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Before digging in I looked around the table, unsure if they had a custom before eating. My mother and I never had, food was food, and we ate to keep our bodies fuelled so we could work to keep the roof over our heads. My grandparents had been quite religious and insisted on saying grace before every meal, even though my grandmother looked like she was worried I’d burst into flames each time. I didn’t think my siblings would have any religious streaks, but I didn’t want to start on my food until I was sure. I also noticed the varying degree of meal changes between dishes and wondered how Amanda had done this all in such a short time.
Emily’s plate had the same meal prepped as I did-all bar the fried chips-only in less volume. Erica too had a T-bone steak with a pile of green veggies piled beside it that dwarfed my own, and Amanda looked to be having a highly season chicken with as her meat. But Mel had no meat at all, only veggies and what looked like tofu.
“She’s vegetarian,” Emily said when she saw me checking out her twin sisters plate.
“Not by choice,” Mel sighed. “I have a genetic disorder called hemochromatosis.”
“That’s where you can’t absorb iron well?” I asked.
“Correct,” Mel smiled. “So, I stick to mostly white meat and meat substitutes like Tofu, on special occasions I can eat steak, and I would have loved one tonight, but my iron levels have been to high lately.”This belongs to NôvelDrama.Org - ©.
“I’m sorry to hear that,” I replied. “My grandfather had the same issue, but he ignored all the health advice and kept eating red meat.”
“Dad was the same,” Emily added.
A silence passed over the table at the mention of our father, the man I never knew. They probably had fond memories of the man and missed him greatly, but I still felt a pang of pain that I never knew him, and never would.
“Amanda has the same disorder, but it isn’t as bad for her,” Mel added after a dozen seconds.
“I just got lucky,” Amanda added.
“But that’s why you’re eating chicken?” I asked.
“Yes,” she replied.
“Well, I’ll be sure to keep that in mind for when it’s my turn to cook,” I said to the group with a smile.
“You cook?” Erica asked with a raised eyebrow.
“Yeah, my mum was a terrible cook, so I learnt how and cooked all our meals,” I replied.
“Dad was a great cook too,” Mel said, studying me thoughtfully.
We ate in relative silence after that. I thanked Amanda for the great food and was elated to hear there was another steak in the oven if I was still hungry. I made sure the other’s didn’t want it before fishing it out and devouring it in record time. I rarely had steak back home since it was so expensive, only treating myself to it when I was getting into some heavy weightlifting for the protein, and it was usually the cheapest cut I could find. I wondered if they ate this well each night, and what the girls did for work.
The house was immaculate, and the neighbourhood looked great, so they must have had decent jobs. I’d have to find something to do so I could pitch in and pay my way, the money I had from selling the apartment would only get me so far. That’s if they let me stay here permanently. Erica was sure to want her flat back eventually.
Once all the meals were finished Amanda got to her feet and began clearing the table. Emily joined her after a few seconds, and I got to my feet to give them a hand.
“It’s fine Nick, you just relax,” Amanda said with a smile.
“I don’t mind helping out, I did this sort of thing a lot back home,” I replied.
“That’s all well and good, but for now you’re our guest. Just relax, you’ve had a long trip and I’m sure you’re exhausted,” Amanda insisted.
“Yeah bro, let us take care of you,” Emily chimed in with a friendly smile.
Rather than argue the point I decided to let them win this round, but I wouldn’t feel comfortable letting them do all the work in the long term. I sat back in my seat and pulled my cigarettes out, mostly to keep my hands busy. I looked over to Amanda, and she gave me a nod of confirmation, letting me know It was okay for me to smoke here. I lit one up and took a long draw before exhaling with an audible sigh of relief. There really wasn’t much better than a smoke after a great meal, I just wish I had some whiskey to go with it. As if reading my mind, Erica got to her feet and disappeared inside, returning a moment later with a bottle of Jack Daniels.
She waved the bottle in my direction, and I replied with a wide grin. I scooted my chair back and went over to the outdoor bar I’d seen earlier, grabbing five glasses and returning to the table. Erica added ice to two of them, then poured the brown coloured liquid. I usually drank my whiskey with a mixer, but occasionally I’d sip a glass straight.
“Cheers,” Erica said, holding her glass out.
“Cheers,” I replied, clinking my glass to hers.
After the girls were finished with the dishes inside, they joined Erica and I for a drink. I noticed Mel didn’t touch any alcohol, only drinking the soft drink that we’d started mixing into our whiskey. The next hour passed by in a flash, mostly my sisters telling stories of shenanigans they’d gotten up to in their youth, some more embarrassing than others. As it turns out, Erica was quite a wild child, but I could have guessed that with how open she was about flaunting her spectacular body, and even flirting with her own brother. I didn’t think it was anything serious, so I put it to the back of my mind.
I’d been much better at controlling my sexual urges after I had a few drinks. The women still looked incredibly hot, but I was more relaxed now that the initial meeting and attraction was out of the way. Although I still caught myself checking out Amanda’s ass when she bent down to pick something up, or Erica’s well displayed cleavage. She caught me once, but simply smiled without saying a word.
“Well, I think it’s time for a swim,” Erica announced. We were all a little drunk, but a swim sounded great. I still wasn’t accustomed to the warmer climate.
I got to my feet and walked over to the pools edge. The cover was still over the water, but I spotted Emily jog over to the spool that the cover was attached too. She flicked a switch and a motor thrummed to life, the spool started turning slowly, dragging the dark blue cover away from the water’s surface, showing the pristine waters it had been protecting. The water was lit up by blue lights at the bottom, giving it an other-worldly glow.
“Last one in brings the drinks!” Erica yelled.