College Daze – Chapter 1

“You in?” I asked my eighteen-year old sister Tandra.

“Yeah, let’s hit the road” she answered, double checking that her seat belt was properly latched.

I slipped my van into reverse and started to back out of the driveway of our parents house, experiencing a shot of deja vu from this same scene last year. Back then, my little sister had stood at the side of my vehicle looking like she’d lost her best friend. I could still see the tears in her eyes as I pulled away for my trip to my first year of university. That memory was burned into my brain, along with the pain I’d felt at leaving home, our parents, and especially my bratty twerp of a sister.

Tandra and I had been close all our lives, and had shared a lot of intimate information over the years of high school. When she’d come home looking like she was on cloud number nine, I knew she’d had her first sexual experience, which she told me all about, right down to the smallest detail. I’d had an erection for most of her tale. Just seeing me aroused and squirming had brought a giggle to her pouty lips.

I’d had a girlfriend for most of high school, Cassie Mansden, and my sister had pried all the details of our first time of lovemaking out of me. Afterwards, I was kind of worried that Tandra would blab her little head off, and had promised myself that I’d keep my big mouth shut after that. But my sister never said a word to anyone, raising my appreciation of her discretion several notches in the process. In fact, she and Cassie had become close friends. How much information about me they shared, I had no idea.

This year would be Tandra’s first experience of living away from home when she started her advanced education at the same university that I attended. Mom and Dad had suggested that we split the cost of a two-bedroom apartment just off campus. I’m not sure if their reasoning was economic or if they hoped that we’d keep an eye on each other for safety and security reasons. All I knew was that the two of us had struck a mutual agreement that neither would pass judgement on the other when it came to dating or sex. All the evidence from the years of growing up indicated that if one of us had someone over for the evening, it would be no problem. In fact, I didn’t see too many problems on any front.

Actually, I was looking forward to having my sister for a roommate, simply because Tandra was a much better housekeeper than I’d ever been. Don’t get me wrong. I’ve never been too keen on living in a pig stye apartment, but I’m nowhere near being a “neat freak” either. My roommate from last year, Dave Preston, had never seemed to care just how many dirty dishes were piled in the sink, nor how high that pile got. I think he must have been breeding dust-bunnies as a biology project, because he seemed to be allergic to vacuum cleaners. I needed the financial assistance he brought though, so just kept my mouth shut and did what was necessary to keep the health board from having the place condemned.

“Looking forward to this?” I broke into Tandra’s silence. “You figure you can put up with your big brother? I’ll warn you, it could get rough, especially when it’s exam time. I can get pretty intense studying, so plan on becoming celibate for the two weeks before we write our finals.”

“I know what you’re like, Keith. I’ve been around you my whole life. Remember? Just don’t make me come home to a garbage dump and naked bodies all over the place. One or the other might be okay, but both at the same time? No way. Try it once and I’ll never have to worry about nieces or nephews, guaranteed.”

If it had been anyone besides Tandra, I might have been worried. But this was my little sister, complete with her warmth, caring, and more consideration than a brother has any right to expect. I reached across the seats to give her hand a squeeze as a sign that I really did appreciate how easy-going she was. She acknowledged my gesture with a quick peck on the cheek, something that had started between us mysteriously when I was in grade ten, and had just started dating Cassie. I have no idea what happened to induce her to kiss me that first time, but I still enjoyed the closeness between us, and those kisses were a part of it.

“When did you stop being such a bratty little twerp?” I quizzed her teasingly.

“Me? A bratty little twerp? Never!” she snapped back in a mockingly hurt tone. “I never had time to be a brat when you became a complete asshole, especially when you started high school. And while we’re on that subject, when did you stop? Being an asshole, I mean.”

“Who? Me? When was I being an asshole?” I used my best wounded pride imitation.

“Umm, let’s see. I’d say it started when I was about two or three, and lasted until . . . until you got laid the second time. I don’t know how Cassie managed it, but she did turn you into something approximating a human being. I mean, I’ve never been particularly religious, but that was as close to a divine miracle as I’ll ever see! God, that girl was good!”

She was right, in more ways than one. Cassie was pretty special, even now. She was studying at a Fine Arts school not far from the university, and we still got together whenever our busy schedules allowed. On more than one occasion, we’d even had some mind-blowing sex. She could think of positions and fantasies that would have embarrassed the Happy Hooker, I swear!

“You ever see her any more?” Tandra broke into my reverie. I glanced sideways and was presented with my sister’s look of concern.

“Yeah, we still go out once in a while, but it’s not the same” I confessed. “Shit, I miss her, Sis.”

Despite being in the same city as the university, Cassie’s life was starting to take on a new direction, one that diverged from my own. Sure, we talked to each other a lot, and even went out on the occasional date. But we were drifting apart in spite of all our efforts not to. I’d realized that if my dream of becoming an architect were to come true, losing Cassie would be a part of the cost. It’d hurt like hell inside, and I’d even gone so far as to call Tandra on the phone when I just had to get it out of my system. She’d listened to me rant and rave about my frustrations for a good two hours, never saying anything more than her heart-felt support for her big brother. God, I loved her for that.

The rest of the trip went by quickly, spurred on by our incessant bantering. Tandra really was a good travelling companion, even spelling me behind the wheel for an hour or two when my eyeballs threatened to slam shut about halfway to our destination. I’d bought the van to do local deliveries for a courier company, and should have been used to several hours behind the wheel. Our Dad had co-signed the loan with me, knowing that I needed the income to pay for my schooling. That was the independent streak in me that he’d instilled over the years. I wondered if my sister had inherited the same trait. Time would tell.

It was twilight when we finished off the three hundred mile journey, not including the time it took to find the apartment building. In spite of my sister’s cajoling that I ask someone for directions, we drove around and around until I found the place. There was no way I was going to admit being lost. It’s a guy thing.

We talked to the building’s manager for a few minutes, then rode the elevator to the second floor apartment that would be our home for the next ten months. Actually, it was a nice place, although a little barren with no furniture in it yet. Walking in the front door, there was a small but adequate galley kitchen to the left that opened to a combination dining area and living room. To the right and down a short hallway was the main bathroom on the right, a decent-sized bedroom on the left, and a huge bedroom straight ahead at the end, complete with an ensuite that held a gorgeous tiled shower in an all-glass enclosure. Tandra claimed the smaller of the two rooms, citing the fact that the main bathroom was just across the hall from her. I suggested she take the larger room, which would allow her the privacy I thought she deserved, but she was adamant that her idea made more sense. I’d learned a long time ago that arguing with my sister was an exercise in futility, and our rooming set-up was now cast in stone.

“Damn!” I cursed quietly. “I forgot that we’ll need furniture, and it’s a little late to be shopping tonight. Would you mind if we just hauled up what we’ll need for the morning, and crashed on the floor tonight, Sis?”

“Keith, if it was anybody but you, I’d tell you to fuck off. But for one night, I think I can live with the inconvenience. There’s a couple of boxes of blankets in the back of the van that we’ll need. Thank God this place has carpet on the livingroom floor, though. It’ll be a bitch to keep clean, but it’s soft enough to sleep on, for one night anyway. First thing tomorrow, we unload our shit, then go furniture shopping. That’s the deal here, okay?”

“I’ve got a better idea” I countered. “Let’s just unload everything and get it up here. We can store it in the big bedroom for now, then unpack once we get some furniture. Sound like a plan?”

“Yeah, okay, but I’m not looking forward to lugging all that shit around tonight,” Tandra told me in no uncertain terms, “and you’re buying supper afterwards. You got anything in mind that you’re going to feed me?”

“Umm, let’s see” I started to tease her. “If I hang you by your heels from the ceiling and feed you nothing but milk for a year . . . “

“That’s veal, you asshole! And if you’re trying to imply that your sister’s a cow, you’ll be singing really high notes when I’m finished with you!” Damn, that girl could give as good as she got. I kissed her forehead as a peace offering, and I could swear she leaned into me when I did. I knew, in that moment, that we’d get along just fine.

“Let’s go, Kiddo” I murmured, then spun her towards the door and gave her ass a light smack. I’d never done that to her before, and wondered if I’d live long enough to see another sunrise once I had. Tandra rubbed her butt mockingly as she gave me a saucy grin. No words were exchanged between us, yet that connection between brother and sister seemed to instantly strengthen. It felt good to be able to joke with one of the most important women in my young life.

My sister isn’t the most substantial female I’ve ever known. At five-foot seven, she’d have to wear her entire wardrobe to tip the scales over the one-fifteen mark. But she packed as much up to the apartment as I did, and never complained once. It took us over an hour to get everything upstairs, and when we were finished, we were both in desperate need of a shower. Tandra rummaged around until she found the box of towels that our mother had supplied for us, then located the soap and shampoo. She headed for the main bathroom, but returned within seconds.

“That tub’s going to need one hell of a good scrubbing before I’ll use it” she declared, her first complaint of the day. I glanced inside the doorway, and had to agree with her.

“Yeah, I see what you mean. Bathtubs aren’t supposed to be black like that, are they?” I agreed as my nose involuntarily wrinkled up. “Go use mine, and I’ll wait out here for you. Where’s your suitcase, so you’ll have something clean to put on?”

There was a mysterious gleam in her pretty blue eyes as she headed for my bedroom door and the waiting shower. Just before she opened that door, she turned to me and made a suggestion that almost stopped my heartbeat.

“Get your stinky ass in here, Keith. You need a shower worse than I do. I wonder how much hot water we can get out of this place?”

“Tandra, what the fuck are you talking about?” I squeaked out, my failing voice betraying the hope that she was suggesting we share the shower. “That stall might be big enough for two, but you’re my sister, for god’s sake!”

“Look, asshole,” she almost commanded, “I have to live with you for the next year. If you think I’m going to worry about you seeing my naked body, or me seeing yours, you’d better get your head re-examined! You’ve seen me in my bra and panties before, and it’s not like you weren’t running around in just your shorts when we were growing up. That adds up to three pieces of clothing between the two of us. Doesn’t leave much to the imagination, does it? We’re bound to see each other nude around here at least once. Any good reason to delay the inevitable?”

In a way, I was floored, but the idea of seeing my sister in her birthday suit had a definite appeal to it. The fact that she’d see me naked was almost irrelevant to me. I’ll admit that the thought of being allowed to gaze at her svelte young body was doing things to my cock that could prove embarrassing. Whether it was Tandra or me that would suffer from the sight was still unclear.

My sister picked up the towels and facecloths we’d need, along with the soap and shampoo, then disappeared into the ensuite. I heard the water begin to splash on the shower floor, swallowed hard, then peeled off my sweat-soaked T-shirt. With more than just a little trepidation, I undid my jeans and let them fall to the floor, which left me wearing nothing more than my shorts. That, and the beginnings of a raging hard-on at the thought of Tandra’s naked body about to be displayed for my visual pleasure.

She came back out and whipped off her shirt, revealing her firm and perky breasts still clad in her bra. Sure, I’d seen her running around in a bra before, but never as well displayed as now. My over-active imagination paled in comparison to the reality of actually being able to study her breasts, which I estimated to be somewhere between a B- and C-cup. Without any hesitation or apparent modesty, she started to undo her pants, and I felt her eyes rivet themselves on my semi-erect manhood.

“You planning on doing laundry in there, or are you going to take those off?” she inquired. I swear that the gleam in her eye became bright enough to illuminate the entire room without the use of lightbulbs. By now, she was standing in front of me wearing just her bra and panties, and I couldn’t help but get that image of her pussy burned into my brain as it strained against the fabric of her bikini panties. As if on queue, my tumescent cock rose to full erection, with the attendant tenting that goes with it.

“Oh wow!” Tandra exclaimed. “Is that because of me?” There was a teasing quality to her tone, and something more. It was almost as if she was looking forward to ogling my naked form. I swallowed hard again, then bit the bullet and let my shorts slip over my hips on their way to joining the rest of my clothing.

By now, Tandra had unfastened her bra, revealing every sensual detail of her upper body. It was impossible to miss the fact that her nipples were hard as diamonds, projecting a good half inch from her areolas. She was as turned on and horny as I was! God, I wanted to feel those magnificent orbs in my hands, to twist and pull her nipples in an effort to give her some pleasure, to suckle on her until she came for me! Then she hooked her fingers into the waistband of her panties and let them drop. My little sister had one of the most gorgeous pussies I’d ever seen, high and proud, and completely hairless! I could feel the pre-cum oozing out of me, leaving a smear of lubricating liquid at the tip of my cock.

Tandra moaned softly as she took in the sight of her naked brother, and I saw the tip of her tongue mindlessly sweep across her lips as her eyes locked onto the sensual sight before her. I’d never considered whether my body was anything special before, and wasn’t about to do an analysis now. But hers was something that most men can only dream about. Now I was being treated to the real thing, in all three dimensions. Even Cassie hadn’t gotten me as horny as my little sister had me right now.

“Your bigger than I thought” she murmured, “and if you keep that up, I’ll be dripping wet for the whole year.”

Her voice brought me out of my fantasy world and back to reality. I was a little shocked, although pleasantly surprised, that the sight of my naked body appealed to my little sister. I was torn between molesting her until we both climaxed, or hitting the shower in the hopes that neither one of us would have to suffer through our potential embarrassment any longer than necessary. I finally managed to get my legs to work again, and headed for the bathroom, inviting Tandra to precede me. The sight of her firm bubble butt wiggling in front of me as we went through the doorway did absolutely nothing to relieve my straining erection.

We entered the shower stall, with Tandra passing through the door first, and a strained air of unfamiliarity permeated our little world. Just as soon as I closed the shower door and turned around, I felt two arms snaking around my neck, and the soft smoothness of feminine skin pressing against me.

“You like the look of my tits, don’t you Keith?” my sister growled at me in a sexy voice that I’d never heard from her before.

“Tandra, if I was allowed to design the perfect woman’s breasts, yours would be the prototype model I’d want to start from” I told her, our heads now pressed together at the forehead. “In fact, I think yours would be the production model. There’s nothing about them I’d ever change.”

She rolled her head up so that we were nose to nose, literally. She was too close for me to focus my eyes, although I couldn’t help but see that lustful glint of arousal in hers. I was hoping that she’d keep going until our lips found each other. I also knew that if she didn’t, I would.

“You can touch them, if you want” she invited. I felt my hands take on a mind of their own, sliding up her ribs until she was cupped in my palms. I couldn’t help but grasp her nipples between my thumbs and forefingers, tentatively twisting and pulling on them until I heard her moan in delight, then becoming more aggressive as I tried to give her even more pleasure.

“Can I?” was all she said as she pushed her chest tighter to my palms. I had a good idea of what she was referring to, but wasn’t one hundred percent sure. It didn’t matter at that point, because whatever she wanted, I knew I’d give her with no hesitation. I muttered in the affirmative.

The result was Tandra’s hand wrapping itself around my straining shaft, the feel of her soft, silky fingers on my skin like a massive electric shock. I felt an involuntary groan bubble up inside me, and just as insistently escape from my lips.

“Good God, Tandra,” I heard myself groan, “that feels so damned good! I’ve never thought about you and me like this before, but now that we are, I can’t figure out why not. Damn, but you feel so good in my hands.”

“Do you have any idea of how long I’ve wanted to do this to you?” she murmured over the sounds of cascading water. “When you told me about you and Cassie being together, I was so damned jealous of her that I could have scratched her fucking eyes out! But the reality is a lot better than my imagination ever was. Keith, I really want to feel you cum for me. Please?”

“Only if I can feel you cum for me too, Sis. You have no idea of how bad I want to feel you climax. But I doubt I’ll ever get enough of these gorgeous tits of yours. Can I cut my hands off and stick them inside your bra for the whole year?”

“Mmm, what a horribly delicious thought!” she declared in a tone even more sexy than before. “I’d love to have your hands on me every waking moment of the day, but the thought of all that blood from your wrists isn’t getting me any too enthused. How about we just leave them attached to your wrists like they are now?”

It was at that moment that I started to roll my head back enough to get to her lips, although she was ahead of me by a fraction of that same second. I felt her lips lightly brush against mine, and pushed my tongue out in a lustful request for an entangling duel between the two of us. She responded with a heat that I couldn’t ever remember feeling before, her want as strong as anything I’d ever run into in my life. As we danced back and forth between each other, her hand began to slowly slide down the length of my shaft, then back up until her index finger tickled and teased my opening as she twirled it in the slippery wetness of my pre-cum.

My left hand moved of its own accord up her chest, then down her arm and along her ribs until I had one cheek of her ass in my grip, squeezing and sampling her soft and pliable buttock while I pulled her closer to me. Our lips remained locked as our kiss became more and more insistent. In response to my ministrations, Tandra let out a deep and louder groan, pulling me even tighter to her with the one arm still around my neck. As she did, I felt her begin to rub the head of my cock along the length of her labia’s slit, her now obvious wetness coating my cock even as she transferred my own pre-cum to the folds of her outer lips. I returned her sensuous groan with one of my own.

“I want you, big brother” she whispered in my ear as we finally broke from that searing kiss between us. “I’ve wanted you for over three years. Hell, if I’d had my way about it, you’d have been my first, instead of Pete Maguire. But you were with Cassie, and I could never have lived with myself if I’d come between you two. However, that was then, and this is now. I need you, deep inside me, taking me, and letting me have you.”

Tandra stood up on her tip-toes, then manoeuvered me to her slippery entrance, and I lifted her by the cheeks of her ass to help her guide my cock inside that heated tunnel leading to her love chamber. It took her a few seconds to stretch enough to accommodate my spongy cockhead inside her velvet-lined interior. As I slipped into her, all I was aware of was the tightness of her cunt on me. She almost howled in ecstasy as she took every last inch of my cock inside her until I was buried to the root.

“Oh God, Tandra!” I exclaimed in total amazement. “You’re so tight on my cock! I could stay inside you forever, and it still wouldn’t be long enough!”

“Mmm, yeah” she let me know. “I feel so full with you deep inside like this. I want more of you than just this one time, Keith. We have a whole year ahead of us, and I’m not about to settle for just a quick tease, or a one-shot piece of tail. I want what Cassie’s had for the last four years. I want my big brother.”

It was more a statement of claim than anything else, with my heart welcoming her to stake out whatever she wanted of me. At first I thought it might just be the heat of the moment, but a quick survey of my feelings told me that it went deeper than that. I was hers if she wanted me, hook, line, and sinker. There was now nothing I wouldn’t do for this gorgeously beautiful woman attached to my groin, even if she was my little sister. Maybe it was because she was my little sister, I discovered inside myself.

Almost instinctively my hips began to rock, slowly pistoning my hard cock in and out of Tandra’s steamy love canal, bumping my pubic bone against her clit. I could almost feel her nubbin knotting on me as we sensually fucked, both my hands now grasping and pulling her ass as I helped her find our common rhythm. She began to hump her hips against mine, meeting my thrusts with her own, then pulling back at the same time I did. Despite the difference in our height, we seemed to fit together like a glove on a hand, and neither one of us was interested in taking that glove off.

“You’re going to make me cum in a minute, Keith” Tandra quietly moaned in my ear. “Do you have any idea of how badly I want to do that for you?”

“Not as bad as I want to feel you cum on my cock. God, but you feel good!” I just had to tell her. “Why did we wait so fucking long to do this? Huh? Any idea?”

“Nope, none, but I’m glad we are now. Geez, I’ve wanted you to do me forever. Now that you are, I want you to do me all year long!” She paused as though contemplating something of a major revelation, then added, “Baby, I’m so close! Make me cum for you, big brother, then fill my little cunt with your seed! God, I want to feel you spurting inside me!”

As soon as the words were out of her mouth, she began to gasp for air, her breathing laboured and raspy. At the same time, I felt her vaginal walls begin to flutter on my cock, then clench and grasp me as though I was her last hope of hanging onto something that anchored her. That mewl of ecstasy that she first emitted became almost a scream as her body began to spasm and tremble. She almost crushed the air out of my lungs with the grip of her arms around my waist. I’d given my sister something that I’d never considered before, a mind-shattering orgasm. I loved every second of its rapturous joy as she came hard, her pussy flooding my groin with her juices. My sister was a bit of a squirter, I found out, and I loved the sensation of her ejaculate erupting around my twitching shaft, its flow taking me right to the edge as it blasted over the rim of my purple helmet.

Those vibrations of her orgasm were all it took to send me beyond the point of no return. Even as my balls tightened against me and my cock throbbed at the flooding of my shaft with that life-creating nation of sperm inside me, I pushed my hips as far forward as possible, leaving me buried deep inside Tandra’s love chamber as string after string of my semen percolated out of me and into her clenching pussy. My eyelids closed of their own volition, revealing a riot of blinding flashes of light to my semi-conscious mind. It was only as the last few dribbles oozed out of me that I became aware that I’d lifted her right off the floor as she balanced on the base of my manhood, and only her strong grasp of my body kept her there.

I let my conscious recognition of our surroundings invade me just enough to ease Tandra back down to the shower floor, refusing to allow that euphoric afterglow to release me any more than I had to. I could feel the aftershocks of her climax as they rippled through her young body in response to the incestuous coupling we’d made. It was only when she became cognisant enough to reconnect with the outside world that we even thought of moving from our joint stance.

“I felt that” Tandra mumbled. “I felt you cum inside me. Never have I wanted to feel a guy fill me with his spunk like I wanted yours, Keith. Tell me that this was the first of many days and nights together? Lie to me if you have to, but tell me anyway.”

“This is the first of many days and nights together, Tandra,” I started to tease her, but inside, I knew that it was the truth, “and that’s the truth, so help me Hannah!” I added, then kissed her deeply and passionately as an emphasis of my promise.

“It had better be the truth,” she almost demanded of me, “because I’ve learned two things this evening. One, this shower has lots of hot water, and I think we’re going to need all we can get. Two, I love my big brother more than I ever knew before. You may have been Cassie’s guy until now, but you’re mine as of today. I’m just wondering if I’ll have to share you with her. Shit, I sure hope not. Being in your arms, and having your cock inside me like this is too good to ever let go.”

“Don’t you worry your pretty little head about Cassie” I tried to reassure Tandra. “Just keep in mind that I do love her still, and probably always will. But she has her life to live, and I have mine. How you and I fit together is something that we’ll just have to discover one day at a time.” I brushed my lips on hers once more, and was engulfed by her overpowering return kiss, one that demanded that I surrender to her completely. It was the easiest capitulation I’ve ever been through with a woman.

“Maybe we should think about getting washed?” my sister broke into our post-coital bubble with her practicality. “ I really would like to get something into my stomach, before it begins to think my throat’s been cut.”

Reluctantly, I pulled back from her just enough to allow my softening cock to slip out of her, and the last vestiges of her on the rim of my cockhead sent reactive shockwaves from my groin to the rest of my body.

I grabbed the shampoo and started to wash her silky hair, its fine texture a thrill to experience. Tandra purred as I massaged her scalp. Then I rinsed her head before applying her conditioner. She usually let it sit there for ten to twenty minutes, she told me, before rinsing it back out. During that time, we gave ourselves the luxury of washing each other, me paying particular attention to her breasts and pussy while she made damned sure my cock was as clean as possible. Her touch was almost enough to get me hard again. I knew I wanted to make love to her, but first she was entitled to fill her empty tummy. I’d have to wait until we got back from eating, and I almost resented the physical demands of the human body.

We rinsed off, then stepped out into the bathroom and dried each other off. On opening the door to the bedroom, that blast of cool air raised goose bumps on our skin, propelling us to find some warm clothing. It was while she was slipping her breasts into her bra that Tandra broke the warm silence.

“Keith, would you be okay with being naked around me when it’s just the two of us here? For some perverted reason, I have this burning desire to let you see my body as much as you want. Not that I don’t want to enjoy the sight of yours, but it’s up to you whether you’re comfortable being nude around the apartment.”

“Good one, Sis” I chuckled. “That’s like asking a blind man if he’d like his sight back. Now how about we get dressed and get out of here, so we can get back here and I can undress you again?” She must have liked that idea, because once we had clothes on, she almost dragged me through the door without opening it first.

I wondered what she felt like eating, and her first choice was a burger from the nearest fast-food outlet. The thought of something that was full of tasteless fillers left me wishing I didn’t have to eat ever again. What I had in mind was a nice, thick, juicy steak, with every fattening condiment known to man, beast, and medical science. We split the difference and went for ribs and spaghetti. To celebrate our new life of independence, I even ordered a bottle of wine. The waiter wanted to see Tandra’s ID, and she was proud to be able to produce legitimate evidence that she actually was of legal age. The meal was a little more expensive than I’d had in mind, but the company I shared it with was worth the extra cost.

The clock that my sister had hung on the wall just before we’d left said it was eleven thirty when we got home again. It had been a long day, and we were both thinking seriously about some toothpicks to hold our eyelids open. Between the two of us, it wasn’t long before there was a useable sleeping platform made of blankets, sheets and a couple of decent pillows. That bed looked so welcoming that neither one of us gave a thought to modesty, undressing right there in the living room. I turned out the lights only to hear my sister suggest that pulling the drapes closed might give us a little more privacy. To be honest, I hadn’t noticed the exposed large window until she mentioned it, realizing that if anyone had been looking in, they’d have seen both of us standing around naked. When I apologized to Tandra, she almost laughed herself silly.

“If anybody wanted to look at my body, I wouldn’t care tonight” she giggled. “I’m warm, my tummy is full, and I’m with the guy I love. Anything after that is merely a bonus . . . especially for a peeping Tom! Maybe we should give him a show that’ll curl his pubic hair.”

Only when I was under the covers and laying next to Tandra did I realize just how tired I was. I had no idea what kept her going, and her stifled yawns suggested that it wasn’t much. I reached out an arm for her to cuddle on, and she laid her head on my chest while she draped one leg over my thigh and an arm around my midriff. She felt so warm, so soft, so wonderful. I could have happily stayed in that position for the rest of whatever.

“Want to make love?” she asked, her tone wavering between a question and a request.

“Yep” I told her.

“Are we going to?” she wanted my opinion.

“Probably not. I’m just about asleep, and as much as I want you, it wouldn’t be too fair to you if I fell asleep in the middle of it, would it?”

“Kind of thought you’d say something like that. To be honest, if we did, you’d probably have your little sister sprawled on top of you and snoring in your ear within five minutes. But first thing tomorrow morning, I have all intentions of fucking you until you wake up, then screwing your brains out until breakfast is served” she threatened me.

“Yeah? And just who’s going to make breakfast if we’re busy making love? This place didn’t come with room service, you know” I softly teased her as I blew lightly into her ear.

“Good” she countered. “I was kind of counting on that. That gives me all damned day to ravish my big brother’s body. I think I’m going to like this hotel.” We both giggled at her declaration, finally surrendering to the sleep that was about to conquer us anyway. The last thing I remember was Tandra’s soft and soothing voice bidding me a good night. I think I mumbled something back to her, right before I dropped off. Just don’t ask me what I said.

The next morning, I awoke feeling completely disoriented. I was in a strange room, in a strange city, sprawled out on a strange floor, and being kept warm by a strange something-or-other. That morning fog took forever to lift, only allowing the pieces of the puzzle to fall back into place after it had dissipated from my brain. The first thing I recognized was that the something-or-other laying on my chest was my sister. The second thing I understood was that she was absent-mindedly playing with my cock, her fingers lightly twirling around my spongy bulbous head. With those two facts established, I decided that the rest didn’t matter. I also came to the conclusion that Tandra’s fingers on my cock felt absolutely undescribable, and so did the erection she’d induced. I rolled my head over to kiss the crown of her head.

“Mmm. Morning, Keith” she softly greeted me. “Sleep well?”

“Like a log. How long have you been awake?”

“I dunno. Maybe half an hour?”

“Why didn’t you wake me up, silly girl?” I chided her.

“Because you looked so comfortable sleeping there that I just didn’t have the heart. Besides, I felt so warm, safe, and close to you like this that I didn’t want to move.” She lifted her head and presented her lips to me.

It was an offer I couldn’t refuse, and pulled her tightly to me as I kissed her, softly at first, but with more want and passionate need as we held that kiss for several minutes. I could feel her almost melt as the heat of our desires grew. She started to pull her head back, gasping for air just as soon as our lip-lock was released.

“Good God, where’d you learn to kiss like that? Cassie?” There was a twinge of either jealousy or envy in her question, and that bothered me for some reason.

“Let’s call it something that my little sister inspired in me. I’ll have to introduce you to her some day. She’s quite the woman” I just had to tease her. She took the hint, letting whatever was eating her insides dissolve and flow out of our world of mutual love and affection.

“Umm, your sister. She’s about five seven, dirty blond hair, passable boobs, and a fat ass? She’s got a big brother that can be a bit of an asshole sometimes? Is that the girl?” Tandra took up the torch of our playfulness.

“Nah, I think you’ve got her confused with someone else. She’s got gorgeous blond hair that glows in the dark, breasts that would make a centerfold model green with envy, a butt that’s to die for, and a body that just won’t quit. Her brother’s quite a nice guy, actually. Not sure who you’re thinking of, but she sure doesn’t sound like my little sister. In fact, she sounds kind of scary” I took back the lead. Tandra released my semi-erect cock long enough to give my thigh a resounding smack.

“A nice guy, huh? Like fuck he is! Always teasing his little sister relentlessly is more like it,” she corrected me, “but he’s a loveable son-of-a-bitch.”

“Well! If you’re going to be like that about it, Miss Hayes, I think I’m going to get my ass in gear and get on with my day!” I pouted.

“Can you use some company?” I was asked in a voice that sounded just like a lost child’s.

“Oh, okay, but only until we find your Mommy, little girl” I whined in a similar tone. Tandra grabbed my nuts and started to squeeze harder and harder. Within seconds, I was in real pain.

“You going to apologize for treating me like a little kid, or become a eunuch?” was her only warning. Again I capitulated, but more for the sake of future generation than anything else.

“Geez, you sure know how to hurt a guy!” I groused once she’d finally released my nuts. “One night together and you’re acting like you own me or something.” I tried to keep any maliciousness out of my voice. It must have worked, because she became quite repentant.

“Would you like me to kiss it better for you, little man?” she went back to teasing.

“Yeah, I would” I threw out a challenge. Wrong thing to say, because she scooted down under the covers and began kissing and licking my balls like they were an ice cream cone. It was only a mere moment or two later before I felt her lips on the tip of my cock. Despite the pain of having my scrotum almost reduced to two dimensions, she felt absolutely fantastic as she slowly let her lips open just enough to take half my cock into her mouth. That cute little tongue of hers circled around the rim of my purple helmet, driving me to a state of horniness that I couldn’t recall ever having had before.

“Tandra, let me taste you. Please?” I almost begged, and my sister spun her hips around so that her pussy was right in front of my face, all without easing her oral grip on me one iota. Her pussy lips were beginning to distend, revealing both her little pink pearl of passion and those soft pink inner lips of her cunt. There was a prevailing odour of her musky sex that I found irresistible. I let my tongue slide along her now-opening slit from just above her pucker all the way to her knotted nubbin. Even with half my cock in her mouth, she groaned in delight. But when I dipped the tip of my tongue into her oozing entrance, she released me long enough to voice her lustful approval.

“God, Keith! You’re a fucking cunt tease, you know that? Do that again. I dare you!”

Never one to pass up a challenge, I did it again. And again, and again, and again, all while her head began to bob up and down on my shaft. It took every ounce of my concentration to do Tandra’s perfect pussy the justice it deserved, but the more I concentrated, the more insistent her ministrations on me became. In desperation to be able to make her cum before I shot my load down her throat, I slid two fingers inside her, then pushed up gently on her G-spot. She exhaled quickly with a groan of pleasure without letting her grip on my cock ease up, the resulting vibrations like nothing I’d ever felt before. In retaliation, I gently latched onto her engorged clit and sucked on it, running the tip of my tongue around the base while still teasing the inside of her love chamber. Within moments, she was gasping for air in ragged breaths, all while still forcing herself to keep up her pace on my manhood.

It was all too much for me, and as she started to threaten an orgasm, I had to warn her of my own pending climax.

“Tandra!” I almost howled. “I’m going to cum, Sis!”

As though spurred on by the news, my sister’s lips seemed to clamp a little tighter on my cock, her tongue to dance a little faster, and her sucking to intensify. As much as I wanted to feel her cum before I did, she had me right on the edge within seconds. My balls tightened and my shaft expanded as it filled with my semen in preparation to send the population of a nation of wiggling life-creators down my sister’s hungry throat. As an attempt to divert my concentration long enough to take Tandra over the edge first, I gave her clit one hard suck as my fingers danced over her G-spot. She immediately broke into a spasmodic tremble as her orgasm erupted inside her, accompanied seconds later by the gushing of my spunk as I exploded in her mouth.

We each fought to give the other more pleasure than we were receiving ourselves, a tough trick to pull off in my case. What my sister was doing to me almost caused me to black out, but as much as I wanted to scream of the euphoria she instilled in me, I refused to let her orgasm play out until she was completely spent. I think she had the same objective, because we both floated above the plain of our consciousness for what felt like years. It was only as the last few dribbles burped themselves out of me that I could let my head fall back enough to breathe, and as Tandra’s tongue continued to play on my cock, I was beset with aftershocks that threatened to immobilize me completely for the rest of the day.

I felt Tandra collapse on my thigh as she fought to regain her breath, then wiggle around until she was laying beside me again. She crawled into my waiting arms, then almost expired back into unconsciousness before kissing me deeply, and with a passion I had never experienced before. I could taste the saltiness of my own seed on her lips as it combined with the juices she’d sprayed over my face. We kissed for several minutes, neither of us wanting to let the other one go.

“You have no idea, Keith, “ my sister moaned in her exhaustion, “how long I’ve wanted to do that.”

“What, get your pussy eaten, you mean?”

“Aw shit, don’t turn into an asshole on me. Not now. Just love me, and let me love you. Okay? Right now, I need you to be my brother, not some shithead tease.”

I kissed the top of her head as a token of apology, then hugged her tight.

“Im sorry, Sis. It’s just that you’re so much fun to tease that I guess I go overboard sometimes. But just in case you might want to know, you have the best-tasting pussy I’ve ever been privileged to eat. God, I love it when you cum for me like that. But you don’t squirt when you’re being sucked off, do you?”

“I don’t? Shit, I’m sorry, Keith. It’s just that I’ve never been eaten out very much, so I wouldn’t know. But speaking of, where’d you learn to lick a girl like that?”

I noticed that she never mentioned Cassie this time, and I was glad of that. My girlfriend, now soon to be ex-girlfriend it seemed, had never really enjoyed oral sex, so my exposure to its delights had been somewhat limited. After tasting Tandra though, I had all intentions of correcting that situation.

“No need for apologies, Sis, especially after a fantastic blowjob like that one. I’d ask where you learned to suck cock, but it’s probably none of my business, and it doesn’t matter anyway. All I know is that I’ve never had anything like that done to me with as much sensual feeling before. I just wondered if there was a reason that you don’t squirt when you cum on my tongue. You sure did on my cock last night, and that’s something else I’ve never been through before. You have no idea how good that felt.”

“Umm, maybe if we practise, I’ll start to squirt when you eat me? You think? I want to please you, so bad, Keith. I’d even let you fuck me up the ass, if that’s what you wanted. I’ve only been done back there once, and it was horrid. I got my asshole pounded until it almost bled, and I was sore for a week. But I love you enough to let you take me back there, if that’s something you’d like to do.”

“Tandra, if it doesn’t work for you, it doesn’t work for me. Maybe one day we’ll try it, but if it doesn’t give you pleasure, we stop. Immediately. Understand? Doesn’t matter what it is, if it feels ungood, we stop doing it. And you have to tell me just as soon as it becomes uncomfortable, not after we finish. Your pleasure means more to me than my own. I love you too much to ever want to have you suffer because of me.”

I couldn’t emphasize that aspect hard enough. The first girl I’d ever been with had tolerated our sexual activities only because she thought that’s what I wanted. But when I found out, I felt absolutely horrid inside, and promised myself that I’d never do that to anyone ever again. But in the case of Cindy Horwath, the damage had been done, and we went our separate ways without me being allowed to make things right with her.

“We have a deal, Keith,” Tandra let me know, “but it’s a two-way street, okay? If I ever do something that makes you uncomfortable, you have to let me know right away. Promise?” I nodded my acceptance of her terms, then kissed her softly one more time.

“Tell you a secret, big brother. I sure could use a coffee right about now. If you take me over to Timmy’s, I’ll buy.” That was another one of those offers I couldn’t refuse.

We got dressed and headed out to the coffee shop. At first, Tandra insisted that all she wanted was just the coffee, but when I ordered a cinnamon bun, she broke down and had one too. I’ve never seen anything disappear so fast, with the possible exception of my paycheck!

After coffee, it was time to tackle the unpacking, with Tandra taking another hour to find places for everything so that we’d be able to find them when they were needed. I offered my sister a late lunch on our way to go furniture shopping, and she made up a grocery list so that we wouldn’t spend our last nickel on eating out. As much as I enjoyed taking her out to restaurants, Tandra was quick to point out that we really couldn’t afford that kind of luxury.

And then there was the furniture problem. Actually, it wasn’t really a problem finding what we wanted or needed. It was more a case of being able to pay for it all. It didn’t take advanced calculus to figure out that the cost of new furniture would be a lot more than our funds would ever be able to carry. I was of the opinion that we’d pick up what we could afford, then look for the other items when we had the cash. Tandra said she had a better idea.

“Keith, run me back to the apartment and let me grab my laptop. I’ll treat you to Starbuck’s, and maybe we can find most of what we need.”

I had no idea what she had in mind, but did as I was told. Long story short, my sister searched the local online want-ads, then made a few phone calls. By the end of the day, we had two beds, two large bureaus and a dresser, a sofa and two chairs, a large office desk and chair, and a dining table with four chairs. More importantly, we still had most of our cash. It took us two more days to pick up and move all that furniture, but considering that my sister had saved us over two thousand dollars, a couple of days of driving around and moving some furniture was nothing. That money could be put towards some of the less important luxuries that we’d like to acquire, or held as a financial cushion until we both had a reliable income.

It was on the way home after we’d picked up the two beds that Tandra insisted we stop and buy two new sheet sets. The ones that we’d brought from our parent’s place wouldn’t fit properly, although we could make do with the blankets. In a binge mood, she picked out two sets of satin sheets for the queen-size bed that would go into my room. Her logic was that we’d both use that bed almost exclusively, but she’d picked up a single bed for her room, in the unlikely event that we had overnight guests that weren’t aware of our situation. At the moment, that was everyone in the world. We were heading home with all the new bedding when Tandra sprung the rest of her idea on me.

“Keith, we don’t have anything pressing tomorrow. What say we give that big bed a good christening tonight? We have two sheet sets for it, so we can launder one set in the morning, and put the second set on the bed.”

“Why would we buy new sheets, then run them through the laundromat the next day?” I couldn’t figure out.

Hey, I wanted to be an architect, not a rocket scientist, for heaven’s sake! Give me a break!

“Because, silly,” she explained, “ by the time the sun comes up tomorrow, that first set will be covered in our juices . . . or have you forgotten just how horny your little sister can get? Buddy, I have all intentions of riding your cock tonight ‘til I can’t ride no more!”

True to her word, we made love that night until the morning sun interrupted us. By the time six o’clock arrived, we were dead to the world, both from our long day, and from all the energy we’d expended. I’ve never cum so much, either before or after that night. I lost count of how many orgasms Tandra had. I stopped counting somewhere around two in the morning. I also have no idea how one female can produce that much juice. Those new sheets were absolutely soaked with our combined cum, girl-cream, and whatever else we left behind. I was beginning to think I’d never get another hard-on for the rest of my natural life. Tandra walked with a definite bow to her legs the next day. It was a night I’ll never forget, and I hope she won’t either. She even squirted me once or twice while I was licking her pussy. Her flavour was worth the wait until she could. Trust me.

I heard one of our cell phones ring somewhere around noon as it dragged me out of my foggy sleep. Why I hadn’t turned the damned thing off I’ll never know. It sat on the edge of one of the bureaus that we’d put next to the bed, and as she was closest, Tandra slapped her hand on the top of that piece of furniture until she finally found the offending device. Glancing at the call display, I saw the colour drain out of her face as she read the screen.

“Shit!” she proclaimed. “It’s Cassie. You want to answer it, or let it go to the mailbox?”

“Fuck! I want to just let it go to message, but I have a bad feeling that I’d better answer it.”

With many reservations, I took the phone and flipped open the lid.

“Hello?” I tried to sound like I’d just recovered from being Rip Van Winkle.

“Hi, Keith” an overly-cheerful voice greeted me. “You settled in yet? I’ve got two whole days with nothing to interrupt us. I was going to come over and see the new place, and maybe help you break it in.”

My mind was whirling at something just short of light-speed. How the hell was I supposed to explain that my sister was my new roommate? Or worse, that she was now my lover, and I was hers? And was this the time to let Cassie know that her and I were no longer and item, as she had a habit of calling two people that were in a relationship? As much as I understood that this day would come along eventually, I really wasn’t prepared for it to be today.

“Hey, Kitten, as much as I’d love to see you, this week and next are going to be a bitch. I’ve got to see about getting back on with the courier service, pick up a whole bunch of little odds and sods for this place, and seriously consider cleaning the apartment up. It looks like a war zone, and definitely not fit for entertaining. Not even close. Monday and Tuesday are registration, which leaves me Wednesday to hit the book store. Classes start next Thursday, and knowing the work load, we’ll have our first assignment by Friday. So, as you can see, I’m going to be looking for another two or three hours in the day, and maybe another day in the week. But I really do want to see you. How about I get through this coming week, then call you, and we’ll see what we can come up with?”

God, I wanted to cross my fingers so that my excuses wouldn’t count. As much as I realized that Cassie and I were over, I still cared for her, and wanted to let her down with as little pain as possible. Whether or not I could pull that one off remained to be seen.

“Yeah, okay.” Her voice was saturated with disappointment, and despite my resolve, it was all I could do to not break down and reverse my decisions. But I wouldn’t be able to explain Tandra to Cassie, either as a roommate, or as a lover. Not without my now ex-girlfriend getting her feelings hurt. She may not have been the best lover in the world, but Cassie Mansden had been someone that I had almost been ready to spend the rest of my life with. That was something that I couldn’t deny, nor just close the door and walk away from.

Tandra could see the worry in my face, and kept as quiet as a church-mouse, God love her. She did extend a hand towards me in silent support, and I took it gladly, feeling more love for my sister in that one moment than I had ever known in my whole life.

“Call me, Keith?” Cassie’s voice broke into my thoughts. “I really want to see you again, when we can. I’ve missed you over the summer, you know. More than I ever thought I’d miss anyone. I love you, Baby.”

Right about then, I had to fight to keep my fingers uncrossed for saying what I knew she wanted to hear. Not so much that it was a lie, but more that what I felt and what she thought I felt were now a long ways apart.

“I love you too, Kitten. You take care, okay? I’ll call. I promise.” With that, I cut off the call, then just sat there, my mind forgivingly blank. It was my sister that pulled me back out of my funk.

“You okay, Keith?” she asked, the feelings of love in her voice palpable. All I could do was nod, but I wasn’t so sure of whether I was or not.

“Do you think she knows? Or even suspects?” Tandra inquired.

“I have no idea, Sis. I don’t think she does. I mean, why would she? I haven’t told her that you’re going to the university, or that you’d even be in town. God damn, I hate this! How the hell do you tell someone that’s been such a major part of your life that it’s over? And how do you help them deal with the pain, the disappointment, the heartbreak? Fucked if I know!” I almost screamed.

“Any idea of how you’re going to tell her? Or, for that matter, if you even intend to tell her? I may be your sister, and your lover at the moment, but I don’t own you Keith. I can’t force you to do something you don’t want to do. As much as I want you, and you may want me, I can’t ask you to make a choice between me and Cassie. Face it, I’m exactly where I shouldn’t be, in your bed, making love to my own brother. Maybe I should move back into the other room and use my own bed. Maybe that’ll give you the space you need to figure out what it is that you really want.”

“It’s not my bed, Sis,” I corrected her, “it’s our bed. Both of us. We christened it together, and we’ll damned-well wear the fucking thing out together.”

“No, Keith. It’s your bed. Mine’s in that other room, just for times like this. Do you have any idea just how badly I want to be here with you, making love, sharing our lives, giving you all the love you deserve, supporting you when things go for a complete shit? But all that doesn’t change the fact that I’m in my brother’s bed, and that coming between you and Cassie makes me feel like the Other Woman. I don’t like this any more than you do. But I’m the one that’s in the wrong place, and for the wrong reasons. Not you, and not Cassie, either. Me. No one else.”

I could understand what Tandra was trying to say, but it just didn’t sit right inside me. Okay, maybe we’d gone too far out on the limb. Maybe what we’d learned from books about incest was right, and we were both completely wrong in crossing that line anyway. Maybe she was the other woman, as she put it.

But in spite of all that, it didn’t change the fact that we’d made love together, that we’d developed a new connection between the two of us, and that I loved her more than anyone else in the world. All that had to be included in the equation before it would balance. It was possible that I’d put the horse before the cart, finding someone else to love even as that spark between Cassie and I sputtered its final death throes. No, if Tandra and I were meant to be together, and I fully believed that we were, then we’d go through this together. I’d probably have to take more shit than I really wanted to endure, but if that’s what it took, I’d happily do it for the sake of my little sister, even if we hadn’t become lovers. Now that we had, my resolve was even stronger.

“How about some coffee?” Tandra burst into my sullen thought pattern. I loved her a little bit more for pulling me out of that misery. “I want to try out that coffee pot we picked up, and we got coffee yesterday. We’ve even got cream. You aren’t using sugar again, are you?”

“No, I’m still sugar-free. Coffee sounds great, Sis” I conceded.

Tandra rattled around in the kitchen for a while, then came back to the table while the coffee brewed. She sat down wordlessly, almost trying to stay out of my thoughts, then relenting as she slid a hand across the distance between us, almost as an anchor against the turmoil raging inside me. I gratefully took it, maybe squeezing it a little too tight. She didn’t complain; didn’t even wince. I apologized for my excess by lifting it to my lips and kissing each finger individually.

We sat in silence until the machine quit bubbling. As she stood to return to the kitchen, I held her hand in an effort to keep her as a part of me for as long as I could.

“I love you too, Keith” was all she said. It was all that needed to be said. I could feel the truth of her declaration, and its strength seemed to flow into me, reviving my tired soul. I released her hand, and she went to get us a cup of coffee each, complete with exactly the right amount of cream in mine.

“I have a bad feeling that this is going to be a shitty day” Tandra expressed her observation. “We both knew that we’d have to deal with Cassie. I’d just hoped it wouldn’t be quite this awkward. She’s been good for you, as a girlfriend, and you know I’m right. But she’s also been a good friend to me. I just hope she doesn’t hate me for stealing her boyfriend. Tell me I’m not out of my freaking head?”

“No, you’re about right bang on the money, Sis. But Cassie and I have been drifting apart for months now. Whether you’re here or not, we’ll end up going our separate routes eventually. I guess I’ve known that since before the summer. I just didn’t want to admit it to myself before now.”

Despite Tandra’s attempts to the contrary, I could feel myself sinking back into that black pit of confusion.

“You still love her, don’t you?” It was a tough question to hear, and a tougher one to answer. Yes, I still had feelings for Cassie Mansden, and they ran deep. But they weren’t deep enough to hold the two of us together any more. That much I’d known inside myself for quite a while. I guess I’d held on in quiet desperation.

“Yeah, I do, Sis. I guess, in a way, I always will. God, I hate to have to hurt her, but anything else but the truth is a lie, and I can’t do that. I can’t lie to her. Never could, any more than I could lie to you. I feel like shit!”

“Probably no worse than I feel, right now. You’re going through the guilt of dumping a girlfriend that you still love, and I’m fighting the same feelings for betraying one of the best friends I’ve ever had. We sure are a couple of assholes, aren’t we?”

I had no words to answer her with. All I could do was stare into my coffee cup and pray for some kind of revelation. Right now, I’d have settled for a lightning bolt to the back of my head. I had to agree with Tandra that I was definitely an asshole, but there was no way I’d agree that she was. I was about to tell her that, too, except that the intercom buzzed loud enough that I almost spilled my cup.

“Want me to get that?” Tandra inquired.

“Nah, I think I’d better. After all, it’s my name that’s on the index. Not sure how that happened, but until we can get it corrected . . . ”

I reluctantly got up to answer the grating interruption, flipping the “Talk” button to ask who it was.

“Hi, Baby. I thought I’d pop over and give you a hand cleaning up. Can I come in?”

Shit. As if the day hadn’t been bad enough, now Cassie was right on my doorstep. Inside, I wanted to tell her to go away, to leave me alone, to quit complicating things. Instead, I looked to Tandra for her opinion. She thought for a second, then nodded her head almost as a concession to what we both knew was going to happen eventually anyway.

“Umm, I just got out of the shower, Sweetie. Can I get about five minutes to get decent?”

“You mean you’re naked? Quick, let me in! I want to see what I’ve been missing all summer!”

I swallowed my trepidations, then hit the button that releases the door’s lock. When I heard the door open, I let go of the intercom key.

“Guess I’d better get dressed, huh?” Tandra made the obvious question. “No sense making a bad thing worse.”

“Would you grab me my robe and throw it out here, Sis? I may as well look like I’ve been in the shower.”

“Won’t work. Your hair’s dry. She’ll know your bullshitting. Tell her you’re on your way into it, and that the intercom’s buzz rattled you. Maybe that’ll keep her satisfied for a while.”

With that, Tandra ran into the bedroom, got dressed after throwing me my robe, then scooted into the other bedroom and mussed up the bedding. Her foresight was a lot better than mine, that was for sure. As she came back out, there was a knock on the door.

“I’ll get it” I volunteered. “May as well face the music without you getting caught in the middle.”

“Keith? Just remember that I love you, very, very much. We’ll get through this. Okay?”

With that little thread of encouragement, I went to the front door and welcomed Cassie.

“I thought you said you were just out of the shower?” she questioned before she was even inside.

“Did I? Actually, I’m just on my way in” I fibbed.

“Oh? Want some company? To wash your back, I mean.” Cassie offered, that gleam of hope and lust in her eye unmistakable.

“Kitten, you don’t want to be in there, trust me. I smell like a race horse, and probably look even worse. Why not grab a seat, and help yourself to coffee. It’s fresh, and the cream’s in the fridge. I think there’s sugar in one of the cupboards. I’ll be out in five minutes.”

I could see the reluctance in her face, and that glint in her eye that I had once loved almost seemed to extinguish itself. Cassie made her way into the kitchen and was rummaging around in the cupboards when Tandra came out of the main bathroom. I hadn’t seen her duck in there, but like I said, her foresight was a lot better than mine.

“Hey, girlfriend!” my sister greeted our guest. “Long time, no see! How’ve you been?”

“Tandra! What are you doing here?” Cassie returned with genuine feelings of happiness at the sight of her friend.

“Mom and Dad were driving me crazy, so I volunteered to help Keith get settled in. He’s been bugging me to look into some part-time classes for credit towards an English major. Maybe while I’m here, I’ll take him up on the idea” my sister made up as an excuse for her presence.

“Awesome! God, but it’s good to see you again! I’ve missed our girl times! But if you stay here, where are you going to live?”

“Hey, slow down! I haven’t even found out if I can get in yet. I’ll worry about the rest of it when I know more about what I can get and what’s available. If the worst comes to the worst, maybe I can crash on my brother’s sofa.”

I ducked out of the room, which felt like the air pressure had doubled from the discomfort of Cassie’s presence. Five minutes later, I was dressed and back at the table. I noted that Tandra had relinquished her seat and was now sitting across the table from me. Perfunctorily. I kissed Cassie’s cheek, feeling no enthusiasm in the normally affectionate greeting. She gave me a quizzical stare that went on for more minutes than I cared to endure, then turned to my sister to ask a question.

“Tandra, could I have a few moments alone with your brother? Please?”

“Sure, no problem. That bathtub needs a good scrub anyway, and it ain’t going to clean itself.” Then Tandra got up and disappeared into the bathroom, closing the door behind her.

Cassie turned and stared at me for what seemed like years, her lips clenched tight as her eyes studied me intently. I waited for the other shoe to drop, my heartbeat almost racing as the dreaded conflict seemed about to rear its ugly head.

“Keith,” she finally spoke, “what’s happened to us? We haven’t seen each other since last May, and I feel like I shouldn’t be here, almost like I’m intruding. Even before the summer, we started to drift apart, and maybe that’s my fault. All I know is that I’ve missed you, that I love you, and that I want to be with you. But you seem distant, somehow. So, what’s the story?”

“I don’t know, Kitten. You’ve been busy with your studying, and I’ve been working my ass off with this heavy course load I’ve got. I guess we got too busy to keep tabs on each other. I get the feeling that we’re on different and diverging courses in our lives. I don’t have any answers, either. Maybe you do?”

Again she stared at me, her mind a hidden whirl of thoughts and confusions. I wondered if I’d survive her inquisition, and whether our friendship would be strong enough to let us still be able to talk to each other afterwards.

“I need an honest answer, Keith” she finally let go in a quiet and sombre tone. “Is there someone else?”

“Yeah, I think there might be, Cassie. It’s too early to tell yet, though.”

Cassie? I never called her Cassie. It had always been my favourite nickname, Kitten, since two weeks after I’d first met her. That fact wasn’t lost on her either. I watched the joy leave her face, along with some of the colour. In that one moment, I would have killed to be anywhere but under Cassie’s scrutiny.

Here it comes! I told myself. The one question I just know you’re going to ask, and the one I really never want to have to answer. Please, Cassie, for the love of God, don’t ask!

It was almost as if she’d heard my thoughts, and asked anyway, out of spite.

“Anyone I know?” she almost hissed, and I felt my little world fall apart.

---