"Yo Horris open up!" I called out at his door.

Then Nic answers the door, like he lives  there, wearing a pair of boxers and a t-shirt. Plus a robe that was wide open.

"Oh, hey Walt. Horris is in the bathroom." I nod, entering the house. If Nic is here, odds are everyone came over after the group chat.

Seeing as I'm in my friend's houses a lot, I know my way around each one of them and what I can and can't do. Like, Horris' dad is always freezing so guests aren't even allowed to request the heat be turned down. So the boys and I have started stripping upon entry to his house.

Nic's mom has a complete and utter phobia of bugs, so when we come over we need to not drop any good, not open any windows, and can't leave the door open. And it's just become a thing that when a bug shows up, whoever is first to kill it gets a fiver from his mom. Loki racks up at Nic's house.

Loki's parents are actually pretty laid back. He's got younger siblings so the only real set of rules is to keep stuff G- rated or PG-13 around them.

Mike's actually never really let us in his house. He's let us in his garage a couple times, but we've never been in his house before. I have no idea what's in there, but whatever it is Mike doesn't want us to have anything to do with it.

Anyway, I took off my shoes and jacket before flopping down on the couch. I turned on the tv and felt someone else flop next to me. I craned my neck to the right to see Loki next to me chewing on something. Then Mike walked in with Horris, and Nic came in later. Mike sat on the loveseat next to the couch, Nic sat on his lap, and Horris sat to the left of Loki on the couch.

I changed it to Cutthroat Kitchen, a show none of us really know how we got into, but we're into it.

Alton Brown had just started explaining the rules and such, when we all heard a squeal and a thump. I trained my eyes in the direction of where it came from, and saw a pouty Nic on the floor in front of Mike rubbing his butt, while Mike spread his legs all dude like and stared at the TV contentedly.

I started to ask what happened, but Loki beat me to it.

"Did you just push our beloved Nic off of your lap?"

Mike nodded and threw a piece of popcorn in his mouth, missed, and tried to play it off. But Horris was having none of that!

"You missed."

"My butt hurts!" Nic interrupted. Of course.

"Well Nic, there's always plenty of room on the floor, the beanbags, or -"

"Shhhh! The show started already!" I yelled, and for some reason everyone snapped quiet and focused on the TV.

See, a bunch of half naked sweaty dudes all within five feet of each other doesn't always mean it's a gay orgy type thing. Sometimes it's just a bunch of bros watching a cooking show in their bros hot as hell house.

Just as Alton Brown and the guest judge were about to announce who would be eliminated this round, the doorbell rang.

No one really felt like getting up to get it, so no one did. We waiting until the guy with the goatee got voted off and it went to commercial break. By then, I think all of us figured whoever'd come to the door was gone now.

But then harsher knocking sounded. I groaned, and immediately a five-way rock paper scissors tournament broke out.

Two minutes of rock paper scissors madness later, I lost and was chosen to answer the door. Well I didn't really lose, Horris lost. But he said:

"It's my house. I say Walt gets it."

And here I am peering through the peephole to see if they were still there.

She, in fact, was.

I looked down and saw I was barefoot dressed in just some jeans. I shrugged and opened the door.

Fiona stood there. Her hair pulled back into a tight high ponytail, wearing a pink sports bra and jogging Capri looking things, plus some pink sneakers.

"Whaddya need?"

"Walter? What're you doing here?" Fiona asked. Psh, what does she mean 'what am I doing here'? I'm one of Horris' best friends, what is she doing here?

"I asked you first." I replied flatly. I'll admit, it's damn hard to see her. It's pretty tough to move on from a relationship that lasted so long. She flipped her ponytail over her shoulder and a waft of strawberry mint shampoo hit me like a sweet slap in the face.

"I'm here for Horris. Where is he?"

Oh great! An escape! I called Horris before closing the door on her and flopping on the couch face first.

Horris got up and went to the door. I don't know what he said, but suddenly Fiona was fussing and going on about him throwing her off. I sat up and peeked over the back of the couch. Only Horris' back and half of Fiona were visible from my position.

He shrugged and she tried to come in to yell at him more, but he closed the door on her and came back to the couch.

"Now, where were we?"