The Things You Make Me Feel Ch. 04

"Papà! Zio Dave is cheating again!"

"I wasn't cheating!"

"You were too! Papi, I saw him taking money from the bank!"

"I don't know what she's talking about."

Michela's face was flushed in rage when she demanded a thorough scrutiny of his money. Dave instantly knew he was in trouble since his niece was keeping tabs on everyone's cash throughout the game; therefore, he refused and accused her of being a sad loser. He quickly realized it was a poor error in judgment when she decided to give him a beating. He scrambled to his feet and ran off laughing while his niece was furiously chasing him around the house. Oliver and his sister guffawed at the chase, enjoying entertainment at its best.

"She's really going to beat him up!"

"Yeah," Oliver confirmed, laughing. "She doesn't take these kinds of things lightly."

"Yeah, I can see that," Ellie giggled. "She's really pissed..."

"What can you do..." He wiped off his tears, still laughing. "She's very competitive."

Their laughing intermission slowly shifted into another one of those many awkward moments they were by now experts at generating. You could cut the tension with a knife.

"So um... you've started dating?"

"You weren't supposed to hear that."

"I guess that's a yes."

"It wasn't a date."

"If it wasn't a date, then why wasn't I supposed to hear that?"

Oliver averted his eyes, pretending to search for Michela, even though it was clear from the racket that his daughter had taken the man-hunt upstairs.

"So much for giving me some time," Ellie muttered.

"At least I'm not rubbing it in your face—or marrying her next month."

"I guess that makes it okay, doesn't it?"

"What do you want from me, Ellie?"

"Nothing," she quickly said and proceeded to smile.

Her mouth and the rest of her face were completely out of sync during execution, and her normally striking smile looked mutilated tonight.

"It's just that... I clearly remember you admitting you loved me just five days ago, but I guess that was a fucking lie, wasn't it?"

Oliver sighed and checked his watch. "Michela, vieni giù! È quasi ora di andare a nanna!" (Michela, get down here! It's your bedtime soon!).

"So, what's she like? Your new love interest?"

"She's not my love interest, and are we really going to do this?"

"I don't see why not. God knows there's very little we haven't done."

"Fine," he sighed reluctantly. "What do you want to know?"

"Just... the usual stuff."

"She's 25, we work together... I don't know what else to add."

"What's her name?"

"Why is that important?"

"Just curious."

"Jill."

"Jill..." Ellie echoed, her eyes lingering on the board as she fiddled with her phony money. "Is Jill.... pretty?"

"Yes."

She raised her head abruptly, her eyes ablaze. "Pretty like me?"

"What are you doing?"

"Trying to understand what's so special about fucking Jill. Since I no longer interest you, she must be something special."

"I'm so glad we did this. It really makes your maturity shine."

"Fuck you, Oliver. Like you were so fucking mature when I told you we were through, with that silent treatment."

"Like those two are really the same. Now I don't know why you're here tonight, though I'm guessing you had a fight with the love of your life, but don't take it out on me. I have nothing to do with it."

Ellie shook her head at the board before she looked at him again. "Is she a blonde?"

"What?"

"Is she a blonde?"

He shrugged. "Why would you want to know that?"

"Just answer."

Oliver was puzzled but replied nonetheless.

"A red?" She snorted. "You really are all over the place, aren't you, Oliver?"

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Well, I'm a blonde, that Latina skank was a brunette, and now a red. You're pretty diversified in your choice of women, although we can establish that you like them older."

"My god," he sighed. "Michela!"

They could hear Dave pleading his niece for mercy followed by a couple of groans as it appeared she wasn't particularly known for her compassion.

"Don't you fucking dare bringing her to my wedding."

"I wasn't planning to, but thanks all the same."

"Fuck you, Mr. Dependable."

"Huh?"

"Yeah. You actually managed to convince me that you've changed. Well... that was before you announced you were thinking to desert us all for the second time."

"For your information, the only reason I was even thinking about it was you. You know, after you crushed my heart."

"Like you even have a heart to crush! Ever since you got here, all you do is playing the field. You disgust me, Oliver. I'm just so relieved I had the foresight to stop this sick thing between us before you had the chance to hurt me."

"Now isn't that a distortion of the truth. The only reason you broke things off is because you're scared."

"No. I broke things off because I can't stand you."

"You sure had a funny way of showing it."

"You're not the only one who can act."

"Papi, Zio Dave admitted he cheated! I won!"

"That's great, baby. Now get down here and help me put everything back. It's time for your bath."

Seething, Ellie pulled her hair back and waited for her brother to make eye contact.

"What?" he said a few seconds later, irritated.

"I hope you realize that you have set our relationship so far back that honestly... I don't think we will ever be able to fix it."

"Ellie, if our relationship is doomed, it's certainly not because of me."

"It's not?! Weren't you the one who was gone for half a decade? Who got—"

"You can rehash every mistake I made the last five years, but that's not why you're really upset, and you know that."

Dave descended the stairs and joined them while tickling Michela in his arms. "I'd love to stay and help you out here, but I need to get ready."

"Get ready for what?" Oliver said.

"Zio Dave has a hot date."

"Please don't use that language around her, and you, don't learn from him."

Dave and Michela chuckled in harmony before the former sensed an unusual amount of animosity when glancing between his siblings.

"If you're in the middle of something here, I can take Michela to—"

"That's okay," Oliver said. "We're done."

***

Oliver was in bed working on his laptop while Michela was asleep next to him. He had a few spreadsheets cluttered with financial statistics of several companies he was keeping tabs on when there was a knock on his door. He set his laptop aside and answered it.

"I hope I didn't wake her."

"You didn't," he replied coldly.

"Good. Um... so I have this problem with my computer that I thought maybe you could help me with."

"Can't Dad or Dave help you? I'm kinda in the middle of something."

"Dave's out on his date, and I think Dad's gone to bed, but never mind; I'll manage."

He sighed as his sister was making her way back to her room. "What's wrong with your computer?"

"Don't worry about it. Go back to whatever you were doing."

"You've already killed my flow. Now what's the problem?"

"Really, Oliver, it's fine. There's no need to pretend you actually give a shit about me."

"Okay, why don't you stop? Do you want my help or not?"

*

"Nothing's happening, and I've played a couple of YouTube videos."

"Just give it a couple more minutes; you'll see."

Oliver was sitting on Ellie's bed in the guest room, running some tests on her laptop, while Ellie was leaning against the doorframe with the door open and in a safe distance from him.

"So, it just boots randomly? And only on YouTube?"

"That's what I said, wasn't it?"

"Yeah, but... it doesn't boot or anything now."

"What, you think I'm lying? That I called you here on a false pretense? Because if that's what you think, you might as well go back to—"

"I didn't say that, Jeez... why don't you dial it back already?"

Ellie gave a sigh while Oliver focused back on the mysterious problem.

"It's not a heating issue. I checked the CPU temperature, and it runs pretty cool. You also have plenty of ram..." He spent another minute trying different things. "I'm running two videos on both Chrome and Edge now. That should help triggering it to boot."

"Great," she replied in total lack of interest. She then inspected her nails, wondering if it was time to set an appointment for her weekly manicure. They were immaculate though; she couldn't fault them. She looked back at him as he was tinkering with her computer and sighed, "Anything?"

"Not yet, but I'm running some hardware tests that increase the workload on the CPU, and if that doesn't make it boot, then... I'll try something else."

He spent a few more minutes abusing every piece of hardware on her computer. He felt compelled now to flush out the culprit. It frustrated him to know that it eluded him this long. There was no way he would—

"I miss you."

He lifted his head in surprise, questioning his ears. The look on her face corresponded to what he'd heard. She seemed different to him now, less angry and remote, more... emotional.

"I miss you, too."

"You do?"

He nodded and returned to her computer. He could barely concentrate though. He could feel his heart beating faster now.

"We've really made a mess out of this, haven't we?"

"This?"

She nibbled her bottom lip. "Us."

He took a moment to learn her eyes. "I guess we have."

"Though it's getting better... slowly, but... " Her head slumped, and she sighed.

"Is it really now?"

She looked back at him. "I should think. I'm getting married in a month, you're... dating. Everything's going back to normal, the way it should be."

"Right..."

"I feel relieved really, knowing that this... is behind us now. It just feels like... life is back making sense. You know what I mean?"

"Couldn't have worked out better."

"Exactly! You took the words right out of my mouth. Couldn't have... worked out better."

Oliver wanted to die the longer his sister persisted with that act, determined to make him see how okay and accepting she was regarding their painful end; nevertheless, it was important to him not to let it show. He could play that game, too.

"And maybe when it completely blows over, we can... go out on a double date or something."

He slanted a brow. "Double date?"

"Yeah. Me and Jason, you and... whoever the hell you'll be dating by then. I think that could be nice."

"It does sound nice," he said, tormented by the very idea of it.

Her eyes widened in reply. "Really? I mean, I'm so glad we... see eye to eye on this. I didn't expect you to... to be okay with something like that."

"Why wouldn't I?"

"I just... know how much you despise Jason, and... I know that you're not exactly in love with the idea of him touching me..."

"Despise is such a strong word. Dislike is more like it. And regarding the touching, I already feel more comfortable with that, so... don't worry about it."

"You do?" she said, almost offended by it.

"Oh, yeah... definitely."

Ellie had to pull out all the stops not to burst into tears right at that second. "Well, that's just... fantastic."

"Super."

"Terrific."

"Smashing."

Their adjective face-off concluded with a tense eye-lock with each trying to pierce the other's impregnable gaze.

"Seeing you're soooo comfortable with Jason groping me, maybe we should set up our double date sooner."

"My thoughts exactly. Unless you're not ready."

"I was born ready."

"Then how about next wee—"

"How about this weekend?"

"Just name the time and place."

"Fine!"

"Fine!"

She shook her head, the rage bubbling up inside her. "You know, Oliver, I'm just so relieved to see you moving on and finally accepting that it's over."

He snickered in response.

It infuriated Ellie. "What the fuck are you laughing about?"

He ended his snicker with a piercing look her way. "How can something be over, Ellie, when it never really started?"

Another ocular confrontation took place, though much more hostile this time around. It ended when Ellie's computer beeped and forced Oliver to gaze down at the screen.

"If there's a problem here, then it's beyond me. Maybe it's a faulty motherboard or ram; I can't tell. You should take it to a lab." He got up. "Good night."

There was a sense of finality in the way their conversation ended. Oliver could feel it, and so could Ellie. They'd been going back and forth long enough, yet there was a strong feeling in the air that there would be no more of that. This was the end.

While Oliver had been forced to work himself into acceptance for over a month now, Ellie hadn't truly dealt with that. She knew it was her decision, a decision she could overturn whenever she wanted. But now, looking into her brother's brown eyes, she didn't feel like it was up to her anymore.

That realization had an unprecedented impact on Ellie. The thought that it was truly over between them was causing her severe anguish, more than she could have ever expected. She wasn't prepared for that, for her to lose the power, to lose the ability to navigate their relationship however she saw fit. But at this precious moment of sobriety, when propped against the doorframe and watching her greatest love taking the last steps out of her room and out of her life, it dawned on her: it was no longer up to her.

She threw herself in his path at the last second, her hand pushing his chest back. Her touch sent shivers down his spine as he looked down at her, heartbroken, yet she avoided his eyes.

"Tell me you were lying," she demanded in a trembling whisper as physical pangs of pain shot throughout her body.

"About what?"

She finally summoned the courage to gaze up into his eyes. "About everything."

"Were you?"

"I asked first."

He shook his head, afraid to make the first move.

"Oliver..."

He looked away. "About most of it."

His vague reply did nothing to keep Ellie's thumping heart in check. "What... weren't you lying about?"

He heaved a defeated sigh. "That you should probably take your laptop to a lab."

Ellie chuckled in relief, if only briefly. She was still rattled at the thought her brother had meant those painful words.

"You were wrong before," she murmured, "when you said that me fighting with Jason had nothing to do with you. It has... everything to do with you."

Oliver gulped, feeling her confession quaking in his chest. Ellie's beautiful hand was still pressed to his chest, and he knew that she could feel his violent heartbeats.

"You see," she continued as tears broke away from her ravishing blue eyes, "I am doing absolutely everything to get over you, but I... don't think I can. It's too hard."

He cupped her pale cheek and dried her tears with his thumb, yet a new stream was already released when she shut her eyes, indulging in his touch; a touch that she had been longing to feel from the second she'd rejected him.

"Ellie, you're so beautiful," he whispered in longing, pain filling his eyes the more he was getting lost in hers. "So painfully beautiful..."

"I'm beautiful?" She snickered. "Do you have any idea what you're doing to me?" her voice quivered, perfectly agreeing with her bottom lip. "The things you make me feel?" She guided his hand to her heart, wanting him to feel the full extent of his impact on her. "I am not a teenager, Oliver, and I haven't been one in quite a while, but you"—she shook her head, fighting to contain the surge of emotions within her—"I can't stop it. I just... can't."

Oliver took a deep breath as he pondered this incredible breakthrough. "Ellie, you know I love you, that I'm crazy about you, but we've been down this road before, haven't we? And we both know how it's gonna end."

"How?"

"With you shattering my heart. The thing is"—he dug his fingers in her golden mane, struggling to resist her—"I don't think I'd be able to get myself up again, because it... really hurts when you do that. It's kinda... excruciating."

"I don't mean to, Oliver," she sobbed. "I don't mean to hurt you. I love you so much..."

"I know," he sighed, heartbroken. "The problem is, ironically"—he pressed his lips to her cheek and kissed it with all his heart—"you don't love me enough."

"No!" she wept when he tried leaving and pushed him back. "You're wrong, baby... I love you too much." She reached for the doorknob behind her and shut the door. The sound of the key turning in the cylinder was next to follow before she paced forward with her hand on his chest, forcing him backward. "I don't know what's gonna happen with us tomorrow, and I won't make you any promises that I'm not sure I can keep, but, Oliver... if you've ever had a chance"—a gush of tears furrowed her right cheek—"this is it."

Her brother stood still at the heart of the room, deliberating. As tempted as he was to rip his sister's pajamas off and to make passionate love to her, she, essentially, promised him nothing. He was afraid for himself, for his heart. Come morning, she might decide they made a mistake, and he would be in no better shape than he was now. Correction: he'd be in worse shape; much worse.

"What do you say?" she whispered tearfully, now both of her hands on his chest. "Do you want us to be lovers tonight?"

Unfortunately for him, he had no leverage to better his position. Ellie held all the cards, like she had from the second it all started, and even though the odds were heavily stacked against him, if he were to pass this opportunity, he knew he would not get another one. Ever.

He reached for her cheek, his nose edging closer to hers. "I think I..."

"What?" she breathed. "You think what?"

*

He thrust his lips at hers while wrapping his arms around her slight waist. Ellie whimpered into his kiss, unprepared for such aggression, yet she quickly adjusted. Heaving to her tiptoes, she wound her arms around his neck and accepted his tongue as it lurched forth between her open lips.

Their bodies pressed tightly together as they gulped each other in their hungry kiss, lips sucking wetly, tongues sensually folding into one another. Their noses kept trading places as each was trying to dictate this savage kiss, and though fighting her hardest, Ellie was losing. She could barely breathe as her mouth was now at her brother's mercy.

After minutes of smutty Frenching, Oliver exited his sister's mouth and sent his lips to her collarbone.

"I can't believe I'm actually doing this," Ellie murmured, cupping his sweats-covered scrotum and rubbing his sack slowly with her thumb.

"No one's holding a gun to your head."

He pressed his lips to her smooth complexion, leaving a trail of sensual kisses across her delicate neckline.

"God!" She stifled a moan in his ear while throwing her head back, granting him easier access while her bosom was fighting for air. "This is crazy!"

"Yes, it is."

He groped his sister's right breast over her pajamas as he continued feasting on her delicious neck.

"Ohhhhhh..." Ellie bit back another moan before arching her back and kissing her brother in such hunger she had never felt before for any guy. Rolling his essence along her tongue, she savored his taste. "I'm a married woman for god's sake!"

He resolutely shook his head, licking her saliva off his lips. "Not yet you're not."

Snaking his strong arms around her waist, he picked her up in an abrupt heave. He paced to the bed and dropped Ellie onto the soft mattress, relishing the heavy jiggle of her mounds as well as her pleading gaze that instantly followed.

"But I will be," Ellie whined achingly while standing on her knees and stroking her brother's erection over the thick fabric of his sweats, "and in just a month..."

Oliver took off his tank and kissed his sister's seductive lips in such fervor that compelled the blonde's puss to relinquish some more of the zesty nectar that had been soaking her panties.