth of his tanned forearm next to mine and I had
to force myself not to slide my arm down to avoid his close proximity. I thought that would be too obvious. "She called her Dad while I was there and we got everything sorted out. She's leaving next week and then I'll be able to move in."
"That's great!" Sarah exclaimed, clapping her hands. "Now we'll all live on the same street!"
Simon looked over at me, an amused glint in his eye. "What do you think?"
"Me?" I asked cautiously. "Of course it's great. It must be a relief that you found a place to live."
"I meant about the proximity," Simon probed, not letting up.
"That's great, too," I replied, starting to feel annoyance rise. Simon had seemed willing to accept the fact that friendship was the only thing that was going to happen between us, but every now and then he had to throw out a comment that questioned exactly how accepting he was of the situation. "It'll be nice to live so close to your cousin and friends." I stressed the last word, hoping Simon would get the message. It seemed like he did because he threw back his head and laughed. Not the reaction I had been going for.
"Yes, it'll be nice to be close to my cousin and friends," Simon said, mimicking my inflection on the last word. He winked and I just gaped at him, unsure how to respond.
I was saved from having to respond at all by a knock on the door. Marcus' face brightened as he rushed over to the door. "That must be Jenny."
Sarah glanced at me and rolled her eyes. I smiled and shrugged. I hoped one of these days Marcus would gather enough nerve to ask Jenny out.
"Hey guys," Jenny chirped, bounding into the room with her usual enthusiasm.
Sarah and I greeted Jenny and got up to give her a quick hug, as did the guys. Jenny got a drink as Grant and Marcus went back to the backyard to check on the food. Unfortunately, Simon stayed behind and I was acutely aware of his presence beside me.
"Guess what!" Sarah exclaimed, and then continued before Jenny could answer. "Simon got Sherry's apartment! He's moving in next week."
"Awesome!" squealed Jenny. "What day are you moving in? We'll help, of course."
"Friday," Simon replied, taking another sip of his beer. "Most of my stuff is in storage right now and I already scheduled movers to pick up my stuff and drive it over, so that part's done. I wouldn't mind your help unpacking though."
