Chapter 3

"Bree, you're going up to talk with her, aren't you?"

She glanced over her shoulder, catching Josh's panicked expression in her peripheral vision. His attempt to hold her back was a feeble one, but at least he'd demonstrated that he still cared. She wasn't going to let that prevent her from stirring up some hellfire, though.

"Yeah, I'll talk to you in the morning," she said, steely. 'No offense, ' she thought. Leaving him to grovel—just for a little bit—wouldn't hurt him. Besides, it was her whorish sister she had the immediate gripe with.

Bree was running on pure adrenaline as she ascended the stairs. 'You've got to be strong, ' she told herself. 'Show any signs of weakness, and this won't work.' The hall was pitch black, except for the light coming from beneath Chloe's door. Bree closed her eyes and sighed deeply as she pulled out her hair-tie, letting down her loose curls.

Resting her palm on the knob, she took a few seconds just to breathe. 'Turn it, already! She's not going to open the door for you, ' Bree told herself. This was her initiative; an opportunity to set things straight and gain the upper hand.

Bree slipped in and closed the door discreetly. 'In her usual spot, ' she thought, coughing into her hand to break the ice. "For someone who refutes spending all their time on Facebook, you're doing a fine job of supporting my argument to the contrary."

Without fully turning her head, Chloe added, "I guess you caught me red-handed."

'Funny choice of words, ' Bree thought as she took a seat on the end of the bed. "Let's talk for a bit."

Chloe turned, looking unemotional. "Actually, I was just getting ready to--"

"I already know the next words out of your mouth are going to be lies," Bree interjected, folding her arms across her chest. "So you can save your breath."

Chloe's flat expression turned slightly annoyed as she rotated back around to the keyboard.

Bree pushed to her feet, grabbed the chair backing and dragged her toward the bed. Spinning her around, Bree's tone went steely as she sat again. "I didn't ask that as a question, did I?"

After a quick flash of panic, Chloe cast her sister a loathsome glare. "Alright then. What do you want to talk about?"

Bree gave her a deadpan stare that went straight through her soul. "You have something you want to tell me?"

"I don't think I do," Chloe retorted, folding her arms underneath her breasts.

Bree glared back with tightly pursed lips. "C'mon, I really didn't come up for girl talk. Like I asked before, do you have something you want to tell me?" She looked for a sign in Chloe's otherwise emotionless face; some hopeful signal that she'd crack.

Chloe sighed, "Bree, I'm tired, and I want to get to bed. Just tell me what you're getting at so we can call it a night."

'If you want to be difficult, I can turn up the heat, ' Bree decided.

"You weren't too tired to check your computer before bed, so you can spare a little time for me. And if you wanted to come off as less of a conniving bitch, you'd cut the bullshit and tell me what you were doing downstairs before you thought I woke up." Bree thought she saw her tightly pursed lips flinch, if just a fraction.

"I was resting on Josh's lap. Didn't realize you'd have a problem with that," Chloe retorted.

"Normally, I wouldn't have a problem with that, but seeing as that wasn't the only thing you were doing, I do have a slight issue."

"Quit the accusations already, and tell me what all this is about."

"Oh, goodness, you sure do seem on edge. Why is that?" Bree dripped sarcasm, demurely resting her hand across her chest.

"What do you want me to say?" Chloe indignantly snapped. "I was on the couch watching the movie with you guys. You and him fell asleep, I lay across his lap. You both woke up, end of story."

"Hmm... " Bree hummed, tapping her chin smugly. "Nah, I think you're missing a critical detail between us falling asleep and you lying across his lap."

"You're obviously fishing for a particular answer, so stop wasting our time and tell me."

"Come on, Chloe. What would be the fun in that? I wouldn't get to watch you squirm if I just came right out and told you. Besides, you already know what I want to hear. You're just too cowardly to say it." She paused, giving Chloe the opportunity to explain herself. After moments of silence, Bree pushed to her feet and barked, "Answer me you little cunt!" She slammed her open palm against the chair backing.

Cowering at her sister's intimidating gesture, Chloe cried, "God, Bree! What the fuck?!"

Bringing her face to within inches of Chloe's, Bree saw a distant fear swell in her sister's royal blue eyes. "You wanna see me pissed off? Go on, keep pushing me, but things will go a lot smoother if you just tell me what you know you should tell me," she warned. "Is that cum I smell on your breath?"

Chloe froze like a deer in headlights, unable to speak and struck with cottonmouth.

Bree softened her tone as she continued, "Dammit, Chloe. If you would just fess up, I'd be a lot less angry with you."

Chloe saw the futility in keeping up her bluff. Without a hand to play, it was time to fold. Her posture slackened from defensive to submissive. "Wha- what did you see?" she stammered weakly.

Bree breathed a sigh of relief upon her reprieve from playing bad cop. "I didn't have to see anything, but I'd imagine it was something like this." She gestured throating a phallic object.

Chloe looked mortified as she buried her face in her palms.

"I've got ears, Chlo. I still knew what was going on," Bree added.

Looking back up, Chloe's cheeks were flushed a ruddy hue. "I honestly thought you were asleep."

"That doesn't change things!"

"I guess not," Chloe humbly answered. Staring into her lap, she twiddled her fingers for a few moments before she asked somberly, "Are you going to tell Mom?"

"No, I'm not going to tell her. Ratting you out isn't really my style anymore. But I'd appreciate some explanation. I mean, what was going through your head?"

"Nothing." Chloe stared at the floor catatonically.

"You don't need to get smart with—"

"I'm not trying to be." Chloe looked up again, this time with defeated eyes. "I wasn't thinking."

"Well ... why? Why'd you do it?"

Chloe shook her head as if trying to comprehend her own reasoning. "It was like, something just came over me and I really wanted to. I mean Josh is an attractive guy, and I've just been a bit curious, especially seeing the way you're all over him. I wanted to see what was so special."

"And these sudden urges to suck cocks, would you say they've been increasing in regularity?" Bree sarcastically asked.

Chloe's defensive spine returned. "You don't need to mock me like that, and I'd appreciate it if you didn't talk down at me like I'm some cheap whore!"

"Sorry. I'm just trying to understand why you did it, Chlo. I'm having a little difficulty buying your explanation that you just randomly wanted to suck his cock. Please level with me. This isn't just some random guy we're talking about here. This is Josh, our brother." Despite the blasphemy of her words, she couldn't stop them from escaping her lips.

Chloe looked up at her, pensively. "I'm well aware of the moral dilemma you're pointing out. And I'm feeling a bit conflicted about the situation as is, without your incessant need to interrogate me. I'm not even sure why I have to explain myself to you, anyways. You're kind of a conflict of interest."

"A conflict of interest?"

Chloe gawked, "I know for a fact, you're not that dense. God, I can't believe I began letting you guilt me like that!"

Bree felt the walls closing in, defenseless as Chloe robbed her of her leverage.

"Unlike you, though, I'm not going to waste fifteen minutes disorienting you before I say what's on my mind," Chloe continued. "You're fucking him, aren't you?!"

"What?" Bree's jaw literally dropped.

"When were you going to actually tell me you were fucking him?!"

"No! I haven't slept with Josh."

"God, you're so full of shit! After that guilt-trip you just gave me, you're going to deny it?!"

Bree's chest tightened, and she realized there was only one way to quell Chloe's temper. Tenderly grabbing her hand, she stared straight into her eyes. "You have to believe me, I haven't slept with Josh yet."

"You haven't slept with him?" she echoed.

"No. That's what I'm trying to tell you. What evidence were you going on to think that I'd been sleeping with him?"

"Well you guys are really close, like all the time."

"So your first thought is that we're sleeping together?! What else were you going on?"

"Go easy on me for a sec, I'm just trying to process all of this." Chloe felt a bit embarrassed—more frustrated that she'd let herself think so irrationally. "I guess I didn't really have much more to go on." She sat back and combed her fingers through her golden curls, then leaned forward again as a new revelation hit her. "Wait a second, you said 'yet.'"

Bree secretly wished that part would've slipped by her—better yet if she hadn't said it at all. "Yeah, I did," she answered aloofly.

"So you're thinking about it." Chloe took a moment to recalibrate her train of thought. "If you don't mind me asking, what have you done together?"

"Just what you've seen around the house, maybe a little flirty touching, that's about it. We haven't' been sneaking off for midnight rendezvous or anything."

Chloe stared distantly, reeling over the implications. "Wow, I feel—"

"Like an idiot?"

"A little," Chloe admitted sheepishly. "I guess I had that coming."

"So let me get this straight. You thought that just because Josh and I act like BFF's, we've been sleeping together—without any evidence to support it. Then, in an attempt to fast-track a better relationship, you gave him oral. Does that sound about right?"

Chloe glared back indignantly. "I said I sucked him because I wanted to. It wasn't to get him to like me better. And it wasn't some sort of revenge thing to get back at you—alright, maybe it was."

'About time she said it, ' Bree thought. "Care to explain that further?"

"You've been hoarding Josh to yourself for so long. You two just look so damn happy together all the time. Can you blame me for wanting a little slice of that?"

"I guess I can't, but you're not going to get there with him by performing sexual favors; Josh doesn't tick like that. I like spending the time with him because he makes me feel special—"

"Why don't I get to spend time with him?" Chloe interjected. "Humor me and explain the double standard."

Bree sat silently, hesitant to answer.

Chloe continued, "You really seem to enjoy harping on me for performing this 'sexual favor, ' but you still want to sleep with him too. None of this seems to add up, Bree. There's something else you're not telling me. I just wish I understood your protective nature around him. You're almost acting like he's your..." Everything suddenly clicked. Her eyes softened as she covered her mouth, gasping. "Oh, God. You want a serious relationship with him."

Oddly enough, Bree would have felt less exposed and vulnerable had she been standing before Chloe totally naked. She'd never admitted to a single person her secret love for Josh. She wasn't bothered that Chloe found out—she expected her to eventually. It was the awkwardness in the silence that followed which sent a chill down Bree's spine. "What are you thinking?" she pleaded through moistening eyes.

"I ... I don't know," Chloe stammered. "I'm speechless actually."

"Please, just say something," Bree cried. It was quiet ... too quiet.

"God, I don't know. I mean, I can't think straight," Chloe babbled, attempting to regain coherence. "So you haven't slept with him, but you want to. I was fine with that, I just hoped you'd be able to ease your protectiveness of him. But, you want an actual relationship with him. Like serious boyfriend-girlfriend kind?"

Bree meekly answered, "I think so."

"Are you in love with him?"

Bree took a few seconds to answer, not because she had to think about it, but because it was difficult to say aloud. "Yes."

"I'm just a bit concerned about that part of the whole equation."

Bree's eyes narrowed into unblinking slits, and her voice began to crack. "Hold up. You gave him a blowjob, and you barely flinched when I said I wanted to sleep with him, but you're hung up on the part about me being in love with him?!"

Chloe gave her a sidelong glance. "Sex and romance ... I don't know about you, but I have an easy time disassociating the two concepts."

Bree hugged herself, looking distantly out the window as she thought aloud, "Sometimes I wish I could look at it so black and white."

"Bree, I hope you know then that I'm not interested in him like that. What happened downstairs was purely physical." Chloe paused long and hard, pondering her next question. "How long?"

"Have I been in love with him?" Bree faced her again. "Since high school, I think." She sniffled and rubbed away her tears with the heels of her hands.

"Wow, that's a long time." Chloe stared off in bewilderment. "But what about your exes, like Chaz and Derek? I mean did you still have feelings for Josh back when you were with them."

Bree sniffled again, barely nodding.

"Do you think Josh knows?"

"How I've felt? He damn well should. I've dropped more than enough hints," she jeered before softening her tone, "I think he's scared, but he's definitely gotten better."

"Scared is one of the many emotions he probably should be feeling. I mean, I sucked his cock for crying out loud, and my stomach is in knots—"

"That's probably just the sperm churning in your belly." Bree couldn't help the opportunity for a jab to lighten the mood.

Chloe chortled, "Shut up, you. What I meant was, I'm still a nervous about the line I crossed. I can't take that back, but if I've got the opportunity to give you fair warning, I'm going to take it."

Bree raised her brows at the mention of Chloe's concern. 'Why would she care?'

Chloe finished her train of thought. "What exactly did you mean when you said he's gotten better about being scared."

"I've been trying to warm him up to the concept of being brazen with me. I created these mandates as a sort of game, and he's seemed to respond to them pretty well. Two nights ago when the AC broke, I went into his room, and we watched Breakfast at Tiffany's together—"

"I thought you said no late night rendezvous?"

"Well, okay, maybe just that one. Anyways, I was trying to cuddle with him, and every time I touched him, he tensed up. So I made up this mandate that he wasn't allowed to feel ashamed for touching me, and the same for me touching him."

"What kind of touching? Like blatant groping?"

"No. Well, maybe. I mean that was my intent, but I knew I'd have to push him out of his comfort zone to get him there. Like I said, he was scared."

"So he's not scared any more?"

"I can still tell he's got some reservations, but he's certainly improved. It took another mandate to get him there. This morning, I put on my new bikini for him, just to see how he'd react—"

"That thing looked redonkulous on you, by the way." Chloe stopped as Bree seemed confused whether the remark was a jab or a compliment. "I mean redonkulous in a good way, Bree. Keep going."

"Umm, thanks," said Bree hesitantly. "So I was out in the yard in that. He was mowing the grass and trying not to look at me, but I was out there because I wanted him to. So I told him to enjoy the view, without regret."

"Are you sure you're not sounding too bossy? I mean what if he's totally uncomfortable with all of this?"

"He started groping my bottom after I told him to enjoy the view. What does that tell you?"

"Oh," Chloe chirped, smiling. "Sounds like he took to it just fine. So where do you go from here?"

"Well first, I think I've got to convince him I'm not mad at him for letting the ... incident happen earlier."

Chloe gave her a crestfallen apologetic glance.

"It's alright, Chlo. Really. I'm trying to move on, and I want you to as well."

"Alright. So Josh began loosening up when you started playing this little game with him?"

"Mmm-hmm."

Chloe paused, taking a while to chew on on the information. "I'll be honest, Bree. The mandates sound like a cute idea and all, but I don't really see how that's going to make him fall for you ... if he hasn't already, that is."

The hopeful mention spurred a tingle of warmth in Bree's chest. "So what would you suggest?"

"You've got to understand my own hesitation in helping you seduce Josh. And it's not because I see you as competition for him; after tonight I don't really want to torture him like that again. What you're talking about doing is really going to rock your sense of normalcy. Are you sure you're prepared for that?"

"Normal is boring, Chlo. I want some excitement," she answered confidently.

"You're certainly adamant about living dangerously, I'll give you that," Chloe remarked. "I'm just saying, there's plenty of excitement to be had without resorting to incest. I mean, if you don't have qualms about it, you could just fool around with him."

"That's almost sound advice," Bree demurely smirked. "Thanks."

"You're welcome. I hope you know I really do have your best interest at heart. We've been butting heads for a while, but you're still my sister. I'm not looking to throw you under a bus, and I certainly don't want us ending up like one of those families on Jerry Springer."

Bree chortled charitably, but Chloe didn't flinch. Instead she gently touched her arm and asked compassionately, "Am I the first person you've told this to?"

"Yes," Bree confessed, hoarsely.

"That's not an easy burden to carry."

Not that Bree needed a reminder. "Yeah, I know," she muttered, nervously twirling a strand of her hair.

"And you're probably not the first person to try and work out a relationship like that. I can empathize with you, but sooner or later you've got to face reality. That life is just not in the cards for you two."

Bree was well aware of the harsh truth, and that's what made it so unpalatable. 'It's so unfair, ' she thought, 'to be tempted by the one person I can't have in life.' She closed her eyes tightly, shedding another tear and wishing she could find another way. She knew one day she'd have to accept things and move on, but she wasn't ready, and unsure if her heart would allow her to move on. The thought of relinquishing him into the arms of another woman made her die inside. The pang of jealousy wrought inside her, and she'd try to quell the emotion, unsuccessfully most of the time.

"Do you see the potential harm in pursuing that kind of relationship with him?" Chloe asked, kicking Bree from her trance. "You're just going to have your heart broken, and it's probably best for you to start letting go of him, at least in the romantic sense."

"Maybe I should become a lesbian," she flippantly remarked.

Chloe's eyes remained fixed on her. "Maybe you should."

Bree cast her a look that said, 'You must be joking.'

Chloe continued her voice of reason, "You're setting yourself up for a world of heartache if you can't disassociate a normal relationship from your feelings for Josh. Maybe you should give some thought to switching teams. Either that, or become a nun," she smiled weakly.

Chloe's reasoning was so casual yet compelling that it made the idea frighteningly plausible. Her bisexuality was no secret to anyone in the family, and while she didn't flaunt it obnoxiously, it perplexed Bree. She found herself enigmatically pondering the ease at which her sister would go from dating guys one week, and girls the next.

"You make it sound so damn easy, but I've never given thought to girls like that."

"Well maybe you should. Have you ever kissed a girl before?"

"No!"

"Slumber parties? Truth or dare? Adventures in the girl's locker room?"

"That would be 'No' to the first two. And have you've actually done the third?" Bree snickered, mildly amused.

"A lady doesn't kiss and tell," Chloe smiled coyly.

Bree giggled, "A lady wouldn't devour her brother's sausage link for desert either, but I won't ask for details."

"I'm just trying to make a point; don't knock it 'til you've tried it. But I'll tell you what, girls are naturally better kissers, hands down." She reminisced blissfully, but Bree's expression left little doubt of her skepticism.

"Don't expect me to tag and bag my first girlfriend before sunrise, but I'll give your proposition some thought."

"Good to know. There are perks exclusive to girls, but you could say the same about guys, too. I don't think I could pick one over the other, even if I had to," Chloe cooed. Changing the subject, her tone turned serious. "Bree, I can't imagine what it's been like, carrying around a secret like that for all these years. If you ever need to vent, my door is always open for you, alright?"

Bree marveled at the sincerity of Chloe's tone and her liberating offer. She suddenly realized the depths of her authenticity and benevolence; Chloe wasn't competition, she was a confidant. Overwhelmed by her simple invitation, tears began streaming down her cheek again. "I was so pissed with you when I realized what you were doing with Josh, I wanted to lay fists into you right then and there. So I came up to give you hell for it. Instead, you're offering to listen to my worries, and you've got me crying," Bree remarked, wiping her moist eyes. "Why, Chlo? Why are you doing all this for me?"

"Partially because you're in love with him, and I did something to jeopardize what you and Josh have. But mostly because you're my sister, and I do care about you. I'll admit you've really made it difficult on me these past few days," Chloe added wistfully. Glancing in her lap, then quickly back up at Bree, she took her hands and calmly continued in a dulcet tone, "There is only one thing I've ever held against you over the years, and that's been your inability to share Josh. I'm taking that with a grain of salt in light of your confession, but I still want my brother back. I'd like to think I'm a decent person, and while you seem to think I've got a loose sexual barometer, I try to stay true to myself."

Bree sighed, "I don't think you have loose sexual morals. If anything, I wish I could be more like you. I can't imagine how liberating it must feel, the ability to have a casual hookup with a guy, no strings attached. I want that freedom, more than anything, but Josh is the only person I've felt remotely close to sharing that with."

Chloe deeply sighed. "Look, I've shared my concerns, but if you want to work out a relationship together, I will support you two in whatever way I can. I'm not asking you to let me sleep with him. I think he'd probably freak out again anyway. I'm just asking for a little time with him, since we only get to see him a bit over the summer."

"I guess it's a good thing I talked to you. I'm not worried about you stealing him from me, not anymore at least."

"It seemed a bit absurd for you to think that, anyways."

"Yeah, I know. Thanks ... for this ... for talking with me."

"You're welcome. So I guess this is a truce? No more fighting over stupid boys." Chloe smiled adorably.

"Aaaand how," Bree answered, giggling.

As another question stewed in her head, Chloe cutely bit her lip. "Bree, I wanna ask one more favor. Can I have my sister back too?" she asked, almost weakly.

Bree understood the lighthearted tone of her request, but the connotation really pulled at her heartstrings. It was one more facet of Chloe's tenderness and sincerity that shifted the way Bree saw her. It had been too many years since she recalled the good times spent with her sister. She had fond memories of playing with Barbie dolls under bed-sheet forts and dressing up together in their mom's baggy old clothes. She smiled to herself as she recalled the mornings they'd braided each other's hair and painted their nails in vibrant pink and blue hues. They concocted delectable goods from their Easy-Bake Oven, and she remembered rewarding smiles from their mom upon the presentation of their modest creations.

The fact that Bree had so easily forgotten those memories made her nauseous, but she knew it hadn't happened overnight. She'd made a series of small choices along the way, the sum of which had left them estranged. Had she given less attention to Josh over the years, she may have avoided the creation of her ignorantly distorted view of Chloe.

Bree was pleasantly surprised to see her misconstrued identify of her sister disintegrate over the course of a single evening. 'Chloe has grown up, ' Bree thought. 'Maybe there's hope for me too.' Lapsing from her reverie, she looked at Chloe's who was patiently awaiting her answer.

Bree reached up, combing her fingers through Chloe's golden curls. "I want my sister back too," she answered through soft tears.

Chloe smiled happily as her own eyes filled. Leaning forward, she met Bree in a tender embrace. "I wish we could've had this talk sooner," she smiled into Bree's silky, chestnut tresses.

"We weren't ready. You had to do something stupid first," Bree chuckled. Sighing, she continued, "Chlo, you've grown up. I mean really grown up. After talking with you tonight, you seem a lot more mature than me."

Chloe pulled back, a bit awestruck. "Seriously? I find that hard to believe."

"Seriously," Bree answered with a heartfelt smile. "It's like when I talk to Mom about a problem, she's got this logical but caring way of breaking down the issue. It's comforting. I can see that same temperament in you, and it makes me want to talk to you more."

Chloe's cheeks blushed red against her bronzed skin. "That means a lot, hearing that from you, and I want you to feel like you can talk to me ... about anything," her voice cracked. "I'm sorry for the drama I've caused—"

"Stop that," Bree said, shaking her head while wiping away tears with the side of her hand. "We've mulled over our mistakes enough for one night. It'll be easier if we just leave it in the past and focus on moving forward."

"You're probably right. 'Kay, I won't bring it up again."

"Well, Josh still deserves some clarification," Bree said. She peered over at the alarm clock, noticing it was past 11:30. "I suppose that could wait 'til the morning, though."

Chloe began twirling a strand of her sinuous honey curls as another question obviously vexed in her mind. "So if you don't mind me asking. What's so special about him, to you?" she asked with gleaming eyes.

A corner of Bree's mouth crooked into a tiny smile. "I don't know. He's got this elemental draw to him. It's almost intangible. A lot of it's his temperament. He's got this adorableness to him that's positively fetching. And there's this irresistible desire in me that just wants to work on him; to steal that innocence of his," she admitted, smiling deviously.

"Yeah, well we already know there's something on him you want to work." They shared a giggle. "So, the attraction, is it physical at all?"

"Hell yeah it is! Have you ever taken the time to watch him do yard work?!"

"Oh, I have. He's not exactly your stereotypical Tall, Dark, and Handsome, is he?"

"No, not quite." Bree sighed longingly.

Chloe continued her thought. "On the surface he's rather average, but he's kind of like an onion with his layers. Get some of them peeled off and he's quite the catch."

"Yeah, get that shirt off him and he's pretty steamy. A little more toned than ripped, but that's perfectly fine by me. I like him lean, lithe and chiseled."

"Your very own twenty-first century statue of David," Chloe finished.

"Yeah, but it's not all about his body, though," Bree started again. "Those eyes of his. Soft and honest. You kind of get lost in their green, like you're surrounded in a lush forest, then in the center they burst brilliant rays of amber." She sighed dreamily.

"You've got it for him bad," Chloe observed with an off-kilter grin. "You've got those soft, honest eyes too, you know. Not to sound like an enabler, but I do think the two of you would make quite the cute couple. Kind of a boy-next-door meets girl-next-door quality."

"God, Chloe. Keep talking like that and I'll never get over him."

"Sorry," Chloe chirped, looking mildly apologetic.

Bree grinned back without saying a word, and Chloe gave her another goofy smile. "What is that face about?"

"I'll have to tell you the full story of what happened this morning in the backyard. Another time, though." She paused long and hard, allowing her steamy recounting of Josh to fizzle. "It's been an emotional night, and I don't know about you, but I'm feeling pretty drained."

"Yeah, me too."