Chapter 8

We all walk into the kitchen. Pointing again, I say, "My sister Roxanne, and brothers Levi, and Tim, meet my coworkers Paul, Linda, George, and Kathy. And you guys remember my friends Melissa, Jack, and Lily."

My siblings nod and say hello while everyone else follows suit. The kitchen is filled with a warm, lively atmosphere as the group exchanges greetings and smiles.

"Ok, since you guys just came in, it's your turn to take shots!" I announce, my voice bubbling with excitement.

They groan playfully, but take the shots that are passed to them. The rest of us refill our glasses, and we all knock back the shots in unison, the clinking of glasses and the collective "cheers" filling the room.

I grimace because I'm starting to feel it—the warm fuzzies. I take a bottle of water from the fridge and guzzle it down while everyone looks at me curiously.

"What?" I ask, a mischievous glint in my eye.

"Can't have the party ending as early as it started, can we?" I tease, winking at my siblings.

"Now who's ready for the tour?!" I yell, my voice echoing through the kitchen.

Everyone gets up, and we all file out of the kitchen. I take them through the first floor, pointing out the cozy living room, the spacious dining area, and the modern kitchen. We end the tour in the backyard, where the grill is already sizzling with delicious aromas. Then, I show them the downstairs, which includes a home theater and a game room. After that, we head upstairs, where I give them a peek into my bedroom and the guest rooms. Everyone oohs and aahs over the beautiful decor and the stunning views from the windows.

After I've shown my bathroom, we head downstairs, with everyone going on about how beautiful my house is, especially my bathroom. The compliments make me beam with pride.

I go to the living room and put on some upbeat music. The rhythmic beats fill the air, and we all start moving to the beat in our own ways. It's time to get the party started. I set up the table in the dining room for beer pong and yell, "Time to play, guys! Ten people, two teams of five, let's get it formed!"

Everyone comes into the dining room, bringing alcohol and beer. We go through the motions of choosing teams, everyone trying to get the strongest players on their teams. The room is buzzing with energy and friendly banter.

I'm on a team with Melissa, Lily, Levi, and Paul. I've swapped out some of the beer cups for alcohol, but they won't know until they have to drink it.

"Are y'all ready?!" I yell, my voice filled with anticipation.

"Let's goooo!" everyone shouts back, their voices a chorus of excitement.

The first ones up are Roxanne and Paul. Paul is eyeing Roxanne with interest. We yell, "Pay attention, Paul!"

He jumps, grabs a ping pong ball, and says, "Ladies first."

Roxanne smiles at him, grabs a ball, and tosses it right into a cup of beer. Paul laughs, grabs the cup, and downs it. On Paul's turn, he throws the ball, but it bounces off the side of a cup.

Someone yells, "Next!"

Then it's between Melissa and George. George laughs, "I'm going first!"

After which, he tosses his ball right over all of the cups, and it even goes over Melissa! We all laugh, and Melissa says, "You should've let me go first."

She throws her ball, and it lands right into a cup of tequila. George doesn't know what it is until he tosses it back and starts to cough.

"Wasn't expecting that!" he gasps out, his face red from the burn.

Everyone looks around at each other quizzically. Roxanne asks, "Expecting what?"

George replies with, "That tequila burn!"

Everyone turns to look at me, and I shrug, "What? I wanted to make the game interesting."

Everyone chuckles, and Tim yells, "Next!"

Levi and Linda step up to the table. Linda smiles shyly at Levi and says, "Take it easy on me."

Levi smirks, "Sure will!"

I shake my head because Levi is hella competitive, but he's also a Casanova, so he might pull his throw to get her attention. He says, "Ladies?" Linda grabs a ball and throws it right to the side of the table. Levi laughs and chucks his ball into a shot of tequila. Linda looks at the cup, frowns, picks it up, and downs it. She starts coughing as well.

"Yeah, definitely wasn't expecting that!" she exclaims, her eyes watering from the burn.

We all laugh, and again, Tim yells, "Next!"

I pull Jack over to our side and whisper, "You have to take my place; I have to go make sure everything is good in the backyard."

He nods and steps up to the table. Kathy joins him on the other side. They smile at each other while Jack nods at Kathy to go first. I miss Kathy throwing the ball as I walk out of the dining room, into the kitchen, and out to the backyard.

I look around and notice that the grill is empty and the chef is nowhere to be seen. I walk into the kitchen and notice the trays on the counter that I didn't see before. Next to one tray is a note saying, "All done, you looked like you were having fun, so I didn't want to interrupt. I've received the full payment, so we're all good. Hope you guys enjoy the food."

I wasn't sure how I felt about someone moving in and out of my house like a ninja without a word. I shrugged it off, though, because I felt the alcohol warming through my system. I arranged the food on the island so it'll be easier for us to dish when we eat.

I walk back into the dining room after making myself a mixed drink to see that it was back on Melissa and George. I chuckle and wander over, counting cups. It looks like 'my' team was winning. We had only two cups left, compared to the other team's 6. Melissa and George both make it in and take their drinks; it's Melissa who's coughing this time.

Linda and Levi step up to the table for what could be my team's final turn if Levi makes it in. Linda again goes first and chucks it right over Levi's shoulder. Levi laughs and tosses his ball, which lands precisely in the last cup. My team erupts in cheers as Linda takes the last drink, declaring us the winners. I yell out, "Alright, everyone! Let's go get some food in our bellies so we can drink even more!"

We all walk into the kitchen, grabbing paper plates on the way. All of the food has been laid out on the island, so we file around it, fixing our plates. Once everyone has their plates, we walk into the dining room. Everyone takes a seat at the table except me (it's only a 10-seat table). I sit at the sidebar, eating while watching everyone as they sit around the table, chatting with one another. It looks like Roxanne and Paul are hitting it off (I wonder if he's an omega?).

Levi and Linda are chatting it up; whatever he's saying to her is making her blush. (Real Casanova). Melissa and George are chatting animatedly, while Lily and Tim seem to be having a serious debate. Jack and Kathy look like they're just talking about nonsense.

I smile while I watch my friends and family socializing. I catch Levi's eye, and he smirks and winks at me. I laugh and shake my head. I get up after I'm done and take my plate to the kitchen to put in the trash. One by one, everyone else follows.

After the last person walks into the kitchen, I yell, "Who's ready for charades?!"

They all let out whoops and hollers. I instruct them to follow me to the living room. I grab a few bottles of tequila on the way. I grab the hat that I already made up of the things we'll have to charade.