My Dinner with Andre's Little Sis

"Whatever," he said. "But you guys should get to know each other better," he said, "I'm having a shower."

Once the bathroom door was closed, Hope came over next to me. She kissed me on the cheek. She smelled great-- the combo of her perfume and her natural scent was such a good mix.

"This is pretty hot, huh?" she asked, looking at me with her big blue eyes.

Fuck, she was right. A huge part of the thrill was knowing how big a secret this was. How important it was that he didn't find out.

"Yeah," I said, "but we have to be careful."

I was looking at her as she rolled her eyes a little. One thing that kept running through my head was how quickly we had already fucked-- fast and rough-- and how we were now trying to start over.

But it happened, and it made me feel a potentially false closeness with her, like we circumvented the awkward dating thing and went right to some real shit. It was an odd feeling. Odd, but good.

The shower started up.

"Do you think we could go somewhere?" she asked. "Find an excuse to go out together? Or separate, but meet up? You did say you wanted to date, right? Let's have a date."

I could tell she was eager, but I couldn't suss out what for. The romancing, or more sex?

"Yeah," I said, wracking my brain to see what I could come up with, "I could say I got a date-- 'cause I do. Maybe you could come up with something else?"

"Why can't I say the same?" She pretended to pout, unconvincingly.

"Just trying to avoid Andre putting two and two together. Maybe you're out with friends?"

"That's kinda true, right?" she said. "New friends. Maybe being friends first is the way to go. Screwed that up right out of the gate, huh?" She walked into the kitchen. I checked out her ass. She saw.

"Hey, perv. So, when and where?"

We decided on something nearby, but off of Andre's radar. There was coffee place just a few blocks away, and we decided to meet there at 7.

Andre didn't even ask me about my date, so I didn't have to lie in great detail. He had really put himself into his work lately, so it was easy to just do my own thing.

Later, I found Hope sitting alone in the coffee shop, looking at her phone. She had put on a little peach summer dress with a dark jean jacket. Her golden hair fell across her left eye.

"Hey," I said, sitting down. "Hope, right?"

"Despair, actually," she said smiling. She had some subtle pink lip gloss on. She looked a bit more adult, but I still felt like I was with someone who was a teenager recently. Christ, she would be for another year or more.

"So," I said, "do you remember me at all from back home? I know that's a little weird to ask, you would have been pretty young. Which is also weird, sorry. I'm shutting up."

"I don't, really. There's big parts of my childhood that are blanks, it's weird."

"I'm like that too," I said, "I blame weed, though. From 16 to 20 feels a little sparse in my mind."

"Do you still smoke weed often?" She held a menu but was just staring at me instead.

"Barely," I said. "Sometimes on the patio, but we're not supposed to, so I don't risk it. You?"

"Never tried it. My friend back home hated it, so I never got the chance. She made it seem terrible. Even my exes didn't smoke."

"Must have been weird having your last year of school swapped to a new school."

I felt stupid saying it. Why didn't I just ask her if it was "weird" that her parents died a few months ago.

"It sucked a little, but obviously Mom and Dad's accident was the hardest part. And maybe it's because I'm still grieving, but I feel a little numb about the whole thing. Feels unreal sometimes."

"I'm so sorry," I said, "I can't imagine."

"I don't mind talking about it. Andre is closed up though, huh?"

"Oh, yeah," I said, watching as the waitress approached.

I ordered a coffee and a sandwich. Hope got a iced coffee and a slice of pie.

"But yeah," I said, "I've tried to talk to him, but it goes nowhere every time. He's not upset, he just dismisses the idea of talking about it."

"It's weird," she said, "when it was us three at the funeral, I didn't even register who you were. I only realized you were my brother's best friend growing up until after I was moving my stuff in. I just thought you were his roommate.

"I didn't remember you, but Andre always talked about you when I was growing up. I was worried that I would piss you off by existing in your space, and taking over your room.

"But you were so nice, and cool about it all. So I just sorta avoided you, and you seemed to be doing the same. But lately I started thinking you might be doing that because you were worried I wouldn't want your attention. Sorry, I'm rambling."

"No!" I said, smiling. "It's so nice to hear you talk. We never talk-- your brother is right on that."

"Haha, right." She put her hand on mine. "So what was I saying? Oh. I realized if I talked to you more I could tell if you liked me. I basically had a crush on you for the last few months.

"But, I came on too strong. And I wish that I let you come at me at your own pace."

Our stuff arrived, and we drank and ate while we talked.

"Well," I said, "If you hadn't, I don't know that I would have ever made a move. But not because I don't think you're--"

"--No, I get it. If you did, and I didn't reciprocate, and told Andre, that would have sucked for you. That's a big risk. I guess I was being cruel, because I knew even if you didn't like me, you wouldn't tell him that I made a pass at you."

"Wow. Devious." I smiled. She was smart.

"Fucked up, I know." She looked down at her coffee's ice cubes, then back at me.

"The only thing I regret is how we...did it." She lowered her tone a bit. "You seemed like you would have been gentle, and sweet, and I think it freaked me out, and I fell into old, potentially toxic habits..."

"Well, I don't regret it at all," I said. I leaned in so I could say what I was feeling without being self-conscious. "I'm not incapable of being rough, I just would have started a little softer. Again, no regrets."

"Next time, I want the romance. Kisses, all that. Especially now that I know you a bit better. But I've barely asked you anything! What was college and all that like? What's some dating horror stories?"

We talked for a couple hours, and by the time we went home, I knew so many things about Hope, things I would never have guessed.

She liked to draw, she liked a podcast I enjoyed, she tried being vegan once, and so many other little tidbits that filled in the spaces of the mystery surrounding her. I was actually falling hard for her by night's end.

We came home about ten minutes apart. It wasn't a big gap, but I had to pee badly as I grew impatient in the lobby.

When I came back, Andre was on the couch, watching TV.

"Ah, you're back too! Hope got home not long ago. How was the date? I didn't ask who she was." He turned to face me.

"Oh, just someone from work." It was a terrible lie, given that Andre worked closely with me.

"Oh?" He seemed puzzled. "Who, Amy Mintz?"

Jesus, I couldn't use a real person. What was the opposite of Hope again? Despair?

"No, her name is, uh. Des...tiny."

"Ooh. Nice. We'll you'll have to point her out at work on Monday." He turned back to his show.

I went to go take a much needed leak, but Hope met me in the hallway.

"Hey," she said casually but with a smile. "How was your night?"

"Oh, pretty good," I said within earshot of her brother.

"On a date with a girl named Destiny? Huh, sounds cute."

"She is," I said, tilting my head at her, "She's a little sassy, but a looker for sure."

Hope grinned wide as I continued toward the only bathroom.

Later, I was asleep on the couch when I was tapped repeatedly on the leg. I looked up and found Hope standing next to me in a thong and nothing else.

I loved her body. She had curves but still looked mildly fit. She did have a little pot belly, but only a little one. She leaned towards me.

"Can I join you? I couldn't sleep." She whispered, but she could have been quieter.

"Sure," I said, turning over and flipping the blanket off of me. She crawled in front of me, and we spooned. I put the blanket over us.

Her bum rested against my groin. She felt amazing against me. She still made me feel butterflies even though we had already had sex. So bizarre.

"Just don't let me fall asleep, okay?" she said. She placed my hand across her chest. Her nipples were hard.

"I won't," I whispered. I was so content just holding her against me, I didn't try to accelerate towards foreplay.

"I wish we could fall asleep together though. It would be really nice."

She was right. I was tired of the couch, and not having privacy, and now I would have killed to have the place to ourselves.

"I do miss sleeping in my old--"

Andre's door creaked open.

Shit. Fuck.

The couch faced away, towards the windows, but still. Shit-fuck.

"Hey man," Andre whispered.

I said nothing. Hope was silent and still. She held my hand tightly against her chest.

"Dude, I know you're awake," he said again, his footsteps approaching.

I pulled the sheets up to my neck, covering Hope completely. The comforter should have been bulky enough to hide her. Please.

Andre came around by my feet, and sat in the chair nearby.

I looked up at him.

"I heard you on your phone, didn't mean to interrupt, I just..."

Okay, he thought I was on a late night call. I was, kind of.

"I miss them, man. And I always shrug you off, I know. You're a good friend. You try to get me to talk about it, for my benefit. But I always shut you down."

"It's okay," I whispered, pretending like I didn't want to wake Hope. "No worries."

Hope squeezed my hand. Oh, right, my catchphrase. Haw-haw.

"I just had a weird dream. Kind of sad, kind of happy. It won't make sense to you, but it made me realize, that I'm lucky to have you in my life, man."

I couldn't sit up-- it would give away the shape of Hope next to me. I just lay there with my neck craned at him. I felt touched, honestly. Any other time and I would have given him more.

All I could manage was, "All good man."

He smiled, and sat up.

"Okay. Well, sorry. See you in the morning." He went back to his room.

Close fucking call.

Hope waited a few minutes to speak. She finally whispered, "I'm warm."

I pulled the sheets down.

"Sorry," I said as quietly as possible. "That was insane."

"I agree," she said, "but you know what's more insane? I'm like, crazy wet."

I pulsed against her as her words hit my brain.

"Oh," I said, "crazy."

She reached down and peeled her thong down. Were we really doing this?

She pulled the front of my boxers down. I guess we were.

I prodded between her chubby cheeks until I slid inside. I began humping her while we spooned. I was slow, as to not creak the couch.

I pulled her tight against me. She whispered pleasured breaths into the dark room.

She didn't speak, didn't beg me to do anything. We just breathed, and grinded, and enjoyed our sensations.

I started to speed up, but realized I had no plans for my upcoming climax. I couldn't finish in her, and I didn't have a condom. I whispered in her ear.

"I'm gonna come soon," I said, hoping she might have some kind of idea about what I should do.

"Kay," she said, almost moaning too loudly now, "Just finish in me. I'm on the pill."

It might be true. I wasn't sure why, but I didn't think she would lie about birth control. Plus, my cock had already decided to take the risk.

I gently chewed her ear as I came inside her, gasping as I did so. I pulled her close and I felt euphoria wash over me, as I shuddered, pulsing inside of Hope's teenage body.

It was probably the best orgasm I had ever had. I might have lasted longer if it wasn't for this being the second time I had sex today, and I never finished the first time.

"Nice," she said, sighing against me. She stayed with me until I got soft.

"I should get some sleep," she said, yawning silently. "But that was really nice. I already came today, so I'm just happy you got your turn. And this felt...just really nice."

"Nice," I said softly, mocking her just a little bit.

"Funny," she said, pulling away. "I'm washing up, then going to bed...I like this, a lot. How we are."

"Me too, Hope." I said, and blew her a kiss. I could tell she didn't want to go, but she couldn't fall asleep with me.

I had fallen asleep before I even heard her leave the bathroom.

I woke up feeling groggy, but...happy. Like I was just waking up on Christmas morning. The apartment was quiet on this Saturday morning; The sunrise had woken me up first, like always.

I used my moment of privacy to change, swapping out fresh clothes from the drawers in the coffee table: my current dresser. I needed a shower, but at least I was halfway fresh.

I got up, and moseyed to the kitchen to have cereal. A door opened, and someone approached from behind.

"Morning, man." Andre, sounding groggy as well, grabbed some OJ from the fridge.

"Hey," I said, flashing back to the night before, and his late night convo when he almost discovered me with Hope.

"Sorry about last night," he said. "I'm glad I said what I said, but I could have waited until morning. But I thought I might forget what I wanted to say. Like how dreams dissolve quickly."

"No worries, dude. I didn't say much last night, but I'm lucky you're in my life too. You're my best friend, and you can talk to me anytime."

We fist bumped.

"I'm also sorry," he said a little quieter, "that Hope took your room. I know you gave it up willingly, but it didn't feel like that to me. You're too nice to say no, not that I asked, but still."

"Please," I said. "Life happens. She's been given a raw deal, same as you. She's very sweet. She deserves her own room. It won't be forever. I can survive."

"I think she has a new boyfriend," he whispered. "I don't know for sure, but she seems happier lately. I can tell. I bet she's got a guy. Her last boyfriend was a psycho-- long story. But whoever this new guy is--"

Hope's door opened. She peeked her head out, smiling at me. Andre turned as she came out to join us.

"Hey boys," she said. Hope had PJ's and a hoodie. It was crazy to me I knew exactly what she looked like naked at this point. All the comfy, baggy clothes in the world couldn't hide anything from me.

"So," she said to Andre, "Maybe we could all go out for breakfast? Do something as a unit for once? Not counting sitting around the apartment."

I looked to Andre, who seemed shocked at her request.

"Wow! Hope! Social at last. Maybe you and my friend here can finally get to know each other?"

I looked to her, and laughed. It was too hard, and I smiled too much. For a second Andre had a glimmer of something on his face. I could have sworn it was jealousy. Or suspicion.

"Sure," I said, trying to change the subject, "Good idea, Hope. You don't chat with your brother that much, for that matter. You guys can build your sibling bond, or something. I can just sit and watch. Silently."

Now it was Hope's turn to laugh a little too hard, smile at me a bit too much. We were not as sly at this as we thought.

"Alright," he said, unable to pinpoint what had changed between me and her. "Where to?"

We went to the same place that Hope and I did last night.

That was a mistake. Mostly because we ended up with exact same waitress.

Things were fine until she arrived. Then her eyes widened a bit, and she said, "Oh, hey again," looking back and forth at Hope and myself. "It's like I never left." She laughed.

Hope just smiled, but I laughed, and faked confusion. Not that well.

I couldn't think of a damn thing to say so I just said, "Uh, can I just have a coffee and a sausage roll? Thanks."

I wasn't rude exactly, but it felt awkward-- the pace of it.

She just nodded, and took the next order from Andre, then Hope.

When she left, Andre looked at me. I tried to stay cool.

"So," he said, "must have been here with Destiny last night, eh?"

He assumed I was the only one here last night. That she was only talking about me. Thank Christ.

"Yup," I said, veering the conversation away from my fictitious woman. "They don't have much of a selection, but good coffee anyways."

Perfect. All was right again.

We chatted while we ate, I asked Hope questions that I already knew the answers to. She did the same.

He asked her if she was seeing anyone, and she laughed, staring at her omelet.

"We just started dating. He's really nice. Respectful."

"What's his name?" he asked.

"Oh," she said, "I forgot to ask him." She looked at me. "So, you've got a new girlfriend, I hear?"

She grinned mischievously. Were we evil? This felt so needlessly cruel to Andre. But it was the most exciting secret I'd ever had.

"Yeah. Destiny. She's nice." I couldn't keep this up. Between Andre's curiosity and Hope's seemingly self-sabotaging flirtation with revealing our secret, I was in need of a breather.

Plus this damn waitress might let something slip.

"Could we go for a walk? I'm feeling a little stuffy," I suggested.

"Sure," he said. "I got the bill, you two meet me outside, I gotta take a leak anyway."

Hope and I popped outside while he paid the lady. I watched him through the glass as he talked a little too long with the waitress. She wasn't pretty enough for him to chat with her that long.

"Nervous?" Hope said.

She was having too much fun, I could see it on her cherub face.

"I just feel worse flaunting it in front of him. I can't imagine telling him, but it'll be so much worse if he finds out. We're being so...careless."

She seemed to take what I said seriously.

"I know. I feel guilty, too. I'm just enjoying it too much. I'll tone it down. I really am happy with you, ya know. I'm just a little giddy." She smiled a smile that said, I'm a just a little bit sorry.

Andre appeared, revealing nothing if he knew a damn thing.

"Where to, gang?"

We walked down the street to a little park. There wasn't much to do, but we hung out and watched people walking by.

Out of nowhere, Hope said, "Andre, I miss Mom and Dad."

I said nothing. Andre looked down.

"I know, Sis," he said. He didn't talk for a bit. Finally, he said, "Me too. I think about them every day. I think I was jealous you saw them more, before it happened. But I also think it was harder for you for that reason. I'm sorry I never talk about it. But, I will, if you ever need to. Okay?"

She hugged him. They hugged for half a minute. I felt a little weird, but remained silent.

"Come here," she said, pulling me into their hug. Andre put his arm around me. I smelled Hope's sweet aroma, and it was a nice moment, regardless of our secrecy.

We left for home shortly after.

Back at the place, Andre said he needed to go shopping. He asked Hope if she wanted to come, but she said she wanted a nap.

He didn't ask me to come, just if I needed anything. I said I was good, and he said he'd be quick.

I hoped he would take his sweet time.

The second he was out the door, Hope tackled me to the couch.

She kissed me all over my face like she had been deprived from me for a week.

We kissed for a few minutes until Hope asked me something.

"What should we do?"

"What do you mean," I said, "about what?"

"This." She did a half smile, which seemed almost sad.

"This, like us?" I said. I stroked her cheek.

"Yeah," she said, "I know what you mean, about hurting Andre. I don't want to. But I can't see him being okay with this."

I sighed. She was right, there wasn't a strategy I could think of that would make this work, long term. He would figure it out soon enough-- we weren't good enough at lying.

"I think...there's no easy answer," I said, holding her close. "We get caught, or we tell him-- either way we hurt him. I lose his friendship...