Avery and Jenna Pt. 12: Avowal

"Honestly, I fantasized about you a lot. A few times a week," he answered, turning his head away from her momentarily.

"Whatever happened to my g-string?"

"I kept it all throughout high school, and I would masturbate to you all the time. When I did, I would use your underwear."

"Use my underwear, how?"

"I would wrap them around myself and jack off. When I got close to cumming, I would hold them open and cum all over them."

"Do you still have them?"

"No. When Jenna and I started dating after graduation, I tossed them out. I figured you had forgotten about them by then, so you wouldn't miss them."

"Oh, baby brother. How wrong you were," she joked. As they shared a tender moment of blessed humor, Alicia looked to her right, seeing the roses sitting in the vase. She reached for one and removed it. Try as she might, her nostrils were only able to detect a scant trace of the odor most closely associated with the flower.

"Were these for Jenna?" She asked, placing the single rose back with its family.

"Yeah. I bought them on Wednesday," he answered. Nodding her head, she sighed deeply.

"Is there anything I can do?"

"No, sis. Everything will be fine," he answered. Continuing to nod, Alicia felt a strong chill creep up her spine. She was sitting almost directly under a vent, and despite Avery turning on the heat, only cold air blew from it.

"I think there's something wrong with your heat," she declared. Her short legs pushed her chair out from underneath the table. Carefully, she climbed atop it and examined the vent. Using her hand, she assessed the temperature blowing from the vent. Avery sat in his chair, eyeing his stepsister's ass in her jeans. Alicia had always boasted an admirable ass, given her height. There was enough fat and muscle to fill out anything she wore. Avery believed that she wore a size smaller than she needed, so her clothes would give the illusion that she had more curves than she really did. Like Jenna and Janelle, Alicia was gifted with bountiful breasts. He could not recall how large they were, but given how far they protruded, he postulated a D-cup-sized bra contained them. Aroused and ashamed, he bit his bottom lip and turned his head. How disgusting he was, to be lusting after the woman in his apartment. His own stepsister.

"Yeah. Your vent is blowing cold air," she concluded, stepping down from the chair. Avery bit his bottom lip again as she, again, resumed a seated position. Brushing her long hair from her face, she looked at her stepbrother, who had a faraway expression on his face. It was the look of someone who was not quite aware of what was happening around them.

"You okay?" She asked, crossing her arms. From his trance, he awoke to her question.

"Yeah. Yeah. I'm okay," he answered. "I'm sorry about the heat. Jenna told me the other night that it went out. I thought the super had fixed it."

"I guess not," she replied. Slipping into his trance once again, he closed himself from her. Alicia sighed and stood, walking into the short hallway. Avery paid her no mind. Slowly, it was beginning to dawn upon him. The vents. The roses on the table. His thoughts were beginning to associate his surroundings with his lost love. Fortunately, before he could sink too deeply into his wallowing, Alicia returned to the dining room, carrying his navy-blue blanket from the bedroom. When Avery saw it, he surfaced from his watery nightmare.

"Come sit with me," Alicia requested, walking into the living room. She removed her jacket and placed it onto the computer chair behind the short couch. Choosing that same couch, her arms tossed the comforter around her petite frame. As it concealed her, it revealed an awkward surprise. Rather attractive underwear, composed of a sheer black interior and royal blue lace trim, fell onto the floor in front of her. Alicia's jaw fell open, observing the finery.

"Uhh, Avery? Someone's blue thong just fell from your comforter," she announced. Stunned, he stood and ran into the living room, spotting them moments later. When cleaning the floor in the bedroom, the comforter and the thong had again been mixed. He leaned down and collected them from the carpet.

"Wow! I'm so sorry," he said, rolling them into a ball.

"I'm a little concerned now. Should I have chosen something else?" She questioned. Alicia knew the blanket belonged to him, as it was a Christmas gift from her. Apprehension swelled within her as to whether the comforter was clean.

"No. No. It's fine," he answered, tossing the underwear onto the bedroom floor. He closed the door almost completely, and then ran back into the living room, where his stepsister was waiting. She had opened the blanket, shaking it to see if any other undergarments would drop, like shaking the arm of a tree to release its fruit. Avery could now ascertain what kind of shirt she was wearing. There were no sleeves, and it showed no cleavage. As she bounced his blanket with her arms, a wine-colored bra strap fell from her left shoulder. Judging purely from the look of the strap, the bra was designer; the red color shimmered against the lights, and a vine-like pattern snaked up and down its length. Avery swallowed hard when she stopped and looked at him. The juxtaposition of the red and her creamy caramel complexion convinced him to reach far into his memory, to an oft-neglected time just before high school graduation.

"All right. It looks like there's no more of Jenna's underwear hidden away," she joked. Reaching down with her small hand, she patted a spot in front of her. Obediently, he sat exactly where her hand commanded.

"I'm assuming those were Jenna's underwear, but knowing you..." She did not finish the sentence. Acting with the same level of consideration, Avery did not respond to her comment. Watching his stepsister, she pulled her legs underneath her and stretched her arms completely.

"Come here," her lips whispered. It was much more than a simple invitation to cuddle, Avery believed, but he did not care. Alicia was hot. Supermodel hot. No man or woman would dare turn her down. He leaned onto her, placing his hands together and laying them onto his stomach. His head came to rest just below her breasts. Assured he was not too heavy, he nestled into the spot and turned his attention to the television, which was still playing the Walking Dead. Alicia peered down at her stepsibling, with a combination of disappointment, dedication, and desire. Smiling, she wrapped her arms around him. Doing so, the blanket covered most of his body, save for his feet. Avery closed his eyes as he breathed in Alicia's fruity scent. The noise of the television drifted into the background as, for the moment, Avery settled into a calm. Without lowering her head, Alicia looked down upon the man in her arms. Five years ago, they were embraced in a similar manner, except she was in his place. Alicia pondered about what Avery thought when he kissed her for the first time. How did he know it was the right moment? How was he so certain that she would not push him away? Her wonderment was sharp and penetrating, piercing through the metal screen of her logic. She was so busy questioning what went through Avery's mind when he first kissed her, that she did not realize that her lips were steadily descending to his.

"You smell like a peach," he said, nuzzling into her playfully. Hearing his comment caused her both shock and joy. She could not have been more than seven inches from his face.

"It's apricot," she whispered. Devoid of any fear, her lips farther descended towards his.

"What did you say?" He asked, rolling his head to his left. Despite his movement, his eyes remained closed. Alicia smiled at his action, as it perfectly aligned his lips with hers. Avery's face had a hair growth of about three days. The stubble would, no doubt, tickle at the least and scratch her at the worst. Alicia hated stubble; it was coarse and grating, like rubbing a nail filer against one's face. Clean shaven was most pleasing to her. She, likewise, did not mind a full-grown goatee or beard. He would not receive a pass on this pet peeve of hers, simply because he was her stepbrother. Though, when her lips were within an inch of his, the stubble became a distant concern.

"The smell. It's apricot, baby brother." Her words were the whisper of a whisper. As close as she was, he clearly felt the breath leaving her as she spoke. She did not want to startle him, and more importantly, she did not want him to retreat. He was exactly where she wanted him to be.

"It's really nice," he complimented. A bolt of lightning struck Alicia. His words caused his lips to alter shape. Their shape caused them to brush against hers, though it was barely a brush. Easily, it could have been dismissed as a simple itch or another small, passing malady affecting the lips. Alicia knew what it was. The crest of his top lip sat just underneath the curve of her bottom lip. Savoring its delicate touch, she glided hers against his. The warm air exiting her body graced his forehead, like a gentle breeze along a sandy coastline. There was no way he could not know she was upon him.

"I'm glad you like it," she replied. With each word, her lips abandoned their taunting and embraced his. Much to her delight, he did not pull away. "I don't want you to stay here by yourself. Surrounded by all of Jenna's stuff."

"Why are you so worried about me?" He questioned. By now, neither of them had initiated an actual kiss. Alicia's boldness, nonetheless, grew; her tongue slipped between her lips and massaged his top lip. Starting from the crest, it glided almost to the corner of his mouth, and then it moved back to the opposing side before reentering her mouth.

"I want you to just be happy. Not here by yourself, wishing things were different," she whispered. Assured that he would not pull away, she puckered her lips and kissed his very gently, dipping a toe into the waters of Avery's interest. The temperature was lukewarm. While he did not pull away, he did not return her kiss. Slightly perturbed by his unresponsiveness, she rose an inch from his face.

"Do you know what I wish?" She asked, staring down at him. He neither moved, nor did he immediately respond to her. Alicia knew how he felt. She had experienced some rather bad separations in her time. Avery was resisting. Not resisting the truth that his relationship was over, but the truth of how it made him feel. He was not ready to accept that kind of pain. Maybe Avery felt he was not entitled to the sadness that accompanied the separation. Only the blame of it.

"Tell me," he finally spoke.

"I wish we weren't family. Then we could be together," she confessed, leaning over him to drop a tiny peck on his cheek.

"You don't want to be with me, Alicia," he lamented. He shifted his position again, coming to rest completely on his back. His arms extended to go around her waist. Accepting of his hands, she leaned down and kissed his forehead.

"Yes, I do," she countered. Another kiss from her medium-sized lips fell onto his forehead.

"Why?" He questioned.

"Because I love you," she fired back. Another kiss from her fell onto the bridge of his nose.

"You love me enough to want to date me? Knowing everything that I've done?"

"I didn't say anything about dating, Avery. I said, I wanted us to be together," she clarified. Another kiss from her lips fell onto the other cheek that she did not kiss earlier. "Me wanting to be with you, even after everything you've done, shows how much I love you. In my own way."

"If that were true, why can't we just be together now?" His question momentarily knocked the wind out of Alicia's sails. She had no other place to kiss him other than his lips, which, until his question, were her next target.

"You know why we can't," she whispered. One of Avery's arms slid down to Alicia's thigh. He rubbed it through her pants. It was the first sign of something resembling romantic interest from him.

"We've made love before," he retorted. "Why is now any different than back then?" His hand squeezed his stepsister's thigh. She rolled her lips together, savoring his touch.

"Hypothetically, if we started living together, what would we tell mom and dad?" She smirked. Her hands encircled his cheeks.

"We don't have to tell them anything."

"There's no way we could hide this from dad. He sniffs out secrets for a living. If, and when, they found out about us, do you think they'd approve of it? Of us being in love?"

"Is it love, Alicia?" His eyes finally opened and stared squarely into hers.

"What?" She asked, looking confused by his question.

"This thing between us. Is it love, or is it lust? Or just some bizarre attraction?"

"Why does it have to be only one of them? Why can't I find you attractive, lust for you, and love you all at once?"

"How do you know you love me?"

"Because I know, baby brother."

"But how?" She sighed and looked to her left.

"Where are all your previous lovers? Where's Sarah? Or Tiffany? Better yet, where's Erin? Have any of them contacted you? I'm the first one, aren't I?" Those questions left her body with more vigor than she intended. It rang more of admonition than fondness. Avery sighed and closed his eyes. He built his walls higher to repel the tsunami created by Alicia's earthquake of a comment.

"Hey!" She called to him at full volume. Her exclamation was supplemented by a jeering shake of her hands. Avery opened his eyes and looked to his stepsister once again.

"I love you more than any other woman will ever love you. I know that because, despite everything you've done, I immediately raced here to be with you," she decreed. At the conclusion of her decree, she leaned down and kissed him. Seconds later, her long, blonde long encased Avery's head. Alicia waited for what seemed like forever for any reciprocation. His lips were only displaying minimal interest in hers. At least it was something, but she wanted more. She did not believe that she was the only one of them that daydreamed about their sex or longed for it to happen again.

"Please don't reject me," she murmured to him. Finally, his hand squeezed her thigh again. His tongue parted her lips and swirled its way around hers. The stepsiblings moaned their contentment of the happenings into one another's mouths. His hand moved from her thigh to the back of her head, pressing her down into the loving embrace. Avery's senses were overwhelmed by the fragrance Alicia exuded. It was new to him; to the best of his recollection, no woman had ever worn anything like it. Alicia finally pulled away from her stepbrother, albeit only by an inch or two.

"I want you," she confessed, gliding her wet tongue against his lips. Responding in kind, he occasionally jutted his tongue to catch hers.

"You do?" He whispered back, burrowing his fingers into the frock of blonde hair still entombing his face.

"I do," she responded. One of her hands started the long trek down Avery's body towards his waist. It stopped shy of the waistline to his pants.

"Do you think we should?" He asked, opening his eyes to look at his beautiful stepsister. Through some intuitive means, Alicia knew his eyes were upon her. Respecting his attentiveness, she withdrew her tongue, rose another inch or two, and then struck him down with a peer of her alluring hazel eyes.

"I do," she answered, slowly moving her hand into his pants. They were quite restrictive, but she had small hands. When her fingertips traced the long shaft of manhood hidden underneath the two layers of clothes, she was elated. "I think you do, too."

"I do," he retorted, positioning himself, so Alicia's gentle hand would have an easier time. A small rush crested from the small of her back to the base of her neck each time her index finger outlined her stepbrother's long member. Her stepbrother responded, sliding one of his hands up her body to her chest. Playfully, he poked underneath her full breast. Before he could continue, she pushed away his hand.

"Not here, Avery," she spoke aloud, snatching away the caress of her hand. Avery desired its return, as though it were candy being taken away by a bully.

"I want it in the bedroom," she requested. Her hips turned to the right, and she lowered her feet onto the carpet beneath them. Avery raised his head as Alicia stood and strutted towards his bedroom. Giving chase to her, he immediately jumped off the couch. The bedroom was darkened, save for some light buzzing on and off from a lamppost outside of the window. Alicia stood at the head of the bed, near the woven nightstand. The light on her phone reflected against her skin, and her fingers tapped away on the screen.

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY, III

"Do you want the lights on or off?" He asked. His finger was situated underneath the switch. After a few seconds of silence, Alicia replied.

"Can we make it the same dimness as it was in the dining room somehow?"

"We can get it pretty close," he said, turning the switch to its "on" position. A powerful, white light sprang from the tall lamp just behind her. It was strong enough to illuminate the entire room. The bedroom's walls were uncovered, plain, white walls. Only two dressers, some plastic storage bins, and some smaller, plastic organizer bins surrounded the room. He walked towards the lamp and turned on a second bulb hanging underneath the brighter one at the top. Its light was far less powerful. Switching off the top bulbs, what light remained in the room made a decent approximation of how the dining room appeared. With the lighting just right, Alicia placed her phone onto the nightstand. From its speakers, a very old song began to play. It was the slow drum, keyboard, bass, and guitar introduction from Sade's "No Ordinary Love". Hearing it warmed the frigid, empty space within him.

"Oh, wow! I haven't heard this song in years!" He exclaimed. She stepped in front of him and placed his arms around her small waist.

"It was listening to Spotify on the way here, and this song randomly came on. I remember it was one of your favorites, and it made me want to get to you sooner," she explained, resting her arms around his neck. "I didn't want you to be sad."

"I'm happy you're here, sis," he said, leaning forward to kiss Alicia's forehead. Feeling the gesture caused Alicia's cheeks to redden.

"I have two requests," she said, stretching herself to his chin and pecking it before extricating from him. Crossing her arms, she pulled the audacious shirt from her frame. Aged almost twenty-nine years, Avery could attest each of her living years was good to his stepsister. Alicia's caramel skin was unblemished. No birthmarks, moles, or stretchmarks adorned it; her breaths would cause her stomach to sink inward, revealing a commendable set of abdominal muscles. Her breasts still possessed their luster, appearing both larger and smaller than their debut to him five years ago. Dropping the shirt onto the floor, she adjusted the bra straps, causing her weighty breasts to jiggle in their restraints. In the low illumination, Avery recognized the pattern on the bra strap.

"Where have I seen that bra?" He questioned, squinting hard at it.

"It's the same one I wore when I sent you that last selfie," she responded, looking down at her clothed breasts.

"Do you like it? It's new," she commented. It was lacey, deep red, and sheer over much of her actual breasts. Covering her nipples were thick lines of cotton, shaped to appear as vines. The pattern echoed throughout the garment. As is commonplace with many bras nowadays, the center of the bra was accentuated with a tiny, lace bow.

"It's very beautiful," he responded, lifting his white shirt and dropping it to the floor. Alicia rolled her lips as the frontal of her stepbrother appeared before her. The last time she saw him in this state of undress was when he was still in high school; he was a heavier man at the time. His body had trimmed throughout college.