Just a fun little chapter before we dive back into the craziness. I felt the need to bring it down a notch after the last two.
Thanks & Enjoy
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Fashion Show
Alex kept an eye out for Ben on the ride home but didn't see any sign of his enraged friend. He felt terrible about their argument, but couldn't figure what he should have said to make it end any better. The thought of Ben's reaction once he'd seen what Alex had done to his sister and new fling sent shivers down his spine; the poor guy would probably be crushed. It wasn't how you were supposed to treat a friend and it certainly wasn't how Alex wanted the situation to come to a head, but Ben hadn't left him a choice.
Alex had had to decide between hurting his best friend or allowing him to continue doing something he knew would cause far greater pain in the long run. He began to understand more of what Carrie had told him the night before: that there was a grey area. He couldn't control Ben, but he had to try his best to make sure it worked out in the end. He hoped Becky would be able to make him feel better, if only for a short while.
Alex parked his motorcycle in the garage and took off his riding gear. Inside the house, he found his sisters Lily and Megan sitting down for dinner. Carrie was already seated at the table, hovering over a steaming plate of lasagna.
"Hi Alex," Casey said with a bright smile. He immediately began to feel better as he looked into her loving eyes.
"Hey-o, squirt," Lily said cheerfully.
"Little man," Carrie said with a nod after swallowing a mouthful of pasta.
Alex took his pet names in stride. "Hi ladies. Sick of leftovers yet?"
"No way, I could eat Gene's food for weeks!" Casey said with a grin, a drip of red sauce spilling down her lower lip.
"Agreed," said Lily as Carrie nodded in silence, too busy inhaling her dinner to say a word.
"That's good, we have enough in the freezer to last a month. I'll be back in a few." Alex walked quickly up to his bedroom. He pulled Megan's mask from his pocket and added it to his treasure chest. It didn't exactly fit with the rest of his collection, but it was a far more accurate symbol of what he had just done than a pair of panties.
Alex locked the wooden box and then jumped into the shower; he had sex to wash off. Under the warm water, he ran the evening's events back in his mind; what he said to Megan while pretending to be her brother, the outrageous things she said in response, the way he'd taken Becky without so much as a word, and what he did to Megan's precious little body. They both had wanted it, but it felt so strange to behave that way, to be so forceful. He had put on an act, became something he was not, just like with Sonya. But he maintained control, and that was reassuring. His greatest fear was losing himself in a character not his own.
After toweling off, Alex returned to his bedroom and dressed in a comfortable pair of sweatpants and a simple t-shirt. Back downstairs, he fixed himself a sandwich and joined the girls as they were finishing dinner.
"Well, Lil, how'd it go at the mall?" Alex asked his beautiful blonde sister.
"I got the job!" she said, beaming up at him. "Lynn put in a good word and I guess they were desperate for help. I start tomorrow." Lily bubbled with enthusiasm.
"Congrats! I knew it would work out."
"I'm so excited. Thank you so much for helping me, Alex. It means so much," Lily said, while Carrie gave him a gracious smile.
"You're very welcome," Alex replied. "And how was your day at work?" he asked, looking at his younger sister Casey.
"Good! Jenny says, 'hi'. I helped her pick out supplies for a party she's throwing tomorrow. Another graduation. That seems to be the popular theme this time of year." Her lips curled into a slight frown and she added, "I saw you took the balloons down."
"They weren't looking so hot this afternoon. I figured you'd want to remember them in their prime."
"I guess that's true. How'd your training go?" Casey asked, perking back up.
"Good, I passed. Actually, Natalie came over after you left. Her laptop crashed and I helped her get going again. She helped me take the balloons down, too."
"That's awfully nice of you, Alex," Lily said with a smile. "I guess that explains my swimsuit."
"Right, sorry, I forgot to mention. She borrowed it so we could practice our training in the pool," Alex explained and saw Carrie's eyes widen.
"I always thought you two would be a good fit. She's into all that tech stuff like you are," Lily said after swallowing a piece of ravioli.
"I just found out about that. I'm going to help her get started, professionally I mean. She wants to intern at my old company. She's really quite impressive, not at all what I expected." Alex replied and noticed Carrie's green eyes grow even larger.
"You mean the company you started?" Lily asked.
"Yep. You should have seen her face when I told her I was the founder. I think I might also have her help with some of my consulting work; then I can focus more on lifeguarding." With a grin, he added, "Not to mention all of my lovely ladies."
Casey giggled quietly and Carrie choked on a piece of pasta. Recovering, she smirked at Alex and he flashed her a secret wink before returning to his sandwich.
"So this weekend..." Alex quickly changed topics, referring to Casey's plan to go camping.
"Oh!" his little sister said energetically. "I made reservations, we're all set. We leave Friday afternoon and come home Sunday night."
Turning to Lily, Alex asked, "Up for a trip to the woods? Bring a friend if you want."
"Yes! That sounds perfect, just like we used to do. Can you come?" She asked, turning to Carrie.
"Sorry love, plans with the fam."
"That's okay, I'll ask Sam. She was looking for something to do," Lily said.
"Great!" Casey exclaimed. "Sounds like we're all set. I'll handle the details."
Casey and Lily got up to do the dishes, chatting about the trip. Carrie leaned in and softly asked Alex, "So you and Natalie now, too? You keeping this under control?"
"Yeah, don't worry. It should work out for both of us. She's not looking for a boyfriend, but she needs to pretend like she has one to keep the creeps away from her. If word got out she was dating the founder of SecDev it should help. She called me her 'scarecrow'," he said with a shrug and a chuckle.
"I see. That sounds like a reasonable plan."
"It was hers, well, sort of. I gave her some advice on keeping the weirdos away and she came up with the idea of saying we were dating. Regardless of all that, I really do want to help her get started in the field. If she can work for me, then it'll be a big load off my shoulders. I made it clear that if she wasn't interested, we'd go back to just being friends or at least colleagues at the Y. I'm okay with whatever she decides."
Carrie nodded in approval. "Well done."
"Thanks, Carrie. Just following your advice. What we talked about last night has already helped me so much."
"Oh?"
"I'm also trying to fix the thing with Megan and Ben. I won't know for a bit how that's going to end up. I'm nervous about what I did, but I think it'll be okay in the end."
"Keep me posted," Carrie said. Previously, she would have prodded him for more information, but now that he'd graduated, she was content to trust him to do right.
"Will do, partner," he said with a smile. Carrie grinned back, clearly relishing their new relationship as equals in pursuit of the betterment of mankind via their unique talents. "Can you do me a favor?" he added in a hushed tone.
"Sure," Carrie replied without hesitation.
"Can you keep Lily occupied tonight? I have something special planned for Casey in my room later."
"No need to even ask," she said with a grin.
"Thanks, I owe you one."
"Nonsense," Carrie replied and stood, taking her plate to Casey who was busy washing up at the kitchen sink. Lily reached out and held the redhead's hand, soon leading her upstairs. Alex watched the two leave, a tinge of jealousy trickled into his mind, but he quickly squashed it and focused on his other lovely sister. Standing, he walked behind her at the sink and wrapped his arms tightly around her narrow frame.
"How's my sweetness doing?"
Casey sighed as he pressed into her back. "I'm great. Do you think we'll have some time alone together later?"
"Well, I don't know about alone," Alex said, teasing his little sister.
"Aww," she groaned, her melancholy obvious.