Disclaimer: The characters belong to Guy Ritchie.

The idea of the cooking contest came from "Blow dry", which is a really nice movie. My version is really lame.

Kevin is "played" by Sean Bean.

Interlude

"BRITISH CUISINE – to be held in Derry, Northen Ireland. Police officials don't expect any problems, but they declare that vigilance will be constant"

Bacon slammed the paper before Soap.

"So?" he raised his eyebrows.

"Don't you feel an urge to participate?"

"Are you high? Does that sound like the sort of thing I might be mildly interested in?"

"C'mon, give it a thought!"

"Why would this be of any interest to you?"

"It's in Derry, you tit! Where Addie lives!"

"Family life got to you!" Soap tried to push away the uneasy feeling. "D'you get an invitation from her? Or any news from her? Because I haven't"

"Am I the only one who misses her?"

"Miss who?" asked Tom, over his diet Coke.

"Addie"

"You heard from her?"

"No. But we could visit her. When we're in town"

"What town?"

"Derry. Chef's entering a cooking contest" Bacon informed Tom.

"He's what?" his friend stared back at him.

"Hei, I didn't say I'd do it!" Soap protested.

"No one's asking you to win. It's just an excuse to go there. We're going to see Addie!" Bacon put an end to the debate in a commanding voice.

"The paternal instincts are growing more ferocious by the day" Tom sniggered behind his back.

Bacon was living his happy ending. His friends were somewhat jealous of this. Since he had settled down, married Mandy and lived an ordinary life, the gang almost broke up. The only activities they shared were soccer and weekly drinks at JD's. And the jokes about the Bacon's respectable life.

"Hi!" Ed interrupted them. "What's up?"

"How would you like a trip to Ireland?"

"Bacon, you're not selling things on street corners anymore! Don't try to sell us this just because you need to get away from home!" Soap's remark was too sharp, but he didn't feel strong enough to see her.

Bacon frowned. He was used to the jokes, but this was too much. He was about to tell Soap what he thought of him and his family, when Ed accepted his proposal.

"Sure. I'll ask Victoria to come along"

This was shaping up to be a defeat. Soap was out of arguments because all that he could think of was he wasn't able to see her. After dozens of women, he was still worried about seeing her. The only consolation was the malicious anticipation of her reaction to Ed's new girlfriend. Victoria Avery was a knock-out.

"OK, I'm in" Tom agreed, to Soap's dismay.

~~~~~~~ Two weeks later, on a Saturday ~~~~~~~~

There she was. The months apart had turned her in an ideal figure in Soap's memory. But there she was now. She looked younger still. In his fantasies, she was a full-grown woman. Across the street from him stood a little girl. The awkward teenager who stormed in his life.

Bacon shouted at her, thus breaking Soap's reverie. He tried to get in character, but he had forgotten how to do that. Since her departure, he had slept with a different girl every night, trying to recover the wasted time. Maybe trying to get back at her. How was he supposed to hug her in a brotherly manner when just the thought of her carried him through other women's arms.

*Oh my God! Oh my God! Oh my God! OH MY GOD!* was all Addie could think for the moment.

Soap and Bacon and Tom. In Derry. Across the street. Eventually the panic eased off. She started feeling her body again. The numbness in her limbs began to dissipate.

"Hi, guys! I'm so happy to see you!"

She hugged Bacon. Then Tom. Then Soap, briefly. A touch-and-go embrace. Her heart didn't stop beating. Her legs didn't abandon her. She shivered touching him. Thank God she didn't have to do this again!

Soap felt her jerk out of his embrace. This was going to be embarrassing… Her next question felt like an arrow through the heart: "Where's Ed?". Of course. What else could she want? Ed was the one, not him! He should have known better than hoping anything else.

"He couldn't come"

"The new girlfriend keeps him on a tight leash?" she smiled.

"Sort of" Bacon smiled. *She's over him. Finally!* "Do you have time to show us around?"

"Oh! Yeah. Let's go home first. I need to leave the groceries. OK?"

"Sure. The contest starts at five, we should be there by four"

"What contest?"

Soap's face spoke volumes. Addie knew about "British Cuisine", but she never imagined him competing in something like that.

On their way to her house, Addie was thinking how was she to break them the news. Her parents were at home, so she got out of that particular subject for a while. She managed to avoid it until they started the "debriefing". They were at the bar, swapping stories about their lives apart, when Bacon asked her after answering dozens of questions about his domestic bliss.

"So, are you seeing anyone?"

"I'd like another Martini"

"That sounds serious" Tom joked about her pathetic attempt to avoid the subject. "Does that mean you finally got over Ed?"

Both remarks annoyed her. And worried and hurt Soap.

"There is this guy… Kevin… pretty serious" she mumbled.

"When do we meet him?" Bacon took the lead.

"Do I need your blessing now?" she tried to joke, but it sounded fake. "I invited him here, after the contest. Satisfied?"

*I'm pretty fucking far from being satisfied* Soap was seething inside.

~~~~~~~~~~~~ Soap finished fourth ~~~~~~~~~~

He was washing up after the six hours of preparing complex dishes, some he hadn't done since his training days, trying not to think of anything. The tough part of the evening was yet to come. He joined his friends, accepted their congratulations, but something was off. The atmosphere was a little too tense. *So, where is he?* the question was echoing in his mind. He wanted out. He would be perfectly happy for the rest of his life not meeting her Kevin. And at the same time he was curious. And jealous. Was he good enough for her? What did this Kevin have that he didn't have? Well, he had Addie for a start…

Soap was watching her reactions, checking for any clues about her feelings. But if Ed had never been able to read her, he didn't stand a chance. All of a sudden, her features lit up. He followed her gaze. He was looking at her mysterious Kevin.

The man looked like Boromir, coming from the lands of Gondor, stepping out from his battles in the smoke-filled air of an Irish pub. The stranger came to them, put an arm around her waist and kissed her softly on the cheek, making her blush, delighted. Bacon and Tom smiled at her reaction. This had the feel of the real thing. Soap frowned a little, but hid this, quickly.

Addie introduced him to her friends. She had almost annoyed Kevin with tales of them, so she wasn't surprised that they hit it off. After an hour or so, they felt like they had known each other all their lives.

"Would you like to dance?" Soap asked her.

He tried not to see her asking Kevin's permission silently. The man smiled in agreement. In all her London stories, Addie had never mentioned the "Soap incidents".

~~~~~~~~~

"It's not really my business, but he's Irish, right?"

She nodded. Talking to Soap didn't feel easy anymore.

"Does he know… about you… about your activities?"

"Yes. We sort of rescued each other. Living here… is not all that easy"

"Good… Then it's all right. You're… fine? Here…"

Addie sighed. He was cold, yet concerned. But their problems had nothing to do with Ireland. Or even with Kevin. She had to apologise again.

"I'm sorry" she murmured in his ear. "You were my best friend. I can't believe I messed it up so bad"

Her warm breath caressed his neck. He held back the need to tighten the embrace. He looked in her eyes with a sort of sad understanding.

"It's OK, kid!"

The rest of the dance they kept silent. There was nothing else to say. The distance between them had grown by the second. First Ed, now Kevin… There was no way out of the situation.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Yes, there is a way out. Hopefully, soon enough.

Thanks a lot for the reviews! I had almost given up on the story. Thanks!