Author's note: This is a slow burn tale of romantic cousin-on-cousin fun. All characters are over 18.
*
Excitement and gloominess filled me when I pulled into the driveway of the big old house. The For Sale sign had a giddy "Sold!" slapped across it, as if disposing of Aunt Jenny's place was something to celebrate.
It felt good to stand and stretch after the three-hour drive from my college. Just as I hoisted my bag from the back, Cousin Rachel bounded down the steps.
"Looking good, Dylan," she quipped, grinning.
She rocked on her heels, hands behind her back, beautiful in her oversized college hoodie and black yoga pants. When I was little and followed Rachel around like a puppy, I thought she was the prettiest, most wonderful girl in the world.
She still was.
"Uh, you look good, too," I stammered. Her impish face, piercing dark eyes, and thick chestnut hair left me stricken every time I saw her.
"Did—uh, how was your flight?" I said.
"Long. Boring. Mom grumbled about the rude passengers the entire way."
I shrugged. "That's what you get for living on the left coast."
Her eyes glinted with mischief. "Well, at least we don't have... SNOW."
She revealed the snowball she had been hiding behind her back and jammed it down the neck of my shirt.
"Oh, you nasty bitch!" I yelled, scrabbling to get it out.
Rachel ran up the steps, squeezing past Uncle Fred as he emerged from the front door.
"Are you kids teasing each other already?" he boomed.
He thumped down the steps to extend his hand. We shook as he walloped me on the back with a bone-jarring slap.
"Were the roads okay? Glad you could come, Dylan. Too bad Matt couldn't, but I know it was short notice. One last gathering at the old house, eh? Come on in, you're the last to get here."
Uncle Fred lumbered into the living room. My mom emerged to greet me, hugging and making her usual fuss.
"I'm glad you got here safe," she said. "I worry about you driving so far in the winter. Now, say hello to Aunt Kristy then go drop your things in your room." She plucked lint from my coat. "Then come right back down so I can gush and embarrass you."
I peeked in to wave at Kristy. She lifted her drink and smiled. Even though she was my mom's older sister, she looked younger. Her and Rachel were sometimes mistaken for sisters, rather than mother and daughter.
When I turned to climb the stairs, Rachel was standing right behind me, looking smug.
"I'll get you for that snow," I growled, but couldn't help smiling. We kids playing pranks on each other was tradition, just as much as our family's annual summer gathering at the house.
"You heard my sister's not coming, right?" Rachel said. "We have the third floor all to ourselves."
"Good. I won't have to listen to you two gossiping and squealing all the time."
We approached the main stairs.
"Race you!" I yelled, shoving Rachel aside and bounding up the steps two at a time.
"You prick!"
She scurried to catch up as I rocketed to the second floor where the four main bedrooms were, then raced around to the stairs to the top floor.
I was bent over catching my breath when Rachel caught up.
"You always do that!" she said. "Are you ever going to grow up?"
From below came Uncle Fred's bellow. "Kids! No running on the stairs. We've told you a hundred times."
More than a hundred times. Chasing each other up and down the stairs was another tradition.
The third floor of the house was reserved for the kids. Oppressively hot in the summer, it had two bedrooms: Rachel and her sister shared a bed in one room, my flatulent older brother and I shared a bed in the other.
The only other room was a big old bathroom still with wooden wainscoting and an ancient cast iron claw foot tub. The second floor had a modern bathroom and shower, strictly reserved for parents.
"Drop your bag and come talk," Rachel said.
She pulled her hoodie over her head, revealing a tight stretch top that showcased her wonderful boobs and tight waist. The hard nubs of her nipples were prominent. Her black yoga pants hugged every curve.
I closed my mouth and stuffed my eyeballs back into my head, praying she hadn't noticed, then fled to my room.
Rachel was one year older. Every summer, our families met at Aunt Jenny's house for a week and the adults always left Rachel to watch over me while our older siblings were off doing their own things.
Together, we played games, rode our bikes, chased each other or lay on the grass watching clouds in the summer heat. She lifted me to snag cookies hidden on the top shelf and we dreamed up pranks to play on our siblings. That was only fair since they played tricks on us too.
When I came of age, Rachel was my first fantasy. It was wrong, almost a betrayal of our friendship, but I couldn't help dreaming up endless scenarios of touching her, kissing her, and in ethereal dream-like ways, making love to her.
We sat cross-legged on her bed, catching up on everything that had happened since we last gathered in August.
"So only one half a semester to go, Dylan?" she said. "Any nibbles on a job?"
"I've applied everywhere. A few places are interested, but nothing firm yet."
"Yeah. It was like that for me. Well, if you don't find anything, come out West and move in with me. You're sure to find something. I need to get rid of my roommate, anyway. She turned out to be a total slut. I'm tired of hearing her headboard banging against the wall when she brings some shithead home."
She eyed me, looking for a reaction.
I refused to take the bait. "Uh, thanks. I'd be totally lost in such a big city, though. And how do you know I'd be any better as a roommate?"
Rachel touched my leg. It felt electric.
"Oh, you'd be gentle with anyone you brought home. Anyway, it wouldn't bother me if I heard you. Brrrr!"
Rachel crossed her arms, rubbing herself.
"It's drafty up here! It's so weird being here in February. Why does anyone live where it snows? Hey, we'd better go down and see what the olds are doing."
She got up and headed to the stairs, pulling her hoodie back on.
"You know exactly what they're doing," I said, trying not to gawk at her shapely ass. "They're drinking, talking about Aunt Jenny and making passive-aggressive remarks about each other."
Rachel paused with her hand on the worn newel post of the banister.
"I really miss Jenny," she sighed. "I'll really miss this house."
~~~~
Uncle Fred was filling everyone's glass with a frothy green mixture. Aunt Kristy waved us into the room as they raised their glasses and sipped, then smacked their lips and debated the merits of their latest mixture.
Rachel and I shared a look. It was like this with them every afternoon. I'd never known people so devoted to exploring mixed drinks and odd liquors. They'd already set up the antique sideboard with a cooler of ice, a blender, and countless bottles, large and small.
"You kids settled in up there?" asked my mother.
Rachel said, "Yes, Aunt Denise. It's great having the room to myself for once."
"Good," rumbled Uncle Fred. "And Dylan, you respect your cousin's privacy, you hear? No sneaking into her room for pranks."
"Oh, come on," I said, remembering the vile tricks me and my brother used to play on the girls. "I haven't done that since I was twelve."
Rachel's mom spoke up. "Remember that big thunderstorm? All four of them were in the boy's bed with the covers pulled over their heads."
"Not for long," said Rachel. "Matt let one fly and gassed us out of the room."
Fred threw his head back and roared. "Haw! Mushroom Cloud Matt. Denise, what ever did you feed that kid?"
We sat for a while listening to the olds discussing the quirks of each child and their sibling's multiple failings at raising them.
When we couldn't take it anymore, Rachel and I excused ourselves.
"They never change," she said. "Want to go for a walk?"
~~~~
Aunt Jenny's house had been built near the edge of town at the time. It still was—the little town hadn't grown much in the hundred-plus years since.
Three other tall Victorians shared the tree-lined street. The rest were modern bungalows with giant front yards.
As we walked, Rachel stuck her bare hand into my leather mitten and twined her fingers in mine. I wasn't sure how to react, but I liked it.
"Your mom said you might bring your boyfriend," I said.
"Yeah, well, we were booked to go to Mexico for Valentines. Then Uncle Fred called about the house being sold and having a final gathering. My boyfriend knew it was important to come here one last time, but he insisted we go to Mexico, that it was either him or my family. So that was the end of it."
"I'm sorry to hear that."
"Things were heading that way anyway. He was nice at first, then started getting all 'alpha male' bossy, you know?"
"Oh. I broke up with Brenda, too."
Rachel stopped and faced me. "The one you showed me pictures of in the summer? You looked so cute together. What happened?"
I shrugged. "She never wanted to go anywhere. Not see a movie, or to a pub. Even getting her to go for a walk was a chore."
"So what did you do together? Video games?"
"Uh, well, we had sex. That's all she ever wanted to do."
"Really?" Rachel laughed. "That doesn't sound so bad!"
"Yeah, it was great at first. But I really liked her. I wanted to go out and do things. Get to know her more. But it was like she didn't want me to. Like fucking was a shield or something."
Rachel squeezed my hand. "Maybe she only wanted you for your body. You're pretty hot, you know."
She grinned and elbowed me.
I felt my face flush. Since when did Rachel think I was hot?
"You know," she said, "I went out with a guy like that. Closed off. Didn't talk. Except for sex, then he was a real education."
"What does
