“Sounds good,” Craig said, then handed me a USB thumb drive. “All our music is on that. If you need any tabs or sheet music, I can get Dan to send them to you.”
“Nah, I won’t need that stuff,” I said, taking the USB stick. “I usually go by ear.”
“If you say so,” Craig chuckled. “Anyway, I gotta bounce.”
I shook Craig’s hand when he extended it–adding a nice firm grip–only to be polite and not cause any animosity between us. Craig wrapped his arm around Amanda’s waist and walked her out of my flat, but not before she shot me a warm smile over her shoulder.
I didn’t know if I was going to bother trying out for Craig’s band. I didn’t like him enough to want to spend even more time around the guy. But I did miss playing music. The few jam sessions with Emily had been amazing, but they only served to light the spark in me to play with a band again. I’d never made it on stage before, and the fact that Craig’s band–which I still didn’t know the name of–already had material written and recorded meant all I had to do was learn half a dozen songs, and we could be on stage within a month or two.
That prospect alone was enough to push me into accepting the try-out.
I headed down to the house and into the garage to fire up one of Amanda’s electric guitars–with music on the brain–since I still needed to re-string mine. I grabbed the same Jackson Kelly I had been using already, plugged it into the MESA amplifier that I’d already tweaked to my liking, and lost myself in the shredding and harmonies of my favourite bands.
I lost track of time as I played–lost in my own world–but my hands knew when it was time to stop. I rolled the volume back on the guitar and switched the amplifier to standby before powering it down. I took a deep breath as I let reality come back into focus, and only then did I notice I had gained an audience. Sitting on the couch against the wall sat Emily and Jen, her best friend. Jen had been the first woman I’d slept with since I came to Australia, and while she was insanely hot, I found her to be a bit of a bitch.
“Hey, I didn’t know you two were here,” I said, placing the guitar on the rack beside me.
“We’ve been here for about ten minutes, but we didn’t want to disturb you,” Emily smiled.
“You’re really fucking good,” Jen said, a little awe in her voice. “Like, really good.”
“Better than I was a few days ago. Emily has been practicing with me,” I said, unsure how to interact with Jen. She would have been my type physically, but not her personality. Even if she wasn’t a bit of a bitch, I had no interest in her after what had started between Erica, Mel, Emily, and myself.
“Take a compliment,” Emily giggled. “You are excellent.”
“Okay,” I laughed. “Thank you, both of you.”
“Amanda had dinner in the oven when we came home. It’ll probably be ready soon,” Emily said.
“Wait…what time is it?” I asked.
“Nearly six-thirty,” Jen answered, checking the time on her phone.
“Holy shit,” I gasped. I knew I had lost track of time, but I didn’t realise it had been nearly four hours since I spoke with Craig. My hands were protesting, though. I worked my fingers into fists and flexed my wrists to dispel the cramps I felt coming on. I hadn’t felt a thing while I was playing, swept up in the moment, but it was flooding in now like a vegan at a BBQ talking about their life choices. The thought of BBQ made my stomach rumble, and I realised I was really fucking hungry.
“Come on, I’m starving,” I said to the girls.
I left ahead of Jen and Emily and beelined it for the kitchen. The garage door not only dampened the sound from the garage, but it also cut off the wonderful aroma wafting through the house, originating from the kitchen. I let my nose take control as it guided me to the kitchen and the promise of a mouth-watering meal.
“Good evening,” Amanda greeted me with a warm smile. “You’re just in time.”
“Oh damn, that looks good,” I said, leaning over the kitchen counter to take a whiff of the baking dish holding the treasures I was seeking.
“It’s nothing special,” Amanda shrugged.
“It sure smells amazing. What’s in it?” I asked.
“Beef mince, pasta, cheese, and a homemade pasta sauce Dad used to make,” Amanda explained with a broad smile.
“Oh, fuck yeah,” Mel exclaimed, strolling into the kitchen, still in her PJ’s. “I am so looking forward to this. Amanda makes an amazing pasta bake.”
“I thought you couldn’t have much red meat?” I asked my white-haired sister.
“Not often, but this is my red meat day,” Mel grinned and clapped her hands.
“We have particular days a month where we allow ourselves some red meat. Steak is usually far too heavy for us, so this is a great in-between,” Amanda explained.
“Steak has nothing on this,” Mel said through a mouthful of food.
“Amelia!” Amanda scolded her sister but began laughing before she finished.
Mel swallowed and grinned at me before licking her fork clean seductively.
I helped set the table and dish out the amazing smelling meal to everyone, including Jen. I wasn’t sure why she was here, but she seemed a little different than she had the night I met her. I didn’t really have much experience with her considering our longest encounter was me fucking her into the mattress while I watched Erica finger herself in the darkness. But Mel didn’t like Jen, and I trusted her judgment when it came to her twin.
“Have you set a day with Craig yet?” Amanda asked after we all started eating.
“For what?” Erica asked.
“Nick is trying out for Draugr,” Amanda explained.
“Why?” Erica scoffed. “You’ve heard Nick play. He is ten times better than any of those guys. Plus, he isn’t a dickhead.”
“Agreed,” Mel said through a mouthful of food.
“They’re not that bad, Erica. And I’d appreciate it if you didn’t talk about Craig that way,” Amanda said, a touch of anger in her tone.
“Calm down, everyone,” I said, putting my fork down. “I haven’t even listened to the music Craig gave me. It can’t hurt to give it a go and see what happens.”
“Just let me know when you’re feeling comfortable to practice with them, and I can let Craig know,” Amanda smiled.
The kitchen fell silent after that, the tension almost as thick as the cheese in my dinner. Amanda shot glares at Erica from time to time when her sister wasn’t looking, and Erica rubbed my leg with her barefoot under the table. It was risky with Jen here, but it wasn’t like anyone was dropping spoons under the table and giving me a blowjob during dinner.
Well…Mel might, just to fuck with me.
After dinner, I helped Amanda clear the table and wash the dishes as usual, and as usual, she tried to get me to relax while she did it. I’d keep at it, and one day she might stop protesting.
Once the kitchen was spick-and-span once more, I headed into the living room where Jen and Emily had retreated to after dinner. The girls were talking softly when I entered, so I took a seat at the edge of the couch on Emily’s side so I didn’t intrude on their obviously private conversation. From time to time, I looked over at the two of them, expecting to see a coy smile or devious look from Jen, but I never did. She actually looked quite upset and almost like she was about to break down any second.
But she never did.
An hour later, Jen excused herself, and Emily walked her outside to her car before coming back and joining me on the couch, this time cuddling up beside me.
“What was that all about?” I asked.
“Can we talk about it later?” Emily replied softly. “I just wanna be with you right now.”
“You got it,” I said, kissing the top of her head.
We sat like that–in silence–for the next hour or more until I realised Emily had fallen asleep. She was snoring softly with her head against my chest. I brushed her messy hair aside and just watched her for a moment. Emily hardly wore any makeup, but she was incredibly beautiful without it. All of my sisters were, but Emily had a triple-A natural beauty.
Nothing could make my heart warm more than her goofy smile.
“God damn, I fucking love you.”
I looked up to see Erica standing in the archway to the living room.
“Say what?” I asked, unsure if I heard her correctly.
“You, I love you,” Erica said, smiling at me. “The way you’re looking at Emily right now. That alone makes me love you more than anything because I know you’ll never hurt her.”
“I would never hurt any of you,” I replied without hesitation.
“I know,” Erica nodded. “And the fact that I believe you means there is something special about you. We all see it.”
“I’m just a normal guy,” I said.
Erica crossed the room and knelt by my feet, taking my free hand in hers. “Shut up and take a compliment.”
I laughed, knowing Erica had no way of hearing the exact words Emily spoke mere hours earlier. “Not the first time I’ve heard that today.”
“We’re all very smart women in this household,” Erica smiled, kissing my hand. “Well…Amanda has her moments.”
“You need to let up on her,” I sighed. “I don’t like Craig any more than you do, but it’s her choice.”
“I know,” Erica nodded. “I only do it because I love her, and she deserves to be happy. I see the way she looks at you. It’s the same way you were looking at Emily just then and the same way I look at you.”
“That may be true, but you need to respect her decisions,” I said firmly.
“Fine,” Erica sighed. “I’ll let up on the Craig hate train…for now.”
“Thank you,” I said, leaning down to kiss her softly on the lips.
“Can I come and see you later?” Erica asked, unmistakable lust in her eyes.
“I would love that,” I sighed. “But I already told Emily she could spend the night.”
“That’s okay,” Erica replied, barely hiding her disappointment.
“I’m really sorry, I’m not used to this yet,” I said. “How about tomorrow night? Just the two of us.”
“I’d like that,” Erica grinned. “It’s a date.”
We shared another long kiss before Erica smoothed Emily’s hair and kissed her sister’s forehead softly. The affection took me off guard momentarily since Erica rarely showed any outward signs of love and affection for anyone, even her sisters. There really was more to my lustrous sister than I initially thought.
“Goodnight,” Erica said in a whisper.
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