"Smile!"
Sophie tapped the screen, then snapped several more frames. One picture was never enough - someone blinked, or something got in the way. She was always pedantic about making sure that things turned out right, even though she didn't care too much how she looked in photos. It was something I appreciated about my future sister-in-law. It was the perfect complement to my fiancé, Tara. Tara wanted everything perfect, but she was more careless in her approach and never quite got there without Sophie's final touches.
"Take a photo of us now!" Tara, as usual, wanted to capture everything on her phone. Both Sophie and I shrugged. We didn't mind that much. I swapped places with Sophie, taking Tara's phone. The waterfall provided the perfect backdrop. We were close enough to the cascading water that the mist felt like a cool change in the warm summer. I framed the sisters on the screen and took several shots. Tara bounced over excitedly to check the photos.
"Oh no, I can't put these on Facebook!"
Sophie strode over. "Why not? Oh..." she looked at her chest.
That was another difference between the two sisters. Sophie was more comfortable with her body and had a more laid back attitude. She was past the stage of trying to impress people. She kept her makeup to a minimum, preferred comfortable open clothing rather than trying to fit into classy blouses, and didn't pay much attention to people trying to steal a glance at her form. She felt at home at the gym, and the guys knew that she wasn't going to be easily impressed and didn't bother trying to pick her up. Today she was wearing white sports bra, and the outline of her nipples was clearly visible.
"Sis!" Tara protested, pinching her. "Darren, why didn't you say something?"
"Huh? Oh, I didn't notice." Which was a lie. I had been trying not to spend too much time perving on Sophie. Even though she was OK with it, it still felt wrong. I mean, I was in love with Tara. But Tara was wife material - the right energetic personality to go with my more quiet nature. Sophie was the eye candy that I secretly fantasised, but didn't dare touch. Tara was loveably childish in some ways, while Sophie was the mature one. Which was about right, considering that Sophie and I were both turning 30, while Tara was five years younger.
Actually, it made a lot of sense. When Sophie was 18, she lost her mother to cancer. They hadn't seen their father since they were young. Sophie took it upon herself to make sure that Tara got through school, while supporting herself through her college studies. Consequently, Sophie matured with a different mindset. She didn't have the time to be bothered by trivial details. Tara obsessed over them as a way to cope with her loss. It was sometimes a burden for me - I had to deal with Tara's hyperactivity and occasional immaturity, but it was the kind of contrast that made our relationship work. Otherwise, I wouldn't have popped the question. And deep down, it felt that Sophie appreciated what I had done for her little sister. Never having a big sister, I really looked up to Sophie, even though we were the same age. In some ways, instead of making a good impression with the parents, I had to impress Sophie. That was something no man had managed to do. She was happily single.
There was a lot to admire about Sophie, but today my hormones were steering my focus on her physique. She put a lot of effort into her body - she ate well, trained a lot, and the results were incredible. Her shorts clung over her perfectly toned buttocks; her sports bra contained her round breasts well. Unlike Tara, Sophie was a brunette. She kept her hair in a short ponytail. Tara, by contrast, was far more modest. She wore capri pants and a t-shirt. Not to say that Tara was unattractive in any way, but she was envious of her sister's physical attributes. It was a challenge to keep my attention on Tara as we continued our trek. Sophie seemed to be aware of my dilemma, and seemed to go with it. She paused frequently to stretch, turning towards me, allowing me a glimpse of her cleavage or appreciate the jiggle of her breasts. I decided that she was either flirting with me, or she was testing me.
We were over an hour into our walk. We had been to this national park many times before - it was a place where Tara and Sophie's parents used to take them as children. That meant a lot to me, to be considered part of the family. This was one of the times where Tara was less chirpy than usual, and I was with her every step of the way. Sophie looked on, a glimpse of faint envy in her eyes. We hadn't spoken much. We knew each other well enough from my time with Tara, but I didn't visit as often as I should. Tara had a habit of shifting all our dates away from home. Apart from the occasional family get-together, such as birthdays, I seldom saw Sophie, and knew little about her own love life.
Despite the fact that I was trying to hide an awkward erection, it was a pleasant walk through the forest. For the most part, I felt like the third wheel. Tara and Sophie were reminiscing, bringing up childhood memories. Their father was noticeably absent from all topics of conversation. It kind of hit me that I would be the first real man in the family, and I had some big shoes to fill. Tara caught me pondering in my own thoughts.
"You've been strangely quiet today," she said. "Are you alright?"
"I'm fine," I said, unconvincingly. Tara rolled her eyes and fetched my water bottle from my backpack, thinking I was dehydrated. We shared the bottle and gave each other a quick hug and kiss, which helped reset my mind.
"I think he's feeling a little left out," Sophie said, being more aware of the world around her. She flashed a slight grin at me. "Are you?"
"Oh, it's just that," I stammered. "I don't want to interfere with your talk."
"But you're part of the family now!" Tara chimed. She flashed her diamond ring to remind me.
"It takes some getting used to," Sophie replied. She turned back to me. "You didn't have a proper family either, did you?"
"Takes one to know one, hey?" I replied. "Parents divorced when I was a teenager. Actually, they lived together until I was eighteen, and then my dad moved away and I never saw him again. I didn't realise they were divorced until my brother mentioned it. I kind of thought that all families were that impersonal and indifferent."
"Well, that's got to change," Tara said, hugging me tightly. "We're going to have a happy family! Mum, Dad, and Aunt Sophie!"
Sophie and I recoiled from that. A bit too soon, perhaps.
Nearly an hour later, we took another break, resting our weary legs - except for Tara, who was taking more selfies. Even without being able to upload (there was no coverage in this area), she was already getting her photos ready when she got back. Sophie and I watched as she posed and snapped.
"Do you think she'll change once we get married?" I asked Sophie. I wasn't sure in hindsight if this was the right question for the right person.
"She'll change," Sophie said, vaguely. "Just let her enjoy what she has now."
Tara, oblivious to our contemplative conversation, waved to us. "Hey! I haven't got a single photo of you two together. Come on!"
Sophie and I rolled our eyes at each other. Keeping Sophie's advice in mind, I allowed Tara to take over as master photographer. She picked just the right spot for us - a rather non-descript patch of ground that was overlooked by the unique rock formations above - the drawcard of the national park. Tara took some time to find the right place to take the photo from. When Tara was ready, she yelled at us to smile. Sophie put her hand around my waist. I followed suit. It was awkward and clumsy - it was in fact the first time I had laid hands on Sophie. My hand on her bare midriff was electrifying to me, as was her hand on my waist. There was no intimate contact, but something was different about Sophie. Her touch felt calming and trusting. We both smiled as Tara took the photos. She looked at her snaps, but pouted.
"I'm trying to get the mountain in the frame as well," she said. The rock formations were hardly mountains, but they were the highest point in the surrounding area, so we got what she meant. Logically, I would have suggested that she kneel down for a low-angle shot, but that would have made too much sense and I wanted her to enjoy her madness. "Step back," she said, somehow putting together a method. "A bit more. And...a bit more."
Sophie and I fell. Not in love. And not over a log. We literally plummeted into a hole. In fairness, it wasn't Tara's fault. The ground looked fine, but as soon as we stepped onto that specific patch, it disintegrated. We were lucky that we didn't hit any hard rocks. We slid down the dry dirt embankment into a large hollow in the ground. It happened in a blink of an eye, and the next thing I knew, I was flat on my back. Sophie slid down on top of me. Seeing a small avalanche of dirt and pebbles following her, I flipped her over and lay on top, shielding her from the shower of stones. They were annoying more than anything else, but the spontaneous act of chivalry did not go unnoticed. That would be later on. For now, I was on top of Sophie. And I still had my awkward erection. I quickly rolled off and dusted myself off. Sophie was okay, but looking up, we realised how lucky we were. The hole we were in was nearly a 6-metre sheer drop. We had been standing on the edge of what was now the opening. Had the surface collapsed while we were a step further back, we would have had far more serious injuries than grazes and bruises.
"Oh my god!" Tara yelled from above. "Sophie? Darren?"
