A First, My Friend's Sister Ch. 05

I awoke the next day relaxed and in a surprisingly good mood. Not surprising considering the beautiful evening Jeanie and I had shared, with our date and the fooling around we'd done afterward in my car. But surprising because of the fact that I still had a pretty big obstacle in front of me. I had to finally confront her parents and her brother about the fact that we wanted to see each other romantically. I'd been friends with Jeanie's family, the Delvecchios, for years. Her older brother, Tony, and I had been best friends since pretty much the day we met. And I'd been a good friend of Jeanie's all that time as well. Now that she and I cared about each other, it could create problems for the family.

How would they take it? Would they be angry? Would I lose Tony as a friend? Hell, would he kick my ass as soon as I told him?

All of these questions hung over my head like a dark cloud, but for some reason when I awoke I just didn't seem to care. I felt good; I felt optimistic. I'd had dreams of Jeanie once again. This time not bittersweet or desperate at all. This time they were happy. We held each other sweetly and made love freely and tenderly. And when I woke I felt warm and comforted inside. I was ready for the challenges ahead.

I reached under my pillow and pulled out the pair of panties she'd left for me in my car after we'd gone down on each other the night before. They made me smile. They reminded me of both her irresistible sexuality as well as her sweet innocence. They were white with a delicate floral pattern on them, but they were a skimpy thong. Just like her, simultaneously innocent yet deeply erotic. I could still smell her on them; the tawdry scent of her aroused womanhood mingled with the sweet fragrance of her perfume to create the perfect, most alluring feminine contradiction. I savored the scent for a moment then stashed them back under the pillow and crawled out of bed.

After hitting the bathroom, I noticed my sister Jocelyn's door was open. I walked over to her doorway and heard clicking coming from within. I knocked lightly and looked in. She was lying on her bed on her stomach, her laptop in front of her, typing away, presumably on IM. She barely reacted to my knock. "Yeah, sup?" she murmured, never taking her eyes off the screen.

"Hey, how are you?" I asked.

"Fine, what's going on with you?" she replied, still not looking at anything but her screen.

"Nothing. Gotta work in a couple hours."

"That's nice," she replied apathetically.

"Yeah, right. So... can we talk for a sec?" I asked.

"Uh oh, I know what that question means," she needled, taking on a slightly mocking tone of voice. Finally she looked up from her screen and stopped typing, but she cocked her head and raised her eyebrows at me. "So, what do you have to confess?"

"Confess? Nothing. There's no confession here," I stated defensively.

"Mm hmm," she mocked, "just spill it. I'm assuming it involves Jeanie."

"It does, but this is not a confession of some sort of wrongdoing."

"Oh it's not; what is it then?"

I paused and held her eye contact, giving her a serious look. "I like her, Joss," I said flatly and sincerely. "It's really that simple. I like her; I think she's amazing."

"Well," she said, smirking in her most condescending way, "it's about fucking time."

"Is it now?" I asked.

"Yeah, it is, Jim. She's been in love with you for like years and now finally you come around and see how awesome she is?"

"I've always known she's awesome, Joss, but don't you think she and I getting together could be a problem?"

"Problem shmoblem," she mocked.

"So you're saying you're ok with it?" I asked.

"Yeah, I'm cool with it. Maybe it's a bit weird but for some reason she likes you so I'm sure it'll make her happy. I question her taste in men, but that's another story," she joked.

I ignored her little dig. "Ok, right, well thanks for understanding. I wonder what her family will say though," I questioned.

"Oh please, they freaking love you. They will welcome you with open arms, Jim."

"Yeah, I dunno about that. Tony might want to beat the shit out of me."

"Oh he will... at first. And hell, he might even kick your ass on principle alone. But he'll get over it."

"Very consoling, thanks," I joked.

"Hmmph, that's nothing compared to what I'll do to you if your break her heart."

"Yeah, that's not exactly in my plans, for the record."

"Good, cuz if it happens, you're dead."

"Noted. Thank you, dear sister, for the family loyalty," I said sarcastically.

She snorted, and turned back to her screen. "Jeanie is the sweetest person ever. You hurt her, I hurt you. That's the deal," she said matter-of-factly and returned to typing.

"Hey, hey, I'm not done here," I yelled as her attention slipped away.

"Why, what else do you want to confess?" she asked. "You kidnap the Lindbergh baby too?"

"Actually, why don't you start confessing?" I countered. "How was the prom the other night, huh? You looked a bit... hmmm, what's the word, disheveled - yeah that's it - yesterday morning. Anything you want to tell me?"

"Looking for a confession, are you, huh?"

"Yup," I gloated, "kinda am. What exactly were you up to after the dance?"

"I'll tell ya anything you want to know, if you'll tell me what you and Jeanie did..." She let the statement hang in the air.

After a moment I smiled. "Touche," I quipped, raising my eyebrows.

"I knew it. You're evil."

"I am? How long have you been dating this guy and you're doing that stuff?"

"Conversation over!" she declared, but I could tell she was grinning as she buried her nose back into the computer screen.

"Thanks for being cool about the Jeanie thing," I said turning to leave. I heard her say, "Welcome," as I was walking away, but suddenly I realized that her reaction had actually been really generous. Jeanie and Joss were friends. Not like best friends, but still pretty close. It would have been easy for Joss to be stubborn about the situation and put her foot down about it. So despite her jibes and the promise to kill me if I hurt Jeanie, all in all Joss had been pretty sweet. So I stopped in my tracks and without warning I ran at full speed and jumped onto the bed on top of her. She screamed when she realized I was in mid-air coming down at her, but I landed harmlessly on her back and laid on her with all my weight.

"Uhhhhhhhh, Jim," she groaned, "you weigh a freaking ton, get off me!" Instead I threw my arms around her and hugged her.

"Thanks for being the best sis ever, Jossy," I said in a corny, overly affectionate voice.

"Yeah yeah yeah, just get off!" she yelled, unable to move under my weight. I gave her a big smooch on the cheek and she yelled, "Eeeeewwww!" But I jumped off and walked out of the room laughing. "You're seriously weird, dorkus," she called after me, "I have no idea what Jeanie is thinking!"

I chuckled to myself as I descended the steps and went into our kitchen. My parents were in there hanging out and, as I ate breakfast, I told them about Jeanie and me wanting to see each other. My mother knew that we had gone a date the night before, so she wasn't surprised. My father wasn't either, knowing that Jeanie had always liked me. They both commented, like Jocelyn, that it was about time I came around, and they both reassured me that things with her family would work out fine. They were friends with the Delvecchios as well, so they had confidence that there wouldn't be too much drama or too many hard feelings. At that point I started asking myself why I hadn't dated Jeanie years before since everyone apparently thought it would be no big deal. But they weren't the ones who had to face Jeanie's father or the wrath of Tony. That would be my task, and I planned it for later in the day. No sense putting it off any longer than I had to.

I finished breakfast but before I left the kitchen to go upstairs to shower and get ready for work, both of my parents made it a point to tell me that if I broke Jeanie's heart they'd disown me. "Man," I thought to myself, "this girl has quite the fan club. She's going to be the death of me." It was a good thing I had no plans to break Jeanie's heart, but still. Who knows what could happen? Well, I'd just have to take that chance.

I showered and before heading to work at my waiting job, I sent Jeanie a text message: "Hi beautiful. Cant wait 2 see u again. Can i still come over tonite after work?"

Several minutes later her reply came: "Hi james! Yes i cant wait either."

I smiled to myself and sent her another text: "Ok good ill text as soon as im done. Miss u."

Her text came a minute later: "Miss u too! C u tonite XOXOXO"

I finished dressing and headed to my car. Jeanie had an uncanny way of making me feel warm and happy inside. I thought of her all day long at work, unable to get the image of her out of my head. Which wasn't so bad when I saw her smiling and laughing in my mind, holding my hand as we walked and talked, or waving to me as she walked away. Those mental images I could live with. But other, more erotic, images would pop in every now and again as well, making it rather difficult to concentrate on my job. Jeanie naked beneath me, bathed in moonlight, as we writhed together in our lovemaking. Or in my car, her legs spread, baring her sex before me. I tried to shake these images out of my head but it was no good. Jeanie had infected me now; she was in my blood. And I was just going to have to live with these distractions, wanted or unwanted, pleasant or beguiling as they were.

My work day came and went slowly. I was anxiously anticipating seeing Jeanie, as well as telling her family about us. When my shift finally ended, I headed to the car and immediately sent Jeanie a text. "Hey sweetie. Off work. Ok to come over?"

As I was driving home her reply came. "Hi! Yes cant wait 2 c u. Everything will be ok."

That made me feel better. I wondered if she'd already brought up the subject of her and me with her family over dinner. By the time I got home, I knew they'd be just about finishing up eating. Heck, maybe Jeanie had broken the news and they were all cool with it. Could I be so lucky?

I pulled into my driveway and ran upstairs to quickly change into clean clothes. I had a nervous energy coursing through me as I threw on a new shirt and some shorts. Once changed, I eyed my pillow, thinking of the little treasure hidden beneath it. I had to indulge, I thought to myself. I walked over to my bed and pulled Jeanie's panties out from under my pillow. Our lucky panties, I thought, bringing them to my nose and inhaling their scent. So precious, so perfect, so sweet, her aroma filled me with a boost of confidence and a shot of erotic anticipation. It was just what I needed.

When I came back downstairs though, all of a sudden my newfound confidence faltered. I opened up my front door and the gravity of the situation hit me. "This is it," I thought to myself, "the moment of truth. You've had your fun. You've had the sweetness of Jeanie and now you have to face the music. If you care about her, be a man now and go prove it." I psyched myself up as I walked up the block to her house. Then, just as I was about to ring the doorbell, I took a deep breath. "Here goes nothing," I thought.

I pressed the doorbell and within moments heard the soft footfalls I'd heard so many times before when I'd rung it as Jeanie ran to the door to greet me. Always with that wide-eyed smile, and her sweet, affectionate greeting of, "Hey, James!" This time though, it was her, not her brother, I was coming to see. The door opened and there was Jeanie's bright smile. She stepped out and wrapped her arms around me.

"So glad to see you," she whispered in my ear. I pulled her into me.

"Everything ok?" I whispered to her. She stepped away from me and took my hand. She nodded slightly, still smiling, but her eyes told me that our challenge had just begun. Still holding my hand, a tell-tale sign if ever there were one, she escorted me into the house. The family was in the kitchen, cleaning up from dinner. Jeanie's mother, Carla, was the first to greet me.

"Well hello, Jim, good to see you. You hungry? You just got off work, right?" she asked hurriedly as she came over to hug me. This greeting was not unusual from her, but I did perhaps notice just a hint of urgency in her manner. And I understood why almost immediately when over her shoulder I noticed Tony shooting me a very dangerous look. And in an instant I knew. Jeanie had brought the subject up, or it had come up somehow. They knew. And in that moment I felt the awkward atmosphere in the room, as clearly as if it were an elephant standing there with us. Tony was putting dishes away, while his father, Gino, washed them. Jeanie was cleaning the food up off the table, but none of them looked at one another.

"Um, yeah, just got off," I stammered as Carla released me.

"Then you have to eat," she stated. "Giana, make Jim a dish." This certainly wasn't unusual; Carla always made sure I had something to eat when I came to her home, a kind of Italian tradition. But I knew I was going to have to get the subject at hand on the table before I accepted any sort of gift from the family. Tony was clearly pissed and Gino hadn't looked up from the dishes yet, much less greeted me. It was time to act.

"Hi, Mr. Delvecchio," I said to Gino and waved from across the kitchen.

"Hi, Jim, how are you," he said sternly, but at least he looked up at me from the dishes.

"Whatup, Tony," I said to Tony and nodded. He didn't return my greeting, but instead continued to stare daggers at me.

"I'm glad you guys are here, and you too, Mrs. Delvecchio. I actually have something I'd like to ask you." I clammed up after I said this. I felt a lump grow in my throat as the moment found me and I hesitated. Man, this was going to be hard. Carla broke the awkward moment of silence.

"What is it, Jim?" she asked kindly, and I sensed that I had an ally in her at least. Jeanie was watching me in anticipation, her eyes sweet and understanding. And when I saw her caring look, I found the strength I needed.

"Well," I began, clearing my throat. "As you know, Jeanie and I went to her prom the other night. And we've been very good friends for some time. And well, I guess, we both kind of realized that we like each other. So... with your permission, and yours too of course, Tony," I said, looking at him, "I would like to date Jeanie, and uhhhh, spend more time with her... if I could." I ended my request somewhat awkwardly because I realized everyone was staring at me, not saying a word. No one made an immediate reaction, but after a moment Carla again broke the silence.

"That's very mature of you, Jim, coming to us to ask permission," she said.

"Well, I've known you all for so long that I didn't want this to be weird for anyone," I replied, looking once again at Tony and getting nothing but scorn in return. I could tell there was going to be a problem with him. But Gino piped in after I said that.

"I can appreciate a man who stands up for what he wants, Jim," he said, drying his hands with a towel. "And I like that you had the respect to come right to us and ask. I'll tell you what, if you treat my daughter well, you're all right in my book." After saying this he extended his hand for a shake. I took it and felt the firmness of his grip as both an affirmation and a warning. The message was received, loud and clear. "But I gotta warn ya," he continued, "you're on your own with Tony. He's been pissed since Giana told us about your date last night during dinner." He smiled and gave me a little wink as if to say, "Good luck, sucker."

I returned the smile but when I looked at Tony he wasn't even looking my way. Carla came over and hugged me again. "You're a good kid, Jim, you know we love you. Just be good to her, that's all we ask," she said, and gave me a kiss on the cheek.

"I will," I said, returning the hug. When she let me go, Jeanie brought me a plate with the pasta and meatballs Carla had served for dinner.

"Here you go, Jim, I'll put it on the table for you," she said beaming. She gave me the sweetest smile I'd ever seen and her gorgeous brown eyes made my heart melt. She led me to the adjoining dining room where the table was. She put the plate down and took my hand, smiling up at me.

Just as I was about to say something to her, in came Tony. He snapped his fingers at me and pointed toward the living room, a sure indication that he wanted me to follow him as he walked away. I looked Jeanie in the eye and whispered, "Wish me luck." I took a deep breath but as I was about to walk away she pulled me back by my hand and leaned up on her tippytoes to give me a quick kiss on the mouth.

"Good luck," she whispered after the kiss. I smiled and raised my eyebrows. That kiss alone made this trip into the maelstrom that was the fiery temper of Tony Delvecchio worthwhile. I broke away from her and walked down the hallway to their living room. Tony was waiting, standing rigid in the middle of the room and looking absolutely furious. Before I could even speak he started spouting off.

"What the fuck, dude," he hissed, struggling not to raise his voice above a harsh, cutting whisper. "You're fucking dating my sister, behind my back?"

"It's not behind your back, man, I'm right here," I countered.

"Last night?" he shot back.

"Yeah, last night was one night. We had dinner and discussed how to approach this. And we decided to be honest and come right out and tell you."

"Oh now you're going to be honest? What about breaking the promise you made to me before? What about that, huh? 'I won't lay a finger on her,' that's what you told me. All a big fucking lie." He balled his fists and stepped forward, just inches away from me, looking me harshly in the eye. I held my ground though, unsure if whether in the next moment he would punch me in the face. I had to stay strong.

"Come on, Tony, I like her. Really like her. She's not some conquest and I'm not going to treat her like one. I've known her for years, and I just... I just care about her..."

"Care about her?" he interrupted. "What the hell does that mean? How is it that two days ago she's just my little sister, and now all of a sudden, out of complete fucking nowhere, you 'care about her?' What is that all about?"

"It's not out of nowhere; I always have."

"Oh shit," he blustered, clearly raising his voice to a level where he could be heard in the next room. "This just gets better and better. Always have?"

"Well, it's not like I've ever done anything about it. I never touched her, man. But it's just that... yeah, you know, I have liked her for a while. A long time. I just never did anything about it because..." I paused.

"Yeah, because why?" he asked, incredulous.

"Because I knew it would piss you off. And because I knew she was supposed to be off-limits."

"Off-limits? Hmmmm, why would that be?" he asked, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

"Because man, I know she's your sister. I get it," I replied.

"Do you? Do you really get it? So if I said right now that I was with Joss, you'd just 'get it,' would you?"

I thought for a moment, and the mental image of Tony with my little sister raced through my mind. Yes, it did hurt and I did understand what he meant. I always had. "It would piss me off," I said. "I admit it would."

"Gee, thanks for at least admitting that," he shot back. But in a funny way, I could almost hear a little less rage in his voice after hearing me admit that I'd be angry.

"I'm not saying you shouldn't be pissed, man, I'm really not. I understand why you would be. I'm just saying that I care about her. And I'm not going to use her or hurt her."

He stood there nodding his head for a minute, but he didn't say anything. After several moments, I decided to take a chance.