TwinCon

As if he'd heard us talking about him, there was a knock on the door and Logan poked his head in. "Mom says it's breakfast now or not at all."

"On our way," Marissa said. She watched her brother leave the room with a look I couldn't place. It definitely wasn't the revulsion I'd been sharing with my own twin.

*

After breakfast, we went out and loaded up Uncle Micah's SUV for the drive to the shore. He'd bought one of those big Dodge Durangos and, with some squeezing, we could all fit in. We kids were all stuffed in the back, almost on top of each other, but we put in our earphones and made do. It was kind of nice, honestly, all of us together again.

I'd always felt like we should have been siblings instead of cousins. That is to say. Marissa and Logan were more than my Aunt's kids; they were family and I cherished TwinCon more than I ever let on.

About an hour away from our destination, we stopped at some convenience store called a Wawa to fill up on gas and empty our bladders. The bathrooms were much cleaner here, thank God. After I peed, I went inside and did a little shopping. I found a pair of cheap sunglasses and grabbed them, plus a bag of Combos and a bottle of Diet Coke.

Off to the far side by the freezer, I noticed Logan and Marissa were whispering very seriously to each other. I guess I was staring, because I felt a hand on my shoulder and nearly jumped out of my shoes.

"Liam!" I said, a sort of shout whisper.

"Sorry," Liam said. He gave me that playful smirk of his. "Just thought I'd get my secret out of the way early. Logan has a hard-on."

I looked across the shelves, past piles of beef jerky and bags of chips, and tried to see. "How can you tell from here?"

"He's had it since we started the drive," Liam said. I guess there were some negatives to being on top of each other in the car. I imagined my brother must have been pretty mortified when he felt his cousin poking him in the side.

"That seems more like his secret than yours," I said, "Unless your secret is that you liked feeling it." I waggled my eyebrows at my brother.

"Hell no," Liam said, "Now you owe me one."

I couldn't think of anything off-hand, so I told him he'd get my secret when we got down the shore.

We piled back in the car. Logan got in first, and I saw my brother was right -- our cousin was pitching a tent in his shorts. Like my own twin, he seemed to have created quite a bit of space in there. I told myself to stop being a perv, but it was hard not to wonder if what I was seeing was actually that large or just a genital illusion.

Unlike the last time when we coupled by gender, Marissa got in right after her brother, followed by Liam and then me. Immediately Marissa sat down right on Logan's lap. I waited for the inevitable shriek of horror when her bottom hit his hard dick, but she didn't say anything. Instead she settled, like it was the most comfortable spot in the world.

I perched up on Liam's leg, trying to find a way to be as settled as my cousin. I was pretty sure I could feel his snake slithering up to meet me, as well, but I forced myself to ignore it.

We were only about an hour away now. The land looked different, the sky bluer, the ground more marsh than forest. I could smell the salt air on the wind, even though the windows were rolled up. I leaned into my brother. I could feel his hardness on my inner thigh. To my surprise, it didn't bother me at all. In fact, it felt kind of good.

"This is nice," I said to no one in particular.

"Oh yeah..." Marissa said dreamily. Her eyes were glazed over, like she was focused on some other faraway place.

*

We pulled up to the shore house a little after noon. It was a tall, thin house, attached to its exact match on the other side. It all looked very beachy: painted white with hot pink shutters and balconies at every window. The Durango tipped and settled as we pulled into the gravel driveway.

As we got out, the sea smell was overpowering. The sun felt stronger -- brighter and hotter. Seagulls screamed at each other as they circled above. We emptied the car and lugged our luggage into the house.

The house was generic, but it was well lit, with newer looking furniture and surprisingly clean carpeting. We'd walked into the living room and it had a long sectional couch in front of a big flatscreen TV. A set of stairs went off to the left and I could see a modern looking kitchen in the next room over.

"Crap!"

It was my Dad. He'd already made it upstairs. We all followed his voice and saw him staring, forlornly, into one of the bedrooms. It was a small room, painted seashell pink, with two lacquer-framed twin beds. He looked at all of us, exasperated, as if the tragedy of this was self-evident.

"On the website, they said it was two beds for four kids," Dad said, "I didn't realize they meant it would be in the same room."

"Maybe there's another bedroom," Mom said.

"Sure, Deb, I looked all over the house, but I bet you'll find the secret place I couldn't see," Dad snapped. Everyone looked at each other, I could feel the uncomfortable like it was the temperature, rising up my skin.

As we explored, we found that, as my Dad had so politely pointed out, there were only two other bedrooms in the house. Both had Queen-sized beds clearly intended for the adult couples. There was a sectional in the living room, as I'd mentioned, but there were no other places to sleep except that tiny room with the two skinny beds.

"I'm sorry guys," Dad said to us kids after we'd canvassed the house. "I'm sending a complaint, but at this point I can't pull another bedroom out of my ass.

"That's OK, Uncle Gary," Marissa said, "Even if you could, we wouldn't want to sleep in anything that came out of your butt."

My Dad gave her a rare smile and went to help Mom set up the kitchen. Meanwhile, we went upstairs and flopped down on the beds.

"I guess we'll split boys and girls?" I said.

"So, you two will be nice and comfortable while us guys sleep halfway on the floor?" Liam said. He and I had been having such a good day up till then, too. Maybe Dad's bad mood was contagious. "I'm just saying, it makes more sense to sleep boy-girl. That way there's enough space for everyone to be comfortable."

"So, we'll share the bed with our siblings?" Marissa asked.

"What's wrong with that?" Liam said, "It's not like I'm putting the moves on my sister."

I saw Marissa shoot Logan a look. Again, something was going on between them, but I couldn't put my finger on it.

"It'll be fine," Logan said. His deep voice strangely tremulous.

*

We ate lunch and hurried to get changed for the beach. I put on a daffodil (what else?) one piece and pulled a long, white coverall over that. Then I slipped into my flipflops and headed downstairs. Everyone else was waiting for me in the living room.

Marissa had on a tie-dye t-shirt over a dark blue bikini. I could only see the bottoms, but it seemed like a fairly conservative cut. Logan and my brother were both in trunks (Liam's were red, Logan's were a green tartan) and had on t-shirts. We were all wearing sandals.

"Heading to the shore!" Marissa called out.

"Be back in time for dinner!" Aunt Tara replied.

We stepped outside and walked up to the beach. The sun seemed even brighter now, somehow, and I quickly slipped on my new sunglasses. The house was only a block from the shore. The road was quiet and speckled with sand. My legs were stiff from two days in a car and I felt slow and awkward.

At the end of the road, there was a cul-de-sac with a set of wooden steps that led up to the boardwalk. We went up on the wooden slats and stared out at sand and endless ocean. It was quiet, only a few people jogging by. Women pushed their babies in strollers. A few towns over, the strip got rowdy with t-shirt shops, pizza places, and bars mini-golf. But here, the town ordnance only allowed for houses near the boardwalk, so it was peaceful.

We went down the wooden steps on the other side and stepped onto the beach. The sand was speckled and warm, littered with broken seashells and the occasional discarded plastic cup. The ocean -- green-brown water with tight, violent waves -- roared. We walked down close, to just beyond where the water licked at the land, and set up camp.

We'd all brought folding chairs and towels. Logan had an umbrella and he planted it firmly in the ground. I unrolled my towel and sat down in my chair. I'd brought a big floppy hat and I put that on. The boys quickly stripped off their shirts, kicked off their sandals, and ran to the ocean. Marissa and I stayed back.

"God, this is nice," I said.

The beach was busy enough, but not crowded. A few families bobbed in the ocean; kids played in the sand. It was a suburban beach, for better or worse. The fun stuff happened a few towns over, like I said. But it was also relaxing, and it was nice not to get ogled by muscle-heads with slicked-back hair and poor tattoo choices.

Eventually, I got up, removed my coverall, and took a dip in the ocean. It was mid-August, so the water was cold, but not icy. I only went about thigh deep, but it was nice to feel the ocean on my legs. I saw my brother and cousin out deeper, jumping the waves. I'd left my sunglasses and hat on, so I didn't try to join them. When the boys saw me, I waved. They both seemed to take that as a sign, and headed back to shore.

"Water's great," Liam said. Logan nodded in agreement. We walked back to our setup. Marissa was lying on her stomach, her head buried in her arms.

"Will one of you do my back?" she asked, her voice muffled.

"I've got it," Logan said.

"I guess I'll get you then, Lemony," Liam said reluctantly, though I hadn't even asked.

I lay down on my towel, matching Marissa. I heard a loud squirt as Liam put lotion on his hands. I felt the weight of him behind me, between my legs. I flinched as the cold lotion hit my shoulders.

"Relax," he told me. I turned my head and saw that Logan was sitting behind Marissa, similarly. He was leaned forward more, though, and he had his crotch pressed into her backside. Even if he's not hard, how can she not feel that? I wondered.

Liam started at my shoulders and then went down to my back. The one-piece covered quite a bit of me, so my brother had less work to do than Logan. My male cousin was being quite meticulous about covering his sister, getting Marissa's sides and arms. He even gently unsnapped the back of her bra and rubbed lotion where the clothing had once covered. Then he moved onto her legs, starting with her feet and moving upwards.

Liam mirrored his cousin, starting with my feet, then moving to my calves, slowly rubbing upward. This stopped being basic lotion application and started to feel more like a massage. I soaked in the warmth of the sun, the strength of my brother's hands, and stared to lull. I let my eyes fall closed.

Liam was being awfully thorough though. He'd worked his way up my thighs. Not just the backs but the insides as well. His hands slid upwards even further. Lightly rubbing and tracing. His fingertips almost to the bottom of my bottom. And the inside of my legs. To parts that weren't at all private but were still forbidden for a brother's hands.

I opened my eyes and saw that Logan was doing the same to Marissa. He was actually touching her butt cheeks, rubbing the lotion in. I jumped when I felt Liam do the same, then settled. It did feel nice. And then his thumbs drifted downwards. Into the space between my thighs. His strong touch reaching almost to my...

"I'm going to go swim!" I announced. Practically squeaked it out as I leapt to my feet like off a springboard.

"You OK?" Liam asked. He was on his knees, hands white with lotion. The look on his face a mixture of surprise, disappointment, and worry.

"Fine, just, you know, overheated," I said. I wasn't kidding. As I skipped down to the water, I could feel the warmth radiating out of my sex. The honey dripping into my bottoms. That was a new sensation. But of course, I wasn't turned on by my brother. That was just silly.

I'd left my sunglasses and hat back by the towel this time, so I was able to wade deeper. I got about waist-deep, then the ground dropped, and I was up to my neck. I could still touch bottom, but I was in the ocean for real now. The first wave rose and I jumped lightly -- letting the water carry me and then carefully set me down. Out here, the waves didn't seem aggressive at all. Only a light, rocking rhythm.

My heart finally slowed. It was OK. This was OK. Liam had just been following Logan's lead. But then, what was Logan doing? None of this made any sense. My body's reaction least of all. Because in that moment, as Liam's fingers had drifted downward, I'd wanted him to brush against my sex. To dip his digits into the gusset of my suit and feel exactly how wet I was. To press his pointer deep into my...

"Hey, you OK?"

I startled and looked over to see Liam, himself, floating next to me. He really did look concerned, his usual playful grin replaced by a slight frown. His blue eyes crinkled with worry.

"I'm fine," I said.

"I didn't, um, do anything to upset you?" Liam asked.

"You're fine," I told my brother. He nodded. But he didn't swim away. Instead, the two of us stayed out in the ocean and bobbed up and down with the waves.

"This is nice," I said, after we'd been bouncing for a while.

"You've been saying that a lot lately," Liam said.

"I haven't had a lot of nice things lately," I said. My brother looked good out in the ocean. The water glistening on his muscled arms and broad chest. His short blond hair dark with wet. Now that we both felt comfortable, he had his usual crooked smile. His eyes shone a brighter blue than the sky.

"I'm still a virgin," I said.

"Wait. What?" Liam cocked his head.

"That's, um, that's my secret," I said. "Remember I owed you one from before? I've never done it. Or anything close to it, actually."

"Same," Liam said, "I've kissed a few girls. Betsy Connors gave me a handjob once. That's about it."

"I've kissed a few boys. No one's ever... Well, let's just say you're a bit ahead of me."

"Still sad, though," Liam said.

"I think it's sweet," I said, "I'm glad we got a chance to share this. Even though you didn't owe me another secret."

Liam nodded. "I'll put it in the bank for another time." He put his arms around me and hugged me tight. It felt nice. His hands on my shoulders. His breath on my neck.

We swam back to shore. When we got to our spot, all of our stuff was there, but Logan and Marissa were missing.

"Maybe they went for a walk on the boardwalk," I said.

"Maybe," Liam said.

We sat in the sun and dried off. By that time, my phone said it was five pm and I knew we needed to head home. As we rolled up our towels and folded our chairs, Logan and Marissa walked over. They were both looking a bit bedraggled. Logan's hair was full of sand and the strap of Marissa's top hung off her shoulder.

They didn't say anything, and we didn't ask. We all silently packed up our stuff and walked home.

"You feeling better?" Marissa asked me as we climbed the wooden steps onto the boardwalk.

"I'm good," I said, "You?"

"Oh, I'm fiiiiine," Marissa said. She gave me a loopy grin.

*

We left our stuff on the front porch and went around back. On the side of the house, there was an outdoor shower, surrounded by green corrugated plastic for privacy. We took turns washing the sand off, then went into the house.

Once all of us were changed into shorts and t-shirts, we went back outside to where Uncle Micah was grilling burgers and hot dogs. We hadn't been in the backyard yet, and I saw this was a very nice setup with a big deck and a barbecue, plus benches and tables for sitting. Down the steps from the deck, there was a small pool and a hot tub. I couldn't imagine swimming in a pool with the ocean right next door, but it was still neat.

We all grabbed paper plates and ate dinner as the sun slowly slipped below the horizon. Then both families went down to the boardwalk and took a long walk along the shore. The way was lit yellow, the ocean crashing in the distance. Kids sped past us on dirt bikes. Young couples held hands and whispered in each other's ears.

Eventually we turned around and came home. It was hard to imagine we'd been in Pennsylvania that morning, sleeping at my Aunt Tara's house, but we had. I wondered if all our days at the Shore would feel so long. If that happened, it would be like having a whole month together with my cousins.

We each took turns using the bathroom in the hall, getting changed into pajamas, washing up, brushing our teeth, etc. I was last, so everyone was already in the bedroom, waiting, when I got there.

Logan and Liam were, again, in matching outfits -- both in boxer briefs and t-shirts. Marissa had on a cute, turquoise linen shirt and shorts set that looked like it came from the more conservative side of Victoria's Secret. I was wearing a long, yellow bed shirt that came down to about my knees. I had panties on under it, though no one could see that.

It was early by teenager time, but we'd had such a long day, it was easy to climb into bed. My brother's warm body slid next to mine. These beds were way smaller than I'd realized. There was no way to position ourselves where Liam and I weren't touching in some way.

Despite the exhaustion, I lay back and stared up at the ceiling. Very aware of the muscular man lying next to me. For some reason, even the most casual contact felt inappropriate. As if we hadn't hugged in the ocean earlier that day.

"Get comfortable," Liam said, "It's OK."

I rolled over and tried to find my usual position but that involved resting my head on my brother's chest. He responded in an unexpected way, curling his arm around my shoulders and holding me close. He smelled like the ocean, clean with just a hint of acrid salt. I fell asleep feeling warm and safe.

*

I woke up with a start. It was still dark in the bedroom. I'd rolled onto my side, my brother spooned against me. His breathing slow and heavy. I was facing the other bed and, right away, I saw that it was empty. The sheets were mussed, but my cousins weren't there.

I ran the possibilities through my head. They couldn't both be using the bathroom. And a late-night walk seemed unlikely.

I found the room was suddenly very cold, the A/C up to refrigerator levels. I pulled the blanket over me tighter. Ground back into my brother's warmth. It was a subconscious urge, but that didn't stop me. His heat, his steady breathing, rocked me back to sleep.

When we woke up the next morning, my cousins were back in bed, right where I'd left them the night before. I wondered if it had all been a dream.

*

The morning rose grey and cool. The weather would get warmer later in the day, according to my iPhone, so we decided to wait it out around the house. Logan had packed a few board games, and we sat around the table playing Seven Wonders.

The entire time, I found myself eyeing my cousins oddly. Something was going on between them, I could swear it. Marissa playfully shoved her brother as he handed her his cards. Logan eyed his sister as she collected her brick. It was all totally normal. All completely strange.

After lunch, the weather was finally good enough to get us back to the beach. This time, the full families went together. We set up our usual camp -- towels and chairs under the umbrella -- and settled in. There was no silliness with suntan lotion this time. My Mom did my back and Liam's. It was much less enjoyable, but probably safer. I have to admit, though, I was a little disappointed that I didn't get to feel my brother's hands on my bare skin. A bit sad that I didn't get the chance to return the favor of sliding my slippery hands in certain places that I wasn't supposed to.