Chapter 4: Late Night Dinner

[Abby: Thanks for training me, boss ;)]

[No problem, see ya tomorrow rookie]

I closed my flip phone with a snap after sending her a quick text, my hand reaching for the plastic bag filled with Elsie's clothes I had sat on the porch's wooden handrail. Her mom was rather enthusiastic about picking out the 'right' outfit for her baby girl while her dad glared at me with a look that promised a world of pain if I did anything to hurt his daughter. The nervous jitters in my stomach forced me to sit out on the porch for a bit to calm down. The cool night breeze caressed my skin as I looked out at the moon-soaked landscape. The pale glow illuminated the front yard's long grass, and without any streetlight, it was an oasis of brightness in a sea of dense foliage. I was tempted to light up a cig but before I could strike my lighter the aluminum front door of the house opened with a creak.

"E, come inside, dinner's ready," Clara spoke, my eyes turning back from looking out at the yard toward her where I was met with a stunning sight. My sister was wearing a dress, and it wasn't even for a funeral! Her back leaned against the frame of the door, her hands picking at the edge of the dress's skirt.

"Wow, what's with the get-up?" My eyes trailed down her long sun-kissed legs as I looked at her feet in a pair of black heels. Her already above-average height for a girl at 5'6" (167cm) was further enhanced by the three inches the shoes provided. We were now at the same height, and my question seemed to have the girl blushing as she looked away from my questioning look.

"N-nothin' in particular, I just wanted to wear it is all." She spoke quietly, the stuttering warble in her voice told me she was lying. The girl's right arm nervously grabbed hold of her left bicep, and her blue gem-like eyes refused to make contact with me. She's hiding something, but I have no idea what it is.

"I ain't raggin' on ya sis, but be careful showing off that much cleavage in public. You're too pretty for the boys around here." My eyes looked at the fabric covering her breasts kept in place only by the thinnest of straps hanging on her shoulders. When did my sis get so stacked?

Her tan skin gleamed under the light of the entryway, my eyes looking at her slender neck and exposed collar bones. She was the model example of why schools think exposed shoulders were tempting to boys. Not a single part of her body was flawed, the amount of potential suitors I've threatened in the school parking lot can attest to that.

"Of course, you'd say that…but thanks, Ethan." A gleaming smile grew on her face, her eyes looking at me for the first time tonight. I found my breath taken away, my heart thumping in my chest like a jackhammer. This dangerous feeling growing inside of me needed to be stopped. My hands slapped my cheeks as Clara gave me a strange look.

"Let's head inside, I wouldn't want your food going cold." I stepped past her dragging the sack full of Elsie's clothes in my hand, the plastic bag rustling as I peered inside of our humble abode.

Wood paneling covered the walls, and despite their outdated and tacky appearance, they were the cleanest walls in the world. The scent of lavender hit my nose almost immediately, it was the cleaner Clara used to make the old vinyl flooring shine. The red Roman Square pattern tiles covered a little square around the entryway and acted as the place where we took our shoes off.

My boots slipped off of my feet as I let out a relieved sigh. The cheap work boots I always wore provided little comfort and always left me with aching feet by the end of the night. Clara ignored the no-shoes rule across the carpet as the heels she wore had never left the house. She had always refused to wear things that were 'too girly'. I was still bent over as I had to untie the laces of my boots, my eyes catching sight of her ass bouncing with each step she took in her high heels.

Looking away I stood up before my sock-covered feet sunk into the ugly green carpet, little trails had been left where the girl used the vacuum to clean the old thing. Clara took housekeeping seriously, and had insisted on doing it ever since I began working. I handled the finances and she handled the domestic duties like shopping (with the budget I gave her), cooking, and cleaning.

With dad in the slammer we had to rely on each other for support, well that and the money the government gives us due to our impoverished nature. We aren't too prideful as to not take free handouts especially when a shit ton of my paycheck is slashed due to taxes. The way I see it is that all I'm doing is taking back the funds the government forcefully took from me, and adding a little interest for the inconvenience.

"I made your favorite, Else helped too." I walked right behind her as we took a left across the green sea of scratchy carpet. The threshold to the dining room was separated by a faux wood vinyl strip making a clear distinction between the same vinyl flooring in the entryway and the mini golf course carpet our feet stood on.

"Thanks, Clar, it smells great!" Chicken and dumplings are God's greatest gift to mankind, and anyone who says otherwise hasn't had a taste of my sister's. I practically ran to the circular dining room table, my hands tossing the bag full of Elsie's clothes to the stunned girl. The sound of the plastic sack smacking against her chest filled the air along with the screeching of one of our wooden dining room chairs scraping across the floor.

"Geez, it's not going to go anywhere calm down." Clara chided as her heels clacked across the vinyl floor, her feet leading her to the pot on the stove. Reaching up to the dark wood kitchen cabinet to the left near the corner of the room she pulled out a 'bowl'. It was a whip cream container and despite her best efforts to scrub the thing clean it still held the red stain of chili long since passed around the edges. Taking the ladle she kept beside the stove on the counter she scooped up the piping-hot dumplings and chunks of white chicken.

"I-I can't b-believe she does this for y-you every night E-Ethan." My eyes turned away from the delicious meal being ladled in my bowl and toward the girl who looked like she'd just been through an active warzone. Elsie's shoulder-length hair was a tussled mess, flour covering her cheeks like snow, and her honey-colored eyes gave their best impression of a thousand-yard stare.

"I know, I tell Clar all the time that she doesn't need to cook from scratch. Hell, I'd be happy with just a boloney sandwich!" I nodded my head in agreement, but the girl busy plating my food seemed to disagree. The smell of rich chicken broth hit my nose as the mouth-watering meal was placed in front of me, Clara giving me a smirk as she handed me a fork.

"You say that and yet you really like it when I go all out, see I even put celery and carrots in it this time." My mouth had already wrapped around the fork in my hand after I skewered a few dumplings and a piece of chicken. As I chewed I used my other hand to give the blond-headed girl a thumbs up. The salt and pepper had been applied in the perfect amounts and the celery and carrots really made the flavor of the chicken broth pop.

"H-He really likes p-pigging out on your f-food Clar, I've n-never seen him e-eat another p-person's food this e-e-enthusiastically." Elsie's shy voice woke me up from my food-induced blackout, my eyes drifting down to the very empty whip cream bowl as I drained the last of the broth into my open mouth.

"I do, and I'm really going to miss it when you get married." The thought was instantly revolting to me, the words leaving my lips left a sour taste in my mouth as my face scrunched up in displeasure.

"Why do you look grossed out about me getting married?" Clara's hand smacked the back of my head, her words causing me to look up and see her blushing face. Her other hand had already grabbed my bowl as she walked back to the stove.

"The thought of letting my precious baby sister get married to some sleazy bastard just makes me want to hurl. You're too cute for any of the guys here, and until you find someone who can treat you like the princess you are I won't let anyone touch you." Elsie grinned at Clara, the blond-headed girl doing her best impression of a strawberry as her cheeks grew flaming red.

"Y-you idiot, I don't need your help picking who I want to be with!" Clara groaned as she placed the bowl of chicken and dumplings in front of me. Her heels clacked across the floor as she parked her ass on the other chair across from me. The way she fidgeted with her hair as she looked anywhere but at me told me something was up. Wait a minute—holy shit, did my sister like someone!?

"You have a crush one someone, who is he, I'll kill 'em!?" I stood up, my sock-covered feet gliding across the linoleum flooring as I headed back toward my boots. Whoever wormed their into Clara's heart was as good as dead, the revolver would be getting some use tonight it seems. My face was marred with a deep scowl revealing the wrinkles of my face, my brown eyes felt like simmering coals as I looked at the nervous-looking Clara. As soon as I heard who it was it was on!

"C-calm down idiot, I don't have a crush on anyone!" The way her eyes glanced left along with the way she fidgeted with a strand of her blond hair told me she was lying. Ever since we were little I've been able to recognize when she's lying, and her tells haven't changed since we were kids.

"That's a lie sis, Elsie can you tell me who this punk is? I just want to talk to him!" I looked toward the brown-haired girl who seemed to be fighting desperately to stop herself from busting out laughing. Her hands covered her lips as she looked at Clara with a gleam in her eyes.

"I-I can't say b-but don't worry E-Ethan, you and h-him have a l-lot in c-common." She couldn't fight it any longer as she broke out into a fit of giggles, the sound was really adorable like the sound of a small animal. Her words were less cute however as my eyes narrowed.

"That doesn't make me feel relieved at all if he's like me!" Both girls stared at me stunned for a few seconds, an odd silence lingering in the air before Clara broke it.

"Why can't the guy I like be like you?" Now I found myself trying to choose the right words without coming off as creepy. How do I tell my sister that if there was a girl as pretty as her into me I'd do devious shit to her without saying that?

"B-because if this guy is really like me as soon as you make a move on him he'll never let you go. Having such a cute girl want to date you would be the equivalent of winning the lottery." I looked at Clara, and instead of the disgust I expected to see from her, I got something entirely different in return. Her face was red as a lobster, the blush going down to the top of her plush cleavage. The girl reflexively threw her hands in front of her face to block my sight, but I knew she was embarrassed.

"I-I think y-you broke h-her Ethan." Elsie grinned at her friend's embarrassment and I found myself confronting an uncomfortable thought. Did Clara have a crush on me? My mind flicked back to that beaming smile she gave me as I came home, the feeling of my pulse quickening sent waves of embarrassment crashing over me. Was I into Clara too?