When the twins failed to appear for breakfast again, their mom sent her younger sister, Molly, down to find them. "Hey, you two," she called as she descended the stairs. Then, there she was, looking at them there in bed together. They were caught red handed.
"Your mom wants you upstairs," she said, apparently unfazed. "Sleep well?" She smiled sweetly. She didn't say another word and didn't even frown at them. It was as if it was okay for teenage twins to sleep with each other.
"Oh fuck!" Allie said, nevertheless.
"Fuck is right," Alex replied.
They were busted. They were terrified. How could they possibly explain themselves? Nobody would know what they had actually done, but still, they were caught in bed together, so they were toast, that was clear.
Strangely, their mother came down to see them right away. Allie was still in her pajamas, and Alex was trying to pull his pants on, but got his foot caught and was dancing around ridiculously on his other foot. When she saw the state he was in, she laughed at him, but all she said was, "Don't worry, kids. We'll talk later. Just get ready for breakfast. Everybody's leaving this morning." Then she turned and went back up the stairs.
The twins looked at each other, their mouths open, dismay written all over their faces. Then they both shrugged and headed to the bathroom feeling a little bit relieved.
Risky as it might be, Allie suggested that they would be more efficient if they showered together. She said this as she unbuttoned her pajama top and removed it, finally giving Alex a nice, long look at her nude, upper body. He found it astonishingly beautiful and was anxious to see all of her naked. "Okay," he said happily. He removed his underwear and tossed them into the hamper.
They did shower together, but pretty much stuck to business. They just enjoyed the closeness, the intimacy, and truly, the opportunity to admire each other's body.
Allie did take the liberty of grabbing her brother's penis while he rinsed shampoo from his hair. She massaged it tenderly, felt its warmth, sensed it starting to harden, then let go and started to towel herself off satisfied that she had him where she wanted him. She was pretty sure that she could seduce him at will. She aimed to do exactly that.
They dressed quickly and went upstairs. Everybody was busy finishing breakfast and cleaning up. Mom and Aunt Molly acted as if nothing happened, except when nobody was looking, and then the twins got an occasional, knowing look. They were mystified, but no longer terrified.
All guests left by mid-morning. Allie asked her mom for the car keys. "I want to do some shopping," she explained.
Mom did not ask for what. She simply asked whether Allie would be stopping by a drug store while she was out.
"Um, yes, I was thinking about doing that."
"Good."
That was it. That's all she said. Good. Allie was baffled, but happy not to get interrogated.
Her first stop was a lingerie shop on the other side of town where she was not likely to be seen by anybody she knows. She selected a lacey, ivory-colored baby-doll nightie and matching hip-hugger panties. The color set off her dark, brown hair beautifully. Neither garment concealed much at all.
She then went to Walgreens and purchased a "morning after" pill. She had definite plans for the evening if she could just pull it off.
When she returned home, Mom simply asked whether she got everything she needed and smiled when Allie said, "Yes, I did."
"Good. I'm glad. It is important to be careful," she said cryptically. That was it.
Did she really get what was going on? Was she not freaked out? Allie had no choice but to shrug it off. Weird, she thought.
Everybody was busy putting the house back in order now that the guests were gone. Beds were stripped, sheets washed, floors vacuumed, extensions removed from the dining table, extra chairs put away, order restored.
They had a simple lunch of leftovers, then went out to a movie. The twins held hands throughout the show. Mom noted their closeness and just smiled. Dad was oblivious as usual.
Dinner was quiet. Nobody talked much. The twins were thinking ahead to bedtime. Mom was letting everybody be.
The family played board games for a while after dinner. Dad was clearly tired, though, unfocused and yawning. Mom started yawning too around 9:00 and shortly announced that she and Dad would call it an early night. Then she ushered Dad up the stairs. Halfway up, she turned and called back. "Kids? I'm sorry. We never got your beds made back up. Mind sleeping downstairs again?"
She didn't wait for an answer. She just went on upstairs and started getting ready for bed.
The twins turned toward each other and smiled at their good fortune. It was strange, though, not like their mother to leave something like bed making undone. Weird.
Still, this unexpected turn eliminated a serious complication to Allie's plans: how to get Alex into her room undetected. Now, they could have their isolated, safe space and nobody seemed interested in asking questions! Well, okay!
As for Alex, he had no plans other than to do whatever Allie wanted. He was more than content to do that. Besides, she had said that their next step would be to make love, to go all the way. He had high expectations, but no clear ideas otherwise. Allie had always been a better planner.