Her Brother Ch. 02

"And he's not your boyfriend," he added, returning his attention to Lisette. "He's mine."

Lisette shook her head slowly, seething. "This is really sick," she said in a low, trembling voice. "I don't know if the two of you are just messing with me, but either way, it's really, really sick."

She began yelling at Julien in French, and he shook his head vehemently. "Stop!" he shouted over her. "I'm not listening to you! English only!"

Lisette's head whipped around to face me. "You really had... sex... with him?" she hissed, her expression twisting with horror.

"Yes."

"You have the nerve to call me disgusting, when you had gay sex with my own brother?"

"What exactly do you think is disgusting?" I challenged. "That it was your brother, or that it was gay?"

"Uh, both!" she shot back. "You're both perverted and you're going to hell!"

"Sure, and you think God saves a special pair of angel wings for a woman who'll sleep with a man who has a wife and children?"

"Ew! Lise, you're horrible!" Julien exclaimed.

"You're one to talk! You corrupted my boyfriend!"

"He didn't 'corrupt' me," I cut in. "I made the first move."

"I don't believe that for a moment," Lisette hissed, shifting her intense glare toward me. "My brother is a manipulative little pervert. I'm sure he made you think you made the first move. You're weak-willed, gutless, and naive!"

I gritted my teeth. "I was when I was with you," I said in a low, dark tone. "You need a guy with no backbone. And that's not me anymore. Julien makes me feel like I'm a worthwhile person, a whole man who deserves respect. We both deserve respect, Lisette. So back off... and let's just make a clean break of things."

"You both deserve respect?" she repeated, her tone dripping with sarcasm. "That's cute. Wait till my back is turned, fool around with my own brother, and then tell me I'm a disgusting person? I can't even believe what a hypocrite you are."

"Exactly how am I the hypocrite? You're the one who opened things up for 'seeing other people' - it was your idea, and you were obviously off having your little affair well before I had Julien in bed!"

"Uuugghhh!" Lisette groaned, her face scrunching in disgust. "You did it in our own bed? I'm going to vomit!"

"Bet it was the best sex that ever happened in your bed," Julien retorted.

Lisette lunged around the island toward him, but Julien rounded in the opposite direction. It would have been like a bizarre cartoon had there been anything funny to me about the situation.

"Stop it, Lise!" I called out, feeling that I needed to end this feud but helpless to figure out how. I wanted to physically restrain Lisette to prevent her from hurting Julien, but would that be construed as assault at this point? Would she actually harm him?

Before I could reach any conclusions, her steps were hampered as she tripped over something. When she saw what it was, she reached down quickly to pick it up. It was Julien's teddy bear, which we had left lying on the floor near the kitchen this morning. She held it up by one furry ear.

"Give that to me!" Julien said, his voice rising in panic.

"You take my boyfriend, I take your bear - and I'll do whatever I like with the stupid thing!" she snarled.

"Lisette, this is madness!" I exclaimed. "Give him back his bear."

"Oh, sure. Whatever you like." She pulled a knife out of the nearby block and poised it at the bear's neck.

"Are you insane?!" I cried. "Put down the goddamn knife and get a hold of yourself!"

Julien was nearly beside himself, clearly wanting to rescue his teddy bear, but neither of us dared to approach her at this point. Lisette looked at both of us with challenge in her eyes, and then slashed with the knife, taking off most of the bear's head, exposing puffs of white stuffing.

"LISE!" Julien screamed, charging toward her. She dropped both the knife and the wounded stuffed animal and dodged away, toward the apartment door.

"Crazy bitch!" Julien hollered through clenched teeth as he gathered up his bear's remains.

"Don't worry - we'll get him fixed," I promised, hurrying to his side to comfort him, but his attention was suddenly arrested by what Lise was doing over by the door.

"Fuck, NO!" he cried, leaving the bear on the counter and pulling away from me to dash toward the doorway, where Lisette had just exited. I hadn't noticed what she was up to, but I followed them closely, and darted out into the hallway just in time to see Lisette shoving Julien's beloved Chuck Taylors down the garbage chute.

"MY CHUCKS!" Julien screamed. In his rage, he descended to his native tongue, abandoning his commitment not to speak French around me: "Salope! Salope! Je te déteste! Fou - t'es malade mental!"

I caught him just in time to restrain him from striking her. She stood haughtily with her arms crossed.

"Tapette," she hissed. "Enculé!"

"FUCK YOU!" he screamed, struggling against my arms.

"Va te faire foutre!" she yelled back.

"Shhh," I soothed into Julien's ear, not letting up on my tight grip as he began to shake and sob. "Shhh. This is going no further. Both of you - this is over. And don't think I won't call the cops if I have to."

A neighbour opened his door a crack and peeked out to witness the commotion.

"I'm sorry," I called out to the neighbour before pulling Julien back to our apartment. I gave Lisette a hard glare. "Back inside!"

Incredibly, she obeyed me, finally looking a little chastened.

"This is really embarrassing," I muttered. "We're not children."

"I'm sorry, Cody," Julien whimpered between sobs. He turned his body around so he could hug me. I squeezed him tightly.

"It's okay, Jules," I whispered. "I'll take care of everything."

"So now what?" Lisette muttered, crossing her arms and leaning moodily against the kitchen island. "The two of you ride off into a rainbow?"

"Lise," I said calmly, "I'm sorry you're hurt over this, but you're handling it very poorly. Take some time and calm down. You and your brother obviously don't need to be in each other's lives right now. I'm taking him out of here, right this minute. I'll be back in a bit, and we're going to talk through some things."

She growled something incoherent and stalked back to the bedroom, slamming the door behind her. I grabbed my keys, stepped into a pair of shoes, and offered Julien a pair of my own sneakers. They were too big for him, but they were something for the time being.

It wasn't until we'd been on the road for a few minutes that he asked where we were going. I glanced briefly over at him. He'd been leaning against the window, softly crying and fogging up the glass.

"Holiday Inn, little bro," I replied gently, resting a hand on his thigh. "Only the best for my guy."

He sniffled and ran a sleeve across his wet face. "How long?"

"Dunno. We'll have to figure out something. I can afford to put us up for a little while, but we'll need something more permanent as soon as possible."

"'Us'...?"

"Of course! You think I'd stay in that apartment with her now?"

"I guess not."

I squeezed and stroked his leg as comfortingly as I could. "It's gonna be you and me, Julien. That's what you want... isn't it? I don't want to railroad you. If there's someplace else you want me to take you...."

"No! Oh, Cody, of course I want to stay with you!" he exclaimed, leaning over to rest on my shoulder instead of the window. "I'm so sorry. I'm sorry about all this. My sister brings out the worst in me. And I'm mourning over a stupid pair of shoes and a toy when I should be thanking you for helping me."

"Don't worry about it," I soothed, turning to kiss the top of his head while we were stopped at a light. "And there's nothing stupid about the way you feel. I like that you're sentimental. Everything's going to get better now, okay? We'll make sure of it."

"Thank you, Cody," he sighed.

"Of course."

We drove in silence for a few more minutes. I swung through a drive-thru to grab us a couple of burgers, as it had been a few hours since we'd eaten. At last I pulled into the Holiday Inn, and we sat in the car for a few minutes while we finished eating. I turned to Julien with hesitant curiosity. "Could I ask... what was it she said to you? 'Tapette' or something?"

He crossed his arms and slumped over. "That means like... it's the same thing as 'faggot'. She basically called me a faggot and a cocksucker, or asshole, or whatever. And she told me to go fuck myself."

I sighed harshly, feeling anger rise in the pit of my stomach. "So. She'll cuss in French, but not in English."

"Basically, yeah."

I shook my head in disbelief. "I'm so disgusted with myself for being with her. I feel like I should apologize to you. I don't know that I would be especially keen on someone who would date a person like her."

After a few quiet moments, he leaned over and kissed my cheek, letting his soft lips linger there. "No, really... there's nothing you should feel sorry for," he whispered. "If it hadn't happened, how else would I have met you?"

I hooked my hand around the back of his neck and leaned against the top of his soft head. "Thank you," I whispered back. "You're right. I hadn't thought of it that way. I guess everything happens for a reason."

I rented a room for us, and helped Julien inside. He was still sulky and distant after the conflict with his sister, so I tucked him into bed and kissed his cheek.

"I'll try to be back within a couple of hours," I whispered. "If I'm going to be any longer, I'll text you, okay?"

"Okay."

I watched him curled up there like a sad little boy, and it tugged achingly at my heartstrings to leave him, but I was reasonably confident I could make him happy again once I returned.

Back at the apartment, my first stop was to visit the building superintendent, and beg access to the dumpsters in the basement. I told him something important had gotten thrown away by accident, though I wasn't sure if he believed me. Regardless, he was amenable to my request and I was overjoyed to find only one or two people had tossed trash bags down the chute since Julien's shoes had been thrown away. They were lying there neatly, almost on the top of the pile of trash, and all of the refuse in their vicinity was neatly bagged. The beloved Chuck Taylors were unsullied and available for the taking. I grabbed them and tucked them under my arm, thanking the super profusely for his help. I placed the shoes safely in my car before returning to the apartment.

Lisette was still shut in the bedroom when I walked in. I didn't bother her at first, and instead focused on packing all of Julien's things. He hadn't unpacked much, so it was an easy job. I even remembered to toss the Oreo cookies into his backpack. I gathered up the remains of his brutally assaulted teddy bear and tucked them gingerly into a shopping bag.

"What are you up to?" Lisette asked.

I looked up from the pile of things I had moved piecemeal to the door, ready to be moved down to my car. She had opened the bedroom door about two inches and was peeking out at me.

"Packing. I told you I was moving Julien out of here. I came back for his things. And I'm going to pack myself a suitcase."

"What, you're moving in with him now?" she snorted. "After knowing him for like, a day? What kind of idiot are you?"

"I'm just exploring options right now, Lise," I replied, trying hard to keep my temper from flaring up again. "For the time being, we're staying in a hotel. This obviously isn't a safe place for him, and it's certainly nowhere I want to be."

"So you're moving out, just like that?" She opened the bedroom door wider and took a step out.

"I'm moving out for good once I figure out a new place. I can't take everything I own with me at this very moment."

"Find a way," she shot back. "Because if you leave this apartment now, I'm changing the locks. You're not getting back in."

I clenched my jaw and glared at her, shaking my head slowly. "You'll do nothing of the sort."

"You have no control over me!"

"No, but I do have control over fifty percent of this apartment. My name's on the rental agreement. You have no legal right to keep me out, and if you withhold my personal possessions, don't think I won't do what's necessary."

She gasped dramatically and put on an exaggerated expression of fear. "Ohhh, nooo! Sweet little Cody is going to 'do what's necessary'! I'm so scared!"

"Grow up, Lisette," I muttered. "I'll come back for the rest of my things at a later date. And there's nothing you can do to stop me from doing that. I will get the police involved if you give me any trouble."

"Well, look who's found a backbone," she quipped.

"Yes. Exactly. Me." I walked toward her. "Excuse me, I need to get into the bedroom."

"No you don't."

"I need to get my clothes, Lise," I said, my tone escalating. "What are you going to gain from keeping them? Are you going to have some kind of ex-boyfriend garage sale? Burn them and have a little party? I know you're just trying to fuck with me, and it's incredibly insipid."

"You know what's insipid? You suddenly swearing because you're all excited about copying my brother, and thinking you're so cool."

"Not as insipid as pretending you're Miss Moral Superiority, and then only swearing in French so that no one knows it but your brother! I know what you called him, and I think you're a terrible person. Should I even mention again that you had an affair with a married guy? You've lost all integrity. Get out of my way!"

She wedged herself in the doorway. "No. You want to leave, then leave. Leave now and don't come back."

"It doesn't work that way, Lise! I wish it could be that simple, but we have an apartment together, and we're going to have to tie up a lot of loose ends. Can we please be grown-ups about this? Step aside and let me get my clothes."

We stared each other down for at least a minute, and finally she backed down.

"Fine. Get your stupid things. I could use the extra closet space!"

I packed up a bag for myself and tried my hardest to ignore Lisette, who griped ceaselessly at me. When I was ready to leave, she followed me to the door.

"If you do come back, bring Julien," she said, crossing her arms. "He belongs here. Our mother entrusted him to my care. You wouldn't tear a family apart."

"No, Lise, but I wouldn't stop an eighteen-year-old from exercising his rights as a legal adult, and neither you nor your mother can stop him either." I picked up a couple of boxes and went down to pack them into my car. When I returned, she was still standing there with her arms crossed.

"We still have four months left on our lease!" she exclaimed shrilly.

"I know," I sighed, hefting up the remaining bags. They were almost too much for me to handle, and I knew I would have a sore back tomorrow, but I didn't want to face Lisette another time today. "I signed the lease, so I'll have continue to pay half rent. Or will I? Because there's also the fact that you're going to owe me half the cost of all the furniture you picked out that we both paid for. I doubt you'll give that over without a fight, so maybe we can just call it even. I know how much it all cost, and we both know you'd be getting the better part of the deal by keeping all the furniture. That sofa alone was almost three thousand!"

"Get out!" she screamed.

I stepped out, and she slammed the door behind me. I heard her locking it and sliding the chain in place. I breathed a sigh of relief, deciding that her response was as good as an agreement. I didn't plan on paying a cent more on rent for that apartment, and if she decided to get a lawyer, I figured I had a solid case about the furniture.

After making one special stop, which took nearly an extra hour, I returned to the Holiday Inn and let myself into the room I'd rented for us. Julien was right where I'd left him, napping in the bed. He snored softly. I stood watching him for a minute or two, memorizing his long eyelashes, the curves of his cheekbones, the perfect outlines of his impossibly alluring lips. How did the whole world not run after this boy, trying to steal a kiss? He was the most kissable person I'd ever seen.

At last I reached down to peel up the blanket from the bottom, exposing his feet. He was wearing grey sport socks with a hole in one of the heels that, for reasons I was unaware of, made my heart melt. I sat down next to his feet and carefully slipped them into his Chuck Taylors. He stirred and sat up halfway, squinting at me.

"Hauunghh...?" he mumbled incoherently. He realized after a moment that I'd put shoes on him, and suddenly he whisked the blanket aside entirely, staring at his feet. His eyes widened, and his jaw fell open.

"It's a perfect fit," I whispered with a wink. "You must be the princess I've been looking for."

"Cody!" he crowed, his beautiful eyes lighting up with joy. "You got them back!"

"That's not all," I added, setting a shopping bag on the bed and slowly pulling out Julien's teddy bear. The stuffed animal was subtly scarred, but entirely intact.

"Cody... how?" he gasped. His gleaming hazel eyes grew even wider as he realized his slaughtered bear had been revived. He picked it up and examined it briefly before hugging it against his chest. He reached out to me with his opposite hand, and I wrapped myself around both of them.

"Omigod, Cody... you're my hero!" he whimpered. I felt his body tremble and I knew he was crying. I squeezed him tighter.

"It was nothing," I chuckled gently, rubbing his back. His body felt comfortingly warm in my arms, heated from his recent slumber. The softness of the teddy bear between our chests made me smile when I remembered it had been in the same place the first time I ever hugged him, which seemed like forever ago at this point but, incredibly, had only been the night before last. It wasn't just a sentimental object for Julien anymore. Even though the bear had been gifted to him by another guy, it felt like something that was "ours".

Julien leaned back so he could take a close look at his bear. He ran his finger across the tidily stitched-up places where the knife had slashed through the fur. His finger then outlined the little red felt heart on the bear's chest, which had mercifully escaped harm. "How did you manage this?" he marveled.

"Wish I could say I fixed it myself, but I just looked up some of these places that do sewing alterations and custom tailoring and stuff. Tracked one down that was willing to take on an urgent repair." I grinned at how he seemed to think I'd done something excessively marvellous. "Would it be more magical if I told you I consulted a wizard or a fairy who taught me a spell to repair broken things with the power of love?"

"Yes... I think I'll believe that second one," he giggled, lunging forward to kiss me, hard. He threw his arms around me, pressing the bear against my back. His legs went around my waist, and he clung to me like a small child, sucking hungrily at my neck.

"That tickles!" I laughed, hugging and wrestling him at the same time.

"Om nom nom!" he growled in a Cookie Monster voice, beginning to gnaw at my neck and collarbone. We flopped back onto the bed and rolled around, laughing, tangling the covers as we grappled, biting, licking, and kissing one another.

We grew quieter and less boisterous as we settled into serious making out, spiced with slow, exquisite dry humping. It took very little time for clothes to find their way to the floor.

When Julien began to slip his sneakers off, I stopped him: "Leave these on. I think they're sexy."

He smiled that earth-shattering smile that made me want to swoon like a frail woman in an old black-and-white film.

"You want to fuck me while I'm wearing nothing but my Chucks?"

"Yes. Deal with it."

"Gladly," he giggled, rolling onto his back and splaying his legs wide, Chuck Taylors pointed at the ceiling.