I doubled over in laughter, hooting at his misery.
“Who is that?!?” the other voice shrieked.
I looked over to see a chick with waist-length blond hair on the porch dressed in leggings and a skintight sweater. I could see her nipples in porch light’s glow, no bra in sight.
“It’s my dumb shit brother!”
I stepped out and reached down, knowing I had to greet his pup, Tally, before I touched him, or I’d earn a hell of a bite to the ass. I made that mistake once and wouldn’t do it again.
The brindle beauty loved the rubs, sitting at her master’s side once she had her fair share of lovins. She went everywhere with him, including our get-togethers.
“Come here, you prick!” I hauled Luke into a hug, pinching the back of his arm when I did, earning a yelp.
“OW YOU FUCKING MANIAC!” he shrieked, pulling away. “What the hell was that for?”
“You know what,” I grumbled, popping the trunk and grabbing my suitcase. “I’m crashing on your couch till Friday. Please, and thank you.”
“I have a guest room, you know?” he shot back, crossing his arms, picking up a few more blotches of ink on them since the last time I saw him.
“Even better.” At least I wouldn’t be sleeping somewhere he boned randoms on the regular. I slammed the trunk and strolled to the house, flashing a smile at the blond who was suddenly bashful, twirling a strand of hair as she looked between us.
She was as sweet as I feared, likely still elbows deep in college work and way too innocent for my manwhore of a brother. At a glance, I knew she believed in happily ever after, something she’d never find with a man more fucked up in the love department than I ever was.
“Hi, I’m the older and much wiser Barrett, Jason. You are?”
“Kenzie,” she replied, a voice so tiny it could have come from a mouse.
“Well, Kenzie, how long have you known my dear little brother?”
Luke shot me dead with a look as he approached, his blue eyes as wild as the ones that stared back at me in the mirror every day. His unzipped fly and rumpled shirt told me I interrupted something.
“Uh, oh... a couple days, sir.”
I ached for her, thinking of my daughter in that situation, but she’d have long, wavy locks like her mama. Oh god, what the fuck? I shook my head.
“Well, why don’t you get yourself home? It’s dangerous out there. There are a lot of beasts in rut this time of year.” I shot Luke a knowing look, and he met me with a ferocity that rivaled mine.
“Kimmy and I were just wrapping up.” He pulled her in for a kiss if you could call it that, practically face fucking her with his tongue.
“I’ll be inside,” I declared, trying not to gag as I let myself in, bringing Tally in too because she didn’t need to see that either. I wanted to point out her name was Kenzie, but I’d let him deal with the aftermath.
Stepping into the space wasn’t like going back in time as I expected, the place stripped of the look of yesteryear and refurbished with modern amenities. The worn blue carpet was now hardwood, the choppy yellow walls knocked down in favor of an open concept, huge windows lining the rear wall.
I headed through the living room by a gray cozy sectional with black and ivory pillows, a soft look for the burlier of my brothers. A matching area rug coated the floor beneath, everything facing a flatscreenTV that stood where Nan’s bulky tube television once had.
The kitchen was night and day from our youth, cool tones aplenty while a kitchen island stood in the center, three black stools perched on either side. The eat-in dining area to the right remained undisturbed, the vintage set the same as I remembered it. The only difference was the addition of a large dog bowl, replacing the small ceramic one we had for Kitty.
I avoided the door to the master to my right, making a beeline for the spare room. I wouldn’t touch the doorknob to his room without gloves and some Lysol. In fact, the whole place was probably crawling in cum.
With a twist of the handle, I transported to my childhood, the small room I once shared with my brothers draped in moonlight. Our bunk beds were now a single queen, but as I flipped on the light, I noticed the walls were the same shade of navy that Nan had chosen for her boys.
I smiled, plopping my suitcase down on the bed and sitting beside it. It was a long time coming, but I was finally home.
Elena
Somehow I survived six hours in a car with Marty, though I was tempted to throw open a door and practice stop, drop, and roll on I-81 somewhere in East Bumblefuck, Pennsylvania.
The four of us crammed into the rental sedan around noon, Jason driving while Lee and I crammed in the back, a fat suitcase wedged between us. Marty was in the passenger seat, chattering away, talking over the radio once Jason flicked it on. He also shared the mother of all TMI phone calls with his wife, detailing his latest trip to the urologist that made Lee dry heave.
If that weren’t awful enough, he plowed through six coffee drinks on the way, keeping a supply in an insulated bag at his feet. We stopped eight times for restroom breaks as a result; Jason’s eyes more than homicidal with each new drink he opened.
The four-hour drive was way over schedule, Sunday evening traffic crawling towards the city. We missed the critical window to avoid the snare, Marty’s bathroom trips killing us.
Once we pulled into the parking garage, Marty made a beeline for the bathroom while the rest of us grabbed our bags and agreed to meet him in the lobby.
The clean air of Ithaca was gone, replaced with
