She made a mental note to thank her mom for the new carpet as it squished beneath her toes, making her way to the bathroom. She grunted a greeting as Daisy glanced up from blow-drying her hair. Flipping the switch off, Daisy said �Mornin� crabby, we have to go grocery shopping�so hurry up.�
Rose blinked at her watch, shoving toothpaste on her toothbrush. �First of all, since when are YOU up before ME? Second of all, since when do YOU plan grocery shopping?� she asked, starting to brush her teeth.
�Since I couldn�t sleep very well after that nice little nap I took last night and,� a grin spread across her face, �since I saw your new friend Joel this morning on his way out to band practice and we decided tonight would be the night we cook for them.�
Rose spat her toothpaste out quickly, her eyes widening. �Today!?!� she sucked the toothpaste foam off her bottom lip before rinsing her mouth out, wiping the excess water on the back of her hand. �Did he come over here or something??�
Daisy shook her head in response, wrapping the cord around her hairdryer as she stuck it back in its cupboard. �I had the door propped open and Benji had his guitar so of course I had to ask. You know they practice every morning but Sunday?� she ran her brush through her waist length hair. Rose just stared, her arms crossed over her chest, her eyebrow quirked. �Well anyways, Joel asked about you,� she paused, letting it sink in, her attempt at being dramatic, before continuing, �and then Benji asked about their free dinner,� she finished combing her hair and shoved the brush away into the nearby drawer.
Rose huffed slightly, leaning back against the wall. �Figures that would be all he cared about�so you told them to come by tonight?�
Daisy nodded, �Yup they�ll be here at seven. And they�re bringing a friend. Some girl named Mary, lives in 417. I guess they know her from home or something�� she shrugged. �Joel offered to come over early to help but I knew that would piss you off so I told him not to.�
�Thank you!� Rose answered. �We�re supposed to be repaying them a favor. Him coming over would defeat the whole purpose,� she sighed and then said reluctantly. �Alllllright, let me get in the shower and then we�ll go,� she nudged her head in the direction of the door, urging Daisy to leave.
Daisy took the hint, grabbing her makeup bag and heading to her own room. Rose caught her reflection in the mirror and frowned. Her hair hung in sleep filled tangles around her shoulders, and her black-rimmed glasses sat slightly crooked on her nose. She took them off and sighed, quickly running a brush through her hair before hopping into the shower. She took the time to shave her legs, and after drying off she slipped her contacts in. She then dug Daisy�s hairdryer out of the cupboard and flipped it on. No sooner had she begun to dry her hair had Daisy burst into the room, her eyes wide with question.
�What the hell are you doing??� she asked Rose. Rose answered with a small look of confusion. �I KNEW it was weird for you to take a shower when you just had one last night before bed but now you�re blow drying your hair!?�
Rose shrugged her shoulders gently, �So what?�
Daisy continued, pointing, �And you�re wearing your contacts!!,� she exclaimed, her face bursting into a grin. �You�re dressing up for him!�
Rose narrowed her eyes, mentally reminding herself of the millions of reasons she loved her best friend before stating firmly �I don�t dress up for anyone but myself. I just feel like doing something with myself today. You act like that�s such a huge deal.�
Daisy rolled her eyes dramatically. �Whatever you say Ro. I�ve known you for 20 years. I know what makes you tick,� she shrugged. But if you want to pretend I don�t see what you are up to then that�s just fine with me.� She turned on her heel and left the bathroom, closing the door firmly behind her. Rose stared at the closed door for a long moment, debating calling after her before begrudgingly deciding against it, switching the dryer back on and finishing her hair. She frowned slightly at her disobedient ends and decided she would give them a slight curl later.
She came out of the bathroom quietly, Daisy�s stare fixed on her as she grabbed her wallet off the TV stand, along with her cell phone. Daisy could tell she had gotten under Rose�s skin and mentally acknowledged that this was not the best idea. Knowing Ro, she would immediately revert back into herself, tie her hair up and refuse to ever touch makeup again. Daisy sometimes wondered if Rose genuinely enjoyed being alone or if she was just too terrified of letting herself get hurt. Daisy had seen her go through the hurt before, and had experienced it herself as well, but she found herself too in love with falling in love to block it out.
Rose stood before Daisy now, gently tossing her wallet from one hand to the other, slightly amused by her friend�s thoughtful expression. �You comin� with me?� she finally inquired.
Daisy blinked, then nodded, sliding herself up from the couch with ease, rubbing her hands together. �You�re gonna make them Mama�s Herb and Garlic chicken, right?� she asked as she hoisted her heavy, overly stuffed purse onto her shoulder.
�That would be the plan,� Rose answered as they left their new apartment, locking the door behind them. �Mmm,� Daisy licked her lips. �I just may be more excited about this than they are!�
Rose groaned softly at the �Out of Order� sign that remained on the elevator shaft, turning sharply towards the stairwell instead. Daisy followed, chattering absently about home cooking and her moms homemade chocolate chip cookies. Once on the stairwell, Rose froze, pinching Daisy�s arms in an effort to quiet her. The result was a small noise from Daisy�s throat that could best be described as a chirp before she raised both her eyebrows in confusion�and then recognition. Two identical voices drifted on an echo from the bottom floor, their feet on the stairs barely audible over their brotherly banter. Rose was able to pick out Joel�s voice after only a moment, his tone and mannerisms slightly softer then Benji�s raspy tendencies.
�Just lay off aight man? I�ve told you a thousand times. I helped her unpack her shit an� I left. The end,� Joel said, his voice laced with annoyance.
It was easy to visualize Benji�s smirk as he responded, �Aww�you didn�t even give her a kissy goodnight?�
�A kissy? Dude what the fuck is a kissy?� Joel retorted quickly.
Rose scowled as Daisy nudged her arm and winked. The guys were on the second flight now, and would soon be mounting the third.
Benji laughed and said, �Why you so annoyed bro?� Rose pictured him wiggling his eyebrows. �Why you so jumpy about it?�
�I�m not jumpy!� Joel�s reply was practically layered over the end of Benji�s, he had spoken so eagerly to defend himself. Benji chuckled again and Rose�s eyes widened slightly as she realized how close the guys were to coming around the final bend, only to be met by her and Daisy�s eavesdropping. To prevent awkwardness, Rose tugged on Daisy�s arm and they began to descend the steps. Seconds later they were met face to face with the twins. Benji�s smirk slid off his face, bending into a frown and he reached up to scratch behind his ear, muttering, �Speak of the fuckin� devil.� Joel�s elbow met Benji�s side with force and Benji groaned in response.
�You were talking about us?� Rose asked, plastering a sarcastic smile on her lips. �How flattering.�
Daisy rolled her eyes, used to Rose�s snotty sarcasm. It was Rose�s favorite way to defend herself, her tough exterior and quick tongue.
�Naw,� Joel answered, his eyes fixed on Rose�s. �Well..you know. About dinner an� stuff. Are we still on?� his gaze drifted slowly from Rose to Daisy and back to Rose.
�Yeah we are!� Daisy exclaimed quickly and with a hint of over enthusiasm, before Rose could slip in another snide remark.
Benji leaned against the wall, his tongue darting through his slightly parted lips to toy gently with his lip ring, seemingly antsy and permanently annoyed. His guitar wiggled lightly as he tapped his foot impatiently against the step. �What are we havin�?� he asked.
�It�s a surprise!� Daisy beamed with pride, her eyes twinkling at the thought of Mama�s chicken.
Benji rolled his eyes. Picking up on Benji�s attitude, Joel smiled and said �Sweet. We�ll see you guys at seven,� he bit his lip gently for a moment, his eyes again meeting Rose, his expression softer than her defiant one. He slipped past her slowly, his arm brushing against her shoulder gently as he climbed the steps in silence, Benji following not far behind him. The silence hung in the air between the two girls as well until Rose finally glanced at her friend sideways. �What?�
Daisy shook her head slightly, sighing, �Nothing,� and skipped down the last few steps.
Rose shrugged, following after her. �Benji seems like such an asshole.�
�An asshole?� Daisy asked, glancing at her friend. �He seems like he�s sad to me��
�He�s not sad. He�s angry. For no reason,� Rose replied, unlocking the doors to her jeep and climbing into the driver�s seat.
�You don�t know that Rose. You don�t know anything about either of them.�
�And you do!?� Rose pulled the car onto the road, focusing on her driving. �God I love New York traffic,� she grumbled sarcastically under her breath.
�No,� Daisy responded to Rose�s question. �I just don�t think you give people enough of a chance sometimes Ro,� she said almost sadly.
Rose threw a quick glance in the direction of her friend, snorting softly, �Well obviously neither does he.�
The remainder of the short ride was spent with Daisy singing along loudly with the radio. Rose let her mind wander, she was slightly irked by her best friends persistence on the issue of the twins. It was beyond her why their opinions or their friendships meant anything to Daisy. One thing was for certain, she reassured herself, those twins have no affect on her whatsoever, and after tonight�s dinner, she didn�t care if she ever saw either of them again�
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