The Hitchhiker

"Hey, is everything- WHAT THE FUCK!" My dad yelled as he stepped into the doorway, seeing in full view his son fucking his daughter. We jumped away from each other and attempted to cover up, but the damage was already done. Mom had heard dad yell, and was now coming down the hallway as well.

"What's wrong?" I heard her ask. My father, red-faced and livid, continued yelling.

"What's wrong is I just caught our children having sex! What the hell is wrong with you?!" He spat angrily toward us.

Katie couldn't speak, curled into a tiny ball under the blanket she managed to throw over herself. I was standing in the middle of the bedroom, covering my cock with the boxers I'd shed just a few minutes before.

"Dad, I-" I started to say, but he cut me off.

"That is your SISTER, Lucas!!! Of all the things I could have ever imagined, and it's this?! Explain yourself. Now."

I looked over at Katie. She was crying now in embarrassment. I looked back over to my father and mother.

"Would any explanation make a difference to you?" I asked.

"Come to think of it, it actually wouldn't. There's nothing that appropriately explains how someone could possibly have sex with his little sister," he said, steaming.

He and our mother left the room. I hurriedly got dressed and followed them into the living room. I wanted to try and say something, but I couldn't think of what I could possibly tell them. We knew it was not right, but we couldn't deny our feelings.

"When Katie moved to New York, she was all alone. When she came to me, neither of us had this in mind, but it happened," I said. It was a lame explanation, but they'd never understand any sort of truth in this matter.

My father stood and turned toward me, stone-faced.

"You and Katie have 5 minutes to get out of my house," he said.

"And go where? Our flight doesn't leave until tomorrow," I said.

"I don't give a shit where. You are not welcome here anymore. 5 minutes, the clock is ticking. If you're still here after that..." he let the threat hang in the air before turning on his heel and walking out of the living room, toward their bedroom.

I returned to the room to find Katie dressed, throwing her things into her bag.

"I heard. Fuck them, let's go. We'll figure it out." She had tears streaking down her cheeks, but was no longer crying. Her voice was resigned, yet steady. I followed suit and chucked my stuff into a bag.

"Should we even try to say goodbye?" I asked.

"You can, I'll be waiting outside," she said with zero emotion.

I followed her out the door, and we got into the rental car. While I was driving, Katie found us a room at the airport hotel, so we turned in the car and walked up to the room.

When the door closed behind us, Katie finally broke down. She was inconsolable for most of the night, going between sobs and total silence. I could do nothing but hold her, imagining the nightmare she must have been going through. They probably would have disowned her had she gone straight home from California and told the truth about her time there, and now it appeared they had. She finally fell into restless sleep, having cried the energy from her body.

--

The next morning we both felt like zombies. As I replayed the evening's events, I felt bad about what had happened, and didn't really expect different reaction from my parents. They'd never understand our bond, and I really couldn't blame them. Still, while searching my mind, I felt no regret about my feelings toward my sister.

She was in the bathtub, soaking in the steaming hot water when I walked in. I sat on the edge of the tub and she looked at me, sadness in her eyes. When she finally spoke, her voice was shaky.

"I feel like I just ruined everything, Luke." Her eyes were shining with fresh tears. I looked down at my beautiful baby sister, my heart hurting.

"Katie, listen. What happened last night was beyond our control. They were bound to find out at some point what was going on. What hasn't changed though is the fact that I am in love with you, and I will love you for the rest of my life. Maybe this was kind of for the best. I mean, we definitely ripped the band-aid off, didn't we?" I said.

Katie's first smile since the night before crept across her face. "I guess we did..."

I reached out and grabbed her hand, holding it in between both of mine.

"You know you're the only person I have left in my life, right?" She asked me. "It was you, then mom and dad... but now..." her voice trailed.

"Katherine, you will not lose me. Ever. We're in this together, and i don't care what it looks like on the outside, it's going to be you and me against the world. As long as you are by my side, I can handle life."

Katie looked up at me. "I love you so much, Luke."

I helped her stand and wrapped her body in a huge towel, holding her in my embrace for a while. "Hey, let's get ready. We have a flight to catch. We're going home."

When she looked at me, I kissed her, and she melted into my arms. "Let's go home," she said.

--

We've been together ever since, our love for each other continuing to grow. The only person who knew about us was my co-worker, Callie, who was too happy to see us both in love. Our secret was safe with her.

My parents have still not reached out to us in any way. Too bad for them, too. In the five years since we've seen them, we've both advanced in our careers, moved into a nice home, and brought two beautiful children into the world. Katie is a senior producer now, and works for one of the major networks for live news and sports segments. I've become a junior partner at my firm, and my reputation keeps clients lined up at my door for my services.

We never got officially married, but we had a ceremony, pledging our lives to each other. And even during the rougher times, we've both held true to that pledge. I'm thankful that Katie found me that day, and I could never imagine my life any different from how it has turned out. She is my light and my reason to get up every day, and I know that we will have that love forever.

THE END.