Bruises

Rachel leaned close and kissed me on the cheek.

"Thanks."

I shrugged, then pointed to a young kid of maybe thirteen, dragging a snowboard behind him.

"Bet he's in your group."

Rachel looked at him. "No bet. How long are you going to hang around?"

"I thought I'd wait until your teacher arrives and gets the class together. I'll head away then."

Rachel shivered a bit.

"You'll do great." I told her. "Remember, new you."

She nodded.

"Find out when you'll be stopping for lunch. I can meet you then if you like. You remember how to work the radio?"

Rachel rolled her eyes. "I'm not an idiot."

I grinned again. "That's my girl."

She punched my shoulder, and not too gently.

*

I sped down the slope, an easy blue, aiming for the restaurant in the distance. I rocked the board, this way and that, steering clear of people, some wobbling, some falling, some already on the ground. The hot pink helmet was clearly visible, sitting on a ski stand close to the restaurant, it had been a good idea, regardless of how Rachel viewed it. Judging the slope, I knew that I had enough momentum to make it, and then some. As I got closer, I could see her sitting at a table with a group of people, her back to me. I turned my board and braked hard, throwing up a little wave of snow ahead of me as I came in hot. I let the little momentum I had left bring me to the snowboard stand and unclipped.

"Show off." Rachel called out, as I turned around.

I grinned and made a small bow.

She got up out of her seat, gave me a hug, then pulled my face down and kissed my cheek.

She looked flushed and her eyes were wide.

"What was that for?" I asked, surprised.

"For bringing me." She smiled.

"You like it?"

"I like it, a lot."

I hugged her and laughed. "I told you. No falls yet?"

"Oh no, I'm bruised from head to toe, but it's fun. I almost managed to go from the top to the bottom of the beginner slope without falling, just before lunch."

"That's good going."

"Um, I didn't tell Tracey that you were my brother, when she asked.

"Tracey?" I asked, confused.

"The girl I'm sitting beside. She was asking if I came on my own. I said I came with you."

"But if you didn't say I was your brother, what did you tell her?" I asked in confusion.

"Um." She said, blushing so much I swear I could see steam rising from her.

"Oh." I said, with a realisation. "She thinks I'm your boyfriend?"

"I said you were a friend." Rachel corrected, still blushing. "But she misheard, and I didn't correct her."

I grinned and poked her in the side. "New you, huh?"

"Will you play along?" She asked, biting her lip.

"Sure." I said, as I gave her a quick hug, and kissed her cheek.

She blushed again and grabbed my hand, leading me over to the table to introduce us.

Tracey was a curvy, blonde girl, a few years or so older than me I judged, and very chatty. She entertained us with slightly off-colour stories of her time as a holiday rep in various resorts around Europe. She was a born entertainer, and the class seemed to gravitate to her. There was always someone like that in these classes. Fun and outgoing. She was exactly who Rachel needed to be around, I decided.

"You're both coming to the party tonight, right?" Tracey asked, her eyes bright.

"Of course we are." Rachel said, before I could open my mouth.

"Wouldn't miss it." I added.

It was typical of winter package holidays in Europe. The tour groups would all arrive on a Saturday evening, check in and get to sleep. Sunday would be the first day of classes, for those doing them, and then, that night, all the various groups that arrived the previous evening would be led around the resort by the reps. They'd be led from bar, to bar, getting just enough time to have a drink or two, before moving on to the next, until they'd finally wash up at the last bar for the rest of the night. It was a boozy affair, and a good time to find some single women who were up for a little fun off the slopes. Included in all this, usually, was a free shot of cheap alcohol at the door of each bar.

I glanced at Rachel again. I was going to have to warn her later, I doubted that she had much of a head for alcohol.

We enjoyed our lunch and soon the rest of the class were checking their watches. It was almost time for the second part of their class to begin.

I stood up and took my tray, and Rachel's, seeing as I was playing the part of boyfriend, to the collection point. Rachel was still chatting with Tracey, so I hugged her from behind and she squeaked a little in fright, as I squeezed her a little.

"Have fun." I whispered in her ear and kissed the top of her head.

"You too." She giggled back.

I collected my board and headed for the chair lifts.

*

I arrived back at our room, sweating and a little tired, to find Rachel already lying on the bed. She looked like she was freshly showered.

"Well?" I asked her, a smile on my lips. "How did the rest of your day go?"

She smiled back. "It was great, but I fell, a lot."

"Feeling sore?" I asked?

"A little bit."

"I do have a suggestion, but you might not want to do it."

"Oh?" She asked, curious.

"There's a sauna here. We could use it for a bit. It's great for loosening up sore muscles."

"That sounds great. Why wouldn't I want to use the sauna?"

"It's an adult one, so typically people are nude." I answered, a little awkwardly. "You don't have to be naked; I mean, you can keep your towel around you, it's just that there may be other nude people there."

"Oh." Rachel said. "It sounds nice, I suppose."

"There probably won't be many people there." I said, checking the time. "It's a little early yet."

"Okay." She said, with conviction. "Let's do this."

"Are you sure?" I asked.

"No but fuck it. New me."

I grinned. "I'm starting to like this new you."

She hesitated. "You don't think it's too much?"

"God no." I replied. "It suits you; I think."

She smiled, and her eyes sparkled.

*

The sauna was empty when we arrived. We changed out of our clothes in separate changing rooms and met at the door. Rachel had tied back her hair in a loose tail and, like me, had a towel wrapped around her. I opened the door and ushered her inside, closing it firmly behind us.

I was never a huge fan of saunas. I found them useful, for helping to get rid of sore and stiff muscles, particularly after a day on the slopes, but I don't deal with too much heat very well.

We picked a middle tier bench and sat back. After a moment, Rachel got back up and moved up to the top bench and lay down.

"Better?" I asked.

"Better." She replied, with a contented sigh. "This was a great idea."

"Don't forget to drink your water."

"Uh huh."

I lay back on my bench, just below her, and relaxed. I was already feeling the heat working on my tired muscles.

"You don't mind that they think you're my boyfriend, do you?" Rachel asked.

"Nah. It's okay." I replied. "It's not like I'll be jamming my tongue down your throat or anything."

She giggled. "Can you imagine what that'd even look like."

It was surprisingly hard not to.

"Mom and dad would kill us, if they found out."

"Damn right they would." I replied, before changing the subject. "You should go easy on drink tonight."

"Why?"

"Because there will be a lot of it, and there's usually a little unintended pressure to drink."

"Oh."

"I mean, have some, if you want, I'm not your boss, or anything, but you don't want to be hungover in the morning. Some of the teachers enjoy making their students work hard on the second day."

"You'll keep an eye on me and let me know if I'm drinking too much?"

I sat up and looked at her. "It's not up to me. Drink as much as you feel comfortable with, but you decide when you've had enough. Just remember what I said about tomorrow morning."

"Okay." She agreed and I lay back down.

*

I took the offered shot from the very cute holiday rep and downed it in one, putting the little glass back on the tray. Rachel took one too and, like me, tossed it back. She coughed and handed the glass back before following me down into the bar.

"Oh god." She said, disgusted. "That tasted like some sort of bad medicine."

"It's free." I shouted over the music. "It'll be the cheapest thing they have."

I went to the bar and ordered a pint for myself, and a malibu rum and coke for Rachel. Drinks in hand, I let her lead me to where she'd seen a few of her classmates.

"So how long are you guys going out?" Tracey shouted over the music.

I glanced at Rachel and winked. "We grew up near to each other, so it's like we've been dating all our lives."

"Aww." She gushed. "Childhood sweethearts."

I smiled at Rachel. "Something like that I suppose."

Rachel smiled back at me. Apparently, she'd taken the "new you" to heart. I'd never seen her so happy in a crowd.

We drank and danced a little as we went from bar to bar. I let myself get somewhat tipsy, and then switched to sodas. I didn't want to be hungover in the morning. Rachel had another few drinks, before we decided to call it quits. We bid farewell to the diehard drinkers in the class and made our way back to our hotel.

As soon as I'd closed our bedroom door, I turned and found Rachel's arms around my neck. She leaned against me and hugged me close.

"Thank you." She whispered.

"For what?" I asked, looking down at her, as she gazed up at me.

"For a wonderful night."

"You had fun?" I asked, my heart racing again, as she licked her lips.

"Thanks to you." She whispered, her voice a little husky. "My pretend boyfriend."

She tilted her head back a little, raised herself up and kissed me.

Her lips were so soft and inviting, I couldn't resist. I kissed her back.

We kissed for an endless moment, then I broke the kiss, and held Rachel at arms-length. She seemed confused, for a moment, then she realised what we'd just done.

"Oh god!" She exclaimed, and paled.

"It's okay." I assured her. "It's okay."

"I didn't mean to do that."

"I don't mind. We're both a little drunk and tired."

"But it's wrong." She protested.

I shook my head. "What? The kiss? It's fine. Parents kiss their kids all the time, we've kissed each other's cheek a few times today. Nothing wrong with it."

"But we kissed on the lips."

I waved away her objection. "There's nothing wrong with it. Look, we'll be around Tracey and the rest of the class for the week. It'd look odd if we don't kiss each other now and then."

"Maybe I shouldn't have let her think you were my boyfriend."

I shrugged, then grinned. "Too late now. Besides, I'm clearly getting the better part of the deal anyway."

She frowned. "What do you mean?"

"Rachel, I'm an average looking guy, but you're beautiful." I explained. "I'm punching above my weight class with you."

She blushed and relaxed a little. "You're not average."

"Hush." I said. "I know what I am. Now why don't you go have a shower and get ready for bed. I'll go after you."

She opened her mouth to object, but on a whim, I pulled her close again and kissed those full lips.

"I need to get used to kissing a very attractive girl." I explained, when I broke the kiss again.

She blushed deeply. "We can't tell anyone at home about this."

I rolled my eyes. "Well, aren't you the mistress of the obvious."

"Prick." She cursed, as she punched my shoulder.

I let her go and she headed towards the bathroom.

*

I woke up the next morning with Rachel once again curled up against my back and an arm thrown over me. I yawned and moved to slip out of bed, but her arm tightened around me.

"Not yet." I heard her murmur sleepily. "Too early."

I turned around, slowly, to lie on my other side. She made a disappointed face.

"Turn around." I suggested.

She groaned, but then rolled onto her other side. I put my arm around her and pulled her back against me, burying my nose in her hair.

"Better?" I asked.

"Mhmm." She murmured. "S'nice."

"How's your head?"

"A little sore."

"Want me to get you a glass of water?"

"No, I just want to be comfortable."

We were silent for a while, enjoying our combined warmth.

"John?" Rachel asked, suddenly. "How come we haven't been very close in the last few years? Did I do something wrong?"

I froze for a moment; this wasn't a question I could answer honestly. I took a breath and tried to come off relaxed and nonchalant.

"No, you didn't do anything wrong. I think it's just natural. Boys and girls grow just apart I guess as they get older."

"I missed you being there all the time." She whispered.

"I missed you too." I replied, a lump in my throat. "I wish I'd known what those girls were doing to you. I might have been able to put a stop to it."

I felt her twitch a shoulder in a small shrug. "It's all done now. Nothing more to do."

I hugged her tight against me and kissed the top of her head. She put a hand over mine and I felt her fingers twine with mine.

"Will you promise that you won't drift away again, when we get home?" She asked, in a small voice.

"I promise." I whispered, closing my eyes.

I hoped she couldn't feel how hard my heart was beating.

We lay like that, until my alarm finally starting to ring. I reached back without looking and switched it off.

"Ready to get up?" I asked her.

She let my hand go and turned around to face me. Our noses were only an inch or two apart and she bit her lip as she held my gaze.

"Are you ready to play the part of my boyfriend again?" She asked, a slight twinkle in her eye.

I smiled, conscious of how close our faces were to each other. "Absolutely."

She smiled, then pressed her lips to mine, for the third time in less than twelve hours. I kissed her and pulled her against me. She made a little, happy sound and slid her arms around my neck. She broke the kiss then, her face a little flushed.

"Was that okay? It's still just a kiss, right?"

I smiled and kissed her lips gently.

"It was fine, and yeah, it's still just a kiss." I reassured her.

"Is it wrong that I want to keep doing that?"

"Kissing?"

"Uh huh."

"It's very wrong." I said, sternly.

"Oh." She said, crestfallen.

"Because there's mountains and snow to go out and play in." I finished. "It'd be a crime not to get up."

"Oh." She said, sounding more positive again. "We can kiss again later?"

"Sure." I said, cheerfully. "Whatever you like. I'm sure you'll get a kiss or two during the day too."

"I better. You need to act like a proper boyfriend, or Tracey might get suspicious."

"You like her." I observed.

"She's nice."

I grinned. "Well then, we can't have her getting suspicious. I'll be the best boyfriend you've ever had. Ready to face the world?"

Rachel nodded. "Yeah. New me, and all that jazz."

"That's the spirit."

*

The day passed quickly. I met up with Rachel's class again for lunch, at the same restaurant. They were still on the training slope, so they were easy to find. I'd managed to explore most of the nearby pistes and had ventured down a black or two. Normally Jack and I would have worked our way out to some of the more distant pistes by now. We'd be searching for a sort of orbital route that would take us around the limits of the resort, something that would take us most of the day to complete. Meeting Rachel for lunch, however, limited how far I could go, at least for now. I guessed that tomorrow, their teacher would start taking them to some close by blue slopes, and the day after, if things had gone well, they would be straying a little further, allowing me to likewise stray further.

That evening, I arrived back in our room and found Rachel just coming out of the shower. I don't think she heard me, as she walked out of the bathroom carrying her towel. She saw me and froze, like a deer in the headlights.

In that frozen moment, I marvelled at her beauty. She was perfect. Her slender legs, the gentle curve of her hips, the modest swell of her breasts, surmounted by small pink nipples. Her wonderfully round ass, not too big, but just right for grabbing. I took her all in, and despaired. Why did she have to be my sister?

She flushed bright red before diving back into the bathroom.

"John!" She shouted. "For fuck sake."

"Sorry." I called out to her, hoarsely. "I didn't mean to walk in on you."

She stepped out of the bathroom again, her towel now wrapped around her.

"I didn't hear you." She admitted.

"I should have said something when I came in." I allowed. "I wasn't trying to be quiet or anything."

"It's okay, I suppose." She sighed. "Was probably bound to happen sooner or later, seeing as we're sharing a room."

"And a bed." I pointed out.

"I'll get dressed. Do you want the shower?"

"In a little bit." I said. "Need to get out of my gear first."

She grabbed her underwear and bra from the bed and made to go back to the bathroom.

"Do you want to go to the sauna again?"

"Oh." I said, surprised. "That'd be nice."

*

When we stepped into the sauna, there was a nude, older man lying on a towel up on one side of the top level. He nodded to us, and then politely ignored us. We went to the other side and once again Rachel took the top level and I stayed on the mid-level bench. We lay in silent contemplation for about five minutes, then the man sat up, slipped his towel back around his waist and left.

Rachel giggled.

"What?" I asked.

"I don't know if I could just lie here naked. Anyone could walk in."

"It seems pretty normal here." I replied. "Nudity isn't something that's inherently dirty. Besides, I think it's supposed to be better without the towel."

"So you'd be happy to lie here, with no towel, where anyone could see you?"

I shrugged. "Sure. I use the saunas here all the time when snowboarding. I'm usually naked."

"Oh. So why aren't you now?"

"Earth to Rachel." I whispered, nervously. "I'm not naked, because I'm here with you, my sister."

"Oh. I don't mind, I suppose, if you'd prefer to be naked."

"It's fine." I replied, firmly.

"Is it cause you'd be embarrassed?" Rachel giggled.

"I don't know. I suppose I just don't want you to be embarrassed."

"Oh."

"I thought we might go to a restaurant tonight." I said, changing the subject. "Not the one here in the hotel, but out in the resort."

"That'd be nice. Did you have one in mind?"

"There's a small Italian one, not far from here. They have a small menu, pizza and pasta sort of thing."

"You checked them out already?"

"Of course I did. I wanted to treat my pretend girlfriend to a nice meal. The reviews are good, so I already booked us a table for eight o'clock. Plenty of time for us to relax, then get ready."

"You're the best." Rachel smiled, turning her head to look down at me.

"I know." I replied immodestly.

*

We were seated at our table at eight pm on the dot. It was a small table, set in a little alcove that had a large window on one side that gave a wonderful view of the mountains. At least it would during the day, it was already quite dark and all that could be seen was the light of the resort reflected from the snow. We could see individual lights moving across the slopes, and Rachel pointed to them.

"Machines grooming the slopes for tomorrow." I explained. "They'll be out for most of the night."

The food arrived and we ate, chatted, and ate some more. Our conversations were confined to the holiday, things we'd seen, our experiences on the snow so far, conversations about Rachel's classmates. It had been years since I saw her this animated, and it suited her.

"I love seeing you like this." I said, softly.