I awoke to my big brother's mouth upon mine, a hand upon my chest. My lips were moving against his even before I was truly conscious again.
"Hello, beautiful," he finally whispered, looking down into my eyes. "Welcome to the day."
I pulled him down for a long, heartfelt hug. The feel of his arms around me, the feel of his weight pressing me down into his bed, the feeling of love surrounding us both, they all combined to create a wonderful morning. The fact that this was a Sunday morning made it even better: no classes and no jobs, so we could remain in bed for a long time, simply enjoying each other's company.
That is exactly what we did for several hours. We caressed and kissed and fondled and hugged. We chatted about everything and nothing. We gazed at each other in reverent silence. The outside world effectively no longer existed for us.
At last, we decided to start the day... officially. After a playful shower together, we dressed each other, then headed toward one of our favorite restaurants: La Note.
As usual, there was a semi-long wait to be seated. Once we registered for seating, my forbidden lover and I stood in the sun on the sidewalk, chatting quietly amongst ourselves, paying little attention to anyone else around us yet keeping an ear tuned for our names to be called.
"I think he likes you," my big brother said softly, his words hitting me completely out of the blue as they had nothing to do with our chat about our plans to visit Alcatraz.
I glanced around, and indeed, there was some guy semi-discreetly looking at me. Actually, I quickly realized, he was looking at us. "Is there something wrong with a brother and sister going to a restaurant together?" I wanted to challenge him, but I instantly thought better of that tactic and continued the Alcatraz discussion, occasionally glancing back toward the watcher.
We were eventually called, and we went in, sitting near the back of the restaurant. I sat facing the large front window, eagerly anticipating the first taste of the French Roast coffee. We chatted, ordered, chatted, and we both went silent when the coffee was delivered, each of us savoring the taste.
"He's looking again," I announced.
"Who?"
"The guy who was watching us outside. He's sitting near the window, in the corner opposite the door, at the table by the piano. It looks like he's with a roommate or friend or something, but clearly not paying attention to what his friend is saying."
"Am I going to have to go pick a fight with him to defend your honor?" my big brother quipped.
I laughed at that, despite knowing fully well that he actually
would
pick a fight with someone who threatened me in even the slightest way. "At least wait until after brunch, okay? It does no good to fight on an empty stomach."
We settled back into our everyday sibling banter again, although throughout our meal, my eyes kept drifting toward that corner, and I kept noticing how the guy was looking at us. The expression upon his face was one of puzzlement, of wonder.
"Do you think he suspects something?" I finally offered, trying to find a justification for anyone to look at a complete stranger for so long.
"Perhaps. Were we standing too close or something when we were outside waiting to be seated?"
