Girl,fuck no! His breath stank so bad
Mazi
OMG I feel so bad. I’m sorry for being such a crappy friend.
It’s okay. I still love you
Mazi
I could barely sleep all night. I was so worried about you when I found out you left with Maddox. Y’all didn’t hook up last night, did you?
Come on, Mazi. I’m not so desperate to get laid that I would hook up with that asshole!
Mazi
Okay. I just wanna make sure.
Even though Mazi is my best friend, there’s no way in hell I can tell her about what happened earlier. She can’t stand Maddox and would be livid if she knew how close I came to giving in to him.
“Thank you so much, Mrs. Kamado. It was delicious.” I slurp up the last bit of my rich, creamy ramen, not wanting to leave behind a single drop of the flavorful broth.
Izumi smiles at me, her eyes crinkling. “I’m so glad you liked it.” She turns her attention to Maddox. “What would you do without me? You would probably be malnourished and not have those big strong muscles.”
He rolls his eyes, slurping down another spoonful of ramen.
“Damn, Kamado. You still don’t know how to cook?” I tease.
“I can cook. I just choose not to,” he replies with a shrug.
Izumi snorts. “Putting bread in the toaster is hardlycooking.”
“Hey! It always comes out perfectly toasty!”
“Annalise, remember that time he tried to bake me a birthday cake and you had to come help?” She glances in my direction, chuckling softly.
The Kamados' kitchen looks as though a curious toddler has been left unattended. Their marble counters are dusted with flour, and eggshells litter the floor.
Maddox flashes me his adorable dimpled smile as I assess the mess. He’s wearing his mom’s pink apron that’s way too small, and there’s cake batter all over him.
Dipping my fingers into the batter, I give it a taste and immediately gag, spitting it into the sink. “This tastes like concrete.”
“I don’t know what I did wrong. I followed the recipe.” Maddox pulls out his phone to show me.
Glancing over at the counter, I spot a measuring cup sticking out of a bag of salt.
A laugh escapes my lips. “You used salt instead of sugar, you big goof.”
He slaps a palm on his forehead. “Ah, dang it! How did I miss that?”
I place my hand on his shoulder. “Aw, it’s okay, Maddy Bear. We can fix this. Just help me clean up the kitchen, and I’ll make some new batter.”
Izumi and I shake with laughter at the memory.
She squeezes his shoulder. “It’s okay, Masashi. It’s the thought that counts.”
One of the hardest things about the breakup was not being able to see his family. His dad mostly kept to himself, but his mom and sister, Asami, treated me like family. Izumi always looked out for me and made sure I was fed.
Asami and I became really close, but our friendship ended when Maddox and I broke up. Having to cut ties with people I shared a bond with was not an easy thing to do.
