Josh proudly showed his little pasta to Riley, who beamed at him. Making Riley smile was one of Josh's favorite things to do, and it warmed his heart that Riley did it because he was proud of Josh.
“That’s awesome, man,” Riley said, turning his focus to his own dough and board. “I want to try.”
Before long, all of them were stationed around the kitchen with their own dough and boards, creating piles of pasta.
Everyone was so into it that they completely forgot about Hailey’s game, including Hailey. But who couldblame them? They were having too much fun inventing new pasta shapes and comparing each other’s work.
“New plan, let’s play the game after lunch, and then we can get our drink on while we play. That way, we have plenty of carbs in our stomachs.”
They all agreed, and while everyone continued making their pasta, Emilio stirred a pot of his pomodoro sauce on the stove, filling the room with a delicious aroma. Josh couldn’t wait to eat it.
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Everyone had satisfied smiles on their faces as they finished their Italian feast. Emilio was adamant that they have a second course with a protein, as was the Italian way, and he made delicious roasted chicken. He ended the meal with shots of chilled limoncello.
As they cleaned up from lunch, Hailey got them ready for her version of a newlywed game, passing out dry erase boards and markers to each of the couples. Elena had borrowed them from her classroom during winter break.
She passed them out while everyone grabbed a drink and settled around the living room. It was a cozy place with dark wood accents, a fireplace and comfy furniture that everyone sank into. The home leaned into the nature aesthetic, with pinecone and antler decorations scattered around. The chef’s kitchen connected to the living room and made it easy for them to keep participating even if they had to grab a refill.
“I found this long list of questions, but I haven’t read them yet because that would be cheating,” Hailey said.
“Hopefully, it’s a good list,” Abby said. “Otherwise, I’m sure there are others we could search.”
“Oh, yeah, I have three backups ready to go,” Hailey said. “I’ll read a question, and then we all write our answers on our boards. We’ll reveal them one couple at a time. Sound good?”
There were nods and shouts of encouragement around the room. Hailey bounced in her seat with excitement.
“Let the game begin! Question one: Which partner is better at handling things breaking in the house?”
Josh uncapped his marker and wrote Avery on his board. He was the best at fixing everything, apparently a skill he learned when visiting some of his clients' houses. As a social worker, he always went above and beyond for his families. Josh tried helping him hang a shelf once and accidentally put the hammer through the wall. Avery didn’t ask for his help again after that.
“Riley and Josh, reveal your answers in three, two, one!”
Josh flipped his board around for everyone to see at the same time as Riley, who had written his own name on his board.
There were confused looks around the circle, until Riley spoke.
“When they saywhich partner, they mean, out of the two of us, not the whole group,” Riley said.
“I appreciate the confidence in my skills, though, Josh. Thanks,” Avery offered, making him feel a little better about messing up already. He would do better the next time now that he understood the rules.
Only Hailey and Avery matched on that one, Cole and Elena bickering about picking themselves, and Emilio and Abby still getting to know each other. Hailey moved on to the next question.
“Which partner is more dominant in the bedroom?”
Josh took a moment to think. When Riley brought home a date, he could easily hear them through their thin walls. He usually heard directions from the woman rather than Riley. Then there was that threesome they had once a couple years ago, and Josh remembered taking the lead on deciding who would do what. They didn’t touch each other, but it was pretty clear that Riley enjoyed being told what to do, so he wrote his own name on the board.
“Elena and Cole, what do you got?” Hailey asked.
Both of their boards read Elena and both of their faces showed smug smirks. He could have guessed that one. Emilio and Abby both wrote Abby, while Avery won out for his team. Hailey was bright red when she revealed her board.
“Riley and Josh?”
They both revealed their boards, and they matched, Riley having Josh’s name written on his board.
“Yeah, we got our first point!” Josh shouted, excitedfor their first right answer of the game. Riley returned his excitement with a high five, and they were ready for the next question.
“Next one. First, decide which partner will bepartner Aand which will bepartner B,” Hailey said, and they all decided who was who by marking it on their boards in the upper corners. “Which body part would partner A say is partner B’s sexiest?”
