Seemingly a moment later she was awakened by the glare of the morning sun streaming onto her face through the window and the clanging of pots and pans in the kitchen. Katy stretched her arms before sitting up and looking around to see her brother in the kitchen busy making breakfast and hearing the crackling of the re-kindled fire. She gave a satisfied smile when she picked out the aroma of fresh coffee brewing. Katy pulled off her blanket and set her sock-clad feet on the floor and stood up.
“It’s been a while since I’ve had anyone make me breakfast!” she said with a smile.
Jeff responded without looking up from the bacon frying in the pan in front of him. “Takes me back a little bit!”
Katy grinned remembering how her brother always loved to cook a feast for breakfast on lazy weekends when they were younger and even in this very cabin. Though not very healthy, she always enjoyed the hearty breakfast meals that he loved to make on those occasions.
She poured herself a cup of coffee and sauntered across the kitchen. Jeff looked up at her and grinned. When his gaze met hers, she was suddenly reminded of the events of the previous night. Her eyes opened wide when she saw the grin on her brother’s bearded face and all the moans and sounds of him pleasuring his wife and then himself replayed in her mind. She turned away as nonchalantly as she could manage and sat herself down at the table and sipped her coffee.
“Where’s your better half?” Katy quipped between sips.
“Oh she’s still asleep,” her brother responded. “She.. uh… didn’t sleep well last night.”
Katy held up her cup so it covered her lips and murmured “Oh, you don’t say?” out of Jeff’s earshot.
As if on cue, the creaking of the steps announced Bethany’s descent down to the kitchen. Katy glanced toward her as she reached the bottom, clad in a fuzzy robe. For the first time, Katy noticed the extent of the many physical features that she and Bethany shared. They were both brunettes of similar build and shape, though Bethany was the taller by an inch or two. One of the only noticeable contrasts were Bethany’s brown eyes compared to Katy’s hazel mixture of greens, greys, and hints of blue. The thought was both interesting and perplexing.
Jeff spoke up from the stove, “Morning! Fresh coffee in the pot!”
Bethany just glowered at him and stepped off to the bathroom carrying her bag with her. Katy watched her storm out of view and the door shut behind her before looking over at her brother who watched his wife with a look of concern and frustration in his eyes.
“What was all that about?” Katy queried, still not making eye contact with her brother.
“Oh, I’m pretty sure she’s pissed at me,” Jeff mumbled under his breath as he began to set out the bacon.
“Seriously?” Katy retorted, her annoyance at Bethany overcoming her desire to avert eye contact with her brother. “What’s she got to be pissed about? She’s not lifted a finger to do anything since we’ve arrived!” Silently, her mind followed up the statement with …even in bed!
Jeff smirked as he brought over the plate of bacon along with eggs and roasted potatoes. “I’ll tell you later, Sis.”
Katy had some idea of why she might be upset based on what she overheard during the night, but was emboldened and curious to see how much her brother would actually divulge if pressed.
“You mean there’s a time where she’s not up your ass having you do everything for her?”
Even though the comment was an honest one, she immediately wondered if perhaps it was out of line. She grabbed a piece of bacon from the plate and looked intently at her brother to see how he would respond. He sipped his own coffee and then looked up at her.
“Let’s just say she isn’t exactly thrilled with how I’ve been handling all this since… you know.”
Katy’s boldness was quickly replaced by remorse over pressing the issue. She could see the frustration practically screaming out behind his eyes. She reached across the table and took his hand.
“Well I don’t care what she says or thinks. She’s just lucky to have you.” She paused for a moment before releasing his hand.
“Damn right she is!” Jeff quipped back with a laugh.
Katy smiled but was also hit with a sense of concern for her brother. She knew he used joking as a way to deflect a difficult situation and it was a sign that he was, in fact, not okay. The worry over her brother swirled together with her latent jealous and horny emotions and formed into an idea.
“Let’s take a walk around the lake today! Just like we used to! That will give you a chance to talk through what’s bugging you without…her…. around.”
Jeff looked at her like he was considering the benefits of the idea, albeit silently.
“It’s fucking freezing out there Katy!” he weakly objected.
“You know you want to escape… I can see it in your eyes!” Katy turned the charm on knowing that her big brother would cave in to her.
“Ugh… fine!” he smiled and gave her a playful shove across the table. “But let’s eat up. We’ll need to stay warm out there!”
The two ate their breakfast and drank their coffee and were nearly finished by the time Bethany emerged from the bathroom dressed in jeans and a sweatshirt and sporting wet hair. She seemed less perturbed than when she went in, but only slightly.
“Katy and I were planning on a walk around the lake after breakfast,” Jeff said as he poured his wife a cup of coffee. “You want to come?”
Katy could have kicked her brother over that notion. Even if she didn’t want a chance to spend time with him alone, regardless of the reason, she would have rather not had Bethany in tow.
“You’ve got to be kidding right?” Bethany blurted in response. “There’s six inches of snow everywhere and my hair will freeze!” Bethany plopped herself down at the table in a manner that could best be described as incredulous.
“Alright then, we’ll see you when we’ve made it back,” Jeff said as he carried the dishes to the sink.
Katy was more than relieved that Bethany had elected to stay behind willfully. She plucked up her coat and mittens as her big brother made sure the satellite television was working properly before leaving the remote control with his wife. Katy went ahead and stepped out onto the porch ahead of her brother all bundled up for the cold and surveyed the mountainous winterscape. Her mind flitted to memories of herself, her brother, and father at the cabin and she smiled while reminiscing. But pricking her memory was the torrid scene from the night before. Try as she might, she couldn’t shake it and the clumsy mixture of shame and arousal again surged inside her.
“Ready then?” Her brother’s low voice shocked her out of her concentration. She had been so lost in thought that she didn’t even hear him come outside.
“I’ve been ready, just waiting for you to finish showing the Mrs how to work the tele!” she quipped back at him with a grin.
The pair walked down the snow-covered path until they began to follow the perimeter of the lake. A small breeze swept over the cold water and gave Katy a shiver but Jeff reached his arm around her shoulders and pulled her in beside him.
“Can’t have you getting sick on holiday now!” he said before lowering his arm. As he dropped it, Katy slipped her own arm in his and kept trudging through the snow beside him.
“So, I can tell that something is bothering you. I mean… other than the obvious…” she offered softly. “You know the therapist told us both to not keep it bottled up, especially from each other.” She pried partially from genuine concern and partially from nosey curiosity.
“Oh, that doesn’t really have much to do with dad or you at all,” Jeff said.
“All the same, don’t feel like you’ve got to bury it down!”
“It’s a bit embarrassing… err, well… at least to talk about with my sister anyway,” he added softly.
Katy continued to press as gently as she could allow herself. “Ah, I still remember when you were a dorky lanky guy who couldn’t get a date! It can’t be more embarrassing than that!”
They both gave a hearty chuckle and their breath turned to billows of steam into the cold air.
“Yes, you would say that wouldn’t you!” Jeff continued on through the snow, making sure to restrain his long strides to stay linked in arm with his shorter sister. “Well… I’ve kind of… wanted to… like… I need to fuck a lot since dad passed.” He paused as if he couldn’t believe he was saying it out loud. “I know that sounds just awful, but the counselor says it’s one of the ways some people try to escape their grief after a loss like that. It’s so weird and fucked up, but it’s like if I can’t get my mind off all the memories and sad thoughts like that, then my body takes over with urges to try and cope… at least that’s what they’re telling me.”
Katy was stunned to hear that she and her brother were alike in this way. It was oddly comforting to hear that Jeff was facing the same challenges with his grief as she was facing with hers and also made the scene from the night before start to make sense. But she wasn’t quite finished mining for information yet.
“No need to be shy about that!” she said. “So what’s the problem? You’ve got a wife to fuck whenever you need to! I’ve got to settle for whatever college guy is available at the moment…”
She stopped herself short, not entirely intending to let on that she was facing the same challenges and urges, but also wanting to encourage him for her own reasons.
Jeff stopped in his tracks and looked down at her, bits of snow starting to cling to his beard. “You mean to say you’ve got the same thing going on?”
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