//I hope you all enjoy the story. I'm still pretty new here so feel free to comment or message with feedback if you have thoughts. Thanks!
"Thanks again, Kyle. I'm really sorry to make you do this. I just couldn't stay there another minute with that lying bastard."
"No problem! What else are brothers for?"
Julie looked down at her boots. She gave the slushy curb a weak kick as she leaned against the car door. Despite being bundled up in a heavy red parka and keeping her auburn hair tucked under a wool cap, she was only wearing a tight fitting set of black leggings over her legs. Kyle had felt bad for how cold she must be, and on the drive back to his apartment he had cranked the heat. But now, on the street, he couldn't help but notice how they accentuated the graceful slope of her legs. He shook the thought from his head as he popped open the back of the car.
"I'm just glad I saw your call."
"I know, and don't get me wrong, I appreciate it," Julie said. "But it's so late, and it's been snowing, and I'm sure you'd rather be doing other things with your Friday night. It's gotta be a hassle for you, coming to your sister's 'rescue'. I mean-"
Holding up a hand, Kyle said, "Hey, I said don't worry about it. Jeff's an asshole and you're my sister. I'm gonna take care of you. You can stay as long as you want."
He shot her a quick grin over the box of his sister's belongings, as he slid it out of the car, careful not to drop it in the snow. His breath fogged in front of him, but he still caught the tail of Julie's own small smile as she shut the trunk.
Kyle thought of himself as fairly fit, and the cardboard box wasn't particularly heavy, but it was awkwardly big and he still found himself struggling. If he had to guess, Kyle would have said it probably held some clothes and maybe a few smaller things. It reminded him of the box she had brought with her when their parents had decided to move in together. At the time, he'd been a punk kid and hated the idea of sharing the house, but now that they were in college, he kind of missed those days. He hiked the box up with his knee for a better grip as they approached the steps of the apartment building. Trying to balance the box with an elbow, he reached for his keys. Damn, it was big.
"So this is where you've been hiding," Julie smirked, eyeing the frosted brickwork and dim light of curtained windows.
"Yeah, this is the place. It isn't much, but it's privacy." Kyle chuckled in between small frustrated noises. Trying to get out his keys while not dumping his step-sister's belongings in the snow was proving to be a tricky proposition. He gave a weak grunt as he shifted the box again.
"Come on, stop messing around. I'm freezing out here," Julie said, shrinking into her parka's hood.
"I'm tryin', I'm tryin'! Can't get my key."
Kyle felt a hand brush against his, then the feeling of fingers fishing into his pocket.
"Julie! What the hell?"
"What? You've got your hands full, and I'm freezing."
Her fingernails pressed against the thin liner of his pant's pocket. Julie's hands had been in her parka the whole ride over and they were still warm as they hunted for the keys. The feeling sent an electric jolt coursing through Kyle's thighs and up into his groin.
"Damn, where are they?" Julie muttered.
Licking her lips, Julie leaned down as she probed deeper, and Kyle coughed as the friction in his pants made his dick twitch. He closed his eyes and tried to think of literally anything else. In his mind, he imagined a scoreboard in a highschool gym. Why did that leap to mind?
"There they are." Julie triumphantly yanked the keys out of his pocket and opened the door, rushing inside and making room for him to follow. "Jeez, you ok?" Julie asked. "You look all flushed. The box isn't that heavy is it?"
As they stepped into the apartment, Kyle set down the box with a heavy thud. The warm air made his cold skin prickle and his jacket was starting to feel oppressively hot.
"Wow, I'm impressed," Julie said, looking around.
"About what?" Kyle said, hanging up his jacket on the back of the door with a sigh of relief. It wasn't a big apartment. Just a studio really. A bed. A couch and tv. A glass patio window facing a balcony covered in snow and too small for any furniture. It was a castle to him, but he didn't have any illusions. It was a decidedly unimpressive apartment.
"Aren't all you college guys supposed to be horrible slobs? The place actually looks pretty— clean," Julie said with a murmur of surprise. Her smirk fell away with a nervous look of hesitation. "Oh, god. You weren't expecting erm- 'company' before I called. Were you?"
Kyle had to stop himself from laughing. "No, nothing like that. Don't have the time between work and classes. I guess, well, when it's yours, you want to take care of it, you'know?"
Shaking her head, Julie let out a soft chuckle, "Yeah, I get that. Jeff never really did." The bitterness in her voice seemed to chill the warm apartment when she mentioned her boyfriend. Well, ex-boyfriend, Kyle now assumed.
"Hey," Kyle put a hand on Julie's shoulder. "Let's not worry about Jeff tonight. He's done enough already."
Nodding, Julie wiped at the corner of her eye. "You're right." Sliding the wool hat off her head, she twisted it between her fingers. "Hey, thanks for picking me up, but you don't have to babysit me or anything. If you want to go out or had other plans-"
He didn't. Not specifically anyway. But looking at her, even if he had, he wouldn't have wanted to go.
"You know, actually, I've got some beers and a few frozen pizzas—the good kind that puff up when you cook 'em," he said gently. "I was thinking tonight might be a good night to stay in and watch a movie. Why don't you get settled and I'll get the oven going?"
Suddenly, Julie's arms were around him. Hugging him tightly, she pressed against his chest, burying her face in his shoulder. After a stunned moment, Kyle wrapped his arms around her, and felt the small shakes of silent sobs. For a long minute they stood there, and Kyle felt his sister's warm breath on his neck. He was acutely aware of the press of her chest against his and he swallowed as he again tried not to think about how close she was, how attractive and shapely the curves of her body really were. Again, the image of the scoreboard in a highschool gym appeared in his imagination.
After another few seconds, Julie let out a contented sigh. When she drew back, she tilted her head up and kissed him. He thought their lips would meet, but in the last moment their eyes met and Julie looked down, her lips trailing halfway between his cheek and his own lips. She looked away shyly, quietly mouthing thank you as she awkwardly stepped back, half tripping on the living room's low table.
