Bruises

"Like what?" She asked, blushing.

"Happy." I explained. "You really like it here, don't you?"

She nodded. "You were right, it's beautiful here, and..."

"And it's not home." I finished.

She nodded again. "Yeah."

"You know you don't have to go back to the person you were, before you came here. We're here only two days, and already you're a new person. Bring her home with you."

"It's not that easy." She said, her head bowed. "People know me at home."

"They only know what you show them." I corrected her, with a gentle smile. "Let them see the new you and forget about the old."

Rachel shrugged one shoulder.

"I'll still be there." I reassured her. "Remember? I promised."

"But it'll be different."

"From now?"

She nodded, sadly.

I reached across the table and took her and in mine. "Maybe in time, you won't need a pretend boyfriend. You'll have a proper one, who you'll be able to bring home."

She looked at me, sadly. "There's no one there who interests me. They're all idiots."

I smiled and squeezed her hand. "All boys are idiots, it's just our nature. You'll find a bright one sooner or later, but for this week, I'm here with you and I'm going to keep you smiling and laughing till you hate it."

Rachel sighed.

"Want to order desert?"

"Obviously." Rachel said with a weak smile. "You know I can't say no to cake."

She squeezed my hand back and I let her go.

*

We got back to the hotel even later than the night before, and we were definitely both tipsy. I let us into our room and closed the door. Rachel went straight to the bathroom, and I changed into my pyjama leggings. Once she was done cleaning up and brushing her teeth, we traded places.

She was in bed when I finished, and I slid in beside her. She rolled on her side, and I pulled her into a cuddle.

"Want to do that again tomorrow night?" I asked.

"I think so." She replied. "It was nice. You're a good pretend boyfriend."

"Thank you. You're a good pretend girlfriend."

She turned in my arms suddenly and pressed her lips to mine. I obliged her and kissed her with feeling. I felt her lips part, and her tongue slid against my lips. I groaned as she pressed herself against me, as biology tried to assert itself. My rod was stiff, and as hard as she was pressing herself against me, there was no way she couldn't feel it. I returned her kiss with equal fervour, and our tongues danced together for a moment, before I pulled back from her.

Rachel opened her eyes and looked at me confused and worried. I watched as she processed what we'd just done in a fraction of a second and before I could open my mouth, she blushed a deep crimson. She bit her lip and looked upset. I cursed my stupidity.

She made to get out of the bed, but I caught her arm and pulled her back to me.

"It's okay." I said, reassuring her. "You didn't do anything wrong. It's my fault."

Rachel turned back towards me with her eyes full of tears.

"I think there's something wrong with me." She sobbed.

I wrapped my arms around her and pulled her tight against me, my hard-on from moments ago forgotten about.

"Hush." I whispered. "There's nothing wrong with you."

"There is." She sobbed into my chest. "There has to be. Everything I touch turns to shit."

I began to rub her back through the thin material of her top.

"No it doesn't. You're just upset now and think that."

"What would you know?" Rachel cried. "You haven't been around for the last two years."

I shrugged uncomfortably; she wasn't wrong.

"I know you well enough to know that there's nothing wrong with you." I told her, firmly.

"John, I kissed you, not like a sister should, but how I'd kiss a boyfriend. That's fucked up."

"I kissed you too, remember?" I pointed out. "We were both in a happy place and a little drunk. You didn't do anything wrong. It was just the drink talking."

She didn't reply, just pressed her head to my chest, and sobbed. I kept rubbing her back and making soothing noises, until she eventually started to wind down.

Rachel took a ragged breath and pushed my hand away. She turned and moved to the edge of the bed, putting her back to me. It hurt, but I turned away from her, giving her the illusion of privacy I felt she wanted, and fell into a troubled sleep.

*

I woke the next morning feeling exhausted. I could still feel Rachel's lips on mine, her tongue against mine. I shook my head, thinking about it didn't help. I looked towards where Rachel had lain, but she wasn't there. I frowned, then heard noises from the bathroom. A moment later, my little sister emerged, dressed for breakfast. She noticed me watching her and she lowered her gaze to the floor for a moment.

"I'm sorry about last night." She mumbled, awkwardly.

"It's fine." I said, gently and beckoned for her to come closer.

"I ruined our nice evening." She said, her voice catching a little, as she stayed where she was.

I smiled. "No, you didn't. I loved our night out."

"But..." She protested.

"No." I said, cutting her off. "You're going through something big and there's bound to be a few hiccups along the way. I had a wonderful night last night."

Rachel looked troubled, and then looked at the floor again.

"We- We're still good?" She asked, hesitantly.

"Of course we are."

I held out my arms and she almost ran across the room to me. I pulled her into a rough hug and kissed the top of her head.

She hugged me back.

"Love you." She whispered.

"Love you too." I whispered back.

*

I spent an invigorating day on the slopes, ranging further that I'd yet done this holiday. It had been a few years, but I still had a vague idea of how the slopes all connected, and of course I had a map of the resort to guide me. Rachel's class were finally away from the training slope and had progressed onto the blues. That meant that they were able to go a little further out from the resort and experience some longer pistes. I'd met her for lunch at a restaurant a mile or so higher up the slopes, where the class had paused for food. She had perked right up again, following her upset the night before, and I was relieved to see her smiling and laughing with Tracey. After lunch I headed off to complete the circuit I'd planned in my head that morning and ended up racing against time to get back to the resort before the lifts closed for the evening.

Exhausted, I trudged into our room and closed the door behind me, making sure to make lots of noise, as I could hear the shower running. I started pulling off my gear, groaning in pleasure as I pulled my boots off.

"Honey, I'm home." I called out, in a corny accent as I heard the bathroom door open.

Rachel stepped out from a cloud of steam with a towel wrapped around herself. She laughed as she saw me.

"You look like a truck ran over you."

"I feel like it." I grunted, as I pulled off my thermal top.

She stopped laughing and looked concerned. "Did you hurt yourself?"

"What? Oh, God no. I'm just tired. I had to push myself hard on the way back to make it down on time."

"Want to go to the sauna?"

"Absolutely." I sighed, tugging off my thermal leggings and standing there in just a sweaty pair of boxer shorts. "Let me grab a quick shower first."

I grabbed a fresh pair of underwear and ducked into the bathroom.

When I emerged again, I pulled on a pair of pants and a t-shirt, and we headed for the sauna.

"What did you do after I left today?" I asked, as I lay in my usual spot.

"Same as the morning, we went up and down that blue slope a few more times. I made it down the whole way without falling on the last run." My sister replied, as she lay back enjoying the heat of the sauna.

"Nice!" I exclaimed. "Three days in and you're getting the hang of it."

"I don't know if I'd go that far, but I'm getting better at turning the board."

"There's not much more to it really." I said, rolling my shoulders a little to try and relieve a sore spot. "Unless you want to go into the parks and try the jumps."

Rachel snorted. "Not likely. I have enough bruises as it is. I like the idea of what you were doing though, just travelling around the resort at your own pace. I'd like to do that."

"You could come with me on our last day, if you like." I suggested. "I could take you up a little higher, so you could see more of the mountains and the resort."

"I'd like that."

I rolled my shoulders again, that knot of muscle just wouldn't ease out.

"Are you okay?" Rachel asked, concern colouring her tone again.

"Yeah, I just pulled a muscle or something in my back, it's a bit sore."

"Turn over, I can rub your back down a little."

"Uh, I might actually need that. Not here though, it wouldn't be polite, and if anyone came in, they might get the wrong idea."

"Come on so, back to the room." Rachel ordered, sitting up.

I had hoped that the sauna would ease the muscle but whatever I'd done, the sauna hadn't helped much, and by the time we got back to the room, my back was starting to protest.

"Take off your t-shirt and lay down on the bed." Rachel ordered, as soon as we were back in our room.

As I stiffly pulled off my top, Rachel lay a towel on the bed.

"You're sweaty." She explained. "I don't want you ruining our bed."

I snorted; but lay on the towel as directed.

"Where's it hurt?" My sister asked.

"Lower back." I replied. "Just above my waist."

"Okay, pants off too then."

I turned to look at Rachel, an eyebrow raised.

She blushed. "The pants will be in the way. Besides, we see each other in our underwear every morning."

I rolled over stiffly and undid my pants, but when I went to pull them down, a sharp pain shot through me.

"Oh, that did not feel good." I grunted.

"Lay still." Rachel advised. "Let me help."

She finished pulling down the zip and gently tugged my pants down.

I was going to make a quip about her getting my pants off but decided against it. I didn't want her to take it the wrong way.

Rachel gestured and I rolled back onto my stomach. I heard her moving around, out of my eyeline and heard her go into the bathroom for a moment, before returning. She slipped onto the bed, barely disturbing me so gently did she move, and then she straddled my thighs.

"Uh, Rachel, did you take off your pants?" I asked, curiously.

"Um, yeah. I didn't want my pants chafing your legs while I worked on your back."

"Okay, I, uh, just wondered."

"I have some oil here that I'm going to put on your back, it's as warm as I can get it, but it should make this easier."

I couldn't help myself. "Are you going to give me a back massage or are you planning on pegging me?" I sniggered.

I felt her sit back abruptly. "Do you me to try and ease your back or not?"

"Sorry, sorry. Bad joke." I sighed.

"And for your information." She continued. "If I were going to put something in your ass, you wouldn't be lying on the bed."

I gulped. "Just to be clear, I don't want anything put in my ass."

"Well then." Rachel replied, her tone smug. "Shut your mouth and relax, this shouldn't hurt you."

I felt the slightly warmed oil dribble onto my back, and a moment later, Rachel's small hands got to work.

A solid half hour later, Rachel climbed off me and lay down beside me. I discovered that her pants weren't the only thing she'd taken off. All she wore were her bra and underwear.

I rolled slowly onto my side, and she shuffled back against me.

"You took your top off as well?" I asked, as I draped my arm over her.

She shrugged. "I didn't want to get oil on it. How does your back feel?"

"Much better." I reported. "Where'd you learn to do that?"

Rachel shrugged again. "Mom took me to a spa a few times, after they pulled me out of school. They thought that pampering me might help me relax and get over, you know."

I hugged her close and kissed the back of her head.

"It seemed fairly straight forward, I mean I know there's much more to it, but the general idea seemed easy enough to pick up."

"Then I must thank mom when we get home. You might have just saved the rest of our holiday."

"Don't." She whispered.

"What?" I asked, confused.

"Don't mention home. I don't want to think about going back, until I have to."

I squeezed her gently again. "Of course. No talk of home. You're on a holiday with your pretend boyfriend and enjoying every moment of it."

"You don't have to keep pretending." Rachel whispered.

"I want to." I reassured her. "It makes you happy, new you and all that."

"But what about -"

"Hush." I cut her off. "I won't have my pretend girlfriend upset on her holiday. I want to see her smile and laugh. I want to see her happy."

"But it's not real. The old me will be waiting for me at home."

"Fuck her." I said, harshly. "She can wait there. The new you is here, and when it is time to go home, new you is going to kick her ass. And when you do, everyone is going to forget about her."

Rachel turned awkwardly in my arms until she was facing me.

"Do you really think so?" She asked.

I straightened my legs so she could shuffle closer. This is how we got into trouble the night before, but she needed the reassurance and I was prepared to take the risk, just to see her happy.

"Of course I do." I replied with a loving smile, as I pulled her close to me.

She shuffled close and as her eyes caught mine, she bit her lip.

"John?" She asked, a nervous tremor in her voice.

"Yeah?" I asked, feeling a little nervous myself.

"I really want to kiss you right now."

"I know." I replied, huskily.

"I- I should get up."

"You should."

Neither of us moved, then I dipped my head down and kissed her gently on the lips.

She jumped a little then pressed herself against me, her lips hot against mine.

I pushed her back, gently after a moment.

Rachel tensed and an angry look crossed her face.

"It's okay." I told her, carefully, before she could say anything. "You're my sister, and I love you, but we need to control ourselves. I don't mind the kissing, I truly don't, but must be careful, we can't go further."

She relaxed and despite looking a little sad, she nodded. "You're right, I'm sorry."

"There's nothing to be sorry for." I whispered. "I only want to keep you safe."

I dipped my head down and kissed her again, and she melted against me, her lips pressed against mine, and again I felt her tongue slip over my lips. I hesitated, and she felt it. She retreated, but I shook my head and pulled her back firmly against me. I ran my tongue over her lower lip, playfully, and I heard her moan a little as she opened up to me. Her tongue danced against mine, and we kissed, hungrily.

We surfaced for air, sometime later, it could have been an hour, a day, or even a week. I couldn't be sure.

Rachel curled against me, turning to press her back against my chest, leaving her wonderful ass to press against a totally inappropriate area. I didn't have the heart to object. She took my hand in hers and pulled my arm around her.

"That was nice." She murmured.

"I thought so too." I replied, burying my nose in her thick black hair. "Where would you like to go tonight?"

She suddenly tensed. "Fuck!" She exclaimed. "I forgot! Tracey invited us out tonight for drinks. What time is it?"

I leaned over her and swiped at my phone.

"Almost seven." I said, surprised. "What time did she say?"

"She didn't. I said I'd send her a message after we had dinner and she could tell me where she was."

"Hmm, maybe just send her a message now, saying that we got, distracted, and haven't had dinner yet."

"John!" Rachel objected. "She's going to think we were -- You know."

I shrugged. "So? She thinks we're a couple; she won't think anything of it."

"Huh. Okay. I'll tell her you got me all hot and bothered and seduced me."

I coughed, a little embarrassed. "Less is more Rae."

"I'll message her while you take a shower, then when you're done, I can shower."

"Sounds like a plan." I agreed. "While you're showering, I can get us a table somewhere."

*

We met Tracey and a few others from the class at ten. It was a large bar, with loud music and plenty of drink, and almost packed to the rafters with people. Tracey and the others had arrived early enough to get a table for the group but even so, seating was limited. The curvy blonde had decided that one of the older guys in the class, a tall, dark haired man called Craig, was going to be her seat for the night, and to be fair, he didn't seem to mind. There was one chair free, so I took it, letting Rachel sit on my lap, something she seemed happy to do. We chatted and laughed, as the night wore on. I didn't drink too much, just a few beers, and Rachel wisely decided to do the same. My free arm encircled her, my hand resting naturally on her slender thigh, and she leaned against my chest. Now and then, during the night, she looked up at me and kissed my cheek. I found myself kissing the top of her head affectionately just as often.

Eventually the night came to an end. We filed out of the bar, Rachel's hand in mine. Behind us Tracey had Craig's hand in hers and a button or two on her top had definitely come undone during the night. Craig was looking like a cat who'd got the cream or was about to.

"You two are so damn adorable." Tracey gushed. "I can't believe that you've been together for years."

I grinned. "She's easy to love."

Rachel bumped my hip with hers. "And he's an adorable ass." She added.

"Jesus, get a room." Tracey giggled. "Seriously."

"We have one." Rachel laughed back. "I think you two need to find a room though."

Tracey elbowed me with her free hand. "I think she's going to eat you alive if you're not careful."

She winked at Rachel, who blushed, and Tracey laughed again.

I felt so damn happy watching my sister. This was so far removed from the person who'd come over with me, it felt like she was someone completely different. My heart swelled with pride for her.

We made our goodbyes to Tracey and Craig and strolled hand in hand back to our hotel.

After we took our turns getting changed, we slid into bed. Rachel cuddled into me, and I wrapped an arm around her.

"Did you have a good night?" I asked.

"It was the best night yet." She replied, and I could hear a smile in her voice. "Did you?"

"I did." I answered, with a smile of my own.

Rachel reached up and touched my face. She pulled me down to her mouth and kissed me.

"What's that for?" I asked, a little breathless, when she released me.

"For being you, and for helping me be better."

"Be better?"

"To be better than I was."

"Oh."

She kissed me again and I responded. We started gently, but it wasn't long before we started to lose the war to biology again. My hand was on Rachel's back, but it was sliding down towards her ass, while she had hooked a leg over mine. I could feel her breath coming in little gasps, and every now and then she would moan a little. Suddenly she stopped and pushed me away.

"I can't!" She wailed. "I can't do this!"

I took a steadying breath but stayed back from her, giving her some space.

"I know." I said, breathing raggedly. "I'm sorry, it's my fault again."

"Shut up!" Rachel almost shouted. "Just fucking shut up. It's not your fault. I told you, there's something wrong with me."

"There's nothing wrong with you." I replied, still trying to regain control of myself. "Why do you think there's something wrong?"

"Because all I could think about, while I was sitting on your lap, is fucking your brains out."

"Oh." I said, with all the wisdom I possessed.

Rachel cried. "See?! There's something wrong with me."

I sighed. "Rae, you're horny. It happens. It's fine."

"But you're my brother, and I'm not supposed to think that way about you."