WARNING! This story contains extremely dubious consent and an attempted suicide. If you're not comfortable with that please back out now. Otherwise enjoy!
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, locales, and incidents are either the products of the author's imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
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The bell rings and I hurriedly rush out of class. Today is my 18th birthday and my brother promised me he would spend the entire day with me.
My brother Lucas was 18 and I was 8 when my parents died in a car crash. Ever since, he's been my primary caretaker. The money our parents left didn't last long so my brother dropped out of high school so he could take care of me. I love him more than anything in the world.
I meet up with my girlfriends outside the school and we mill about, gossiping and giggling as I wait for my brother to show up. He promised he'd take the day off for me but I'm still worried he won't arrive. I wave goodbye to my boyfriend Reese as he drives away. He hadn't been happy when I told him I couldn't spend my birthday with him but he knows how important my brother is to me. I hope he won't hold it against me.
The crowd dwindles as time ticks on and finally my brother pulls up in his beat up Prius. I beam at him as he rolls down the window. Behind me I hear girls whispering and giggling.
My brother has never lacked female attention. At 6'5 he's over a foot taller than me and muscular from construction work. He has messy dark hair and piercing blue eyes that match mine. We have the same dark hair and blue eyes but he's tanned from work in the sun. People have told us we look alike, but other than the eyes I don't see it. At 5'4, I'm petite, with small breasts and long legs, and my heart-shaped face has nothing in common with his sharp jawline and high cheekbones.
I bid goodbye to my remaining girlfriends and let myself in on the passenger side. I buckle my seatbelt and lean over to give my brother a kiss on the cheek. I'm buzzing with excitement. My brother smiles and runs a hand through my hair, I lean into his touch, thrilled by the small display of affection. We've always been close but the past few months he's been distant, keeping his distance from me and I don't know why.
He's going to take me into the city. We're going to go shopping, where he's promised to buy me anything I want, then dinner and a movie. It doesn't sound like much but we're saving up for college and we usually can't afford such luxuries. I've been wanting to buy a new dress for ages and I can't wait.
He takes me to the biggest shopping mall in the city and I spend forever browsing the shops, looking at beauty products and clothes. Lucas watches me with a lazy eye as I try on dresses and skirts until I finally pick out a white-and-yellow sundress that's not too expensive.
But when I head towards Victoria's Secret Lucas halts me with a hand on my arm.
"Where are you going?" he asks.
"To Victoria's Secret," I say, trying to squirm out of his grasp but his hold on me is firm.
"Why would you need to go there?" he asks, frowning.
"To buy underwear," I say, rolling my eyes. He still doesn't seem to get it. For such a womanizer, he can be remarkably dense. "Reese and I have been waiting for me to turn 18 so we can have sex."
His eyes seem to bulge out of his head. A vein pops on his forehead and his face turns red with fury. "Absolutely not."
"I'm 18 now," I protest. "I'm not your little girl anymore."
"Like hell you're not," he says. He starts dragging me away from the store but I dig in my heels stubbornly.
His grip is savage as he yanks at me. Lucas has never acted this way before, he's always been so gentle and supportive. "You're hurting me," I gasp.
Immediately, he lets go and I skid to a halt. His expression is horrified as he turns toward me. "Mel..." he trails off.
"I'm fine," I say. And I am. The shock of it had hurt more than his actual grip. "It's just you promised me anything." When he still hesitates I look up at him through my eyelashes and bite my lip in the way I know he can't resist.
Lucas seems to struggle with himself for several moments. "Fine," he says at last. Reluctantly, he follows me into the pink store.
Inside, it smells like fruits and floral and everything feminine. I make a dive towards the rows of lingerie and examine them closely. Finally I pick out a lacy pink set I know Reese will love. All the while, Lucas stands in a corner, glowering. Even with that savage expression twisting his face he draws appreciative looks from passing customers.
When we go to check out, the cashier smiles at us. "For your girlfriend?" she asks. Lucas grunts and I smile awkwardly, too embarrassed to correct her.
At the theatre we buy tickets to the latest big budget superhero flick. I love superhero movies but I've never seen one on the big screen before. I enjoy every moment, even the commercials in the beginning, gasping and laughing at all the right moments. When the hero's mother dies in the climax, I'm uncomfortably reminded of my own mother. Upset, I reach out for Lucas and he takes my hand in his strong grip and doesn't let go for the rest of the movie.
We're still holding hands as we walk out of the movie. I'm babbling excitedly about all my favorite moments and what the post-credit scene means for the movie's extended universe.
Lucas takes me to my favorite restaurant for dinner, an Italian pizza place, nothing too fancy, but I love the place to pieces. We order half-cheese for me and half-Meat Lovers' for him. There's just the right amount of tomato sauce and the cheese practically melts in my mouth. I close my eyes in bliss at the taste and open them to see my brother staring at me with an odd expression on his face.
I hungrily demolish my half of the pizza. Lucas smiles but he doesn't tease me for my appetite. He finishes his half off more slowly. We pay and I pretend not to notice as Lucas carefully counts out his change.
I'm elated. I haven't had a better day for ages and the best part is I got to spend it entirely with my brother. I have to stop myself from skipping as we head up to our small apartment. We've lived here ever since Lucas sold the house we grew up in with our parents. It's just one room with a kitchen and a bathroom attached. Lucas and I share a bed for convenience's sake. I know most people wouldn't like sharing a room with their brother, much less a bed, but I find sleeping with Lucas comforting.
I hurry to the bathroom to try on my new underwear. I examine myself in the mirror. The bra pushes out my boobs and makes them look bigger and the underwear hugs my ass nicely. I take a picture to show my girlfriends but I want the underwear to be a surprise for Reese.
You look gorgeous girl!!! Rachel responds in seconds. I respond with a kissy face. Then, I text Reese I have a surprise for you tomorrow ;). When he doesn't respond immediately I turn my phone off. I realize I forgot my pajamas so I head outside in my underwear. Lucas looks up when he hears the door open.
"What do you think?" I ask playfully, spreading out my arms to give him a good look. I bend over and shuffle through the bottom drawer looking for my pajamas. I look up when I find them. "Good," he says, coughing.
When he continues coughing, I frown. I hope he's not coming down with anything. I approach him and place a hand on his forehead, worried. His skin is warm, but not overly so. "Are you okay?" I ask.
"Fine," he says. I examine his face carefully but he looks fine. I realize my hand is still resting on his forehead and I make a move to remove it but Lucas grabs my wrist.
Before I realize what's happening his lips are on mine. For a second, his lips are pressed against mine, warm and soft, then he's pulling away.
I stand there for a second, dazed. He releases my wrist and I back away from him, nearly stumbling over my own feet. Without saying anything, I hurry into the bathroom and slam the door behind me. My heart is pounding. What was that?
I take several deep breaths, forcing myself to calm. In some cultures, siblings kiss on the mouth. It was probably nothing.
When I finally venture outside the lights are off and Lucas is in bed, seemingly asleep. For the first time, I feel some trepidation as I get into bed with him. His back is to me and I curl onto the edge of the bed with my back to him. "Good night," I whisper into the darkness.
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When I wake I've nearly forgotten about Lucas kissing me. While we were sleeping he's curled up against me. My nightshirt has hiked up and his hand is resting on the bare skin of my stomach. I flush when I realize his hot erection is pressing against my butt. That happens sometimes. Lucas is a man and it's a natural reaction. I think he's asleep, his breath is steady as it hits my neck, so the situation isn't as awkward as it could be.
I turn onto my back so his erection isn't pressing against me anymore and stretch. Getting up, I pounce on Lucas and start tickling him. Immediately, Lucas's arms reach out to grab my tickling hands. Giggling, I flop on his body. He sighs in my ear but I can hear the smile in his voice. I can feel his abs beneath the shirt he wears to sleep. He's all hardness everywhere I'm soft. "Good morning," I say cheerfully.
"Morning," he grunts. Lucas lies back and watches me as I pad to the bathroom, yawning.
I brush my teeth and wash my face. I put on makeup and take a long time brushing out my hair, making sure it's shining. Lucas is yelling that I'm going to be late for school by the time I get out. He glares at me as he slams the door.
I clip off the tags and slip on my new dress and underwear. I experiment with putting up my hair before deciding to let it fall around my shoulders. I fuss over my appearance as Lucas finishes in the bathroom.
"You look fine," he grunts when he sees me staring at my phone camera. I keep my back turned to him as he changes.
Lucas grabs the keys and I follow him out the door. As we drive towards the school I notice he looks tense somehow. The set of his shoulders is stiff and he's glaring at nothing in particular.
When we pull up in front of the school he stops me as I move to get out. "What is it?" I ask.
Instead of answering he pulls me close and kisses me on the forehead. His lips linger for a moment too long before he pulls away. He stares into my eyes. "Be careful," he says.
I nod. That must be why he's been so weird. He's worried about me having sex with Reese. "It's okay. Reese is bringing a condom and we'll be safe."
Lucas's fingers tighten around my arm momentarily before he lets me go. When I turn around at the school entrance I see him, still parked right there. I lift my hand and wave at him.
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There's an intensity to Reese when he kisses me today. I'm excited myself, but also nervous. I can barely pay attention during classes.
