Eager First Times

by Betsy Locke

  I didn't hear anything but I trusted that she did. My mom had superhuman hearing. Everything was too loud for her and she could hear a pin drop from a mile away.

  I walked back through the house and towards the front door. I could see a figure moving through the frosted glass at the top of the door. I turned the handle and opened the door. Then my heart almost shot out of my throat.

  Avery stood there with his broad shoulders, stained blue jeans, and tight black t-shirt. His hair was different than the last time I saw him. It was shaved close on the sides and slicked back. A bit of stubble graced his jawline.

  When his lips formed into a smile and his white teeth were revealed, I felt like I was going to melt into the ground. I had spent so long trying to get that image out of my head. I thought I had been successful too.

  I didn't think my stepbrother was coming. It would've been awkward for the both of us. I thought he would understand that the invitation was just to be nice. I didn't actually expect him to show up.

  The last time I saw him was when we kissed.

  Chapter Two

  Avery was a couple years older than me but he was the biggest shit to me. Always teasing me and calling me names. One time I woke up to get ready for school and Avery had thrown my entire closet of clothes into the bathtub of water.

  My parents never punished him. Avery got good grades and that bought him a lot of get-out-of-jail cards. I on the other hand always struggled to pass my classes.

  It wasn't until college when I finally figured things out and applied myself. But by then it was too late. I was only able to get into a community college while Avery went to a prestigious university. He was the focus of everything.

  Every time he came home from school was a nightmare. Endless making fun of me. Sometimes it felt like my parents even joined in on the teasing. I hated his guts with every fiber of my being. I lay in bed at night and thought up of new ways to kill him.

  My favorite was the chainsaw accident. I'd have the chainsaw set up in the garage hanging above the door. It wouldn't be running or anything. Just hanging precariously by a thin rope. I'd call Avery to come and help me and drop it down on his head when he entered the doorway.

  It wasn't the most inventive but it always give me a chuckle. Can you imagine dying to a chainsaw that wasn't even running?

  So now you can see why a kiss between us caught me off guard.

  Avery was visiting home during summer break. I had done my best to avoid him almost the entire time. It helped that I was taking summer session at community college and a job at the juice shop. I didn't have much time to worry about Avery.

  In our house, Avery and I had separate rooms but we shared a bathroom. It was nice when he moved out because I got to takeover the entire thing. I could sprawl out my makeup all along the counter and nobody would say a thing. I had gotten used to him not being around.

  Maybe too used to him not being around.

  I was getting ready in the morning and had just taken a shower. I had only about twenty minutes to get to my shift at the juice shop. Then I had a late night class that would run until nine. I had my towel just wrapped around my waist as I brushed my hair. That was my first mistake.

  My second was that I didn't lock the door.

  I know. I know. It was a stupid mistake. Just because Avery didn't live there anymore didn't mean I should just keep things unlocked. Anyone could walk in on me.

  But this time it was Avery.

  I realized my mistake as the doorknob to the bathroom turned. I went to try and put my weight against it to shut it closed but I was too late.

  Avery opened the door and I missed the door and crashed into Avery. He caught me and wrapped his strong arms around me. My big bare breasts were squeezed against his chest. My towel hung loosely around my hips.

  We were both in shock. Avery had seen me naked. His hands were touching the soft skin of my back. He went to open his mouth to say something but nothing came out. I wanted to shove him away and yell at him but something deep down in the pit of my stomach told me not to.

  Next thing I knew, his lips were on mine.

  It was like all those years of frustration and hatred melted away. Electricity jolted through my body. I kissed Avery back. My lungs craved for air but I didn't want to stop.

  Then I realized what I was doing. This was my stepbrother. We couldn't be kissing each other. So I pushed him away and slammed the door.

  Avery went back to college after that and we hadn't seen each other since. He wasn't able to come down for the holidays anymore after he graduated because he got a job up there. It made my life easier.

  “So are you going to invite me in, Taylor?” Avery asked.

  I shook the cobwebs from my mind. “Of course. Sorry. Come on in.”

  Avery gave me a great big hug. his arms enveloping me. Another flashback of the kiss scorched through my head. Avery pushed me away at arms length. “It's been such a long time,” he said.

  “I know,” I replied. “You must be busy with that new job of yours. What do you do again? I've been told before but it sounds very complicated. Computers, right?”

  “That's right but let's not talk about mundane boring stuff. I can't believe you're getting married! You should've seen my face when I got the invitation in the mail. I knew that you were seeing somebody but I didn't know that it was serious.”

  “Yeah it got pretty serious I guess.”

  “And who's this guy that I've never met?”

  My mom came waltzing in and interrupting me before I could tell Avery about Nicolas. “Avery! I'm so glad you could make it.” She gave him a hug and kissed him on each cheek. My mom liked to pretend that she lived in a European country. She then turned to me. “Taylor, why don't you show Avery to his old room.”

  Avery picked up his suitcase and followed me up the stairs. I could feel his eyes on me as we walked down the hallway. I looked behind and he smiled at me with a perfect set of white teeth. He seemed a lot different than the last time I saw him.

  More mature. More wisdom.

  Once I thought about it, I was surprised that Avery didn't make fun of me the moment he entered the door. Maybe that kiss between us was still on his mind too?

  When I met Nicolas, all those memories of Avery and that kiss were pushed aside. Now they were flooding back like a tidal wave and my heart wouldn't be able to handle it.

  Chapter Three

  I left Avery in his room and went to my own to catch my breath. I could feel my pulse pounding in my ears. I knew I'd have to see Avery eventually but I didn't think my body would react in such an extreme way.

  I decided to change out of my frumpy clothes and into something more appropriate for the day. A nice sun dress would look nice. I scoured my closet for something that would impress Avery. I shook the thought from my head and replaced Avery with Nicolas. I needed to impress my fiance, not my stepbrother.

  My door swung open and made me jump in the air from fright. I was half naked and thought Avery was walking in on me. My mom peeked her head in and my heart resumed its normal beat. “We're having a family dinner tonight. Will Nicolas being joining us?”

  “He was planning on coming over so I assume so. I'll text him to remind him.”

  Her eyes drifted over my nude body. “Dinner should be ready in a couple hours. You might want to put some clothes on first.”

  “You interrupted me!”

  My mom left and I collapsed on my bed in frustration. I picked up my phone from the nightstand and pulled up my text messages to Nicolas. Our last texts were inside jokes about our road trip to the desert. He was always able to make me laugh.

  I asked him when he was coming over and a reply came back almost instantly.

  Nicolas: Almost there!

  I jolted out of bed and finished getting dressed. My hair was a mess and my makeup needed some touching up. My palms were sweaty as I dragged the comb through the tangles. I realized that Nicolas was about to meet Avery.

 
I never told him about the kiss. I never told anybody about it. I highly doubted that Avery ever spoke about it either. Would Nicolas pick up on any weird vibes? I needed to act completely normal. Nicolas would have a hard time being suspicious about my stepbrother. Nobody would suspect that we had kissed before.

  I was on my way downstairs when the doorbell rang. I opened the door with a smile and jumped into my fiance's arms. Nicolas wore a nice dark gray button-down shirt with expensive blue jeans. His hair was combed nicely to the side and he was freshly shaven. He could be a male model if he wanted to.

  How was I so lucky?

  “How are you doing, Taylor?” he asked, putting me at arm's length. I could see the concern on his face. Almost like he could feel the struggle inside me. “Is your mom stressing you out too much about the wedding?”

  I exhaled sharply. “It's been a trial for sure. She wants input on the smallest details that don't matter that much.”

  “Just remember that this is your wedding and not hers. Put your foot down if you have to,” he replied.

  “It's kind of hard to argue when she's paying for everything.”

  “Good point.” Nicolas smiled and that made me ooze into a puddle onto the ground. He always had that effect on me.

  “And who's this?” a voice asked behind me.

  I turned my head to find Avery descending the stairs. I thought I would have a little more time before I had to do this. I stepped out of the way to reveal Nicolas. “Avery, this is my fiance, Nicolas.”

  Nicolas put his hand out first. “I've heard a lot about you.”

  I knew that was a lie the minute it came out. I'd barely spoken about Avery to Nicolas. Whenever he asked about my stepbrother, I always brushed him to the side like I never saw him very often.

  They clasped hands and squeezed. I examined their faces to see if there was any type of jealousy but none existed. I breathed a sigh of relief and invited Nicolas into the dining room as the table was being set by my mom.

  Nicolas and my mom exchanged pleasantries. Avery bumped into me and whispered into my ear, “I like him.”

  “I do too,” I whispered back.

  “Dinner will be ready soon,” my mom announced. “Shall we all sit down and have a drink. I'll go get Gary.”

  We sat down to eat with my stepdad, Gary, sitting at the head of the table. He barely spoke the entire time we ate, focusing on the newspaper. My mom had made margaritas which went perfect with the fish she cooked. I probably drank a little too much because Nicolas cut me off at one point from having another.

  The dinner went by in a blur. I don't really remember much of the conversation. I was in my head too much, thinking about Nicolas, the wedding, and Avery.

  After dinner, Nicolas and I retired back to my room. I lay down in bed and waited for Nicolas to join me. My buzz was slowly wearing off but I still felt pretty good.

  “What the fuck was that down there?” Nicolas burst out.

  I sat up in bed, alarmed. “What are you talking about? This was really killing my buzz now.

  “All that with Avery? You couldn't stop staring at him all night. Whenever he spoke you had this dreamy look in your eyes.”

  My face instantly flushed. I didn't remember doing any of that. The alcohol must've made me too relaxed. “I don't know what you're talking about. I haven't seen him in such a long time so that's probably why.”

  Nicolas shook his head. He was furious with me. What the hell did I do during dinner to deserve this?

  Nicolas stormed out of the room and left. I thought he was going to sleep over but I was all alone now.

  Chapter Four

  I awoke the next morning and reached out to feel for Nicolas. My eyes shot open when I realized that the bed was empty. The memories of the night before came crashing back. The argument. Nicolas storming out.

  I picked up my phone and checked for any messages from him. Nothing. It would be a waste of time to try and call him right now. He was probably still steaming and needed a few more hours before he would cool down.

  A knock at my door made me sit up with hope. Nicolas must be back to apologize already. “Come in!” I announced.

  My bedroom door opened and Avery poked his head in. My body deflated. Then I realized that I didn't wear a shirt to bed and my blue comforter was barely covering my large chest. I flushed red as I covered myself.

  “I was just wondering what you were doing today?” he asked, opening the door wider. He wore faded jeans and a gray long sleeve shirt that couldn't hide his big arms.

  I yawned before responding, “Nothing I think.” I thought that Nicolas and I would be spending the day together but those plans had changed. We had barely seen each other since we started planning the wedding. I was looking forward to some quality time with him.

  Avery looked around the bedroom. “I thought Nicolas was still here?”

  “Yeah he left last night,” I replied.

  “What happened?” Avery asked, taking a step into my bedroom.

  “Nothing happened. Nicolas just wanted to go home because he was tired.”

  “You're so easy to read, Taylor. I can tell when you're not telling the truth. Now fess up. What's going on?”

  I sighed. “To be honest I don't know. Nicolas just kind of blew up at me last night. I think it might be from all the stress from the wedding.”

  Avery took a seat on the edge of my bed. “You don't think it could've been because of us.”

  I shifted in the bed, making sure that I was still covered. “What do you mean?”

  “I think you know what I mean, Taylor.”

  I tried to play dumb but I knew it wouldn't work. Avery was talking about that kiss. He hadn't forgotten about it.

  “I tried everything I could,” he said. “I thought if I went away, I would forget all about you. It almost worked until I got that stupid wedding invitation in the mail. All those old feelings came rushing back. I knew that I would regret it for the rest of my life if I didn't come back and tell you how I felt.”

  My heart thudded in my ears. I wasn't prepared for this conversation right after waking up. I had wanted to talk to Avery about this for so long.

  But it was too late. I was with Nicolas now. And I was about to be married. If only Avery had shown up a few months ago. Maybe things would be different. I took a deep breath before beginning, “I have wanted you to say that to me for so long, Avery. But...”

  Avery grabbed my hand and I lost all train of thought. My memory flashed back to that kiss so long ago. The way his lips lightly grazed against mine. The fluttering in my stomach and the excitement between my legs. I never had a kiss like that with Nicolas.

  Avery pulled me by my hand and I leaned forward on the bed, the comforter falling down. I could've stopped it if I wanted to but I didn't. I closed my eyes and his lips met mine. The fireworks returned from so long ago.

  A carnal lust came over me. I had dreamed about this for years and now it was actually happening. I hugged Avery tight as my tongue entered his mouth and he moaned. I'd never felt so turned on before.

  “I need you, Avery,” I whispered in his ear.

  He unbuttoned his jeans as fast as he could and dropped them to the floor. I helped him pull his long-sleeve over his head and my fingers trailed down his tanned chest that was carved from stone. He sat on the edge of the bed, completely naked, looking so damn fine.