"What's wrong with you?" he asked his sister as she sat on the sofa with a flushed look on her face. "You look like you just got locked out of the house in your underwear."
"Have you seen this video?" she gestured to the phone her eyes were locked onto.
"Which one?" he leaned over.
She flashed him the phone quickly, then explained, "This guy says he kissed his sister."
"It's probably fake. Paid actors," he said without seeing it.
"I don't know. Why don't you watch it once and form an actual opinion," she chided.
She restarted the video for him on her phone as he sat down next to her on the sofa. He remained quiet for a moment before weighing in, "That wasn't just one kiss."
"I know, it was like a dozen!" she exclaimed.
"Yeah, and they seemed to enjoy it, too," was his muted response.
She nodded and absently began rubbing the top of her thighs, from her hips to her knees and back a few times without realizing it.
"Are you cold? It's like 80 degrees outside," he laughed nervously.
"I know, but the air's on in here."
"You want me to go get you a blanket?"
"No, it's okay. I'm just thinking."
"About what?"
She didn't really want to tell him. They had grown up together, but didn't have the same parents.
Then again, maybe that made things okay.
But she still couldn't get up the nerve. She avoided looking at him as she spoke. "I don't know. It's probably wrong to say."
"Okay, guess I'll go start getting dinner ready. Remember, Mom and Dad said they wouldn't be home until late. They have that banquet."
"You mean
your
mom and
my
dad," she teased mirthfully.
"Yeah, I guess technically. Anything in particular you're craving?" he asked as he got up from the sofa.
"If they stayed out like this every night, we could probably make our own video," she finally blurted out, laughing heartily.
"Sis, you're weird. Let me go make dinner."
She watched as he made his way off to the kitchen, then turned back to her phone. She played the video a few more times, trying to puzzle out the meaning alongside her own rising feelings. She hadn't had any boyfriends yet, even though she was 18, and what they were doing just seemed so
safe
. Especially if they were home alone and didn't get caught. That made it dangerous too, and her curiosity dangled between those conflicting precipices. She could smell dinner start to permeate through the rooms of the house, but let him continue alone since it would be her turn tomorrow. She tugged on her jeans instead, unsure of what to do with intrusive thoughts. She was nearly immobilized from a combination of fear and uncertainty, yet her hands pulled the fabric of her pants with an unmatched intensity.
Until he called her. "Sis, time for dinner!"
She smoothed out her jeans and made her way to the kitchen, where a plate was already waiting for her. Feeling somewhat guilty, she tried to help with a few minor things until he fixed his own plate and sat them both at the table, where they were seated, just the two of them.
"It's so weird without Mom and Dad here," she said through bites of their meal.
"I think they'll probably still be a couple hours longer. Are you doing okay? You seem a little bit shaken."
"Not stirred?" she asked as she laughed heartily at her own reference.
"Well I guess you're still in the mood for jokes. Just so you know, you can talk to me about anything. Like if Mom and Dad aren't home."
She looked up from her plate with her fork in her hand. "Anything?" she repeated. "Because there is something I wanted to ask you about."
"Sure. Go ahead and ask."
She thought for a moment how she wanted to word it, her eyes rolled side to side, then she seemed to go back on her decision. "Nevermind. Can we just watch a movie until Mom and Dad get home a little later?"
"Yeah, but you gotta help me with these dishes first."
She stuck out her tongue at him, but began cleaning up anyways.
After they finished with the kitchen, they made their way out into the living room. Her brother mentioned stopping in the bathroom, so she went to pick out a movie on the TV.
But when he came out, she was sitting there playing on her phone. She was so intently focused on the screen that she didn't even notice as he approached. She jumped when he suddenly appeared over the top of her, peering down at her screen.
"That again?" he asked cautiously.
"What again?" she asked defensively as she lowered the screen.
