The House Boat - Day 01

I was busy loading bags onto the back of the floating cabin, mostly just dumping them onto a sort of back verandah, when a taxi pulled up on the road up above.

I waved as my red-headed sister got out, and the driver helped her unpack her two suitcases despite me telling her a number of times that space was very limited, so she'd only have room for one.

Rin half-slid down the embankment, laughing as she nearly went tumbling into the river, green eyes dancing in amusement, "Hey, Chris! Anybody else here, yet?"

She always acted like the younger, irresponsible, one of the two of us. Despite the fact that we were technically twins. Not identical. I was maybe a whole five minutes older than she was.

"You're the first." I acknowledged, and tried to ignore the fact I was just going to have to fit her gear anyway. "Haven't heard from Mum and Dad yet. Too bad Vincent couldn't get the time off. But he should meet up with us about halfway up the river for lunch, in a couple days."

Rin signaled for me to stay on the boat and started passing me things, "Vinnie's a buzzkill, anyway. I bet he'd sit there yapping about how much I was drinking, even though I'm like twenty two."

Which was when I noticed something else that Vincent would totally flip out about. Probably Mum, too, when she finally got here. Rin definitely had a piece of metal in her mouth.

My sister had never been shy with the piercings. Always joking about getting one of her tits pierced, but the judgement of the family had managed to get her to keep it simple, at least where I could see.

One piercing in one ear, and two in the other. Identical little crystal studs tending to decorate all three. Today's selection were all a kind of turquoise, matching her eyes.

The barbell in her tongue was new to me though. Apparently not to her, by the way she had no issues talking. I briefly wondered if it wasn't new at all, and that she just used to take it out around family.

Harder to hide something like that on a week-long trip with the family.

"He can be a drag. For lunch, maybe don't let him see that shiny."

Rin frowned, "Huh?"

"Tongue piercing." I said as I took the box of cutlery and plates from her, and positioned it just inside the doorway. "I don't need to hear Vincent's lectures, either."

"Oh, shit. I totally forgot. I got that like four months back." Rin said quickly, "Eh... Before Mum gets here and screams about it, what about an unbiased opinion? Cute, right?"

I shrugged and took her first case, "I dunno. I don't think it looks bad, if that's what you're asking."

"But...?" Rin asked.

I frowned, "Its... I've had a couple girlfriends with pierced tongues, and I always found the kissing a bit awkward. Especially when I got snagged, once."

"Ouch." Rin giggled, and then grinned as she jumped down onto the houseboat. "Never imagined you with a girlfriend. Let alone a hot one with piercings. Not the kind of girl you'd bring home, huh?"

I rolled my eyes at the jab, and then pulled out my phone and checked the time, "You know, you were late. Mum and Dad are never late. Especially not two hours late."

She shrugged, "Mmm. You should call them whilst I unpack. Dibs on the biggest bed!"

"There's four bunk beds crammed into the one bedroom." I rolled my eyes.

Rin shrugged, "Then dibs on a top bunk. But, seriously, call Mum. I'll actually unpack more than just for me, though. That the stuff for the fridge?"

I kicked the indicated box as I began to place a call, "Yeah."

The river was pretty tranquil and isolated this time of year. That kind of secluded and unspoiled beauty was one of the reasons we'd decided the family getaway would be a houseboat this year.

As I'd been on one before, I was unanimously voted to take care of most of the preparations, and would be doing all the driving.

I leaned on the verandah fence, listening in one ear to a dial tone, and kookaburras laughing in the other. Even if family was stressful, especially in tight confines, this place might just make it so I could relax.

I gave up and put my phone away, taking a moment to breathe in the river smell.

Rin grabbed me from behind in a tight hug that flattened her chest against my back, "Hey lazybones. You going to help with this?"

"Yeah, yeah." I turned around, pushing her away by her head, "Mum didn't pick up. Maybe you should call."

I was hesitant to suggest it. Though Rin had done her best to maintain contact with our parents, that relationship was strained. Dad had actually thrown her out the front door when she'd chosen a university that was in another city.

Or, that was the reason they gave her. I suspected it had more to do with the fact that the boyfriend she'd been moving closer to by choosing that university was willing to tell our Dad when he was wrong.

Mum might disapprove of Rin, but she tended to play peacemaker between my sister and my father. A complicated relationship.

"That's weird. She always picks up." Rin said, and then glanced upwards, "I haven't been up top yet, there somewhere to sit?"

"Yeah, deck chairs. You might even get in some sunbathing." I said and got back to work unloading everything.

Rin disappeared up the stairs to the side of the verandah excitedly.

Mentioning the sunbathing was somewhat deliberate, on my part. I knew that Rin enjoyed lazing in the sun almost as much as a cat. I also knew that she tended to flaunt her gorgeous body when she did.

The familiar guilt twisted at my stomach as I thought about my sister. The girl who was equal parts wild and sensitive. A girl that was, and always would be, out of my reach.

---------

"Want me to make lunch?" I called up the stairs, beginning to get worried about the time of things. I'd expected to be halfway to our next stopping point by now.

Rin peeked over the edge, "Do you mind coming up?"

I shrugged and headed up onto the smooth and almost flat roof. Flat to the eye, not to the feet. I unsteadily walked over and sat down on one of the chairs, "What's up?"

Rin wasn't lying on the other chair. She was sitting cross-legged on it, like she'd been thinking with her chin in her hands. Like she always did when faced with a dilemma.

The redhead bit her lip nervously, "Uhm... So... Mum and Dad aren't coming."

"Aw, hell." I said in frustration, "What happened?"

Rin sighed, "Dad fell over. He's fine, but he's not exactly getting out of bed. He's also too embarrassed to tell you. But Mum was pretty insistent that we not cancel."

"Not that we could." I pointed out, briefly thinking about the security deposit, with a tinge of self-centred guilt. "So... Just the two of us? You alright with that? Or going to leave me hanging?"

She grinned at me, "I'm fine with that. You're the only one I really get to be myself around. But... I know I'm annoying. Are you going to be fine with it? I can't help drive this tugboat."

"I could use some help with other stuff. But yeah, this should be fun." I nodded, "Tell you what. Why don't I get us on the move, and then we can make lunch and eat up here somewhere a bit further down?"

Rin smiled and sprang over to give me another hug, "You really don't mind? I am the black sheep."

"I told you the barbell was cute, didn't I?" I rolled my eyes and elbowed her lightly, "Though... I thought you had a boyfriend. Did you really need your brother's opinion?"

Rin deflated. "Lying sack of shit. I dumped his ass. Last week. Maybe, sort of, why I want to relax out here, away from... Everyone. Even better without Vinnie or Mum around, as bitchy as it sounds."

"That sucks." I stood up, and pulled her with me. "Keep talking, but I do need to get a move on."

I went down to the captain's chair or whatever it was called and began to slowly cruise down the river at the grand maximum speed of five kilometres an hour, eye on the surface.

"So... Lying asshole?"

Rin sat up on a table beside me, making me realise that her skirt was way too short to cover up her white cotton panties. "So, I came home a couple weeks ago, and... I was a bit frisky. Usually when I was in the mood, Rob was. We were good like that."

"Great. Just what I need, sister sex stories." I rolled my eyes.

Rin sighed, "Yeah, yeah. Not that comfortable either, but its an important part of the story. Rob wasn't in the mood. Which, I didn't think much of. Except, a couple days later, one of my friends was drunk-posting."

"Ooh. That's never safe." I tried to say lightly.

Rin shrugged, clearly upset. "She posted a pic of her boyfriend's dick. Boyfriend none of us had met, who she'd just celebrated three years with."

"Rob's dick?"

"Yeah." Rin said angrily, "So... I confronted him about it. That he was cheating on both of us, and he laughed in my face. So I kicked him out. Then, being the good friend I am, I called Jessie to let her know he was a cheating bastard."

I winced, "Didn't go well?"

"She knew. She already knew." Rin bounced to her feet, too upset to sit still. "Apparently I was his fucking cum dumpster or something. That's why he was always in the mood. I was nothing more than his side girl - and Jessie had even helped him set it up."

"Well, she sounds like a shit person."

"Chris." Rin grabbed my attention, "Jess. Jessie. You know her."

My eyes widened, "Wait! You mean that Jess? The one I dated during my gap year, behind your back?"

"Yeah. The willingness to date my brother in secret probably should have been a warning sign." Rin said bitterly.

I pulled her into a side hug as I watched the water, "Shit. You've had it rough. Well, I can guarantee that I'm not cheating on you by having another family. Best I can do."

She laughed and hugged me back, "You always say the weirdest crap. Though... Imagine if that's why Mum and Dad aren't here. Sneaking off to be with another family, and getting the dates mixed up."

"Oh no. That'd mean I could end up dating my half-sister." I said jokingly, "Or you could end up sleeping with a half-brother."

"Oi!" Rin smacked me over the back of the head, "Why do you get dating and I get sleeping?"

"Because it'd annoy you." I grinned at her.

Rin rolled her eyes, "Jerk. Oh, wait! Look up ahead. That sunny spot would be perfect. Mind if we tie up there?"

"Yeah, sure. That looks a decent place to stop." I nodded as she began going through the fridge noisily.

Rin made even more noise as I was drifting the houseboat into position. I could hear her even when I headed out the front onto the tiny ledge and looped the anchoring rope around a tree.

Coming back in, I found out why.

She waved to me from the back verandah, where she had managed to wrestle down some chairs, and a table.

I crashed down beside her, "So, you actually made lunch?"

"Duh. Just sandwiches." She said with a little annoyance, "You're the designated driver. Got to take care of you. Beer?"

I shook my head as she offered it to me, "Sorry. Designated driver, like you said. You feel free though. No judgement from this brother. So... I guess most of the fallout from your discovery is over? Friendships burned, asshole tossed out of the house?"

"Mmm." Rin said tiredly, leaning back in her chair and sipping, "Now all I've got is that kind of sad feeling. You know, when you miss having someone who cares about you? Sleeping alone. That stuff."

"Yeah."

"Really?" Rin raised an eyebrow teasingly.

I glared at her, "Oh, yes. I do know. I don't introduce girls to my family because... It's our family. My last girlfriend was bi. Can you imagine how well that would go down with Dad, if he found out?"

"Wow." Rin shivered, "Lead balloon. On fire. Spewing poison gas. Say... Does that mean just that she was bi, or that you two were... Adventurous?"

"Adventurous?"

"Ever had a threesome?"

I coughed, nearly choking, "Uh... No. I've never seen the appeal, really. I like one on one. Being... Attentive and stuff. Intimate. So, this is just a guess... But do you need to lock me out of the bedroom after lunch?"

It was Rin's turn to go bright red, and she glared, "Jerk. Yes. I am kinda frisky. I'm sorry. It's just... Bushland. This kind of peaceful place, just you and nature. It's one of my favourite fantasies. I go camping with my boyfriends. That on top of everything else."

"It was a bit of a real offer. Mostly a tease. But an offer, too." I said sheepishly, "There's no actual lock. So if you ever need a timeout, it's just the two of us. So you don't need to suffer in silence, just tell me to be somewhere else. I'll head to the roof to read or something."

"And vice versa?" Rin asked, "You getting hot off your twin sister's stories of cheating dicks?"

"They're not hot."

Rin flicked my nose, "But... You got... Frisky problems?"

"Wouldn't normally tell you. But, I suppose." I shrugged, "It's been a dry spell for me. About a year."

She looked concerned, "Really? I mean, I know I pick on you, Chris, but you're not that bad looking a guy. You're even nice sometimes. When you feel like it."

"Only mean to you." I smiled, and shrugged, "I dunno. Not meeting the right girls, I guess. Not interested in most, and rejected by a couple."

"So... What's your type? What are your moves?"

I looked at her empty beer bottle, "You sure you're not getting tipsy already?"

"No, I am not." She said with a flushed face that disagreed with her, "I can totally hold my liquor. I'm just trying to help a guy out. Give him a woman's perspective."

I put aside my empty plate, leaning back and listening to the wildlife in the sun for a bit. At length I yawned, "I guess, my type is sort of the problem."

"Huh?" Rin started, as if she'd been falling asleep, "Oh. Your type? Why would that be an issue?"

"I like assertive girls. The ones who know what they want, and fuck the world if it disagrees." I shrugged.

Rin chuckled, "Problem with that, is they can be right bitches. Because you're a part of the world."

I nodded, "Yeah. Oh well, I'll get us going again. Unless you want to spend the night here?"

"Actually, that sounds nice." Rin said, "Can I leave the chairs down? Getting them off the roof sucked. It was a bad idea."

"Sounds fine." I said, and stood up.

She looked up at me, "Where are you going?"

"Grab my book. Seemed like you were a bit tired to keep talking."

She nodded, "Mmm. Mind grabbing the blue bag off my bed whilst you're at it?"

---------

I tossed the bag beside her and sat down with my book. I didn't normally get to read, even though I did enjoy it. Finding the time for things I cared about was difficult these days.

I was about a chapter in when a shadow blocked out the sun, and I looked up and nearly got a face full of my sister.

I quickly put the book in front of my face, but the sight of her standing there without a top or bra on was seared into the back of my skull. Her perky little tits, that definitely were not pierced.

"What are you doing?"

Rin just snickered, "Perv."

"I'm the perv. Says naked girl."

She laughed again, "Just getting changed into a bikini. It isn't like there's anyone else around, and I thought you were too distracted to notice. Now, no looking."

Which, of course, made me glance. It was barely half a second, as the self will kicked in to tell me it was a bad idea.

Long enough for me to see that Rin did not remotely deserve to be cheated on. To be used for sex and then discarded. She had a perfectly groomed little triangle above her pussy, which itself looked incredibly inviting.

Rin flopped back down onto the seat, in a smooth black bikini, and began lathering herself up for the sun. She laughed again, looking over at me, "Some dry spell."

"What?"

She looked pointedly down at the semi raising a tent in my pants. I flushed in embarrassment and dropped the book into my lap. Then I looked anywhere but in her direction.

Rin laughed again, "Well, nice to know you think I've still got it, brother dearest. But I'm going to go ahead and ask you to embarrass yourself some more."

"No."

She switched to a begging voice, "Please? I just need some help with reaching. I promise I won't let it be weird. Pleeease?"

The drawn out syllables at the end was definitely not a normal kind. It had me conjuring up pictures of a girl lying on her back in bed.

"You're an asshole." I laughed at her and sat up, "I'm going to head inside and lie down. Don't burn."

"Hey. Don't do that. I will burn if I can't reach my back." Rin switched back to serious, "I really don't care. You were tired or whatever. I'm not going to bring it up again."

I sighed, "Fine. Roll over."

She did as I asked, and then surprised me by reaching up and unclasping her bikini top. Rin held up the sunscreen, and I did my best not to be picturing anything as I quickly spread it out on her.

She was soft, and already more than warm from lying in the sun. I tried to be deft and efficient as I spread the liquid out across her.

Rin gave a soft and tired moan, "Mmm."

"Oi."

"Involuntary." She said through half her mouth, "Anyone tell you that you can do a half-decent massage, Chris? That should be your move."

That was totally one of my moves.

I finished what I was doing, and dropped the bottle back into her bag. Then still headed for the door to crash out.

"Hey, Chris?"

"Yeah?" I hesitated again, "Something else you want?"

Rin nodded, and rolled over, half-holding her undone top in place, "Since you've kinda seen them and all... Would you mind if I tried not to get the tan lines?"

"What?"

She sat up some more and then let the top drop, "These. Mind if I let 'em hang out?"

I snapped my eyes shut, and then sighed, "Yeah. Sure. I guess I can get over my sister's tits."

"You don't look like you're getting over them."

I forced myself to try and keep a straight face and look her in the eye, "I'll get over it."

"Eyes are up here." Rin said jokingly.

I turned to run from the teasing.

It shouldn't be that big a deal. It really shouldn't. I'd seen plenty of women sunbathing without their tops, and it wasn't usually anything that even caused a twinge down there.

There was something... Different.

About Rin.

Maybe it was the fact I had expected them to be different, and so my mind was struggling with that. Which was making it jump to weird places like holding them.

Or maybe it was the tongue piercing. It really had made her cute, and had sort of set the tone for the entire awkward morning. I kept seeing her as a woman, and not as the girl I'd grown up around.

More realistically, it was probably the crush I'd done my best to forget since we were kids. A dirty secret that I had no intention of ever admitting.

Whatever the reason, I was feeling thoroughly embarrassed about the whole thing when I crashed facedown into one of the uncomfortable bunk beds and went to sleep.

---------

"Chris."

I fought to stay asleep, trying to ignore the sounds of cicadas and other insects buzzing away.

"Chris!" Rin said louder, and I groaned and lifted my face off the puddle of drool on my pillow.

"Damn it! Chris!"

I hit my head on the bunk, before looking around blearily and realising it was dark. Hopefully Rin had found something for dinner without me. Though, she might be demanding my attention for just that.

I was not someone who woke up quickly.

"Fuck! Chris!"

I stumbled out into the dark of the main part of the houseboat, and found Rin lying on the couch. I froze up, hoping she hadn't heard me. That she was too distracted.

Distracted, she was. Rin was lying on the couch in just her bikini bottoms, one hand inside them, moving quickly and frantically. Her head was tossed back, and her eyes squeezed shut.

"Eugh! Fuck! Chris!" She continued, and I tried to silently step backwards into the bedroom.

And stepped exactly where the floor creaked loudly.