Perfect Christmas [2016 Edition]

4. Cara

[ C A R A ]

The entire kitchen is a mess.

    I shouldn't have suggested that we cook the entire dinner: we really should have ordered takeaway or something. Because it's really not worth it. All the girls are completely stressed out—Blaire's busy making creme brûlées for everyone and struggling to use the blow torch, Sienna's rolling out the pasta dough and checking every minute or so for the lasagna and the ham that's both in the oven while I'm trying my damnnest not to screw up the steaks.

    They really shouldn't put me in charge of anything, really. The only thing I know how to do is bake, and baking and cooking are two totally different things.

    Scattered all over the kitchen counter are pots, jars of spices, chopped vegetables and three glasses of wine—one for each of us if we want to survive the next few hours. I take another sip of my wine and pour the remaining half into the pot along with the steak, hoping to god it will taste good.

    Beside me, Sienna yells, 'shit!' as she wafts through the cloud of smoke rising from the oven. She grabs both of her mismatched mittens and coughs as she takes out a half burnt chunk of ham and slides it across the table.

    Yeap. We're totally eating out next Christmas.

    "Seriously, you girls need any help?" Kayden materializes from the hallway, crossing the room and placing his hands on the edge on the kitchen counter. His lips are pressed into a line, worried line.

    "No," Sienna says she she tries to scrape the burnt bits from the ham with a metal spoon. She's doing a horrible job at it. "We got this."

    Kayden refuses to stand down. "Lucky, I'm a better cook than you. I can do this," he says as he makes his way towards his girlfriend. He takes the spoon from her. "Let me help you."

    "Fine," she grumbles, "but you have to wear an apron."

    His eyes dart over to the remaining ones on the hooks. His face falls. "They're all pink."

    "Even better," she says, kissing Kayden quickly on the cheek to retrieve him one. "Pink suits you. Especially the hot pink one," she says, her eyes lighting up with amusement as she loops the apron over his head and ties the back for him. The apron is too small for him for his size—but he does look adorable in it. "There," she murmurs. "You are one of us now."

    He stares down at himself. "I look ridiculous."

    "No, you look cute. I like it," she says, grinning, as she places her hands on her hips to look at him. "You know what would be better though? If you were wearing just the apron. And no shirt underneath."

    Kayden groans.

    Sienna lifts her hand. "All in favor of that say 'yes'!"

    "Yes!" Blaire says, jumping up and down. "Hell fucking yes!"

    "Yes!" I say too. It would be a rare sight—rare and spectacular.

    "No," Simon says, shaking his head as he comes into view. "Please don't. And babe, don't encourage him." He points an accusing finger at me and I laugh.

    Is my boyfriend jealous? His eyes meet mine and jealousy burns in the embers of his. God, that's so cute. I rarely see him be a green-eyed monster before. 

    "Come on. It's no big deal," I say to him, waving him off. "It's just for fun. We see him half-naked all the time."

    Simon's nostrils flare. "Since when?"