In Hot Water Pt. 02

"Yeah. Is that bad?"

"Not if you don't mind everyone at the phone company and 12 different internet providers seeing those photos." Garrett pulls out his phone. "I should have done this at work. Download this. Icon looks like a blue dot." He holds out his phone to show me what to look for.

I grab the app off the store. "Now what?"

"Now you scan this code." Garrett holds up a blotchy black and white grid on his screen. I point my camera at it until my phone buzzes. "Then I scan yours." He taps a button on my phone and it makes a similar face, which he then scans.

"Presto, we're best friends, and nobody can listen in."

"How good is it?"

"It's as close to perfect as you're going to get on a phone. If you want to be as careful as possible, you can set it to send disappearing messages, so they don't stay on the receiving screen longer than you want. They expire and vanish."

"Why would I want my messages to vanish?"

"I don't know," says Garrett. "I don't live your life. We'll get you an actual contact here. Jess." Garrett shouts towards the backyard. "Bring your phone, we're doing a technology lesson."

A minute later the door in the back squeaks, and three girls come inside, with a halo of weed smoke around them.

"What do you need my phone for?" Jessica looms behind me, and her words smell like my drink.

"Getting your brother on a proper text app."

"Oh." Jessica rolls her eyes. "He does this to all of us." Robyn nods silently in agreement.

Garrett has my sister and me swap codes, like he and I had done. "There, now you can talk shit about family, or whatever."

"Make sure you include the part where you do shots at a party with your amazing new friends." Kevin shouts from in front of a line of shot glasses filled with something brown. He floats his hand in a ribbony wave, as though he were a game show assistant.

"What is that?" I ask.

"Fun in a single swallow," says Kevin, handing out the glasses, "for folks of all persuasions, orientations, and astrological signs."

Robyn puts up her palm, and Kevin lets her be, then he offers me the drink instead.

I take the dripping glass, and tilt the contents down my throat.

It's like I've swallowed battery acid that's trying to evaporate back out my mouth. My mix drink helps, but the fizz from the Coke burns my throat too. Then the acid catches fire and begins dissolving my insides. Everyone around me is coughing, and I pinch my eyes shut, until the burn gives way to a floating numbness. When I can see again, my sister is leaned over, with her hand on the counter. Other people are behaved much the same, and Kevin is going back and forth between coughing and laughing.

"What the fuck was that?" asks my sister.

"I thought you'd like that, Jess," says Kevin, choking back a cough. "Your boy Roger introduced me to that stuff."

I'd never heard the name Roger before. Tendrils of jealousy wrap around the most primal part of me and squeeze. I want to ask, but not here and not now, so I push it deep down inside.

"I never drank that shit with him" My sister squishes her nose into a ghoulish face. "Don't put that on me. That was terrible."

"I disagree. That," says Kevin, leaning back and puffing his chest out, "was a good time." He grabs Jane by the hand and leads his stumbling, coughing girlfriend into the living room.

"I think the outside needs me longer," says Robyn.

"I'll go with you," says Garrett, the only one unaffected by the liquid fire. He seizes the brown bottle, and follows her into the yard.

Jessica and I stand in the now-quiet kitchen reeling from overpowered liquor. I'm numb from the throat down, and I lean against the counter to take some of the effort away from standing, which is becoming difficult. Jessica has managed to stand upright, and she runs her eyes up me and cocks her head to the side.

"You're doing it again," she says in a whisper. She pushes her lips together, and steps close to me.

I reach over and flip off the kitchen light.

Jessica kisses my lips before I've taken my hand off the switch. She spreads her fingers along the sides of my face, and pushes her tongue into my mouth. I touch her waist, and first cup her breast, then pinch her nipple through the fabric of her dress. She whimpers quietly, then kisses me hard, and breaks away.

We stand in silence, silhouettes our only view of each other. A cigarette lighter flicks outside somewhere.

Getting to know my sister.

"Oh, fucking hell," whispers Jessica. She tilts her head and examines my face in the dim light coming from the living room behind her. "Come with me." My sister pulls me by the wrist through the side door into the hallway bathroom. She pushes the door shut, and locks it, then finds the light.

I look in the mirror and my sister's makeup is smeared across my lips and cheek. It's not overt for a dark party full of drunks, but someone would notice. She wets a towel, and works on my face, oddly reminiscent of how our mother used to wipe dirt off us when we were young.

"Okay, that should do."

We creep back to the living room as nonchalantly as we can manage. Jane and Kevin recline side by side on the couch, and Robyn and Garrett are just sitting down in a chair across the coffee table.

"We need to get going," says Jessica. "Thanks for the drinks."

"Gotta get your little brother home for bedtime?" Robyn's voice is flat and dry.

"Something like that."

"You feeling any better, Mopey?" asks Kevin.

"Yes, actually."

"Good to hear. Later, Wonder Twins." Kevin pulls Jane's shoulder over his face as though she's a blanket.

"Coffee tomorrow." Jane wiggles her finger in the air, but does not open her eyes. "Don't forget."

"I won't. Night all."

With that, my sister and I march outside under the cover of darkness. We take the front steps as we might normally, but by the time we get to the street corner I've somehow woven my fingers between Jessica's. She squeezes my hand as we approach the park.

"Is this okay?" I ask.

"Mm-hmm."

"So why were your friends all dressed up tonight?"

"They like to do that sometimes when they drink."

"I think I kind of love your friends."

A streetlamp bathes the entrance to the park in soft yellow. The path underneath weaves left and right, which suits our rum-induced stagger. Mid-way to the second light, we pass two people, their faces shrouded by the night, and something about being seen holding my sister's hand gives me a rush. As we pass the next lamppost, another couple approaches from the far end. I slow my pace in the darkest part, between the lights, and Jessica matches me, gripping my hand firmly. When the people walking toward us are a few paces away, I let go of my sister's hand and pull her close, kissing her lips. Then my sister's tongue is in my mouth, and I'm tasting everything she's been enjoying all evening. In a public park, with people watching. When the walkers have passed us, Jessica grabs my hand again. She trembles as she squeezes me, and my heart is racing.

Up onto the porch we fly, and I somehow get the door unlocked. I'm not sure what's happening next, and my head is swirling around. We stand in kitchen limbo for a moment.

"Water?" I say.

"Oh my god, yes. Can you bring a cup to my room? I have to get these shoes off."

I pour two glasses, and get to Jessica's room in time to see my sister pull her dress off, and cast it to the floor. By the dim window light, I can tell she doesn't have anything on underneath. She takes a glass from me, swallows three huge gulps, then sets it down and lays on her bed.

"Come lay down with me?"

I do not need to be asked twice.

I take one sip of the water, and set it next to hers. Then I push her door shut, and throw everything I'm wearing into the darkness. The instant I'm on her bed, Jessica rolls on top of me, lips first. My back aches against the sheets, but I'm beyond caring.

My sister pulls her head back. "Does it count as seducing you, if I tell you I'm doing it?"

Then she's back to kissing me.

Into her mouth, I say, "I still think it's my fault."

"I'm not convinced."

I flip her on her back, and climb down to her waist, kissing her along the way. I get as far as her hips.

"Are you going to-- Oh my god."

I planned to warm her up more, but she's already soaking wet. So I pull my fingers in a hook inside of Jessica, while I lick her clit. It's a move that works well on Rachel. I think my ex showed it to me, but I can't really remember with my head full of rum, and I don't want to think about that bitch.

Jessica writhes under me, though she keeps pretty quiet, save for the occasional whimper, as I work her lower half. One of her hands gives me a scalp massage, and the other is jerking the top blanket around on her bed. She squeezes her thighs against the sides of my head, as I try to keep us both on the mattress. I push her legs open, and she quickly makes room for me, but this only lasts for a few licks, then she clamps back down.

The flatter I stretch my tongue against her clit, the more she squirms and pushes against me. I'm getting really used to the growing sounds coming from my sister above. She's gotten louder, and I have no idea what time Mom will be home. I'm pretty sure we have at least an hour, but checking the clock isn't a priority. My tongue begins to tire from its work, and I realize I've adopted the same face I used to eat those ripe peaches a few mornings back. This is more fun.

"I didn't wear anything underneath tonight." Jessica breathes deep. "Because... please keep doing that. Because, I really hoped you'd do this, but I didn't think it would actually happen."

"Are we even yet? On the seduction thing?" The words don't come out right. My tongue is too numb to talk, so I press it back against her and keep working.

"Almost. Just keep right there, please."

So I do.

My sister sucks in a pool of air, and holds it. She squeezes my fingers, and wraps her legs around my head. Jessica pulls my hair into her fist, and encases me in a solid, vibrating mass for a moment, then she lets the air out, and relaxes her grip on me.

I stop my work, and lift my face free. Then I slowly pull my fingers out. Jessica shudders.

My sister is panting.

"Did you catch what time it is?" I ask after her breathing has slowed. "I don't know where my phone went."

"I think it was 11:30 when we got home."

"Okay, good. Mom is back at 1, if she's on her normal schedule."

Jessica breathes in deep. "I can work with that. My turn." She waves me up to join her. "Up here."

I obey, and climb up next to her. She rolls me onto my back and pins my shoulders to her pillow, then throws her leg over me and straddles my hips. She's even wetter than when we started and she's sliding right on top of me.

My sister asks, "Do you want to?"

I'm as hard as can be, and she's grinding herself up and down.

I nod.

Jessica reaches back, and puts me inside. I don't know if it's supposed to feel different because of who she is, but I'm lost in a thousand sensations, and loving every one of them. My sister rocks back and forth with her hands on my chest, and squishes my back against her pillow. I let her go for a while, and briefly entertain the idea of moving her, or changing positions, but this feels great, and I don't want to mess with it. Working her as I'd just done really got me going, and even with all the rum this won't take long. I'm most of the way there already, then Jessica takes her hands off my chest, and sits up tall. She speeds up her rhythm with the upright posture, and that's when I realize I have to make a decision.

"Are you on the?" I adjust my hips to take a bit of the edge off the intensity, but it's not nearly enough. "I mean, where should--"

"Cum in me."

"You sure?"

"Mm-Hmm."

So I hold onto my sister's hips as she pulls greased ecstasy back and forth across me.

And then I cum inside her.

Jessica keeps riding me until I finish and release her, then she lets off. She probably could have kept going, but I'm done.

Suddenly, I'm buried in a sarcophagus of confusion and nostalgia. I have no way to process what we just did, and I lay back on the bed, still inside my sister. I'm thinking about the little girl I knew, and the woman against me now. The two images don't fit together. Jessica leans forward, and pulls herself off me, sliding to my side. She kisses my cheek, and my lips.

Then reality crashes into me. Things are okay again, though it seems like they shouldn't be.

"Are you okay with all this?" Jessica's voice wobbles. I'm not sure if it's from exertion, or emotion.

"That may be the most confusing, and my favorite thing I've ever done."

"The first part, or the second part?" Her voice is strong again.

"All of it. What about you?"

"I'm okay, I think." Jessica rests her chin on my chest and looks at me in the dim light. "Yes."

Getting to know my sister.

We lay on the bed, sweaty and naked, her arm draped over my chest, one of her legs crossed between mine.

"What do we do now?" I ask. "We probably shouldn't stay like this too long."

"Grab my TV remote. Let's put something on for a bit."

I lean against my sister under a purple blanket, twirling long smooth strands of hair around my fingers.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

CHAPTER 9

The Dragon Lady stops the cart in front of the bathroom. Water hisses from behind the door, but it's the floor that has her attention. She leans over and moves one of my sister's shoes out of the path, then continues pushing. Behind her in the entryway, the front door arcs wide open, propped with the doorstop.

"Sorry about earlier," says the woman. She pushes the cart up to the table by the beds. Two covered dishes sit atop the metal surface. "I didn't mean to presume."

I say it's fine.

"Can I move this please?" She points to my sister's bag in the middle of the square dining table.

"I guess we're in the way a lot." I lift the bag, and move it to a different table by one of the giant beds. The bag lands with a ringing clang.

The Dragon Lady arranges silverware on a placemat. Fork, plate, knife facing inward, spoon. Then she makes another setting across the table.

The water shuts off, and a curtain clatters behind the bathroom door.

Two glasses go on the placemats next. The woman reaches with a vase full of ice water, and pins a coaster to the table, off center between the place settings. The Emerald Dragon on her wrist looks at me, as she pulls back her hand.

I say, "We should have asked you to bring this up when we checked in. Save you some effort."

"I was a bit surprised to see your room number right away."

"We never got dinner. I needed something."

"This is a good choice." The woman removes the lids atop each of the plates on the table, filling the air with lemon and basil. She touches her fingers to the yellow smoke on the back of her other hand. "And I'm sorry again about what I said."

"It's really okay. You get a lot of married folks here, I take it?"

"A lot of couples stay here before they fly out. And special occasions."

The bathroom door glides open, and the humming fan swells. My sister leans out in front of the doorway, pressing a white towel to her chest. Dark hair twirls up on top of her head in a bun. She looks out the open door into the hallway, then turns to me.

"That smells wonderful," says my sister. Her bare feet carry her in her towel past the woman, and she stands to my side, gazing down at the steaming red entrees.

"I can leave the covers, if you're not ready to eat," says the Dragon Lady.

"Oh, I'm starving," says my sister. "I'm eating right now." She points her eyes at me, then at her bag on the opposite table.

I pull some money out of the side zipper pocket, and surrender a folded bill to the Dragon.

My sister sits in front of a plate of fish. She lets go of her towel, and grasps a fork in one hand and a glass of water in the other. The towel is still wrapped around her. Mostly. She grins as she takes a bite.

"Come sit with me?"

I lift one of the napkins off the table, and sit across from my sister.

The Dragon Lady stacks the plate covers on the cart. "You can leave that outside the door when you're done. You folks enjoy yourselves."

~~~~~~~~~~~~

CHAPTER 10

"Jessica!"

Someone is banging on the door.

"Jessica!"

More banging.

"I'm doing laundry. Do you have anything?"

"No." My sister shouts the response from next to me. I'm pressed against her naked skin, with one of my arms draped over her, and the other pinned under her shoulder. Our legs twist together under a purple blanket, but we're otherwise exposed.

"Are you sure? With the dryer still the way it is, I'd rather group as much as we can."

"I--" Jessica pauses. "I don't need anything right now."

"What about your brother? Have you seen him?"

"He's doing something. Bug him later."

Mom's footsteps fade down the hall. My heart is pounding, and I look at Jessica, but her eyes are as big as green saucers. Daylight floods the room, and I have no idea what time it is.

"Fuck, fuck, fuck," says Jessica. She pulls herself free of me, and tosses the comforter into the air, then swipes at a pile of clothes on the floor. I eventually find the pants and shirt I'd worn the day before. They aren't where I thought they were, and neither is the bed.

I set a new record for dressing myself, and stand by the door, unsure of what to do.

Jessica stares at her phone, having pulled a dress over herself, though one shoulder rides askew, and the waist is bunched on her hips. "Oh no. I'm supposed to meet Jane in five minutes."

"Tell her you overslept." I'm whisper-yelling. "Or make something up."

"I don't like lying to my friends, especially her." Jessica taps frantically, and the phone makes a clicking sound with each touch.

"You just lied to Mom."

My sister gives me a sideways glare. She sets her phone down, and pulls each foot into the heel of a shoe. "I said we were up late watching a movie."

"Just don't tell her about the rest of what we did."

Jessica stands and joins me by the door. She straightens her dress, and looks at me, working a puzzle behind the green of her eyes.

"You okay?" she asks.

"Yeah. You?"

My sister smiles and kisses my lips. "Yes. I'll see you later." She slowly opens the door, and tip toes the first few steps down the hallway, before stomping when she gets to the kitchen. I seize the distraction, and lunge across the hall into my room.

For once I'm glad everyone I know from high school moved away. There's nobody who can drag me out, and interview me about why I'm in such a strange mood. And this is high in the running for strangest mood I've ever been in. I lay back on my bed and try to unpack the previous twelve hours, but quickly abandon it, due to it feeling like massive head trauma. I pick flashes of moments instead. Making out in the park, while the couple walked past us. My sister kissing me in the kitchen, and then having to rub her makeup off my face. A thousand things from the end of the night in Jessica's bed. But then I get stuck on talking with Garrett and Kevin, for some reason. They didn't have to be cool to me, but they were. It could have just been because of my sister, but they seemed real. Garrett's words, in particular, ring again and again in my head. "Show up, and do the work."

I stand under the water unabashedly waiting for it to turn cold. It usually only takes a few minutes. After maybe ten, it's still quite warm, and I start to wonder about my perception of time. I stand there longer, but the stream over my head holds strong. When my fingers start to prune up, I finally shut off the water. Steam clouds the room, as I expected, but then I look up, and a shiny new chrome fan hangs right in the middle of a new ceiling panel. I click the switch on the wall, and the fixture hums to life, slowly extracting mist from the air. I'll turn that on before the shower next time.