The sudden crash of thunder woke Alice from a deep sleep, and she smiled to herself. You just didn't hear storms in a dorm room the same way you did inside a house, and Alice was glad to be home to hear the summer monsoons. Suddenly thirsty, she got out of bed and padded across her room, pausing at the door for a moment to wonder whether or not she should add a pair of sweats to her t-shirt and panties night-wear. Opening the door, she chuckled softly to herself. She was home, not in the dorms. Besides, who else would be awake at one in the morning? Down the hall, her brother's door was ajar, but she didn't pay any attention to it as she silently made her way to the stairs. She didn't need any lights -- she had grown up here for the last 20 years.
As she reached the bottom of the stairs and turned into the kitchen behind them, she glanced over at the glass doors leading out to their patio and noticed a figure standing by the railing. Startled at first, she relaxed when she recognized the form of her older brother, Hunter. Alice eased the door open and whispered "Boo!" but was disappointed when Hunter grinned -- not startled at all. He was never surprised.
The exception to this rule came while she was turned away from him to close the door. She had always had a tall, willowy body, and the typical "freshman fifteen" -- which had taken two years for her -- had only served to add curves to her otherwise model-straight form. The cool, stormy air did little to distract Hunter from this fact, and he turned around quickly to lean on the banister again.
"Whatcha thinkin' 'bout?" Alice asked at exactly the wrong time.
"Nothing... the storm." said Hunter, shifting uncomfortably.
Alice looked at her brother's familiar body as he tried to look relaxed. He was never muscular despite always playing neighborhood sports, but the same naturally slender frame that had kept Alice looking like a model made Hunter look even more athletic than he was. Alice had always thought that her brother was attractive -- as did most girls who met him -- but his naturally aloof personality had saved him from succumbing to the flood of female attention and Alice was glad for it.
"I know when you're lying -- I've helped you with it enough times! Now what is it really?" Alice probed.