Strange Love, Part Two: Big brother confesses his desire to Raine.
This continues a keeping-it-in-the-family saga, which began with
"Let me call you Kate"
. Though they're written sequentially, it's not necessary that you read the installments in order. I try to contextualize or connote foreign terms wherever possible, but in case it's not clear, let me know. I appreciate all of your feedback. Shifting and meeting are slang for "kissing with the tongue" (French kissing). Enjoy...
*
The strangest thing about their love for Levi was that he'd held Raine on the day she was born. He was ten; blonde hair all knotted-curls and pale face dirty from roughhousing with his brothers. But his hands were clean, neat. The hands of a future surgeon. They held Raine while Levi's serious eyes searched her face.
Will she look like our mother or her father? Will she look like me? Will she be any fun to play with?
Never knowing that he would, in eighteen years' time know her so completely.
The strangest thing about their love for Raine was that she'd held Levi when their mother, Kate, began chemotherapy. Being the closest person to her half-brother, Raine consented to his need by taking care of him; as he had forsaken all others. While he nursed mugs of poitin, she nursed his heart. And now, after the drama of Kate's funeral, they were coming back together - with tears, with need, with hunger- to heal their entangled wounds. Preparing for the affair to begin again, Raine acknowledged that it wasn't right; but felt it was too good to be wrong.
"Is it all right if I take your picture?" interrupted Raine's thoughts. She was waiting for Levi at Shaunessey's, sipping on a bottle of Beamish stout. The low-cut chiffon blouse and short green skirt she wore was intended for her brother's enjoyment only, but had attracted others' attention all the same.
With a testy expression, she turned to the source of the intrusion. "Excuse me?"
"I'm a tourist," the man explained, though it was obvious by his digital camera and preppy outfit. "May I take your photo?"
"I'm a native, not a landmark." She turned back to face the rows of liquor, thinking the matter was settled. But the brunette tourist took the stool next to her.
"Sorry, to bother you, it's just you look so…quintessentially Irish," he said, wondering if the blonde woman could understand five syllable words.
Let's hope she's as dumb as she looks.
"I swear, if I publish the picture I'll give you credit. Provided I can get your name."
Great. He's going fishing.
She deflected with, "you think someone would publish a picture of me?"
"Of course," he said, angling with ease. "You look like a model. You have this whole 'Audrey Hepburn turned Playboy Bunny' thing going on. It's very sexy."
"I'm flattered, I suppose." Though by flattered, she meant "nauseous".
"Don't pretend to be modest. I specialise in nude photography."
Oh, here it comes.
"Really?"
"Very tastefully done, of course. There are some examples on my camera, if you'd like to see them." He leaned over, not trying to hide the fact that he was peering into Raine's top.
"That'd be like looking at a dirty mag in public," she said, pretending to be shocked. With a subtle motion, she shielded her tits with her arm.
"Kind of a turn on, huh?" He rotated the flip-monitor and moved in so close that he touched Raine's shoulder with his own. Hot breath- smelling of vodka and tobacco and lust- hit her face.
"I suppose. Sure, I'm curious." The first few pictures that appeared on the miniscule, LCD screen were indeed of classically posed women. But as he continued to shuffle through the library, the models turned risqué- spreading their pussies and sucking their own nipples. The very last images were of him getting blown off by a couple of red heads.
What a creep.
She shoved him away, tempted to pour her beer all over the asshole's camera. "Oh, I see. You're some pent-up yank taking a fuck-tour through the Emerald Isle- am I right?"
"No, you've got me all wrong." He wrestled with her in attempts to grab her knee. "I wasn't trying to suggest anything untowards by-"
"Save it, fuckface. I'm not biting," Raine hissed, slapping his hand. A few people took notice of this, so the tourist backed off for a moment.
Not quite beaten, the man sidled up to Raine on foot. "Huh. And I took you for an easy lay. So, how much will it cost?" At the mention of money, he saw a flash of what appeared to be greed in his mark's eyes. Like many other tourists, he assumed that because prostitution wasn't illegal in Ireland, every woman was for sale. Quieter now, so no one would hear, he whispered, "I can spare, let's say, 300 U.S. dollars. What's that in euros again?"
"If my math is correct," she returned conspiratorially, "it's GO FUCK YOURSELF, I'M NOT A FUCKING WHORE!" Raine said this loudly so that everyone at the bar, the bartender and several other patrons took notice. And so did the blonde man who had just walked up behind the arguing pair.
"Hey, is there a problem here?" the blonde said.
"It's none of your business, pal. I'm just getting chewed out by this
sheep-fucking slag
here," he said with an exaggerated brogue.
"What did you say?" Levi tapped the guys shoulder so hard that he almost knocked him down.
"You can't hear or something, mate. I said it's not your goddamn business," the brunette snapped, glancing behind for a second to see who was giving him a hard time.
"Listen here,
mate
, if you're going to solicit my sister, you'd better believe it's my goddamn business." At this point, the belligerent tourist turned around to see a Nordic-looking bloke who stood at least a head taller than himself.
"Oh, shit." He could see that despite her big brother's polished appearance, he was definitely hulking enough to throw a mean hook.
"Yeah. Shit." Levi drew himself up as tall as possible and then stared the tourist down. He didn't want to start a fight if possible, though he was sorely tempted to sock the sonofabitch in the face for insulting Raine. "You'd better be glad I just got off a long shift, or else I'd have to drive back to the hospital with your beat-half-to-death body in a minute here. You follow?"
"Whatever, man, what-fucking-ever," the brunette said, backing away from the faired-headed duo. As he did, he noticed that a few other guys had gotten out of their seats and were circling like sharks.
Seeing that she had the advantage now, Raine yelled "hey, let me see that," pointing to the man's camera.
"No way, bitch," he said, his shoulder colliding with the solid chest of her brother. "I mean… Jesus, just don't break it, please. It's my dad's." Levi took the camera and gave it to his sister, whispering "you probably shouldn't break it." Raine simply took the flash-chip out, and smashed it in between the bottom of her bottle and the copper-topped bar. Then she returned the camera with a smile.
"Guess you'll have to start your smut gallery all over again. Enjoy your stay, motherfucka," she said in her best American accent.