Disclaimer: This story is a work of fiction. It contains adult content and is intended for mature readers. This material is the copyrighted intellectual property of the author. Feedback is welcome.
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Eddie grunted as his sister Kate leaned her body against his.
"That's it," he said, his voice barely audible with the physical effort they were both exerting. "Keep going, keep going."
Kate seemed to gasp for air, her cheeks flushing with sweat, as she answered, "Yeah, almost there, don't stop now."
"That's it, don't stop, almost there," Eddie repeated, his chest heaving, using every ounce of strength he had to keep going.
Finally, they reached their destination and dropped their heavy load on the bed frame of Eddie's new studio apartment. Their task done, brother and sister collapsed on the bare mattress they had just lugged up five flights of stairs, exhausted.
"You owe me big time," Kate managed to say, still trying to catch her breath. "This mattress seemed to get heavier with every step we took. Remind me again why I agreed to help you move?"
"Because I helped you move eight times over the last four years."
"Aw, that doesn't count! You were just giving me a ride to my dormitory and then back home again. I only had a few boxes, my suitcase, and my laptop. This is different. Dragging this billion pound mattress up a gazillion flights of stairs is completely different! You owe me."
Eddie couldn't help laughing. He got up, even though the muscles in his body protested. "Okay, you're right. You're an angel and a saint for helping your big brother in his hour of need. Satisfied?"
"That's better." Kate smiled and stretched. "This apartment actually looks smaller than my dorm. I liked your last place better."
"Don't rub it in," he said as he reached for the cooler a few feet away. "Want some water?"
"No thanks." She got up and started looking around the tiny space of Eddie's new home. "Got beer?"
"Beer?" Eddie almost laughed again. He kept forgetting his little sister was now a senior in college and not the little brat from high school who had begged him to help her get a fake ID card so she wouldn't have to bug him to buy alcohol for her and her friends every time they wanted to party. "No. Just water. I haven't stocked up yet."
"You'll have to treat me to some drinks later then. You know, for helping you out in your hour of need, as you put it."
"Fair enough. You're a life saver."
And Eddie meant it. Kate had really come through for him when he needed help most. He'd caught Anton, his room mate and so-called best friend, banging Eddie's girlfriend, Sherry -- in his own bed, no less! The fuckers had tried to explain, but their lame excuses only seemed to make things worse. It was kind of hard to listen to his best bud and his lady both stammering that it was all an innocent mistake with his dick still in her pussy.
Eddie hadn't spoken to them since. He had just packed his few possessions in silence and moved out.
This new apartment was definitely a step down for him, but at least he was on his own, and that's what he needed after the ultimate betrayal he'd experienced. He had found out that his other alleged friends had all known about the affair between Anton and Sherry, which had apparently been going on behind Eddie's back for a whole year.
In the span of a few weeks, Eddie's whole life had been turned upside down. He'd lost his soul-mate Sherry, his best friend Anton, most of his good friends and acquaintances, the home in which he'd lived for the past six years, and maybe even his job. He'd been so distraught that he hadn't been able to go to work since the whole drama took place.
Managing to find this little studio apartment in record time thanks to a recommendation by his mom's gardener, he'd grabbed it right away. Even though it was a dump, he didn't care. A new start was just what he needed -- some time on his own to heal all those knife wounds in his back.
Eddie had been living here since he got the keys, sleeping on the bare wood floor, feeling sorry for himself. Feeling abandoned by his friends, he had brought over by himself the few things he owned, bit by bit. It was a pain in the ass carrying the boxes, the small cabinets, and the tiny television set up the building's narrow staircase all by himself, but he did it. There was no one else he could ask for help. It seemed like everyone he knew had turned out to be traitors of his trust, and he vowed he would never speak to any of them again. His dad had a bad back, and any other guy who might have been able to pitch in was either busy or suddenly unreachable.
For a brief time he thought he'd be able to finish the move on his own, but that damn mattress was impossible to handle by one person. Luckily for him, his sister Kate volunteered to lend a hand.
She'd been there for him in more ways than one since that disastrous day when he caught Sherry and Anton in a naked tangle on his best bed sheets. Kate had given him a shoulder to cry on when he told her what had happened. She'd let him crash for the first two nights on the sofa in her dorm suite until he found his new place, since he just couldn't bring himself to move back in with his parents.
Kate had lent him the deposit for his new apartment. He was stupid enough to have a joint bank account with Sherry, and all his finances were now a mess. It had proven to be quite tough trying to separate his money from hers while refusing to see or speak to her.
And now Kate had helped him out again, shoving this second-hand, filthy, full-sized mattress up five stories when no one else would. He looked at his sister now with genuine affection, amazed at how much she'd matured in the last few years. She was wiser and more grounded than many people Eddie's own age.
She had also matured physically since she'd entered college, and Eddie felt a tang of guilt as his eyes gazed at how Kate's tight shorts hugged her slender hips and ass, and how her tee-shirt perfectly clung to the hills and valleys of her round breasts and flat stomach.
He shook his head in embarrassment and grabbed a water bottle from the cooler. He felt like a pig for ogling his own sister. The trauma of his recent breakup must have warped his mind worse than he originally thought.
"Nice view," Kate said, sarcastically. For a moment, Eddie thought he'd been busted staring at his sister's sexy body. But he quickly realized that she was looking out of the apartment's small window and referring to the brick wall of the adjacent building.
"Thanks, smartass. I know this place stinks, but it's only temporary until I get my act together. Everything's happened pretty quickly, I haven't had a chance to be picky about where I live."
Kate turned around and faced Eddie with a genuine look of sorrow.
"I know," she said. "I'm sorry. I'm just busting your balls. I know how hard it's been for you the last few weeks."
"No problem. I wasn't exaggerating before. You really have been a life saver during all this nonsense."
"What are little sisters for?" she asked, and gave Eddie a hard hug.
He squeezed back, enjoying the feel of her body against his, the smell of the perfume on her neck.
