A Valiant Effort Ch. 01

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An unplanned road trip turns into an interesting adventure.
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It was exactly 10:26pm on Friday in June when my life took an unexpected turn that began with a frantic knock on the door. I'd been sitting on my couch, sipping a celebration drink, as I'd finally broken away from the first job that I'd taken after graduating college; I'd been a mechanical engineer for a small firm about 65 miles north of Seattle, and after two solid years of grinding through the bureaucratic bullshit, and commuting for 3 hours a day, I finally had given in my notice to pursue some other opportunities.

Actually, I had no opportunities available to me at the moment; I was taking a vacation from life. I'd been through several years of college, graduated near the top of my class, and less than a week after the ceremonial doings, I was a full time employee. This was fantastic at first, but early on I realized that I was just a scapegoat for any failings that the firm had. I was treated as a punching bag, berated, bruised, and broken, for the most part. My life, once seeming so wonderful, had collapsed into a dismal pile of waste, with me being angry, upset, and downcast more often than not. The money was good, but the cost didn't equal the value.

I'd come from a long line of engineers, so it was expected that I'd make it work, but I decided that the professional life wasn't for me, and I up and quit. It wasn't my usual style to give up on something that I'd worked so hard for, but now that the time had come, and I was free, I couldn't help but feel like a giant weight had been lifted from my shoulders. My family, on the other hand, didn't understand, and my phone was constantly ringing, with various members of my network telling me that my newfound desire for freedom was a waste of my potential. I hated how they felt that they knew better than I did, and I despised the fact that they were unwilling to see my side of the story.

Since early that afternoon, my phone had been shut off. I had no interest in listening to another chastisement from Grandpa, Mom, or anybody else that had a 'better understanding' of my life. This is why the knock on my door was a surprise; I'd never given the family my new address, and since they couldn't call me, I had figured I was free from the constant advice column.

I looked at the clock, and when I saw the hour, I knew only bad things would be coming from the other side of the door. However, even though I'd just quit my only means of sustaining my life, and had no interest in really getting into another discussion about it with anybody, I was preprogrammed to always man up to a given situation. The frantic knocking on my apartment door was one of those things I couldn't just ignore, as much as I wanted to.

I set my drink down on my favorite coaster, some local brewery that had an amazing seasonal beer that I liked to enjoy on a nightly basis, and got up to answer the door. I quickly looked around the room to make sure that it was decent for company, although, as always, the room was immaculate; I prided myself on cleanliness, and the ability to leave at a moment's notice in the event that there was some sort of emergency.

The knocking continued, and although it had only been a few seconds since that first knock, my stomach was tightening into a knot. This wasn't a good sign, and it was most likely not coincidental that it was occurring on my last day of work/first day of freedom. I sincerely hoped it wasn't my boss, as I knew that he'd drink the rest of my beers, and then make me feel like an ass for not having more, and then somehow talk me back into work for a few more days, under some guise of it being "my duty to finish the projects I'd started, and it's only a few more days".

Reluctantly, I still walked over to the door and looked out the peephole. The peephole was of no use, because I had just remembered that I was supposed to change the bulb, so there was only blackness outside, and I still had no idea who it might be banging on my door. With a deep sigh, I turned the deadbolt, and pulled the door open to address the person interrupting my relaxation.

"Thank GOD you're home!" she said, and pushed through the door, knocking me back and out of the way. The girl who'd just pushed me out of the way dropped all of her bags on the ground right inside my apartment, and walked straight to the bathroom, shutting the door behind her.

Had I been thinking clearly, I would have realized what just happened, but my mind was in shock. This amazingly hot girl had just burst into my apartment and run straight to my bathroom without so much as a "Hi, hello, my name is ..."

My mind began to spin quickly, trying to place the voice, the face, or anything else that might give away who this stranger was in my house. I came up with nothing, though, and I decided to patiently wait until she returned before I really gave it any more thought. This was my standby thinking process- if I didn't see an answer straightaway, I took a momentary pause to reassess the situation and wait for more information.

I'd expected her to come right back out of the bathroom, but to my surprise, the shower started up and I could hear the girl muttering something through the door. I wasn't a doormat by any means, but I couldn't believe that a random strange girl would burst into my apartment, leave her things all over my floor, and then head into my bathroom to shower without so much as a word other than the exclamation that I was home. Therefore, logic dictated that I must know her, somehow.

Not wanting to be a perv, I decided that a sexy girl in my bathroom wasn't a threat, and I resumed my seat on the couch with my beer. I didn't know how this was going to play out, but I wasn't going to stress too heavily about it. I mean, I had just quit my job, had no real plan of attack for my life, no real friends nearby, and my family was on my shit list, so I thought I'd just wait to see how it all played out. Besides, the brief encounter I'd had with her left me focusing on other aspects of her; rather than who she was, it was more how she looked. She'd been really attractive, I thought, but it was only a momentary glance.

My beer quickly was consumed, as I mulled over the possibilities of what was to occur when the girl returned from my bathroom. I got up, and grabbed another, enjoying the taste of my favorite beverage, when the shower shut off. I knew every sound in my apartment, so I knew that the shower curtain was pulled back, one of the clean towels had been removed from the squeaky Ikea towel rack, and the door was opening. The door was opening?

I knew immediately that this girl was only coming out in a towel, and I thought maybe that this might be some sort of present from a friend, or maybe my boss, although both were unlikely. I wasn't the type to pick up random girls, and I never EVER hired working girls. Regardless, this situation was reaching a point where I wasn't so sure I wanted this girl in my house anymore, even if she was hot.

I decided to approach her when she walked out, so as I took a swig of my beer, I turned to face the bathroom door as it swung inward. There she was, wrapped in a towel, legs still glistening from the hot water that had been cascading down her naked body moments before. The towel was loosely draped, so seeing a figure through that was rather difficult, but I assessed that she had an amazing rack hidden behind that thick piece of cloth. My eyes had started at her feet, and worked their way up, finally resting on her face. In the span of the 10 seconds I was watching her, she hadn't moved, and was just looking back at me.

Realization dawned on me as the face became familiar. It was Katie, my step sister. I hadn't seen her in years; she hadn't come to my graduation due to the divorce that had occurred when I was in the middle of college. Katie had been a Senior in high school, and my mom, even though I loved her, decided to take a few new lovers while my stepdad was away on business. This spiraled out of control, leaving Katie in a broken family, again, with me being off at college, safe.

I wasn't sure how she'd found me, why she was here, or what she wanted, but she was the one person in the world that I was genuinely glad to see; my thoughts of her rack and sexy body long gone. I wasn't one for incest, and even though there was no blood relation, she was off limits, always had been, and always would be. I loved her like my own little sister, and that was the end of my feelings for her. Given, I hadn't seen her in years, and my body still tried to react. A tiny lurch in my pants called for some extreme willpower, and as a master of my own mind, I managed to shut the boner down before it had a chance to really gain strength.

"You got another one of those Ben?" she asked, indicating the beer in my hand.

Without waiting for a response, she walked over to my fridge, and pulled another can from the acquired six pack that I enjoyed so much. She cracked the beer and started chugging right in the kitchen, not waiting for the fridge to even close before the can was hitting her lips.

I had to say, a sexy woman, in a towel, still damp from the shower, drinking a beer in my kitchen, was one of the most erotic things I'd ever seen in my 24 years of life. I was speechless as I watched her drain the can in less than a minute, toss the can into the sink, and grabbed another one. She didn't chug the second one, but walked back over to the couch where I'd been sitting and plopped down, cracking the beer in a smooth motion with one hand and then setting it on my one and only coaster.

I was still just standing in the middle of the room, beer in hand, speechless. This had to be one of the most odd experiences I'd ever been a part of, and I didn't quite know how to react.

Finally, after what seemed like hours, I realized I still hadn't even said hello to her, much less asked her what she was doing in my apartment.

"Hey Kate. What's up?" I asked, not quite sure what else to say. She was my sister, after all. Pleasantries could be ignored with family, I'd always said, so I wasn't going to give her the interrogation that I'd previously planned on when I didn't know that it was her.

"Oh you know, the same shit as always. What's new with you?" She replied, not really giving me anything to work with.

I shrugged, and sat next to her, drinking my beer, waiting for her to speak again.

I waited a long time.

We sat silently, sipping our beers together side by side, and waiting for the other to start the conversation. My curiosity finally got the best of me, and I opened my mouth to ask why she was here, how she had found me, and basically, wondered what she wanted.

Before I could speak, she started talking. "Ben, I'm tired. I'm going to bed. Can I use your room?" Without waiting for an answer, again, she set her can down on the table, stood up, grabbed her bags, and walked into my room, shutting my bedroom door behind her.

I was stunned. She'd been in my house for about an hour, and basically acted as is she lived here. I shrugged to myself, though, because, after all, she was my sister, and if she was here, at least she wasn't out somewhere unsafe. I'd always tried to take care of her, but I had a feeling that she wasn't the kind that needed taking care of anymore. As a matter of fact, she seemed like she was more confident than anybody I knew.

I looked at the clock again, but the battery had died. The analog display was still showing 10:26pm. I thought that to be a bit ominous, but decided that it could wait until the morning. I'd already had a couple of beers before Katie had shown up, so decided to call it a night. Since my bedroom was occupied, I started to get blankets out of my linen cupboard to keep me warm throughout the night on the couch.

Once the couch was made up, I stripped down to my boxers, turned off all the lights, and went to sleep. I wasn't quite sure how this would affect my new vacation plan, but I thought I'd worry about it in the morning. My eyes closed, and dreams didn't come this night.

--

When I awoke, my back was sore. The couch wasn't comfortable, and the room wasn't warm. I cleaned up the beer cans from the table and counter and sink, and began to make breakfast, temporarily forgetting I had a house guest. Considering the minimal contact we'd had last night, it didn't immediately come to me why I had slept on the couch.

Once the kitchen was clean, and my breakfast was ready, I sat down at my coffee table again, where I'd been drinking the night before. I had no dining room, so no need for a table, and since I had no guests, typically, the couch was the only seat I really needed.

Before the first bite could pass my lips, the bedroom door opened, and I remembered everything- Katie had come over, stole a shower, drank my beers, and hijacked my bedroom. My sweet little sister, who seemed like a demanding monster in the light of day, now that I thought about it. Oh well, she'll be gone soon, and my vacation can really begin.

Katie came out of the room, dressed in some pajama pants and a sleeping shirt. It wasn't revealing, so to speak, but it did leave a good deal to the imagination as to her curves. I tried not to notice, and again, as last night, succeeded in ignoring the beauty that was standing right in front of me.

"Is that for me?" she asked, sweetly, winking, and reached over to grab my plate of food.

Again, before I could respond, the food was being shoveled into her mouth. I was getting fed up with this- first my beer, then my bedroom, then my breakfast. I was irritated, hungry, and sore.

"Katie!" I exclaimed, not unkindly, but not in a friendly tone, "What the hell? You stole my beers, bedroom, and now my fucking breakfast. What gives?"

My little sister just looked at me, laughed, and continued to eat my breakfast.

Even though it was just scrambled eggs and a bit of sausage, she made it looks as if it was the best meal in the world. The sounds of a hungry person eating typically disgust me, but for some reason, I was captivated by the way her arm kept scooping the breakfast into her mouth, licking her lips, the tiny moans as if it was somehow slightly orgasmic. I couldn't look away, but my stomach started to rumble in sympathy, as I really was hungry this morning. I sighed, and walked back into the kitchen to make another plate for myself.

As she saw me doing this, she laughed, and took a swig of my orange juice that I'd left on the coffee table. "Got any champagne?" she tittered, not waiting for an answer, and looking into my fridge.

Sadly, she found no champagne, but did find the remainder of a bottle of Grey Goose, which allowed her OJ to turn into a screwdriver. A strong screwdriver, by the looks of it.

"Kate! Seriously? What the hell? This is my house. You walk in, take over, and I get no explanation, and now you're drinking all of my booze? I think you'd better explain. NOW." I was no longer indulging my little sister's game playing attitude.

"Oh Ben, don't get so worked up. We have a plan of attack to create today. Now, be a good big brother, and go get ready for the day. I'll finish up here." With that, she pushed me out of the way, and continued to scramble the eggs and fry the sausage I'd started for myself.

She'd always been kind of bossy, and apparently age hadn't curbed that aspect of her. Since I wasn't much of a conflict guy, hence me leaving my engineering position, I silently agreed, and turned to go get some clothing so I could shower. I realized, as I was getting my clothes, that I was still just wearing my boxers, and neither her, nor I had commented on my lack of dress. I wasn't embarrassed, but it wasn't something that immediately registered that I'd been nearly naked next to my incredibly hot sister.

As I was showering, I got to thinking that this wasn't what I wanted; I really just needed some down time, and my sister being here wasn't going to allow that. As much as I wanted to see her, and hear what was going on in her life, I was preparing to tell her that she needed to move on, and get on with whatever it was that she was doing these days; I wanted to rest. I had no real plans, but I couldn't be babysitting my little sister as I tried to figure out my next move.

I dried off, changed into some jeans and a tee shirt, and pulled a flannel over the top of it all. Seattle always called for layers, and I wasn't going to get caught in one of our famous downpours, even if the sun was out for the time being. Seattle weather was fickle, and I'd learned my lesson one too many times.

I stepped out of the bathroom, freshly washed, and went back into my bedroom to deposit my laundry, when I realized the state of the room; it was a disaster. Girl clothing was strewn about everywhere, the bed was a mess, the room smelled stale, and in general, I was disgusted. I liked to be fastidiously clean, and this was more like a college dorm room than an apartment, by the looks.

I spent a few minutes cleaning up, making the bed, organizing Kate's stuff into piles, and placed them neatly by the door. I wasn't sure what was clean or dirty, but I figured that she could take care of that aspect herself.

I walked back into the living room, and the food that she'd prepared was sitting on the table, next to another glass of OJ.

Without a word, I sat down, and began eating, noting that it was actually really good; better than the plain-jane breakfast that I'd made for myself earlier. I took a sip of the juice, and immediately realized she'd poured a bunch of vodka in it. I wasn't a big drinker, and never for breakfast, so I ignored the screwdriver, and finished the plate. It was then that I realized I didn't see Kate anywhere. I didn't have her phone number, and had no idea where she might have gone, but I wasn't too concerned; Katie would be back.

Moments later the door opened, and she walked in, now wearing jeans and a tee shirt like me. She must have changed on while I was in the shower. I looked at her, and she looked at me. No words, just silent staring, assessing the situation.

Finally, she came over, and sat next to me, scooping up the juice that I'd ignored, and tossing it back like a pro. When the empty glass was placed back on my coaster, she looked at me again.

"Hi Ben." She said. Smiling prettily at me. All at once, I was captivated by my beautiful little sister. Again. She'd always had such an amazing smile, and knew that it was easy to get me wrapped around her little finger when she used it in such a direct manner.

"Hello Katie." I responded, somewhat infatuated, but more concerned by what the smile meant.

In the past, whenever she was in trouble, or needed help, or just was being lazy and wanted me to do something for her, she smiled like that. I wasn't broke, but I wasn't rich, so I hoped she didn't want money. I couldn't think of what else would prompt such a random appearance. And considering we hadn't talked in years, and she'd shown up out of the blue, I knew it would probably modify my vacation plans in more ways than one. Fuck.

"Ben, I need help." She stated.

Here it comes, I thought. "Ok... Katie... um, first. Hi! How are you? What's going on? Why are you here? And all of the other relevant questions. I don't know if you heard but I quit my job and-"

"Oh Ben, I know all about that. Don't worry. Before I answer any of that, though, can you help me? Please?" she pleaded.

I knew she hadn't answered any of my questions, and I was still prepared to tell her to get her things figured out elsewhere, but, considering I really had nothing else going on, I decided to figure out what it was that she wanted before I had to be the asshole older brother.

"Maybe, Katie. Depends on what it is... I've been kind of taken by surprise here, and you haven't been the best houseguest. Really, I'm in a strange place right now, and I don't know how much help I can be." I thought that maybe a slight insult, and a prompting statement would speed this process up.