Lucy Knott - How to Bake a New Beginning

***

‘Oh my God, you guys were amazing,’ Amanda gushed at Levi, thumping him in the arm as he reached the spot where she was standing, in the now empty hall. He shoved her back softly before pulling her into a bear hug.

‘Look at you – you look gorgeous, as always. I’m so glad you could make it,’ he said, just about cracking one of her ribs in the process. James and Dylan had appeared next to him by the time he put her down.

‘Thanks, Levi. You guys look incredible too. It’s so good to see you,’ she said, hugging James and Dylan. ‘What do you think of home sweet home?’ she asked baring her pearly whites and waving her arms around the dimly lit room that housed a bar on one side. The barman had set up drinks for the boys and waved them over.

‘Well, we haven’t seen too much yet and we’re only here for a few days, but it looks pretty good so far,’ James replied, leading the way to the bar and the drinks. He picked up the one tall glass of red wine and handed it to Amanda before passing out the beers to the boys. She took her glass gratefully, smiling that the guys had thought to inform the barman of her drink.

‘We’d best make the most of the next few days then,’ she said. ‘I don’t care that you are big fancy rock stars now, I’m going to need you all to myself,’ she added with a playful grin.

‘Sounds good to me,’ came a warm raspy voice from behind her. Her grin grew wider and Amanda winked at Levi before turning to face Dan.

‘Ooh, aren’t the lead singers supposed to be the worst of the pack? So much ego with being front and centre all the time. Not all places in Manchester are built for such royalty, and boys …’ Amanda cocked her head back to glance at the rest of the band before locking eyes with Dan once more ‘… do you really think I can take this wild and crazy rock star home to meet my parents?’

She heard Levi, James and Dylan crack up behind her. Dan’s eyes twinkled under the low lights. She watched as his lips turned up into a cheeky smirk. He walked towards her with ease and calm, took the wineglass out of her hand and placed it back on the bar. Amanda stood watching his movements, chewing her bottom lip. She was trying not to crack up with laughter like the others, but she felt deliriously happy.

Just as she was about to open her mouth and tease Dan some more, he grabbed her around the waist, wrapping her up in his Versace scent, wet hair and solid frame. Amanda breathed him in. She couldn’t put a finger on what it was about this man, but he made her feel safe and like she could be her true self with him. Though she had been speaking to him via social networks since she left San Francisco, being in his presence again felt terribly good.

‘All right, all right,’ Amanda started, trying to push herself out of Dan’s strong grip, ‘always trying to be centre of attention.’ She smirked, then turned to pick up her wineglass and take a sip. ‘It’s nice to see you.’ She looked at Dan, who hadn’t taken his eyes off her.

‘Baby girl, it’s a lot more than “nice” to see you,’ he said, giving her his slow smile and collecting his own beer from the bar.

Dylan and James were now chatting amongst themselves. Levi, Amanda noticed, still had an eye trained on Dan, while also keeping up with what the others were discussing. She chuckled to herself how these boys knew each other like the backs of their hands. Dan was always watching over Levi, Levi always watching over Dan. They had that protective bond that came with being best friends since the age of three. They knew what was going on in each other’s lives, always. Levi had let Amanda in, but she was conscious of not stepping on his toes when it came to Dan. He was Levi’s best friend first and foremost.

‘You are right – it’s pretty fantastic to see you,’ she said, taking another sip of her wine and falling into conversation with Dan seamlessly, chatting about everything and nothing.

***

Amanda didn’t know why she felt nervous, but the palms of her hands were sweaty, and she had to blink back the dizziness as she looked at Dan and then turned the handle on her nanna and grandpa’s front door. Her family knew all about Dan. She had told them about him when she returned from San Francisco and they had occasionally popped on to Skype and waved a cheery hello to him, so it wasn’t like they were all complete strangers.

And really, it wasn’t a huge deal for them to like him. He was simply a friend, and with him living halfway across the world, it wasn’t like they had to see him all the time or put up with him and Amanda’s wild and crazy antics. She wasn’t a teenager any more either. Yet, her pulse was thumping rather loudly at being mere moments away from Grandpa meeting Dan in person.

The chatter in the living room drew closer but once Dan and Amanda came into view, the voices hushed. Louisa’s jaw dropped at the sight of him, which caused Amanda to laugh and her shoulders to drop slightly. Mum jumped up to greet him and instantly enveloped Dan in a hug. Dad stood tall, reaching out a hand in a very British hello.

Watching Nanna struggle to get up as fast as everyone else, Dan stepped over to her chair, leant down to her and gave a her a big hug and a kiss on the forehead while uttering the words ‘ Ciao, bella. ’ By this time Grandpa was standing and as Dan straightened up, both men came face to face. Grandpa’s eyes sparkled bright blue and his cheeks dimpled with a smile. They both stuck out a hand before stepping forward and embracing each other in a hug.

Amanda watched in awe before scooping up a biscotti from the table and plonking herself down on Nanna’s armrest, as she allowed complete happiness to wash over her.

Three hours later, she was walking with Dan back to her house. It was a fair walk from her grandparents’ house to her own but certainly doable. And this evening the fresh air was welcome. As Amanda breathed it in, she felt the pain of previous heartbreak lifting. There had been no tension and no awkwardness in Dan visiting her family. There had been no uneasy silences, no uninterested pauses, no yawning as Grandpa asked question after question or rattled off joke after joke. There had been none of that. In its place had been a natural stream of conversation, merry laughter and Amanda wasn’t entirely sure who had asked more questions: Grandpa or Dan.

‘Well, you’ve ruined me,’ she said to Dan, as they walked side by side down the cobbled street.

‘How so?’ Dan questioned, giving her a sideways glance. Amanda could see a hint of a smile playing at his lips, as they passed under a streetlamp.

‘Well, my next boyfriend is going to have to be Superman, like actually Superman,’ she said then paused, looking back up to Dan, who she noticed was now full-on smiling. ‘Why are you smiling? Are you about to tell me you are in fact Superman? Great, there’s no hope for me now then. I mean, Batman is no match for Superman. I guess I would be fine with Captain America. You couldn’t tell Sabrina and Louisa though – they have dibs on Chris Evans.’

She was aware she had started to ramble, but it felt good to be able to talk with no filter. In fact, it felt amazing. Tonight, had been a dream. After her last boyfriend, and his not so embracing attitude towards her family, tonight had felt truly special. Granted Dan was not her boyfriend but watching him with her family made her realize what she wanted, and she suddenly felt more confident in not settling for less.

‘I’m pretty sure Superman can’t just go around telling people he’s Superman, baby girl,’ Dan said, winking at her as they made their way to her front door.