Jen and her BFF's Brother

The following story is a work of fiction, and all its characters are over eighteen years of age. It takes place in Columbus, Ohio, and all the places noted actually exist. The characters, however, are all the product of my imagination. Thanks for taking the time to read and take a few more moments to rate and comment -- it's greatly appreciated.

*****

"Hey, Jenny. You in there?" Tanya knocked on the screen door after tugging on it and finding it locked. She heard slapping sounds coming from the stairway.

A barefooted Jenny appeared and waved for Tanya to come in.

"It's locked."

"Oh, yeah," Jen said, pitter-patting to the door and unlocking it. "Cum'on in."

"Your mom and dad home?"

"Naw. They went shopping, then out to dinner."

"Good. I don't have to watch my language." She laughed and plopped down on the couch.

"Make yourself at home, Tany."

"Thanks," Tanya said, kicking off her sandals and wiggling her toes. "When does school start?"

"Next Monday for most. My first class is Wednesday. You?

"Mine is Wednesday, too, the benefit of being a senior, I guess."

Tanya stretched out on the couch.

"I hated being gone for the last month," she said, a big smile on her face.

"It must have been hell," Jenny smirked, "having to lay out on the beach all day. You're pretty freaking tan."

Tanya sat up and lifted her tank top, displaying two shapely and very tanned breasts.

"And there were some very nice parties lots of nights." Tanya chuckled.

"And I suppose you got to display those things at the parties and afterward, and you can go ahead and cover them up if you'd be so kind.

Tanya laughed and lowered her top.

"I'm sure I could find fingerprints if I checked closely," Jenny smirked.

Tanya frowned, then laughed. "I washed them all off, so you're out of luck."

"And probably anything else that was left on your body, too."

"That's disgusting, Jen."

"Yeah, but you didn't deny it."

Tanya curled her nose, then laughed again.

"I did have some good times," she said, sticking out her tongue at Jen.

"Did any of the good times have a name?"

"A couple of them, but not sure I remember them now."

"What happens in the Bahamas stays in the Bahamas, right?"

"Too bad you weren't there. We would have had a great time together." As she said that, she glanced out the front window and stood. She went to the screen door, opened it, bent, and picked up a small package.

"They usually ring the bell," Jenny said, watching as Tanya looked at the label. "I didn't order anything. Must be Mom's."

"Don't think so," Tanya said glumly.

"What's wrong?"

She handed the package to Jen.

"Fucking Dirk," Jenny snarled. "The Whore of Babylon. I'm surprised they'd address something that way."

"It's all about the money," Tanya quipped. "You pay; you get what you want."

"I'm not opening it."

"Go ahead. It's probably a going away gift for you."

"Probably. You can open it if you'd like," Jen said, disgust in her voice.

Tany shrugged and began tearing the wrapper. When it was open, she held up a small card.

"Want me to read it?" she asked.

"Why not."

"Now that I'm gone, you'll probably need this."

"Oh, lord," Jen groaned.

"Look. It's long and fat and has a little nub to vibrate your clit." Tany was laughing hard now.

"You can have it."

"Dirk's just looking out for you."

"Asshole! Dirk looks out for Dirk."

Tany plopped onto the couch, looking at the vibrator and smiling.

"So, what really happened?"

Jen sighed. "It's simple, really. Dirk got a job in Phoenix and wanted me to move there with him. I laughed and told him, no, and I thought he was going to hit me. And that's the other part of the story. I was scared of him and had a few looks at his ugly side. I was going to end it -- he just beat me to it."

"Thank God he didn't hit you, and good riddance to him. At least in Phoenix, he won't be able to bother you."

"I hope, but it still bothers me that I made such a mistake."

"I dunno; he always seemed nice when I was around."

"I had hints that I ignored because ... well, I guess I couldn't admit then that I had made that mistake until it almost cost me." Jen's expression suddenly changed as she looked at Tany. "Will you quit fooling with that vibrator?"

A quiet buzzing sound filled the room.

"Whoa, that's just on low," Tany said, wiggling her eyebrows.

"Just take it," Jen repeated. "You're probably turned on just listening to the buzz."

Suddenly the humming sound was louder.

"Wow, I'll take it."

Silence followed, with Jen shaking her head, a skeptical look on her face.

"Seriously, though, what are you gonna do now? You got another guy on the string?"

"String?" Jen said, laughing.

"Figured. What about my brother?" Big raised eyebrows from Tany.

"Was it second or third grade you started that theme?"

"Not quite, but it's still a good idea."

"Max is, well, a great guy."

"And?"

"And what?"

"I'm going to tell him you and Dirk broke up, and you're ready for him to ask you for a date. Simple, huh."

"Guh. I feel like I'm in junior high again."

"Jen, look at me. Max has wanted to, well, for starters, date you for about as long as I can remember, but he was sensitive enough to know that's not what you wanted. Why not give it a chance?"

Jenny stood and paced to one end of the room, then returned. She looked at Tany.

"It's a familiar question; I've seen it in novels and movies. What happens to you and me when Max and I date, we fight, and then we hate each other? You might end up in the middle."

"What if you and Max date, fall in love, marry, and you're my sis-in-law?"

"Tany, that's kind of a --"

"-- much more likely ending than yours," Tanya interrupted.

"You're kind of pinning me down, aren't you?"

"Yeah," Tany laughed, "but no. It's up to you."

Jen paced across the floor and back. Max was a great guy; she already thought the world of him, and that was a good start. He was three years older, but that just meant he was more established, not a bad thing. She used to see him all the time when she went to Tany's, but since he'd graduated, she hardly ever saw him. It might be fun -- getting to know a slightly different Max. When she looked, Tany was smiling at her.

"Okay."

Before she could say another word, Tany had her wrapped up with a giant hug.

"But you have to stay out of it. Just let me know when he'll be at your house, and I'll ... well, I don't quite know what I'll do yet."

Tany looked at her watch.

"About an hour," she said, looking like she was ready to explode.

"Is he so macho he'll get upset if I hint that I'd like to be asked for a date?"

"No," she answered decisively. "I've told you before he'd like to ask you for a date." She glanced at her watch. "Gotta go." She wiggled her eyebrows at Jen once again. "See you in an hour."

Jenn stood at the door as Tany crossed the street toward her house, cell phone to her ear. Max was being alerted, she was sure.

*****

Jen sighed and headed for the couch, thinking some planning might be in order. She stopped suddenly.

"Damn, I told her to take that thing with her," she said, glaring at the box with the red vibrator poking profanely out the top.

She'd never had a vibrator and had wondered about them a few times. She knew Tany had at least one and probably more, but she wasn't about to ask to see one of them. She picked it up. It was long and fat, she thought, giggling to herself. She twisted the end and heard that hum once again, only this time she could feel the gentle vibrations. She smiled and twisted it further. A louder hum and much more intense vibrations. A third twist and her mouth opened. Her imagination was at work, and she could almost feel the vibrations coursing throughout her body.

She shut it off and picked up the box, heading for the back door and the trash container. Two minutes later, the box was in the trash, and she was stashing the long, thick, red thing with the special nib in her bottom dresser drawer. Dirk had paid for it, knowing she'd throw it in the trash.

"If only he knew," she said, laughing.

But enough of fantasizing. She needed to think about what was going to happen, and it would be happening fairly soon. She pictured Max as he was the last time she'd seen him and wondered if he'd look the same now. He'd still be the same six-foot-three, she was sure. He'd played basketball in high school but wasn't quite good enough to have it cover his college education. His GPA had taken care of that, though, not quite enough to pay for everything, but enough that his parent's share was very manageable with no student debt at all.

So, Max was an engineer, and Jen had no idea what that entailed. She'd avoided math and science with a fervor derived from trying ... and not quite failing, but close enough that it intimidated her almost beyond measure. How would Max and she hit it off with that disparity in their background?

There was another thing, too. Max was just enough older than the two girls that he tended to look after them much of the time. He'd rescue them from difficulties, baied them out of trouble, stop them from getting into mischief, and seemed always to be there to take care of them. Jen wasn't looking for someone to look after her. Well, that wasn't entirely true, either. She wanted a man who'd look after her and take care of her without being her caretaker. She wasn't sure that made sense, but it did to her.

She was still on the couch thinking when her phone buzzed. She rolled her eyes. It had been less than thirty minutes.

"You work fast," she said, answering the phone.

"Didn't work at all. He was on his way to see us. Come on over, and you can be around when he gets here."

"Okay," Jen said. It wouldn't be at all unusual for her to be at Tany's house.

She went to the half-bath, splashed water on her face, dried, and looked in the mirror. Some makeup, she wondered? She decided against it. She wasn't chasing Max ... at least yet. She did brush her hair, not wanting to look too unkempt.

As she was ready to leave, her mother and father came through the front door.

"That was quick," Jen said to her mother.

"We got tired of shopping and had an early dinner. You heading out?"

"Going to Tanya's. Max is coming over, and I haven't seen him in forever."

"Oh?" The smile on her mother's face was unmistakable, but Jen ignored it.

"See you guys later," she said as she hurried out the front door before there were more questions, the "oh" from her mother being enough.

Tany greeted her with a hug, whispering in her ear, "Hi, sis."

Jen groaned.

She greeted Tany's parents, and they chatted about how everything was going with all of them until Max came through the door.

"Maxie!" Tany squealed as she threw her arms around her brother's neck and squeezed him in a hug.

When she released him, Max said, "Have I been away, like Rip VanWinkle, sleeping, and I've missed something?"

"Your sister just misses you," Cindy, their mother said, smiling but looking a mite puzzled.

"And hello, Jen. Haven't seen you for a while."

Suddenly Jen couldn't remember how she usually acted with Max. All those years and just the thought of having a date with him had swept it all away.

"Hi," she replied weakly, ready to kick herself for her ... her ... whatever.

Tanya grabbed hold of each of their hands.

"Come on, you two. Let's go out in the backyard and catch up."

She dragged them out the back door, down the steps, and to the small patio that Bob, her dad, had built.

"Sit down," she ordered with a smile.

They sat, their eyes locked on Tanya.

Tanya looked at Max. "Did you know that Jen just broke up with Dirk?"

Jen had asked her to stay out of it, but that request was being ignored. She nearly cringed, waiting for what her BFF might say next.

"Really?" Max questioned, looking surprised. "I thought that might be a long-term thing."

"It was a thing, all right," Tany said before Jen could open her mouth. "He was an asshole, right, Jen?"

Jen sighed but answered. "He was that."

"She was afraid he was going to hit her when they broke up. The jerk."

"I'm sorry, Jen. He does sound like a jerk if you were afraid he'd be abusive. You deserve someone a lot better than that."

Jen held her breath, waiting for Tany to take advantage of that opening. When she didn't, Jen was able to exhale but was wary about what might be coming next.

"Hey," Tany said, looking at her brother, and Jen held her breath once more. "She's been through a lot and could use a little fun, you know, just having a good time. Why don't you take her out to dinner and kind of remind her how a good guy acts."

Jen closed her eyes -- she hadn't even been the least bit subtle about it. Straight-to-the-point Tany.

Surprising them both a little, Max smiled and nodded.

"That would be different, wouldn't it, Jen. As you well know, my sister can be a pain in the ass sometimes, pardon the language, so should we just ignore her?"

Jen had to smile. Max was much more subtle than his sister. She read him as saying it was okay with him if it was with her.

"I agree with the pain in the ass idea, but I guess we could do that if you wouldn't mind being seen with someone like me." She wasn't sure why she'd said that last unless she was fishing for him to say something nice about her. That never had occasion to happen in the past, but this wasn't the past.

He shot a quick glance at Tany, then smiled broadly at Jen.

"I suppose we've always taken each other for granted in the past, Tanya being there in the middle. But, don't be silly about being seen with you." He looked at Jen, like he was about to say something, then didn't.

She wondered, the look on her face telling him she was wondering.

"Your red hair," he replied, almost shyly. "It's always fascinated me."

"Oh, thanks," she replied, feeling the slightest bit of heat in her cheeks. She'd always hated her red hair, but if someone like Max could like it, she might have to reconsider.

"I'm going to run inside and see what Mom and Dad bought." Tany jumped up and headed for the back steps.

"Tell them I'll be right in," Max called after her.

"You go on," Jen encouraged. "They want to see you."

She got a warm smile from Max.

"In due time," he said, "but let me ask you if you would be so kind as to join me for dinner this Friday evening at six o'clock?"

Jen thought she could feel her heart being a tiny bit faster, which surprised her.

"I'd love to."

"I'll get your number from Tany, and I will call you to work out the details."

"Okay," she said, "now get inside and spend some time with your parents. I'm going to head home."

They both stood, and as they walked side by side, Max said, "Looking forward to it." He winked at her.

"Me too," she answered, heading around the house. If she had been wondering before, it had multiplied itself several times in the last few minutes.

*****

On Thursday evening, her phone rang, a strange number showing on the screen. She knew it had to be Max.

"Hello," she answered brightly.

"It's Max. Sorry for waiting till the last minute, but I thought it might be more exciting that way." He laughed, a warm sound, she thought.

"I wasn't worried," she said. "You can always go to MacDonald's at the last minute." She heard a bigger laugh from Max.

"I didn't wait all these years to have a date with you to take you to MacDonalds."

She heard what he'd said but wondered what he meant. Was he just indicating they'd never had a date before or was he saying that they'd never had a date even though he'd wanted to? Her mind was playing games with her no matter how she felt ... or thought she felt.

"I'm going to give you a choice in this, okay?" he continued.

"Oh, wow, sure."

"Would you rather go to Polaris or downtown?"

That was about a thirty-mile difference, and it might depend on the restaurant. Before she could reply, he helped her.

"It's Mitchell's Steakhouse either place," he said.

Her reply was out of her mouth before she'd thought.

"Max, Mitchell's Steakhouse. No." She squeezed her eyes closed and bit her tongue. Why had she done that? But, she knew why.

She opened her eyes when she heard him chuckle.

"Only the best for our first date."

It was their first date, but it was just supposed to be going out and relaxing and having some fun. It was a date, but it wasn't a date. Was it? Guh. She was already a mess.

"You ever been to Mitchell's?"

"No, I've just heard about it."

"Pick your location, then."

"Polaris, then," she sighed. She seldom got to Polaris.

They talked for another fifteen minutes, getting all the arrangements settled.

Still on summer break for a few more days, Jenny was tempted to go to the Mitchell's website and check the menu. What she really wanted to do was check the prices on the menu, but so far, she had been able to refrain from doing it. She'd heard stories about the prices and couldn't believe she'd be experiencing them personally. Actually, it was Max who would be experiencing them personally.

Since she was going, she debated about what to wear but knew she had many choices in her wardrobe. The substance of her debate revolved around how she wanted to look. If it was just a relax and have fun date, that would suggest one type of outfit. If it was a date date, that would dictate a different look. She wondered if Max would note that difference, sure that he would. Still, it was up to her.

At five minutes before six on Friday evening, Max knocked on the Boyer's front door. Claire Boyer opened the door, smiled, and invited him in.

"You look very nice, Max," she said.

"Not used to that, are you?" he chuckled.

Claire laughed. She'd known Max since he'd been born, and she'd gotten to know him fairly well. She knew he liked to tease, and she was used to it.

"Nope," she said. " I used to change your diapers. Remember?"

"Ugh," he said. "You had to bring that up, didn't you."

As he said that, both of their heads swiveled -- Jenny had come into the living room.

"Wow," Max said. "Where have you been hiding?"

Jen blushed.

"In plain sight," Claire said, a big smile on her face.

The moss-green dress with two small straps exposed much more of her fair skin than she was used to showing, including two or three inches of leg above her knees. The scoop neck stopped short of showing cleavage, even though she had cleavage if she chose to expose it. Her short red hair curled against her neck and tucked gently under her jaws, one wisp barely covering the corner of her eye. She hated the few freckles that were a permanent part of her, but she had refused to cover them for Matt. He knew she had freckles. Her perfume was subtle but present. The two-inch moss-green heels brought the top of her head to just below his chin.

Max wasn't sure what to say, so he simply said what he felt.

"You look devastating," he said, his look conveying to her his sincerity.

Jen had never been told that before, and it warmed her immeasurably. Dirk had never complimented her; she'd decided that his calling her "babe" was his idea of a compliment. Max was already wonderfully different than ... she wasn't going to let the AH spoil her date.

In minutes they were in Max's car and headed for Mitchell's.

"Why did you choose Mitchell's?" Jen asked, curious as to why Max had chosen about the most expensive restaurant in the area. "It's too late to try to impress me." She laughed.

"That's not it at all. All those years, I was mean to you, tormented you, and teased you, and now I can make it up to you."

"Max, don't be silly. You don't have to do that." She watched the smile slowly fill his face.