Later on, after I had taken a lengthy shower and got into some more comfortable clothes, I helped Kristen set the table, for the four of us that would be eating. Ted insisted that Cody stayed, only adding fuel to the fire and backing up everything Kristen had said earlier. It made me smile how well they got on, and only made me smile even more when they had a disagreement. Ted and Cody didn't have your average brother-like relationship. No, there seemed to be so much more to it than just brotherhood. Now, I was no way implying that Ted nor Cody were gay, in anyway. And there would be nothing wrong with that if they were. But, they definitely had a special kind of bromance. They knew each others flaws, and each others weak spots. They knew what buttons to press to make the other angry, and what not to say to take things that little bit too far. I was surprised that Ted had hid Cody so long. I mean, sure he'd spoken about him non-stop and they'd be on the phone sometimes whilst Ted and his family stayed in Georgia for Christmas one year. I had never seen them together though, so this summer was promising to be an experience.
"Tea's ready you guys", Kristen shouted as she headed over to the stove. I moved myself from the kitchen tiles to the hard-wood flooring of the dining room. As I took a seat at the end of the rectangular black table, Ted and Cody entered the dining room from the door adjacent to the kitchen.
"You have a choice.. we have chilli, or lasagne..", Kristen questioned the three of us. She looked at us all pleadingly so I decided to speak first to break the silence that had grown.
"I'll have lasagne, if that's ok Kristen", I gave her a quick smile from my seat. She gave me a little nod before looking at the two guys.
"Hon, I'll have both", Ted spoke proudly, asif having both was a great achievement.
"Ted.. I have some oven fries to go with them. Are you sure you'll be able to manage both?", Kristen asked, looking deep into her husbands eyes. Ted finally decided that he'd just stick with the lasagne, and if he got hungry in a little while he'd warm up a bowl of chilli. Kristen and Cody both opted for the lasagne aswell, leaving a huge bowl of chilli for Ted to tuck into later on.
Dinner was fantastic. Well, the cooking was. I couldn't help but notice Cody was staring at me the entire time. It didn't make me uncomfortable, but it just left me wondering what he found so fascinating about my face that he felt the need to stare for the good 45 minutes we were sat eating. I decided to leave it, and thought nothing of it. I had to make myself presentable for when Ted's buddies would be coming round, and I definitely had to take a shot of some sort of laquer to calm my nerves. Why was I so nervous though? These guys were used to meeting new people everyday. It was their job. To put on a show that would entertain thousands for a few hours must be pretty nerve wracking.. So, to these guys, meeting me would be a piece of cake.

After dinner had completely finished, I helped clean the dishes with Kristen before I headed to get changed into something more suitable for the occasion. I opted for a white vest twinned with a pair of dark blue skinny jeans. I didn't have the smallest thighs, butt or hips but the jeans fit snug and perfect. The white vest made my 34 DD chest look like a 34 GG. Checking myself out in the mirror on the wall, I agreed on the outfit, hoping that these guys weren't ogglers, like Cody. Next was my hair and make up. I had hair extensions sewn in to make my very thin light blonde hair look thicker and healthier. Extensions were life savers! There will not be a day that goes by where I won't be thankful for the invention of hair extensions. Having them in, made my hair longer too. My natural hair only went to just below my shoulder, but with extensions it fell a couple of inches below my shoulder blades. I yanked the curling iron from my suitcase and plugged them in.

A burnt thumb and few groans later, I had a full head of natural looking waves. My hair might have looked great, but my face was still a mess. Scarring from teenage acne, and the odd pimple here and there. Not to mention my skin was pale and dull looking. I cringed as I pulled the foundation from the make-up bag, and applied it slowly to my face. I did it with such care and precision, even though these guys probably didn't give two hoots about what crap I put on my face. Checking the time on my iphone with my pink finger, it read 7:04pm. I had 25 minutes to get myself finished before Ted's posse would be causing havok and no doubt asking me questions that I would never want to be asked.

I applied my false eyelashes with ease, as I had learnt so many times to do during my college years of Beauty Therapy. I applied some mascara and a bit of eyeliner before spraying a bit of deodorant and spritzing a bit of perfume. The nerves started to twinge in my stomach, and I felt my hands starting to shake. I couldn't quite understand why I was this nervous. Sure I was spending 8 weeks with these guys, but it was business and an experience to learn from if anything.

Regardless of my age, I hoped Kristen would allow me to have a glass or two of wine before the guys came and I'd be forced to drink Bud. The taste of the first bottle always made me shiver, but the more I had, the better it tasted.

Making my way down to the kitchen, I took a few deep breaths and made sure my outfit was all in check. I knew what guys were like, and they'd point out anything that was wrong and make fun. I didn't want to be the object of laughter tonight.

As I reached the kitchen, I noticed Kristen. This chick must have seriously read my mind as she poured a heavy load of red wine into the glass. I smiled realising one was for me as Kristen picked up both glasses.
"Are you going to be defending me when the guys lay it on?", I questioned, taking a huge sip of the wine.
"Of course honey. I know these guys, and there is seriously nothing to worry about. They like to make fun sure, but it's all in good nature and they'll never mean anything by it!", Kristen stroked my arm in reassurance. Even though Kristen had said some reassuring words, I couldn't help but picture the night going wrong.

"You look fantastic by the way", Kristen gave me a thumbs up before she headed out of the kitchen. I leant against the counter and sighed before finishing the rest of my wine. I needed to clean my teeth before people arrived, so I headed upstairs and quickly to brush my teeth. Looking at myself in the huge mirror of the bathroom, it made me look tiny. I mean, I guess I was small, being 5''5' and all.

"Jen!", I heard Ted shout up the staircase. I realised that now was the time I would be meeting the people I'd be spending the next 8 weeks with. Thoughts started flooding my mind. What did they look like? How old were they? Would they like me? Did I have something in my teeth? Regardless of the fact I had just cleaned my teeth, I checked again before leaving the bathroom. My best bet would be to go out there with confidence. They could find me intimidating if I act shy and quiet. But then they could find me more intimidating if I acted too confident. Eugh.

"JEN!", I heard Ted's voice grow louder than before. This time I moved faster away from the bathroom, and hurried to the top of the stairs. I took a final deep breath before slowly walking down the staircase. Not looking up the whole way down, Ted's firm grip greeted me at the bottom. His hands squeezed my upper arms, and he looked at me in the eye.

"Don't be nervous.. I promise they won't hurt you", Ted smiled, trying to do what Kristen practically failed at doing earlier. Kudos for the attempt though. I suddenly felt surrounded. That might just have been because Ted's hall had a gathering of 6 or 7 huge, muscular men. Ted placed his arm around my shoulder, and slowly pulled me around the guys. I took another deep breath, it filled with a mixture loads of different colognes.

"Jen, this is..."