Chapter 2: Leaving Cassie - But Finding A New Friend

"I need an honest answer, Keith," my girlfriend, Cassie Mansden, let out in a quiet and sombre tone. "Is there someone else? Anyone I know?"

How was I supposed to answer her question? How do you tell your girlfriend that she's been replaced? And by your own sister? I had no idea.

"Yeah, I think you know her," my sister's voice drifted across the room. "There's no easy way to go through this, Cassie, and I know you asked me to disappear. But this affects people that are very special to me. I can't just stand here and ignore what's happening."

"You knew about this? Cassie snapped at Tandra. "You knew he was going out with someone else, and didn't do anything about it? What the hell kind of a friend are you?"

"One that loves you, that cares about you, that still wants to be your friend. But I'm kind of caught in the middle here. He's my brother, damn it, and I love him too! If you think I'm going to just sit on the sidelines and leave him out in the cold, you'd better think again."

"So, will one of you tell me who my competition is, or do I have to guess?"

Her voice was angry and her tone forcefully subdued. I really couldn't blame her. Hell, if I was in her position, I'd be just as furious, and probably looking for someone's blood. And that scared me even more, because I knew whose blood she'd want.

"Me," Tandra declared in a quiet but authoritative voice.

Cassie just sat and stared, her eyes moving between my sister and me, the shock almost choking both the life and the voice out of her. No one said a word for what felt like forever.

"You?" Cassie finally managed to hiss. "You're your brother's... ? His own sister? But that's..."

She'd defined the problem in the fewest words possible, and still managed to achieve maximum impact. I looked for something to hide under, like a dust mote. Damn my sister and her cleanliness! The place was spotless.

"Shit, I don't believe you two!" Cassie's anger eventually started to come out. "Brother and sister, and you're fucking each other? How long has this been going on? Since last spring, I'll bet!"

"Kitten, you and I have been drifting apart for a long time," I tried to keep my voice rational, "and for all of that time, I've tried to wait until you had an idea of where you wanted your life to go. I've prayed that somewhere along the lines, we'd overcome whatever road blocks showed up between us. I even took the whole summer to think about just how much I want my degree. Shit, I was about ready to abandon school to try to keep us together. But in all honesty, I wouldn't have been able to do that without a lot of regrets. And I can't ask you to give up your dreams either."

"And I suppose that when you told me you loved me this afternoon, that was a lie?"

"No, it wasn't," I fought to keep my voice as soft and quiet as I could, "because I do love you. I think I have since we started going together, and I probably always will. So no, I didn't lie to you. I never have, and I'm not about to start now. You mean too much to me to go down that road of deceit."

Cassie continued to stare at both of us, some of her shock slowly being replaced by her obvious anger as the pain swept through her.

"You fucking bitch!" she exploded at Tandra. "Some friend you turned out to be! Stealing my boyfriend behind my back? Jesus fucking Christ!"

"Kitten," I had to jump to my sister's defence, "please don't call my sister names. If it was anyone but you, I'd deck them, male or female. But it is you, and I can't. I still care about you, maybe more than you know. That part of what we were still exists, and always will."

I had no idea if my words had any meaning for Cassie. Given how she probably felt inside, I had my doubts. She hurt badly, and wanted to lash out at anybody or anything that would help relieve some of that pain. I couldn't blame her, because I would have been the same way, only worse.

"Go fuck your hat, Hayes! Both of you!" Cassie erupted, her anger now controlling her voice.

"Stop it, Mansden!" Tandra snapped back, her own anger at my ex-girlfriend's vehemence becoming unleashed. "Put yourself in our shoes for a minute. I'm sitting here watching my brother, the man that I love more than life itself getting his ass fried by my best friend, all while knowing that I'm the cause of this fight. You think this isn't tearing me apart? My best friend's hurting, and all I want to do is hug her, hold her, and try to make her understand that after the pain, the anger, and the feelings of rejection heal themselves, the sun will come out again. On that day, maybe she'll understand. I want to, but as I'm the other woman in Keith's life, I owe him as much loyalty as I ever owed you. It's because of that, that I'm hoping and praying that you and I can still work on being friends. Just don't ever ask me to choose between the two of you, because if you do, you'll lose. He may be my brother, but he's also the man I love. I've known him a hell of a lot longer than you have, and wanted him long before you ever arrived on the scene."

There was a pregnant pause while silence reigned supreme as Tandra fought to regain a modicum of control over her emotions. Cassie continued to stare at my sister, and I was still looking for somewhere to hide both of us until the storm blew over.

"You may love him," Cassie murmured quietly, "but that doesn't change the fact that I think you're just a slutty fucking bitch! Your own brother, for chrissake! When the fuck did you become such a fucking pervert? Some friend you turn out to be!"

"Kitten," I just had to inject, "I've asked you nicely. Now I'm telling you. The next time you call Tandra a name like that, I'll slap you. Not because she's my sister, but because you're hurting my second-best friend, a girl that I love, and someone that means more to me than you seem to realize. That would be you. So please stop it, let yourself cool off, and try to work with me to resolve some of this ... this shit that I've stirred up. Okay?"

"You two take the fucking cake, do you know that? Shit, brother and sister, and you're busy fucking each other! I suppose you're thinking of moving in with him, too! Wouldn't that be the end-all, be-all?"

"I already have," Tandra confessed, still fighting to keep her voice low and unthreatening. "Mom and Dad wanted us to split an apartment while I go to college. I guess I fibbed earlier, because I'm enrolling this year in first-year English with a full course load. I want this, Cassie, just as much as Keith wants his Bachelor's, and you want that Fine Arts degree. Whether you two were still lovers or not, I want that English degree. Trouble is, I want Keith, too, which doesn't change the fact that I want you as my friend, and I want to still be your friend. Maybe it's a case of wanting my cake and eating it too, and maybe it's a little idealistic. But I still want it. The question for you is, what do you want? What does Cassie Mansden want for herself, for my brother, for her friend Tandra Hayes? When you can give me a good answer to those questions, we'll all be ready to talk. Until then, all that's going to happen is we'll scream at each other, try to hurt each other, and make ourselves just as miserable as we possibly can. Personally, I can do without that bullshit, and I think both of you can too."

The silence returned, just as heavy and suffocating as before. I desperately wanted to break through it's confining entrapment, but couldn't find the words.

"I can't handle this," Cassie finally broke through the pall of our stalemate. "Not now, anyway. I'm just too fucking angry, in too much goddamned pain inside. Right now, I'd love to just beat the shit out of both of you."

The tears had started to run down Cassie's cheek, and almost instinctively I reached over to wipe them away with one finger. It was something I'd always done for the four years Cassie and I had been together. She slapped my hand hard, and pulled as far away from me as the chair would allow.

"Get your fucking hands off me, Keith Hayes! If you think I'm going to let you put a finger on me that's probably been in her cunt, you're even more perverted than she is!"

There was a resounding slap that echoed throughout the apartment as Cassie's head snapped from the force of the blow. I looked up to see my sister, now standing with her hand ready to repeat its assault on her friend, and the redness of her exploding anger glowing on her face.

"Stop it, Cassie," Tandra commanded. "Keith's asked you to keep a civil tongue, and now I'm demanding it, for the same reasons. Your hurting my friend, my best friend, and I'll be damned if I'm going to sit here and watch you hurt someone I love. So unless you get off her ass, I'll hit you again, and I'll keep on hitting you until my best friend Cassie is safe from your hurt, your anger, and your pain."

Tandra walked around the back of Cassie's chair, then wrapped her arms around the seated girl's chest and kissed the crown of her head.

"I do love you, Mansden. Maybe not as much as my brother does, but I still love you. The only difference is that while you may be in love with him, he's no longer in love with you. If you care about him, really care like you have for all the years we've known each other, you'll keep on loving him, but let him have the space he needs to find his own life. When the day comes that you're over this shit, and it will, just remember that we're both still here for you, that we'll do whatever we can to help you get through, and that our doors are always open. I truly am sorry for what's happened, and for the pain I've caused. If it was anyone besides you or Keith, I wouldn't give a shit. But it is, and I do."

Something that my sister had said had struck a chord in Cassie, because I saw her hands move up and grasp Tandra's forearms, pulling and holding the offered consolation tighter to herself. When she hadn't fling those arms away, I wondered if my sister had found that place in my ex-girlfriend's heart that cried for salving.

"I'm too close to the trees to see the fucking forest," Cassie admitted. "This is all a little much to handle. Shit, I come over here to make love to my boyfriend, and get dumped instead. Thrown over for his sister, for fuck sakes! You two sure know how to hurt a girl, don't you?"

Some of Cassie's anger was slowly dissipating, and there was a bit of relief as the veil of heaviness started to lift. I knew that we just might survive our disagreement when Cassie slid a hand across the tabletop as she sought mine.

"This doesn't hurt us any less than it does you, Cassie" Tandra murmured to her friend. "We still need you, to be our friend, to be there when we need someone. Hell, I need to be your friend still. I'm really hoping that one day, you'll forgive me, and we can go back to being what we were. Is that possible, do you think?"

"Maybe," my ex-girlfriend offered, "but it'll take me some time to get over the fact that my boyfriend's in love with his own sister. No, maybe that's not quite correct. I'm having a hell of a time accepting that he's not in love with me any more. But you're both right, in that I still love him. It's his sister that I'm pissed at. Stealing my boyfriend? That's going to take me a while to get over, Tandra. But yes, I still want to be friends." She lifted my hand and kissed the back of it, then leaned down and kissed Tandra's forearms that were still wrapped around her.

"I've got to get out of here, before I start crying. I'll talk to you guys when I'm a little more rational, okay?"

"Kitten," I finally found my voice, "can I call you sometime through the week? I really need to know that you're okay. I don't expect you to go through this crap with a big smile on your face. Shit, if it was me in your position, I'd be ready to demolish something. But I do need to know that you're alright."

She squeezed my hand once more, then lifted it to help her other one ease the restraint of Tandra's arms on her.

"I'll call you, Keith. I need some time to get my head straightened out." Then turning to Tandra, she went on. "And I'm still pissed at you, Miss Hayes. It's going to take me some time to forgive you for what you've done, and even more to accept that you're fucking your own brother. But I will, eventually. Trust me, I will. You two have been my friends for too long to just throw it all away."

"What you need, Kitten, is to remember that you're loved, that you're cared about, and that you matter to someone. I'm all those things, and so is Tandra. Focus on that reality, and maybe it'll help," was all I could offer.

"And you'd better call," Tandra added, "or I'll phone you until your mailbox is full, then keep it full until you call me back. That's a promise, not a threat. You hear me?"

"Yeah, I'll call, if Lover-boy here doesn't call me first. But it'll still take me a while to forgive you, Tandra. You may not like it, but get used to it."

With that, Cassie got ready to leave. We both walked her to the door, our arms around each other's waists. Despite the show of unity, Cassie kissed each of us on the cheek, her show of affection feeling genuine. As the door closed behind her, we both just stood there and stared at it.

"That went well," Tandra's sarcastic tone announced. "God, I thought she was going to rip your balls off and use them to beat the shit out of me! I know I would have if I was in her shoes. I may want what she had, and I may even be able to hold onto the man I love, but I still hurt for her." There was a moment of silence before my sister finished what was on her mind. "And I still love you as much right now as I did when I woke up this morning. But I've got to get out of this mausoleum! Buy me a coffee?"

I grabbed our jackets and almost herded my sister out the door. Just sitting in the coffee shop felt like a weight had been lifted off us. That warmth from our love began to flower again.

I took the time to detour to the courier company, successfully negotiating a schedule that would work for both them and me. Tandra was almost ecstatic with the reality that we'd have an income to keep us going. But we'd run out of activities to keep us out of the apartment. Neither one of us were ready to immerse ourselves in the gloom that it represented.

"There's a park a couple of blocks from home, isn't there?" my sister asked. I acknowledged that I thought I remembered seeing one that had groves of trees connected with a series of walking paths.

"Can we go for a walk? I'm not ready to handle the shit and heaviness of the apartment yet," she pleaded.

I thought it was a great idea and headed for that urban oasis of calm in the middle of a sea of turmoil. As its peace and serenity wrapped around us, we started by walking hand in hand but were soon holding each others waist, our time together isolating all the cares that the rest of the world might create. I lost track of time and distance, and there's a good chance that we covered some of the trails more than once. Neither one of us wanted the afternoon to end. Unfortunately, what we want and what we get are usually about as far apart as possible.

"What time is it, Keith?" my sister broke the silence that had enfolded us. I looked at my watch to check.

"Just about six. Why? You have somewhere you have to be?" I tried to tease some life and love back into our afternoon.

"No, but we've got to eat some time. You want to go out for supper, or chance getting food poisoning from my cooking?"

I had to chuckle at that. Tandra was a pretty good cook, a lot better than I was. But I understood just how badly she didn't want to go home to the gloom that seemed to have become our third roommate. Unfortunately, wandering the trails of the park and the sidewalks of the streets all night wasn't a viable option. We had to face our fears eventually, and this was as good a time as any.

"I'll take a chance," I conceded. "The worst that can happen is that it'll kill me, and once I'm dead it won't matter any more, will it?"

"Asshole!" she growled. "You'd die and leave me to clean up the shit afterwards, wouldn't you?" There was an element of truth to her statement, but caring and warmth in her tone.

There was a lot of uncertainty in us as we made our way to the apartment that we had hoped to call home. I was almost afraid to unlock the door for fear that the gloom would rush out and crush us before we had a chance to run from it. But that expression on Tandra's face told me that we were still a unified front, that we could stave off anything life threw at us. I opened the door, then took her jacket as I hung up my own.

"Keith? Did you clear the table before we left?"

"Umm, no. Why?"

Tandra was staring at an empty dining table, then moved into the kitchen, opened the fridge, closed it again and went to one of the cupboards.

"Shit, that's weird. You didn't wash the dishes and I didn't either, but they're all clean and put away. Even the coffee pot's been dumped and the grounds thrown out. If you didn't do it and I didn't, then someone's been in here! I can only think of three people that it might be, and two of them are three hundred miles away," she vocalized her theory. Following her logic, I came to the same conclusion.

"If it was Mom and Dad," I started to conclude, "they'd have let us know they were coming. Shit, I don't think they even have the address yet. That only leaves..."

"Cassie?" we echoed each other in unison.

"Call her and check," my sister insisted. "If we've got an intruder, I sure as fuck want to know who it is. The thought that someone can get in while you're not home scares the shit out of me!"

I walked into the bedroom to grab my phone and saw a piece of paper on the dresser that hadn't been there when we left. I picked it up and read the words written on it, instantly recognizing the handwriting. Still shocked at the implications, I returned to the dining room and gave the note to Tandra.

"Keith and Tandra

I came back to talk to you guys, but you were out. I had the manager let me in, and washed up for you. It's the least I could do after my tirade earlier.

First off, I'm sorry for being such a total bitch today. I guess I knew, deep in my heart, that this day would come. I've taken Keith for granted, maybe too much and for too long. If I was in his shoes, I'd probably have done something similar – but not with my own brother! Of course, not having a brother, I can't say for sure. And if I did, I doubt he'd be as wonderful a guy as Keith is.

Tandra, it's going to take me a while to forgive you for what you've done, but I will, some day. I hope it's not so far away that you won't be there when I do. We've been good friends for all these years, and I'm not ready to throw that away. I do love you, in spite of what's happened.

Keith, I'm so sorry for what I've done to you. Please try to forgive me? You've been the guy that I measure all other men against, and I haven't met one that's your equal. Ever. And despite the fact that you broke my heart, I still love you. I really believe that you love me too. Tell me I'm not wrong?

In closing, I want to wish both of you the best. Lots of love, happiness, and that special magic that only lovers understand. I do love both of you, very much.

Love, Cassie"

Tandra read that note about fifteen times, letting the words seep into her mind as the almost-surreal message unscrambled and made itself understood.

"Son-of-a-bitch!" she exclaimed. "That's the last thing I ever expected. You think maybe we underestimated her?"

"I don't know what to think, Sis. This is a hundred and eighty degrees from where we were earlier."

"Fuck it! I'm going to take a shower and see if I can wash this shit out of my mind. Want to join me?"

Another one of those unrefusable invitations, and just then I think I needed the cleansing sensation as much as I needed my sister.

The hot water felt good. The girl pressed against me felt even better. I allowed myself the sensuous luxury of my hands roaming over her gorgeous body as I spread the soap's lather from the base of her neck down the curves of her spine and over the firmness of her backside. Tandra moaned happily as my caresses followed the delicious curves and hollows, then spun herself around to face me, her arms entangling themselves behind my neck, and her lips mere fractions of an inch from mine.

"Isn't this where we came in?" Tandra's soft voice drifted over the sounds of falling water. In response, I patted her butt lightly then pulled her lips to mine. Her tongue immediately began to probe me, driving past my lips as she sought to duel and entangle with my own tongue. I could feel the heat of passion rise in her, and I wanted her just as much.

"I want you, Keith," she cooed in my ear as she pulled her lips from mine and nuzzled against my neck. "I'm just not sure whether I want you in here or in our bed."

"Why choose?" I teased. "We could always try for best two out of three, you know."

"Yeah? Where's the third?"

"Where would you like it to be?"

"Asshole!" she growled as her nipples pressed into my chest. In response, I began to squeeze and knead her ass, pulling her pussy against the rising heat of my groin.

"Mmm, you feel good, big brother," she hissed in my ear. "Gawd, I want you inside me so bad right now. Make me wet, then fuck me hard and deep."

I moved a hand off her ass and slid it around her hip until I had one finger poised at the top of her slit. Tandra eased back just enough to allow me access. As I parted her lips, she groaned deliriously with my touch on her rising pearl. I searched for her opening, dipping inside her as I retrieved some of her juices to smear over her knotting nubbin, then began to lightly swirl around her hardening clit. As soon as I touched that magical bump, Tandra involuntarily slammed herself against my hand as her hips trapped me in place.

I strummed on her for several minutes as the sounds of my sister's moans spurred me on in my quest to make her cum for me. God, how I wanted to feel her go off, to give her all the pleasure I could. She began to hump against my hand, almost driven by a primal force deep within her. I had just about gotten her to that point of orgasm when she suddenly wanted me to slow down a bit.

"No! Not yet!" she howled loudly. "I don't want to cum yet! I want to wait until you're deep inside me! I want us to cum together!"

In compliance with her request, I slowed my finger's movements, now just lightly circling the base of her clit, dipping inside her every once in a while to re-lubricate the tip of it. When Tandra wrapped her soft, delicate fingers around my shaft, I had to yield my perch on her pussy so that she could rub me along her slit and get me wet enough. As partial compensation for my finger's desertion, she began to rub my purple helmet along her slit, then up and over her now-erect pearl. I rocked my hips as I humped against her, setting an initial rhythm for our eventual joining.

Suddenly, I felt my sister feed my cock into herself. Cupping her butt cheeks, I lifted her up over the tip of my cock while she raised herself on tiptoes to make her capture of me possible. I entered her and was immediately bathed in her juices and heat. She eased back down until she had me buried to the root, her sensuous lining caressing me intimately. I revelled in her tightness and the grip her vaginal walls had on me, instinctively beginning to rock my hips slowly as the beauty of our coupling fanned the embers of our lust into flames of pure passion.

In moments, I could feel Tandra's walls begin to flutter, almost cursing myself because I was still not close to cumming yet.

"Lean back, Sis," I instructed her. "Get your clit off my cock. When I'm close, I'll let you know, and we can try to cum together. Just lean away with your arms around my neck.

She did as I asked, her walls relaxing enough to keep herself from climaxing. The repositioning also put a little more pressure and friction on the rim of my helmet, thus getting me a little closer to the edge. It wasn't long before my balls lifted and my cock began to swell with the load of semen gathering at its base.

"Now, Tandra," I groaned as I pulled her back towards me. "Hold me tight."

Her walls started to flutter again as her breathing changed to a sensual fight for air. I was almost at my own point of no return when her cunt suddenly clenched and grabbed my shaft, almost immobilizing me. I thrust hard to keep going, slamming into her nubbin in the process. That was all the trigger she needed, her body now trembling and shaking in reaction to the sudden pressure.

"Oh God, Keith! Take me! Fill me up, I'm... ", and she let out a joyous howl of ecstasy as her climax exploded.

I felt my first pulse race up the length of my cock, then almost spray as it left. As I erupted, Tandra squeaked from the impact of each spurt inside her. She'd relaxed just enough to let me push deep inside her, her clit now almost buzzing as it rested on the base of my cock. I felt the gush of her girl-cum burst out, bathing us both in her juices. God, that was a sensation that I knew I'd never get to feel anywhere near enough.

It was all I could do to remain standing as Tandra's weight threatened to bowl us over. I leaned against her for support while the euphoria flowed through our consciousness. It was a good minute or two before my head cleared enough to comfortably hold my sister up, and another few minutes before she could stand on her own.

"Wow!" was all I heard Tandra exclaim.

"Yeah. Couldn't have said it better myself," I managed to agree. "Where'd you learn that trick anyway? Both of us coming together like that while still standing up?"

"Umm, on the internet," she giggled. "I was surfing on some porno sight and saw a couple screwing in the shower. She came first, and he came while she was still climaxing. God, it looked hot! So I wanted to try it. Think we can pull it off again?"

"Maybe, but not tonight, Sis. After the intensity of that and all the love we made last night, I'm not sure I can cum one more time. My nuts feel like you drained them bone dry."

"Damn! I was hoping to ride you one more time before we go to sleep. You're going to crap out on me, aren't you? What happened to that best two out of three idea?" she complained.

"Tandra, I'm a guy, not a satyr. If you don't behave, I'll turn you over my knee and paddle your pretty little behind," I teased her.

"Promise?" was all she replied before I captured her lips in a bid for clemency. Tandra melted in my arms, both of us oblivious to the water splashing and cascading over our bodies.

I could feel my skin beginning to wrinkle from standing under the water for all that time, and suggested that we get out and dry off before I became a candidate for one of those breakfast cereal commercials.

"You mean the one that goes, 'I heard it through the grape vine'?" my sister teased me. I swatted her butt and the bratty little twerp stuck her tongue out at me. Some people's kids, I tell you!

"Come on, let me make something for supper," Tandra strongly suggested once we were dry. As there would be nowhere to go that night, getting dressed made no sense. Pretty scenery like my sister's body would make for a delightful diversion anyway. But she did put on an apron while in the kitchen to protect herself from grease splatters. She looked cute and sexy in that apron thought. Just to keep my mind on important things like eating, I set the table and did what I could to help. It was the cook that I found to be the most important of those "important things" though. She almost burned the meat when I nibbled on her neck a few times.

Supper was great, although I'm not sure if it was the food or the company that made it so enjoyable. Whatever it was, we had a relaxing start to a wonderful evening, especially after all the stress we'd gone through with Cassie. I had no idea how to handle my ex-girlfriend, and tonight wasn't the time to even consider thinking about it. Tonight, it was just my sister and me, and to hell with the rest of the world.

After washing dishes and cleaning up, I sprawled on the sofa Tandra had found for us. It was actually quite comfortable and in good condition. It was also just the right size for her to curl up beside me as she snuck under one arm. She pulled her legs up with her heels resting against her butt, her head on my chest, and an arm around my belly. We bathed ourselves in the tranquillity of the room's silence as the warmth of our bodies lulled us into a trance.

"This is what I needed after this afternoon," my sister murmured. "To be close to you, to feel you holding me, and to let your love wrap around me. I could stay like this forever."

My nose gently drifted through the silky texture of her hair as I kissed the top of her head in reply. Tandra took good care of those locks of hers, and they were always soft and inviting to the touch. I ran my fingers through them, luxuriating in the feel as I combed her tresses with my fingers. She hummed in response, elevating her appreciation to a happy sigh of contentment every few minutes.