by Amanda Wals
"Hi, Ryan. Grab a slice." Heather motioned toward a pizza box that was laying on the coffee table. I grabbed a slice and glanced around the living room as I took a seat.
"Mom's gonna kill you," I observed between bites. The living room was a mess and if I were a betting person, I would bet that the kitchen wasn't any better. Our mother had left us a list of things to do that morning and it didn't look like Skye had done any of hers.
"I'll get it clean before she gets back," Skye replied, dismissively.
"If you say so."
"So, Ryan," Vicky looked over at me with a calculated expression of concern, "Skye says you broke up with Whitney?"
"That's one way of putting it," I nodded as I took another bite of pizza. I didn't really care to get into a discussion about my love life at the moment and certainly not with Vicky, who had a habit of making everything into a soap opera.
"If you want to talk about it or whatever, let me know." The slender blonde leaned forward, putting her hand on my knee as she gave me a smile.
"I'm fine, but thanks."
A piece of pepperoni suddenly hit Vicky in the cheek, startling us both.
"Hey, skank! That's my brother!" My sister yelled in mock anger. Skye acted like she was joking, but I caught a tiny hint of a warning tone in her voice. I knew her better than anyone and didn't think the others noticed.
We all laughed a bit, even though Vicky looked a bit annoyed to have her move on me derailed. I was grateful for the distraction and took the opportunity to grab another slice of pizza and sit a little further from Vicky. She was a nice enough girl, but I wasn't interested.
After making small talk with them while I finished my pizza, I excused myself and went upstairs to shower.
I wandered back downstairs a couple of hours later and found that the girls had cleared out. Skye had picked up the living room and was vacuuming the carpet. I went to the kitchen for some water and saw that she hadn't started in there yet. A quick glance at the clock told me she wasn't going to have time to clean the kitchen and cook dinner before our mother got back.
It wouldn't take me long to help clean the kitchen, I thought. After all, she had brought me dinner last night. I had gotten the lawn mowed and trimmed the hedges before work this morning, so I was done with my list. Keeping busy helped keep my mind from wandering back to the break up as well. Then again, I could get in some quality time with the latest Fallout game back in my room.
Since I was off the next day from work and would have plenty of time for video games, I loaded the dishwasher and started it. Then I cleaned the microwave and got started scrubbing the stove top. I had enjoyed her company last night and it had been a good while since we'd had a chance to hang out and chat. Some part of me kind of missed the days before I was working and going to school when we were around each other all the time. She could be a lot of fun at times.
Skye walked into the kitchen and surveyed what I had gotten done so far. She was wearing black leggings and an oversized v-neck gray t-shirt that hung far off of one shoulder exposing a pink bra strap. I couldn't help noticing how pretty she looked at the moment, perhaps even sexy with the slight sheen of sweat on her brow from cleaning the living room.
"You didn't think I could do it." She had an accusing tone, but the grin creeping up her face gave her away.
"No, I knew you couldn't finish in time. There's a difference," I laughed.
"I still have 30 minutes before she's due back."
"Yeah, and now you stand a prayer of actually pulling it off if we keep at it. I'll get the counters. You empty the dishwasher."
"Who died and made you king?" She folded her arms and mock glared at me.
"I'm the oldest, and I'm the one doing the extra work. So, I get to dictate. Now move your ass," I smirked.
She got to work, purposely putting an extra and intentionally silly shake in her ass with every movement. It was pretty comical and we were both laughing at her ridiculous antics. Eventually, she got to the dishes that were in the upper cabinets and she had to grab a stool. When we were younger, I had made a hobby of putting things that she often needed on top shelves, out of her reach.
I watched from the corner of my eye as she strained to reach something on the very top shelf. Even on the short kitchen stool, she had to stretch on her tiptoes with both arms outstretched to put the casserole dish away. Her shirt crept up above her mid-drift and her tights covered ass cheeks squeezed together with the effort. She definitely had a cute ass.
"You feeling better today?" Thankfully, she wasn't facing me to see that my eyes had locked on to her butt.
"Oh, uh... A little," I tried to get my thoughts back on track, having been derailed by her curves. Truthfully, I did feel a bit better. Not so much when I was by myself, but I certainly felt more like myself when I was around Skye. I didn't have Whitney eating away at my every thought.
"She still calling like crazy?" Skye asked as she hopped down from the stool.
"Worse. She showed up at work today and almost caused a scene," I grumbled. I then explained how Whitney had come to my job demanding to speak to me and gave a long sob story about how I somehow didn't understand what I had seen happening at her apartment. After I managed to get her out of the store without having a manager overhear, I told her in no uncertain terms that I didn't want to see or hear from her ever again.
"Wow," Skye grinned. "I bet that must have rattled the stupid whore."
"Well, she hasn't called at all since. So there's that," I shrugged. "But it sucked because she was crying and really drug me down the rest of the day."
"Probably faking it for sympathy," she sneered.
"I guess. I never realized how full of shit she was before all this. Wasted so much time with her. I feel fucking stupid about the whole thing, to be honest."
I was leaning back against the counter, staring absently at the tile floor. Skye suddenly wrapped her arms around me in a hug.
"You're not stupid, Ryan. She screwed up, not you."
"Still sucks," I replied, trying my best not to choke up. Her hug triggered some of the hurt I'd been trying to keep pent up and I felt my eyes watering up in response. She was a good hugger, even if the top of her head didn't even reach my chin.
"Yeah," she sighed as she released me. Her eyes moved up to meet mine and gave me an affectionate look.
"So what's with you and Vicky?" I asked in a bid to change the subject.
"What do you mean?"
"I can tell you're pissed at her. Just curious."
"Oh, nothing really. She just rubs me the wrong way sometimes. I wasn't really angry, just kind of annoyed." She turned and went back to cleaning.
"I can understand that. She's a bit much."
"Are you interested in her?" Skye wasn't looking at me, but I caught that tone in her voice again.
"Not at all. For one thing, I wouldn't want to have to clean bronzer or whatever the fuck she uses to do that to her skin off of my stuff all the time." I laughed.
"I'm glad," She replied, "It would be really weird seeing one of my best friends dating my brother."
"Not happening."
She nodded at me in response and moved in for another hug.
"Thanks for helping me in here," she patted my chest and turned away.
"No problem."
"Now get lost so I can mop. Mom will be home any minute."
* * *
"Oh Shit," Kevin cocked an eyebrow and stared behind me toward the bar entrance.
I glanced over my shoulder and inadvertently locked eyes with Whitney. She was wearing a black party dress with heels. Her long blonde hair was pulled up in a loose ponytail. It would be a lie if I tried to say that she didn't look sexy. That didn't mean I wanted anything to do with her. She gave me a hopeful smile and a small wave.
I turned back to my drink without responding and finished it in one gulp.
"She's heading this way," Kevin muttered under his breath.
"Of course she is," I sighed
, already pinching the bridge of my nose in anticipation of the headache I knew was coming.
"Want another?" He pointed at the empty whiskey glass in front of me.
"Probably gonna need about eight of 'em."
He smirked as he looked around for our barmaid.
I almost held my breath waiting for Whitney to arrive. I hadn't seen her in several weeks and it no longer hurt to look at her. I just didn't want to.
"Hi, Ryan. Kevin."
"Hey Whit," Kevin looked up at her and nodded. I said nothing.
"Can we talk?" She asked, staring at the table.
"I've said what I had to say," I replied, coldly.
"Just a few minutes. Please?"
"I guess," I sighed. If a few minutes would get her to leave me alone, I could spare it.
"Kev, could you?" Whitney looked at Kevin who shrugged.
"Let me go see if I can find our waitress," he said as he scooted out of the booth.
Whitney slid into his spot and set her purse on the table.
"So what do you want?" I stared across at her as I nervously slid my empty glass back and forth between my hands.
"I wanted to know if you were still angry with me, but I guess that's obvious," She slumped her shoulders.
"I'm a lot less angry than I was. Not being around you helped."
"I know you're upset, but you are really blowing this out of proportion. What you saw... that was just sex. That's all it was. It has nothing to do with how I feel about you." She slid a hand over one of mine and flinched when I pulled away.
"You cheated on me. It says everything about how you feel about me," I growled, trying not to raise my voice.
"It was just sex, Ryan. I'm a very sexual person. You know that."
"Wow," I rocked back in the booth.
"It was something I always wanted to try, the opportunity came up and I took it. That's all."
"You really don't get it," I almost laughed.
"What don't I get?"
It was clear that my tone irritated her.
"This isn't about sex. This is about trust. I trusted you. You decided to be selfish and shit on it."
"I didn't..."
I cut her off, raising my voice this time.
"You did! You tell me it's something you always wanted to try but you never asked me about it. You didn't consider how it would make me feel, like a normal person in a goddamned relationship would!"
"I wasn't trying to hurt you," She reached out and tried to take my hand again. I let her this time.
"You know... If you had tried to talk to me about it, maybe things would have been different. Maybe it was something we could have tried. But now it's too late."
"It's not too late. I want us to try again. I miss you."
I sat in silence for a few moments, staring at the table as I carefully chose my next words. When I raised my eyes to look at her face, she smiled a little. In my mind, I immediately pictured her back at her apartment, down on her hands and knees, blowing the guy while the brunette was fucking her with the strap-on. I breathed a sigh of relief as the words fell into place.
"At the end of the day, it doesn't matter anymore. You aren't the person I thought you were. I thought I loved that person, and maybe that part was my fault. But they don't exist. What I know now is that I can't trust you. And that tells me that you aren't someone that I want in my life."
"You really do hate me, don't you?" She grabbed a napkin from the table and dabbed at her face.
The way that she carefully dried her face, trying not to smear her makeup, really rubbed me the wrong way. It felt so calculated. It felt like she was trying to manipulate my emotions. It wasn't working.
"I don't hate you, Whitney. I just don't want to know you anymore." I slid out of the booth and stood next to it.
"That's the meanest thing you've ever said to me," She said softly.
"Good luck with... whatever," I shrugged and walked over to the bar where Kevin was smoking a cigarette, leaving her in the booth.
He passed me another drink and raised an eyebrow.
"Heard all that, did you?"
"I'd venture most of the bar heard that," He chuckled.
"Doesn't really matter," I muttered and took a swig of my drink.
"Would you have done a threesome if she asked?"
"I don't think so. Maybe. I don't know. I can't see myself sharing someone I love with someone else. But that wasn't the point."
He grunted in reply and snubbed the last of his cigarette out in the ashtray.
"I'm heading out, man. Gonna go home, fire up the PlayStation and blow the living shit out of something for a while."
"I don't blame you," He replied.
"Working tomorrow?"
"Fuckin' always, dude."
"See you there," I dropped a twenty in front of him to pay for my drinks and headed for the door.
* * *
A few nights later, I was stretched out on the couch in the living room halfheartedly watching TV when Skye came home from work. She was talking on her phone with someone and gave me a small wave as she dropped her purse on the recliner across the room and headed upstairs.
"There's food on the stove!" I called after her. Mom had just rotated to the night shift at the hospital, so we were left to our own devices at the moment. We sort of had an unspoken agreement that the first one home from work cooked dinner on the nights that it was just the two of us.
A short while later, just as I was beginning to doze off, she returned to the living room carrying a bowl of pasta from the kitchen. I noticed she had changed into shorts and a tank top.
"Scoot over," she motioned to the couch with her bowl.
"There's other places to sit."
"I can see the TV better from here." Skye let a little whine slip into her voice.
"Damn it," I sighed irritably, as I sat up and shifted over on the couch.
"So, mom's got a new boyfriend." She flopped down on the cushion next to me and shoved a forkful of pasta in her mouth.
"Really?" I asked, surprised. Mom had been single for the last year or so. A few dates here and there, but nothing that stuck.
"Yeah, his name's David. She met him in the ER. He's an EMT or something like that."
"Good for her," I replied and meant it.
"I hope so. That last guy was an asshole." Skye cut me a look. Neither of us thought mom had particularly decent taste in men. She seemed to have a thing for arrogant pricks.
We chatted about mom's new boyfriend and other stuff while she finished eating. When she was done, she slid her empty bowl on the coffee table and snuggled up against me as I slumped against the arm of the couch.
"Excuse me?" I asked in mock irritation as she grabbed my arm and draped it over her shoulder.
"I'm cold. Warm me up."
"You could put on more clothes, you know." I rolled my eyes.
"Yeah, but you're comfy."
Resigned to my fate, I went back to watching the television.
I could feel her smooth bare leg rubbing pleasantly against the side of my calf. My fingertips were resting on her just below the hem of her tank top. I wasn't trying to touch her bare flesh, this was just the position she had placed us in. She felt smooth and warm to my touch. Becoming more aware than usual of her femininity, I felt the beginnings of an erection. I self-consciously tried to move my hand a little higher so that I would only be holding her side above her shirt, but she muttered a protest and placed my hand back where it was.
I tried to focus on the TV and ignore the fact that I was starting to get turned on by my sister. Of course, trying to block out an uncomfortable situation just made me think about it more. I glanced down at her from the corner of my eye.
She was curled against me, her eyes closed, not watching the show. Her hips shifted as she adjusted her legs against me. One of her arms was draped halfway across my chest, causing her tank top to fold out at the neck and I realized I was seeing right down her cleavage. Her breasts
weren't that big, but they were large enough on her small frame to make for an enticing view. The black lace at the tops of her bra cups were plainly visible down the gap her top created. That didn't help the tightening in my pants at all.
"What's wrong?" Skye suddenly asked, startling me.
'Uh... w-what?" I stammered, resolutely staring at the television.
"You're all tense all of a sudden. Is something wrong?"
"Nothing really. Just thinking." I replied.
"About what?" She pushed up away from me, drawing a leg up under herself, and looked at me with concern.
I glanced at her, my eyes involuntarily fixating on the surgery scars on her knee for a moment.
"About the college application I have to finish for Austin. It's pretty intimidating." I lied. Truthfully, I'd finished the application earlier today but it was all I could think of at the moment.
It was her turn to look away.
"I don't see why you can't finish your bachelor's degree here and go there for grad school," she stared at the coffee table.
"It's better for my resume to have a degree from there. Their biology program is far superior to what they offer here." I ran a hand through my hair and leaned forward on the couch, grateful to be able to hide my erection.
"I know." She sighed, her face dissolving into a pout.
"I'm going into a really competitive field. I need to take any opportunity I can to be the most promising looking graduate when I start job hunting."
"Yeah, but I'll never see you anymore."
Skye's eyes clouded up and she still wasn't looking at me. I was a little taken aback at how much the idea of me going away for school bothered her.
"I'll still be around, you know. It's only a few hours away. I'll be home on the weekends I'm off and holidays. We'll still see each other."
I reached over and ruffled her hair affectionately as if she were a little kid. Generally speaking, that move was a good way to risk losing a limb, but she didn't protest.
