Page 19 of Mistaken Prejudice

“Actually, I can’t. Chief has these ‘house rules.’ One of them is Saturday’s family dinners.”

Awww. That’s super cute and attentive but also ruining my plans to hang out with Andrei for another couple of hours. Unable to hide my disappointment, I frowned. Andrei reached out and rested his hand on my thigh, gently squeezing me.

“But there isn’t any rule about bringing guests.”

“Oh,” I said, surprised. “Are you sure about that? I don’t want to intrude.”

“Yeah, I would love for you to come.”

“Are you sure? Until five hours ago, I was the douche who stood you up.”

“And since five hours ago, you’re no longer him.” He reached for my unlocked phone, opened the navigation app, and typed in an address I assumed was his. “Okay. Let’s go.”

“Cool.” I tried to hide my smile, but by now, what was the point?

***

The drive was short, and twenty minutes later, we arrived at what looked like a classic beach shack you see in movies. I parked my car beside the truck Andrei drove the other day and a turquoise scooter.

“Is that yours?” I asked, looking at the heart stickers glued to the back of the scooter.

“It’s Jess’s and Levi’s.” He smiled.

Grabbing my hand, he led us through a small wooden gate into the backyard.

“The front entrance is for the surf club we run. It’s small but has good people,” he explained as we walked toward the wood-framed cottage.

The windows were lit, and noises were coming from inside the house. We climbed a few old steps that led to the door, and as soon as Andrei opened it, three pit bulls charged at us. Despite their rather large and intimidating appearance, the three dogs greeted us with nothing but licks and tail wagging.

“This baby girl is Puma.” Andrei pointed over to the one wagging her tail at my feet. “That’s Pacha.” He pointed at the black pit bull who ran back inside. “And this champ is Pooh.” He planted a kiss on the nose of the brown dog he was holding before standing up.

Following Andrei inside, I took in the decorations of the house. The wooden walls were covered with various photos showing surfers, travelers, and breathtaking views. A few old surfboards hung on the wall like a masterpiece, and you got to admit, they had style. The closer we were to the kitchen, the louder the voices got, and when we stepped into the yellow-colored room, two pairs of eyes were on me.

“The fuck is he doing here?” Fuck Off guy growled while staring daggers at me.

So much for being welcomed.

“I invited Miles to join us,” Andrei answered, sounding unbothered as he walked farther into the kitchen. Turning to look at me, he smiled. “Miles, this is Chief. Chief, this is Miles.” A handsome, tall man with broad shoulders and short dark hair approached me.

“Nice to meet you, Miles. Happy you’re joining us for dinner.” He pinched my shoulder, and I was stunned by the intensity of his emerald eyes. “You’re lucky.” He paused and paid attention to Fuck Off guy, who was still frowning by the stove. “Diesel is cooking his famous Arepas.”

Okay, so Fuck Off guy’s name was Diesel? Good to know. And he could cook? Well, that’s surprising.

“I ain’t cooking shit if he’s eating.” Diesel threw the pan he was holding on the stove and oil splashed all over the place.

“Calm down, kid.” Chief’s attention was back on Diesel. “And don’t smoke inside the house.”

Lighting up the cigarette he shoved in his mouth a second ago, Diesel pointed at Chief. “Fuck you.” He then pointed at me. “Fuck you.” He moved toward the sliding door, and before stepping out, he made sure to pin Andrei with a stern look. “And fuck you too.” He then stormed out of the kitchen, not bothering to close the door behind him.

I heard some whispering coming from outside before Diesel shouted another “fuck you” and the two other guys I’d seen at school walked in.

“What’s up with him— Yo! We have a guest!” The guy with the pink hair who made me think of a puppy raised his hands in the air and ran toward me. Without notice, he wrapped his long arms around me and crushed me with a tight hug.

“I’m Jessie, but you can call me Jess. Or you can just call me Jessie. Nice to meet you, man.” Letting me go, I was now faced with two big green eyes. Apparently, Jessie knew nothing about personal space.

“You’re so pretty. You know that, right? Levi, have you seen how pretty he is? Seriously, dude. Are you a model? You should be one if not. By the way, did you know that koala bears are, in fact, not bears?”

I was overwhelmed by the number of words that came out of his mouth in such a short amount of time, and before I could decide on which comment I should respond to first, the other guy spoke.