Matt was looking forward to getting home from University. Not so much to see his parents, but because he had missed his sister more than he had ever expected. He also knew that this would be their last summer at home together. His sister, Amy, was due to head off to University herself that autumn, and their parents had every intention of selling the house to downsize. For that reason, Matt made plans to get home as soon as the semester was over, despite knowing that his parents would be away in Europe until at least the second week of the holiday.
Matt was just 19, finishing his first year at Kings in London. He was studying medicine, but his idea of studying involved as little bookwork as possible. He spent much more of his time in the bars and clubs of the city, or staying at the halls of friends - particularly the younger women new to the city on his course. Cities were nothing new to him, having grown up with his family in Brighton. It was there that Amy was just finishing her college course as the summer began.
As soon as he walked through the door Amy came running from the kitchen, leaping at him like an eager puppy as she jumped up, hugging him, and placing a firm kiss on his cheek.
"You're home... at last," she cried, thrilled to see her brother again.
"Looks like it, sis," replied Matt, equally keen to be back in the heart of the family. For him, family had always meant Amy above all else. They'd grown up together, cared for more by au pairs and stay-in nannies than by either of their parents.
For a while, the two shared their stories, but as the evening drew in, Matt prepared for his first night's rest back at home. Amy followed him upstairs, and they parted on the landing - Matt into his room, Amy into her - with a peck on the cheek. It didn't take long, though, for Matt to re-emerge.
"Amy?" he called out from his doorway.
Amy appeared at the door to her own room. "What?"
"Who's been in my room? Has someone been staying here?" Matt's eyebrows rose as he spoke.
"Er... no-one," blustered Amy, "only Mum goes in to hoover every now and then." Her eyes widened.
"Haha... just checking," came Matt's response. He laughed at the look on his sister's face. "I just wanted to check you hadn't been hiring it out for girlfriends... or worse, boyfriends!"
"Very funny!" Quietly Amy turned and pushed her door to behind her.
As the door closed, Amy breathed a sigh of relief. She had been into her brother's room several times, but she had always been careful to leave no evidence of her presence. Or at least, as little evidence as she could. The moment of panic over, she set about preparing herself for bed. She placed her pyjama shorts and camisole top out neatly on the bed before sliding her woollen sweater up over her head. As she stood, she glanced at the mirror, pleased with her soft pale-skinned 34b chest, but still concerned at the first signs of extra weight around her waist. She had always been slim, but these last few months she'd not been to the gym as often as she used to, and it was slowly starting to show. She was still barely average weight, but she knew that she needed to get back into some sort of fitness regime soon, or she would start piling on pounds.
Staring in the mirror, Amy once more heard the click of Matt's door, swiftly followed by his call once again. This time, though, it sounded a little more sinister.
"Amy?" the voice bounced towards her, before a rapid knocking on her bedroom door told her that Matt had found something more. "Amy?" Another knock.
"What now?" she replied, trying to sound as relaxed as possible under the circumstances. Without warning the door opened, and Matt stepped in, showing no sign that he had even noticed her state of undress.
"I thought you said no-one had been in my room?" he enquired, this time with something of a wry grin upon his face.
"They haven't." Amy retorted, perhaps a little too firmly.
"Is that so?" Matt began, "So... nobody use my room during or after a party?"
"No."
"And nobody stayed over at all? Ever?"
"No."
"And you didn't borrow anything?"
Amy could feel herself reddening as she desperately tried to remain calm. "No, I haven't got any of your stuff," she claimed, all the time sounding less confident in her own remarks.
"That's funny," Matt smiled, "because I would never have left these wrapped up." As he spoke, from behind his back Matt drew a box of condoms. Instantly Amy recognised her error. In her rush to replace the condoms she had used in his absence, she had forgotten to remove the plastic seal from the box she placed in his room. It had taken her such courage to purchase them in the first place, let alone to smuggle them into the house, that the thought of removing the seal had never crossed her mind.
Before she could find the words, Matt came to her rescue.
"Hey... don't panic." The look on his face changed instantly, from the grin, to compassion. Only then did Amy realise that her own face was a picture of fear. The news echoed around her mind as she desperately sought an explanation for her behaviour, realising there was none.
Matt stepped forward, and put his hand gently on her bare shoulder, his finger brushing against the strap of her bra.
"Amy, it's okay. It's not a crime." His calming voice was a relief, but it did nothing to stop Amy's racing heart.
"I'm so sorry," she began, almost choking on her own words as she struggled to overcome the panic. "I just..."
"Sis, sis... it's okay. If you'd have asked I'd have said it was fine... you didn't even have to replace them. Look, think of it from my point of view. I knew my little sis would be having sex one day. At least now I know she's doing it sensibly."
Matt's words of reassurance were lost as Amy's lip began to tremble and tears flowed over her cheeks. Almost subconsciously, troubled to see his sister so upset, he drew her towards him, nestling her face into his shoulder as he wrapped his hands around her back, feeling the cold fear on her skin, as he did so.
As he hugged her close to him, thoughts raced through each of their minds. Matt dreaded the prospect of what had caused this sudden outburst. Had his sister regretted what she'd done? Or worse, had she had no choice? Had someone taken advantage of her?
All the while she clung to him, ashamed of the truth about the condoms.
"Amy?" he began, tentatively, "did something bad happen? Are you okay?" His arms still firmly wrapped round her, protecting her, he talked quietly and calmly, attempting to reassure her. "Do you want to talk about it?"
Slowly Amy pulled away from his grasp, her tear-stained face before him. She shook her head, and pecked him lightly on the cheek. "Can we not?" she asked, almost pleading. For a moment, Matt stared at her, before replying in a whisper, "Okay." Gently, he released her from his grasp, stepped back towards the door and closed it behind him, before returning to his own room.
As he re-entered his room, Matt reached for his own pyjamas from his drawer and began to change. Neatly piling his jeans and sweater on the chair, his boxers into the basket in the corner of the room, his slid on his shorts and t-shirt before sitting down on the bed. Thoughts raced through his head about what might have occurred with his sister. Terrible possibilities crossed his mind about what might have happened. And almost instantly, he felt guilty for leaving the condoms at home in the first place. Was he to blame for whatever had gone on?
Meanwhile, Amy stood in front of the mirror once more. She wiped the last tear from her cheek before slipping her jeans off, throwing them to the floor at the side of the room. She glanced across at her body in the mirror as she stood in her underwear. Again a tear welled in her eye, before she slumped down onto her bed, and lay, on her side, her knees wrapped up to her chest. More tears came. Then, another knock at the door.
"Amy, can I come in?" She heard his voice outside the door, but couldn't find her own to reply. Slowly the door creaked open, and moments later she sensed him sitting on the bed behind her.
"Amy... I'm sorry... is everything okay with you? What happened?"
Amy lay, almost frozen in her position on the bed. She had no words with which to answer.
"Amy?" again her brother's voice came. She stirred on the bed, as if to find the words, but still none came.
Matt knew he had to be frank.
"Amy... has someone hurt you?"
In an instant, things changed. The panic on Amy's face fell for a moment as she realised what was in Matt's mind. Almost involuntarily she let out her first noise of the conversation. It wasn't quite a response, but it served as one, as she sniggered.
Confused now, Matt glanced down at her. "What is it?" he enquired.
She looked up, her red blotchy eyes smiling at him now. "Thank you." Came her only response.
"For what," came the confused reaction from her brother.
"For caring," she explained, "for protecting me, and...," she paused, "for thinking that about me."
"I don't understand... what's happened?" Matt asked once again. "Has someone upset you? Or hurt you?"