The Wrong Sister

It was a blustery February night. Stacey and I had spent the evening in front of the TV, as usual, then chatted in bed, had sex, and fell asleep snuggled warmly against each other. Well, she fell asleep. I just couldn’t. Slowly, I detangled myself from her thin arms and crept across the hall. I pulled Burke out of his cage, always happy for the company, and mentally ran through a list of things I could do online until sleep found me. I decided to see if Lisa was awake. She was. Me:So glad you’re awake. Are you up for chatting? Her:Sure, hun. Is everything okay? Me:It’s fine. I just can’t sleep and don’t feel like doing much else. Her:Okay, well, let’s see if I can be a bit of a sedative for you. Me:LOL, did you look up that rap song and listen to it? Her:Yes. Me:And? Her:At first, it was just so-so, but then it kinda grew on me. Me:The chorus is boring, but the verses are okay. That Mandy Moore song is beautiful. Thanks for letting me know about it. Her:You’re quite welcome. Me:I had a dream that Stacey wanted to wallpaper the entire house, but she didn’t want my help and didn’t want me in the way either, so she shipped me down to you for two weeks. Her:That might be a bit hard for me. Me:Yeah, I’m amazed you survived nearly three days of me, haha. Her:That’s not quite what I meant, but I honestly can’t imagine Stacey wallpapering. Me:Me neither. Would you do me a favor and move here? I’m serious, LOL. Bennie just doesn’t like me. She hasn’t said so, but I can sense it. I’m too big a pill for your family to swallow. If you moved up here, I’d help you unpack. The weather may be a little better there, but even you must get sick of those hills that are more like walls. I’d even help you decorate. Her:Aw, that’s really sweet of you, honey, but I can’t just up and move. Me:Yeah, I know, but I can at least wish you could at times. Her:Do you think maybe you or Stacey could talk to her? Me:No! I don’t want to offend anyone. Being a little uncomfortable never killed anyone, anyhow. I just wish she weren’t so serious at times, but I guess that’s just who she is. Her:Yeah, she’s always had a serious side, but she doesn’t bite, I assure you. Sorry I couldn’t move there for you, though. Me:Yeah, me too. I’ll still see you again someday. Her:Yes, I’m sure you will. Until then, I’m always here for you if you need to chat. Me:Thanks, Lisa. I’ll show you whatever I’ve colored in your lovely coloring book at that time. Her:LOL, looking forward to it. I’m sure your color selections will be fabulous. I hear it’s supposed to help relieve anxiety. Isn’t that why you saw Stacey? Me:Yes, I had a traumatic experience when I reacted poorly to a medication. It was terrifying. Her:I’ll bet. Me:But I lived to be a burden to Bennie. :) Her:ROTFL! Me:Okay, Detective, have a great night. Welterusten! Her:Take care, sweetie. I closed my laptop with a yawn. Even though my body was tired, my thoughts raced over the conversation I’d just had with Lisa. If anything, the good-looking detective was more like speed than a sedative. I loved chatting with her, and I really wished she lived nearby. Maybe I wished it a little more than I should. It was true that she’d been popping into my mind more often lately, and I realized I had developed a small crush on her. I tried to push it down like crushing out a cigarette, but the reality kept bubbling to the surface. I wouldn’t dare tell anyone. What good would it do me anyway? There was nothing I could do about it. I was still attracted to Stacey and adored her as a person. The only problem was that I found her sister a little hotter, and I adored her personality as well, even if I didn’t know her as well as I knew Stacey. I was pretty sure most people would agree that Lisa was more attractive, and not just because she was younger. She wasn’t flashy or overtly feminine—that was my department. She usually wore dark shades of black, blues, and purples, and preferred jeans, T-shirts, or sweats. Even in casual clothing, she had sex appeal, at least in my opinion. I stared at a picture of her in a black leather jacket over a white T-shirt with jeans and brown boots. Her smile matched her bright shirt. She was in great shape and had a great body. Better proportioned than Stacey, whose arms and legs were almost too thin compared to her core, Lisa had better muscle tone. Her larger dark eyes were intoxicating in a way that could almost be intimidating. Her dark, wavy hair looked great whether down loose, pulled back at the sides, or in a ponytail. Something in the way she spoke also turned me on, and I admired her intelligence. If anything annoyed the hell out of me, it was people who were stupid, forgetful, flaky, dishonest, phony, insensitive, selfish, or unreliable. I wasn’t perfect myself, but after all I’d been through, I needed people who were real and reasonably intelligent. I felt a little guilty about my feelings, even though I knew they couldn’t be helped. Humans were attracted to multiple people throughout their lives. I understood this. No one had control over it—it was simply how we were designed. Just like when I’d been shocked to learn my feelings for Stacey were mutual, I seriously wondered if Lisa was thinking along the same lines. I had always been very intuitive, and it was something I sensed. Subtle yet obvious, in certain things she said and how she said them. For instance, when she told me she could think of a few people who wouldn’t mind if I had a copy of myself lying around. I couldn’t know for sure if she meant herself, but it definitely made me wonder. And just what exactly did she mean by it being hard on her for me to spend a couple of weeks with her? My first thought was that she meant it would be a hassle because of her schedule, or maybe entertaining friends, or someone more than a friend. But what if she meant she had feelings for me, and it would be hard having me around, knowing she could never act on them? Or maybe I had her all wrong. Maybe Lisa was simply a very friendly person, especially to me after everything I’d been through. Maybe I was just misreading her, wanting her to like me because I liked her. Sometimes we make something seem real just because we wish it were. Little did I know, at this time, that I would soon see a lot more of Lisa, and my questions would soon be answered. Life was about to be turned upside down again. And fate was about to throw us together.