The apartment smelled of spices, seafood and tomato sauce.

Moose grew silent as he meticulously chopped onions on a cutting board. Tak. Tak. Tak. Tak. His brows mushed together as he concentrated on not cutting himself. Behind him was Camille who was, unlike him, efficiently preparing the rest of the ingredients for the salsa. She hummed a tune as she mixed in the dry ingredients into the bowl. Andie and Sean are coming over in an hour, so they decided to prepare a decadent meal for all of them. Camille momentarily glanced over her shoulder and saw Moose looking like he was using all of his mental strength just to chop the onion. Every now and then, he would hold his breath. She giggled. "You okay there? I'm almost done with the rest of it." He wiped his forehead with the back of his hand and sighed. "Give me a break. You know I can't cook for crap," he chuckled. She shook her head, standing beside him. Her hand rested on her hip. "What would you do without me?"

"I would starve, Camille. And eat takeout every single day."

She laughed. "Here. Let me take over," she said, grabbing the knife and motioning for him to step back. "You go take the tortilla chips out of the oven."

He pulled the oven mitts over his hand, took the warm tray full of chips out of the steaming oven, then set it on the counter. He then took off his sleeveless shirt, making him completely topless. He fanned himself with his hand. "It's getting really warm in here, huh?" He walked behind her, tickling her elbows and touching her bare arms, his chin slowly moving to her neck, when she quickly swung her body. Clearly she can't be distracted. He stepped back in surprise.

"Moose," she called, turning around. She was holding up a spoonful of salsa in front of his face. "Open." Moose gladly opened his mouth as Camille led the red sauce into his lips. Her hand was under the spoon, avoiding any spills. "Mmm," he moaned in approval as he tasted the spices and tomatoes. The corners of her mouth turned up. "Is it good?"

"The best."

"Great! Okay. Now can you start setting the table, please?" She began cleaning up the kitchen counter, putting the dirty dishes in the sink.

"Of course, master chef," he teased.

Camille untied her apron off of her waist, then scuttled to the bedroom. "I'll go get ready." Moose looked over his shoulder, holding napkins. "You know you don't have to get dressed. It's just Sean and Andie." He set four plates on the table, then distributed the utensils on each one.

"And you expect me to look like this?" He paused and gave her a once over. She was in a tight pair of little denim shorts and a striped fitting tank top. Her brown hair was up in a ponytail.

He shrugged. "You look fine to me. I like how you look."

"I don't want to look like this," she chuckled. "And you! Where's your shirt? You're practically naked, you know."

He looked down at his shaped torso, his hands raised up in defense. He's been working out, and he loved showing his newly toned body off to her. Although, she couldn't deny that it is a good sight. She just doesn't want to boost his big ego even more. "What's wrong with that?"

She playfully glared at him, throwing him his shirt that she found lying on the living room floor. He chuckled loudly, ducking down. "Okay, okay. Putting the shirt back on now. Wouldn't want you to be distracted, right?" He clicked his tongue and winked flirtatiously, pulling the shirt over his head.

She just rolled her eyes, a grin creeping up as she finally went inside. "Sure. Whatever."

She walked into the living room in a flowy peach blouse, blue skinny jeans and golden doll shoes. Her chocolate brown hair was curled loosely at the bottom. "You look pretty, Cam," he said, smiling. She blushed. Even after these years, she still gets all shy and fluttery inside when Moose simply compliments her like that. He scratched his neck, a finger buried under his collar. He changed into a green collared shirt she bought him last month. She walked towards him and gave Moose a tender kiss on the lips. He smiled appreciatively as she popped his collar, tugging on its triangular corners. "Thank you. And you don't look too bad as well," she grinned, playfully ruffling his curls. Moose brought his hand under her chin and gently pulled her into him. His other hand crawled to her waist, keeping her close. She tasted like strawberry lipgloss, he thought. Their heads tilted as their lips forcefully crashed against each other. He gently bit her lower lip, making her smile. Camille then quickly pulled away, snapping out of it. "Play time's over, Moose. We have people to feed," she giggled, wiping her bottom lip with a finger. He playfully whined, imitating a little child. "Oh, come on, Cam. It's not like they're gonna be here on time. You know those guys." She shook her head in disapproval and just gave him a final kiss on the cheek. She walked over to the dining table, giving it a once over.

"Everything done?" She mentally checked her invisible to-do list as she looked on the laid out feast. The dinner was ready and aesthetically pleasing to the eyes. Moose was over by the couch, drooling. He got so distracted by Camille that he didn't realize how starved he already was. When the hell are those two coming?

Then as if on cue, the doorbell rang its squeaky bell sound. Camille jogged over to the door, Moose following behind her.

She opened the door and was pleasantly surprised by the visitors. "Andie, Sean!" She gave the other girl a tight embrace, followed by the tall, built guy who did the same. "Sup, man?" The boys hugged as well.

"You doing good?" Sean clapped Moose's back. "It's so awesome to see you!" Andie exclaimed, throwing her arms around Moose.

"You too!" He replied, grinning wide.

Sean rubbed the back of his neck. "I actually feel so out of place right now," Sean chuckled. "I feel like I'm crashing a high school reunion." Andie snorted at him, playfully slapping his chest. "Get over yourself."

Camille then led them to the living room where they settled themselves on the couch. Moose comfortably plopped down. "How are you guys?" Camille asked, her eyes glimmering. "It's been what, over a month?"

"Yeah. I can't believe it's been that long," Andie said in her raspy voice. "It feels like Vegas happened just last week."

"So what's up?" Sean asked, leaning forward.

Moose shrugged casually. "The usual engineering stuff. And Camille here's training for a company."

"That's great," Andie beamed. Camille's lips parted. "How about you guys?"

The new couple looked at each other, waiting for either one to speak. After a small while, Andie eventually responded. "Oh, you know. Figuring things out." She smiled faintly. "We're new here," Sean chuckled.

Moose's eyebrows quirked up as Camille carefully glanced at him, sensing the awkward tension. "Okay." He excitedly clapped his hands, standing up. "So, we eating or what?"

Camille made crab and lobster burgers, salad and homemade truffle fries for dinner, much to the other three's delight. Everyone barely talked as they made themselves busy stuffing themselves. "This is so good, Cam," Moose remarked in between big bites. Sean made noises of approval as he washed his food down with cold iced tea. When they finished eating and clearing the dining table, they moved to the living room and turned on the TV. Moose and Sean took the cans of beer and soda, while Andie made herself busy by helping Camille bring the nachos to the coffee table. Later, Moose decided to pop in Luke's documentary. "Check this out, guys," he said.

The Pirates' faces appeared one by one on the screen. "I've heard about this," Sean said, leaning against the couch. "The Pirates! Awesome people," Andie said in awe as he glanced at Moose. Camille sat beside her boyfriend as he put his arm around her, popping a tortilla chip in his mouth.

Thirty minutes in, Moose emptied his drink. "I'm gonna go get another beer," Moose told Camille. "Want anything, Cam?" She shook her head, smiling. "Alright," he said, standing up to walk to the fridge. Sean nervously scratched his head. "Um, I'm getting something too," he mumbled, jogging away. Andie just smiled at Camille as she moved closer to her, engaging in small talk.

Sean stood behind the curly-haired boy. Moose glanced behind him, closing the freezer. "Yo."

"Moose. I really need to talk."

His eyebrows raised up. "What's up?" His tongue reached behind his teeth as he handed Sean a cold can of beer.

The muscular guy leaned against the counter, folding his arms. "It's Andie. I don't know what to do, man."

He blinked. "What about her?"

"She's been acting weird lately, I'm not sure what that really means. But I'm starting to feel like she doesn't feel the same way I do anymore."

Moose scoffed, opening the beer and bringing it to his lips. "What makes you think that?"

Sean exhaled heavily. "Last week. She bumped into Chase Collins."

Moose's eyes widened as he nearly choked on his drink. Oh. He wiped his mouth and leaned against the fridge door, shrugging. "I'm sure it's nothing."

"It's not just nothing." He shook his head. "I don't know. She doesn't seem happy. What am I supposed to do?"

Moose grinned apologetically, clapping his hand on his shoulder. "I can't help you there, man. She's supposed to be your girlfriend. You should know."

His shoulders dropped in dismay. "I just thought you'd be able to help me. You and Camille have been together forever." He chuckled, shaking his head in awe. "How do you guys even do that?"

Moose winked playfully, putting a finger on his lip as he shushed him. "It's a secret." Sean cracked up. Moose threw his head down, his curls shaking. "But seriously, though? We work because we're better together. And she's my best friend," he shrugged nonchalantly. "You'll get through this, Sean. Just talk to Andie."

Sean nodded, looking down. "Also," Moose tapped his chest, a corner of his mouth twitched up. "Just try to understand. She's had a rough start."

—

"Isn't it crazy?" Andie smiled, staring into space. The noises of the documentary played softly in the background. "We've known each other since high school. And look where we are now. Being adults."

Camille tilted her head, grinning at her. "It is, huh? I sometimes can't believe that Moose and I ended up together. High school me never would have imagined." She giggled, her shoulders twitching.

Andie pulled her knee up. "Seriously? I saw it coming a mile away."

Camille quirked her brow. "Really? Wow," she laughed.

"You guys are lucky," she nodded. A faint look of sadness appeared on her face. "Not everyone is as happy together as you two."

Camille bit her lip in concern. She looked over at the kitchen where Moose and Sean were standing. She kept her voice low. "Are you and Sean doing okay, Andie?"

"I don't even know," she mumbled. "It's complicated at the moment." She exhaled slowly as if observing the way her lungs contract.

Camille instinctively wrapped her arms around Andie, whispering into her ear. "Just know that you can talk to me, okay? Anytime."

—

At midnight, they finally bid goodbye to the couple, leading them to the door. "I'll see you soon, guys. Take care." Moose said. "Sure thing, man. You too," Sean replied.

Camille gave Andie a bear hug and whispered near her ear. "Give me a call, okay?" Andie smiled gratefully. "I will."

As soon as the two left and the door has been locked, Moose turned to Camille as if about to say something he's been itching to tell. "Cam, you won't believe what Sean told me."

They walked to the kitchen where they began to clean up. "Is this about Andie?"

His eyebrows raised. "How'd you know?"

"She talked to me. Kinda. It looks like they're in trouble, though."

He paused. "So she told you about Chase?"

Her jaw dropped. "What?"

"I know. Same reaction."

"What happened?"

"Apparently Andie saw him just recently. And now I'm guessing she's confused."

"That's impossible. It's been years. She's been over him."

"I know," he sighed. "Oh! Do you think—"

"Wait a minute," she waved her hands in the air, interrupting him. "We're talking about this like two gossip obsessed old women," she chuckled. "This is none of our business, really."

He laughed, scratching his forehead. "Right." His hair shook as he ruffled the curls. He slung his arm over her shoulder. "But can you believe Sean actually asked me for relationship advice?"

She snorted, finding the thought hilarious. "Why would he do that?"

"Because," he glared. "We're still here. Together. After all this time. And he asked me what my secret was." He made air quotes with his hands, shaking his head.

Her hand rested on her waist. "That's because we're us. Can you imagine me and you without each other? We would be a mess," she chuckled as he snorted loudly.

"Truth." He kissed her temple and tenderly swept her bangs off of her eyes. "I would starve to death and you would miss out on all of this." He flexed obnoxiously, pulling his shirt up to show off his abs. It made Camille snort. She patted his firm chest. "Save it for later, Moose."

Thank you for reading:) If you enjoyed it, let me know!

Watch out for more chapters to come ❤️