Scared Sister Pt. 01: Astraphobia

We cleaned up while still in the shower, re-washing each other (for real this time). Afterwards, She ran a warm bath with some Epsom salts, to help her recover from our fun. While she soaked for a bit, I went to my room and got dressed. About six forty five, as I was finishing getting dressed, I heard Nicole drain the tub and go from the bathroom to her bedroom.

Once I finished getting dressed, I went over and knocked on Nicole's door.

"Nikki," I called, "I'm ready to go whenever you are."

At first she was quiet, but then quietly said, "Go on downstairs. I'll be down in a few minutes."

It sounded like she had been crying. I slowly opened the door.

"Nikki? Are you okay?"

Nikki was laying on her bed in her underwear, on her stomach, face in her pillow. When I opened the door, she glanced over without moving more than her head.

"I said I'd be down in a few minutes," she scolded.

I slowly entered her room and sat next to her on her bed.

"What's wrong?" I asked, placing my hand on the back of her calf. She flinched as I touched her, but made no move to remove my hand.

"Nathan, I," She seemed to start to protest, but then relaxed, "What are we doing?"

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"I mean," she paused, "Why are we doing this? What we just did... what we've done... what are we to each other?.. You're my brother... I shouldn't have these feelings for you... We shouldn't be doing any of this... Acting like..." She paused.

"Like lovers?" I suggested.

"Exactly!" she cried, "We can't be lovers. You're my brother! I'm your sister! It's wrong! Everybody knows it's wrong! That's why they call it incest! Taboo!"

Nikki was sobbing into her pillow.

"Nikki..." I knelt down next to the head of her bed, taking her hand in mine. She pulled back at first, but stopped resisting when I held on, "Ever since you were little, you've always been my baby sister. Watching you grow up, changing from a little girl into a lovely woman, has been a privilege. When I left, four years ago, it was the hardest decision of my life. The opportunity was a good one, but I didn't want to leave you without someone to help you feel safe."

"Nathan," Nikki interrupted.

"Shhhhhh," I shushed her, putting a finger up to her lips, "When I came home, I thought you might have gotten over your fear of thunder. But when you came to my room last month, I realized just how deeply I missed you... and how much I truly care for you. I know society says how I feel is wrong. But whatever society may say doesn't change how I feel about you."

"Which is how?" Nikki asked, looking into my eyes, tears still running down her cheeks, "Please, Nathan, say it. Tell me how you feel."

"Nicole," I took her hand in both of mine, "I've been in love with you since before I left."

Nikki's eyes went wide, but she smiled. She leaned forward to me, pressing our lips together, putting her hand on the back of my head. When she broke the kiss, she said, "I love you, too, Nathan. I've been in love with you for as long as I can remember."

We pressed our lips together again and I stood up as our tongues began to mingle. She raised up on her knees to keep with me. I climbed on the bed, both of us kneeling now. Our arms wrapped aroumd each other in a mutual embrace. I gently guided Nikki onto her back.

"Ohh, ow," Nikki moaned, then groaned in slight pain, breaking our kiss, "I'm still a little sore from our... shower..."

She began to blush hard, her face turning bright red.

"Do you want to stop?" I asked.

She shook her head, "No... yes... but no."

"What?" I was genuinely confused.

"I want to do this with you, Nate, to be with you, fully, like lovers," She paused, looking down a little, "But I might need some time to recover. I've never... done what we did... or what we're about to do... so I want to be fully ready. Is That okay?"

I smiled, slightly disappointed, but very understanding, "Absolutely. Take all the time you need."

Nikki smiled, tears dripping from her cheek, "Thank you, Nathan. Now shoo," She grinned, " Brothers shouldn't see their little sisters getting ready for a hot date."

I couldn't help but laugh as I stood up, "Okay, okay. If you're sure you still want to go."

She glared at me, "Why wouldn't I? My boyfriend's the best man in the world. Of course I want to go on a date with him!" she winked, "Shoo!"

She waved her hand, shooing me away. I couldn't help but laugh and smile the biggest goofy smile I'd ever smiled as I turned around and left her room. I went downstairs.

Ten minutes later, my adorable sister came down the stairs in a cute white sweater dress. The sweater portion of it covered her torso completely, with sleeves that came down to her wrists, and a collar that covered most of her neck. The dress portion of it came down to just above her knees, presenting a wonderful view of her calves. She wore a pair of white ankle boots with a one inch heel. She had put on light makeup that covered the fact she had been crying, but didn't overshadow her natural beauty. Finally, her hair was put up in a cute single braid down her back. Hanging on her arm was a matching white pocket book.

The mixture of modest and revealing made her look like the little sister I'd grown up with, and the woman I'd fallen in love with, all at one time.

"Hey," Nikki waved her hand in front of my face, "You okay?"

I realized I was staring with my mouth half open.

"You look..." I paused.

"I know," she said, looking at herself, "it's not the sexiest outfit, but I didn't want to risk someone we know seeing us and getting the wrong idea... or the right one, actually."

"I was going to say, 'You Look Perfect'", I retorted.

Nikki blushed, "You say the sweetest things, dear brother."

She took my hand in hers, and began leading me to the front door. She grabbed an umbrella from the basket next to the door, then waited. I stood there, confused for a moment.

"Well," Nikki said, "Are you going to make your girlfriend open the door on her own?"

Switching so quickly from "Sister Mode" to "Girlfriend Mode" threw my concentration for a loop, but I opened the door without hesitation.

"Thank you, darling," Nicole said, smiling, "ever the gentleman."

I wasn't sure what she was expecting from me: The Courteous Boyfriend? The Caring Brother? The Secret Lover?

She seemed to want a different thing every few seconds...

"Nathan?" She called, tugging at my arm, "What's wrong?"

"I don't know..." I replied honestly.

"Don't know what?" She asked.

"I don't know what you expect from me," I turned to face her, "You call me your brother, then your boyfriend, then your brother again... I don't know how I'm supposed to respond."

Nikki laughed, hugging me, "However you want, silly. You're putting too much thought into it. Act with your heart, not your head. I don't expect anything from you, Nathan. I don't want anything from you, except the love you've always given me."

I took a deep breath, wrapping my arms around her, "I can do that."

As we released our embrace, Nicole took my hand in hers, "Come on, my love. We're going to be late."

It was just past seven, and would take at least twenty minutes to get there.

"Which car do you want to take?" I asked, "I know you don't like riding in my... what did you call it? ...beat up jalopy?"

"A beat up jalopy," Nikki confirmed with a laugh.

"But I wouldn't be a gentleman if I didn't offer to drive my girlfriend to our date."

Nikki smiled, "Well, then, you can drive my car."

"Really?" I asked. Nikki had never let anyone else drive her car before. She took care of it like it was her most prized possession.

"I trust you," she said, kissing my cheek at the same time, "And if you do wreck it, I'll make your life a living hell." She was smiling an evil smile, but then laughed and kissed my lips quickly, smiling a sultry smile as she walked around her car and stood at the door.

I knew what she was expecting, so I walked over and opened her door for her.

"Thank you," she said with a smile as she got in. I closed the door once she was fully inside. I got in the driver's seat and readjusted the seat and mirrors.

"You know," I noted, "It's been a while since I drove a stick shift."

"I trust you remember how," Nikki replied with a smile as she fastened her seatbelt.

I sat for a moment, waiting for her to hand me the keys.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

"I need the keys to drive," I replied.

She laughed, and pushed the "Start" button on her dash, "This isn't your crappy grandma car. It has modern technology."

We both laughed. I had forgotten that Nikki's Focus had a keyless start. She turned the stereo on an synced her phone to it via Bluetooth. As I backed out of the driveway, one of her nu-alt rock songs began to play. As I drove through our neighborhood, it took me a minute to realize that the song was a pseudo-love song about a boy who fell in love with a girl who he wasn't allowed to be with. Sort of a Romeo and Juliet situation, but the subtext seemed to indicate she was part of his family.

"I made this playlist a while back," Nikki said, "Before you moved back in."

"I've heard you play this song before," I noted as I pulled onto the main road out of our neighborhood, "A lot, actually. I just never listened to the lyrics before."

"Neither did Mom or Dad," she smiled, "Benefits of being an 'angsty teenager' as Dad always put it: nobody pays attention to you."

"Just because I didn't pay attention to your music, doesn't mean I wasn't paying attention to you," I replied.

Nikki put her hand on mine on the gear shifter, "I know that, Nate. You always took the time to spend time with me, whenever you could. That's one reason I fell in love with you."

When I glanced at her, trying to keep my eyes on the road, I saw the biggest, most genuine smile I'd ever seen on my sister's face. As cute as she was in her white sweater dress, with that enamored smile on her face, I felt happier than I'd ever felt. It was one of those perfect moments that you hold onto for your whole life.

"Thank you, Nikki," I said, turning back to the road.

"For what?" she asked.

"For being so patient and understanding with me," I replied, "I haven't been on a date in a while, and I always seemed to screw them up whenever I did."

"You never screwed up our dates," Nikki squeezed my hand, which I hadn't realized she was still holding.

"We haven't gone on a date before," I stated.

"What would you call going to the movies, then walking in the park, hand-in-hand?" she replied, grinning, "Or taking me to the amusement park, holding my hand the entire time? Or taking me out dancing instead of going to your own prom?"

I had to admit, the times we'd spent together before I'd left did seem more like things you'd take a date to than your sister.

"You were nine years old when we went dancing," I noted defensively, "I wasn't planning on going to prom, so I decided I'd spend time with my little sister. And when we went to the amusement park, you were afraid to get lost, so you held my hand the whole time.... And..." I paused for a second... why was I arguing?... "And you're right. The reason none of my girlfriends ever lasted was because I always compared our dates to the times you and I went out together. And I always had more fun with you."

Nikki smiled, "It's good to hear you say that, Nate. I'd always been a little jealous of your girlfriends, knowing you got to do things with them that you couldn't do with me."

"If you think about it," I noted, "You and I have been on more dates than all my exes combined."

"So," she grinned, "They were dates!"

We both laughed, "I guess so."

The rest of the way to the restaurant, Nikki and I reminisced about the times that we'd spent together that, now looking back, would have been perfect dates if we hadn't been siblings, or so far apart in age.

When we arrived at Bonsignori, I realized that she was still holding my hand. When I started to open the door, she closed her hand tightly around mine. I looked at her, and she smiled at me. At the same time, we both leaned over and pressed our lips together. Just a sweet , loving kiss.

"Now we can go eat," Nikki beamed.

I got out of the car, went over to her side and opened the door for her. She got out, pocket book on one arm, umbrella on the wrist of her other, and kissed my cheek, "Thank you, love."

"Always," I replied, closing the door behind her. I took her hand in mine and started toward the restaurant entrance. She smiled again, "Relax, Nate. Let's enjoy this, like we always have."

"Yeah," I smiled, "Thanks, Nikki."

"For what now?" She asked harshly.

"For being my loving sister, and my wonderful girlfriend," I replied, pulling her close and kissing her forehead. She blushed, and melted into my arms.

"Come on," she said, still blushing, "I'm hungry."

As we entered the restaurant, I noticed there wasn't much of a line. For a Saturday night, there wasn't much business, which was unusual for Bonsignori. Nikki's caution in dress was well founded, as the owner of the establishment, Salvi Bonsignori, remembered us, greeting us by name. He thought it was "molto bello" that my sister and I were still spending time together after all this time. Apparently our parents had eaten here several times during the years I was gone, and had kept him up to date with our family situation. We were seated at a booth, and the waiter got our drinks promptly. We both ordered a salad to start with then for the main meal Nicole ordered a penne pasta, and I had fettuccine. The first half of the meal went pretty normally for a brother and sister. We ate our food and talked about normal things; I complained about work, she complained about school, we both complained about recent events. However, once Nikki had finished her food, she started acting very un-sisterly.

At first, it was sweet: she started rubbing her legs against mine. I could tell she had slipped one of her feet out of her boot, and was rubbing up and down my leg with the back of her foot. She smiled at me, "You almost done? I want to get home before it starts raining again."

The rain had stopped around noon, but it had remained overcast. It was supposed to pick back up this evening, around 9ish.

"You brought the umbrella, so we won't get wet," I noted.

She smirked, rubbing her foot all the way up to my groin, "I'm already wet, dear brother. We need to get home so you can help me... deal with that."

I grinned, "In that case, I'd better get the check."

I paid for the meal, we said goodbye to Salvi, who bid us each farewell with a light hug and an air kiss on each cheek, and then we stepped outside. It was already lightly raining. "Aww, boo," Nikki said, with a cute pout, "Now I have to share an umbrella with my brother." She winked at me, opening the umbrella.

"Why don't I carry the umbrella," I suggested, "So I can shield you from the rain."

"No," Nikki barked, "It's my umbrella. If you wanted to hold it you should have brought your own."

She stuck her tongue at me like the bratty little sister she used to be, "But I will share my umbrella with my boyfriend." She snuggled close, holding the umbrella so it awkwardly covered all of her but only half of me, so my right arm and shoulder started getting wet as we quickly walked to Nikki's car.

When we reached the passenger door, before I could open it for her, Nikki wrapped her arms around me, hugging me tight, and leaned up to kiss me. As I pressed my lips to hers, a gust of wind blew the umbrella out of her hand. With a reflex I didn't know I had, I snatched the handle of the umbrella from the air and pulled it back above us, keeping our lips pressed. Nikki moaned, then broke our kiss, laughing.

"That was kind of, very sexy," she noted, then kissed me again, then whispered,, "Now I'm even wetter... and not just from the rain."

"Well, let's get you home and... deal with that..." I said, opening the car door.

Nikki held onto my arm as she got into the car. I closed the door, then went around and got in the driver side, closing the umbrella as I did. I put the umbrella in the back seat and pushed the "Start" button on the dash.

"That really is a nice feature," I admitted.

Nikki laughed, "Most cars have it, now, you know."

"I know," I replied, "I just never got to drive one that did."

As we pulled out of the parking lot, Nikki used her phone to change the music to another playlist. This one started off with a smooth jazz song that everyone would recognize.

"Kenny G?" I asked, "Really?"

Nikki smiled, wrapping her arm around mine, "Just setting the mood."

All the way home, Nikki held my arm as we listened to some of the oldest, but best love songs from the likes of Kenny G, Frank Sinatra, Al Green, and more.

As we got closer to home, the rain started to pick up. By the time we got home around nine o'clock, the rain was quite heavy.

Nikki grabbed the umbrella from the back seat and handed it to me. I opened my door, opened the umbrella, and got out. I went around and opened the passenger door for my sister, who gave me a grateful hug as we hurried to the front porch. When we opened the door, and stumbled into the house like two hooligans, we were greeted in the living room by our dad, sitting in his chair.

He was wearing an old wrinkled t-shirt and his "weekend" jeans. I could smell the alcohol on his breath from across the room.

"Where have you two been?" he grumbled.

"Nate took me to Bonsignori for dinner," Nicole beamed, ignoring Dad's disheveled appearance and rude manner.

"Well, that's nice," Dad replied, "If your mom had been as enthusiastic when we went out to eat as you are when you spend time with your brother..." he let the words just hang, a half finished thought, then continued, "I really messed up with your mom. I'm just glad you two turned out the way you did." He stood up and started heading toward the master bedroom, but stopped and turned to us, "You two are the best thing to come out of my life. I'm sorry I wasn't a better father." He started to turn back toward the bedroom, but Nikki ran up to him and hugged him like the loving daughter she was, "Don't worry, Daddy. You've always been a wonderful father. I wouldn't want anyone else to be my dad."

"Thank you, sweetie," Dad replied, hugging her back, "That means a lot."

Nikki kissed his cheek, "Go get some rest. We can all talk things out in the morning."

"Thanks, Pumpkin," Dad replied, "I think I will."

Dad continued into the bedroom, and once he had shut the door, Nikki quietly grabbed my hand and led me up to my bedroom. She closed the door, and then just sat on my bed, a glum look on her face.

"Well, that just killed the mood," She sighed.

I sat down next to her, wrapped my arm around her, and she leaned against me, putting her head on my shoulder. I held her like that for a few minutes, then she laid down on my bed. I laid next to her and quietly held her as she snuggled into my arms.

I had nearly dozed off when the first low rumble could be heard outside. Nikki didn't react, but after a moment she smiled, and sat up. I did the same.

"I should go get out of this dress," she said softly, "I'll be back in a bit, my love."

She kissed my cheek gently, and stood up.

"I should probably change, too," I replied.

Nikki smiled at me, as she left the room and closed the door behind her.

I changed into my usual sweat pants and nothing else. I figured if Nikki wasn't in the mood to do anything, even if we just snuggled, for real, it would be nice. I tirned my light off and slid into bed, making sure to leave enough room that Nikki could get in easily, too.