by Writing Shark
Your brother comes to visit you unexpectedly
Tired, you open your eyes and look at the clock. But even your curse doesn’t stop the ringing of your cell phone next to you.
“What’s up?” you ask annoyed without looking at the display.
“Hey, bro.” You open your eyes. You recognize the voice.
“Trent?” Maybe you’re still dreaming.
“Who the hell else dummy?” No, you’re not dreaming.
“What are you doing?” But as usual, your big brother is ahead of you.
“You need to get up, now,” his voice sounds through the line. “I’m paying you a visit.”
“What, now?” You sit up. Trent sounds rushed you realize now that you’re starting to wake up. Something is wrong.
“Yes Now. Come on.” He’s quiet for a moment. “I need your help.” That makes your ears prick up.
“O-Okay… but what…”
“Fine. I’ll be there in an hour.”
“An hour?” Actually, Trent should be in the Nevada desert, at least you joke about him working at Area 51, the Groom Lake test site. Actually, you don’t know where…or what Trent works. His next words are no better.
“If I don’t get there in time, don’t call the police, all right?”
“What, Trent, what’s…”
“Adam,” he interrupts, “listen to me. I trust you. And I need your help.” This time you respond correctly.
“Okay. I’ll wait for you.” Then Trent hangs up.
“Shit… Shit… Fuck…” But all the cursing doesn’t help. Trent is already ten minutes overdue and you’ve seen enough horror stories, political thrillers and alien movies to know… No, actually you don’t even know what genre to use for your ignorance and worry. “Shit damn…”
Then your brother’s car turns into the parking lot in front of your apartment complex. No one else seems to be awake in your small town tonight.
“Trent!” Your brother steps out of his expensive car and his smile is just as warm as you remember it. Even the hug is just as tinged with his guardian instinct.
“Adam.” Your brother grabs you by the shoulders and looks down at you. “Quick. Are you alone?” You’re always alone, but of course you don’t tell him that.
“Karoll’s already asleep,” you just say, meaning your best friend.
“At her place?” You blink.
“Yes, but…”
“Good.” Your brother nods, then takes a deep breath. “I want you to meet someone.” His worried gaze wanders once over the deserted parking lot, but then his expression brightens as he looks at you. Finally, he walks around his car, opens the passenger door, and….
You’ve followed Trent around the car and now watch as his arm reaches inside and the next thing you see is a delicate hand, then an arm, and…
The girl Trent is helping out of the car is the most beautiful creature you have ever seen in your entire life.
You know it’s embarrassing but you don’t have much experience with girls… But even if you were an alpha playboy, you’re sure you’d still be breathless. Your skin is almost tingling and your lips are getting dry. Trent just smiles.
The girl is about your age, standing nervously and shyly next to your brother. She doesn’t dare look you in the eye and looks down chastely while Trent does the talking. She’s wearing a thick sweater to protect her against the cool night air and plain gray pants.
“Adam, this is Sophie,” he says proudly.
“Hey,” you just say, not knowing if it sounds cool or embarrassed. You scratch the back of your head as the girl lifts her head. Her eyes meet you and do the old familiar damage. An incredibly pretty girl smiles shyly at you.
But there’s something in her gaze, you think you know it but can’t put your finger on it. But it hits you hard and effectively. You want to say something, but you don’t know what.
“Let’s go inside,” Trent decides, pushing you toward the door with a sly smile.
As Trent places Sophie on your sofa, you dig through the mountains of trash and dirty dishes in your kitchen in search of three clean glasses.
“Good to see you’re looking after my old place,” you hear from the living room. You grimace. It’s bad enough that every surface of the apartment already had a female butt on it, all from when Trent went to college here, but he’s paying you for the apartment too.
“Yes sorry” you call and then go into the living room. Sophie hasn’t said a word yet. She sits on the sofa, looking down and not moving while Trent sits next to her in typical serene male pose. It takes effort, but not as much as usual, to hand Sophie the cleanest glass. “Here you go,” you say, smiling. “Orange juice.” The girl smiles shyly and reaches out her fingers for the glass.
Your hands touch briefly and you wince. Her skin is ice cold.
“Sooo…” you then say awkwardly, but still feel her touch on your skin. “Is she your girlfriend?” Again you wince as you realize how accusatory your question sounds. Sophie doesn’t move but Trent laughs. He’s damn good-looking. And he’s rich. A wealth that has only increased since he started working for his boss’s company, which, you’re sure, is advancing the world’s wars. Or investigating aliens. Trent can’t talk about his job and you see your brother maybe once or twice a year. But now he’s standing in your apartment, grinning at you with the same expression he always puts on when he’s doing something forbidden with you. He’s pleased.
“No,” he says, sounding almost shocked. “I remain a bachelor, married to my work.” You sit in the armchair next to the sofa Trent and Sophie are sitting on. Your brother puts his arm around the girl and looks at you with a look you can’t read. Something in you feels uneasy, seeing him do that. You shake your head. Then his expression brightens. “Sophie here…” He looks at her and she returns his gaze. Then they both look at you. You get a sinking feeling in your stomach. Trent is known for the little games he plays with his little brother. “Sophie here is your new girlfriend.”
Writing Shark 