Chapter 36: The Lighted House
The doorknob turned with a soft click.
The contrast hit me immediately. Outside still smelled of hot earth and dust; inside it smelled of food, soap, and that closed-in warmth of several people sharing the same air. The light from the living room made me squint for a second. Voices. The television at low volume. The sound of plates.
"Ethan!"
Ava was the first.
She appeared from the hallway as if she had been waiting for the sound of the door. Her silver hair fell loose over her shoulders and she was wearing a loose T-shirt that reached mid-thigh. Without thinking twice she threw herself at me and wrapped both arms around my waist, burying her face against my chest.
The impact of her body knocked the air out of me.
Her breasts, large and firm, pressed against me with absolute naturalness. The sweet scent of her shampoo invaded me at the same time that the memory of Camila —the direct question, the gaze on my crotch, the way I fled— stabbed me in the throat again.
"Where were you for so long?" she asked, without letting go. "I looked for you and you weren't here."
"I just… walked," I answered, trying to keep my voice from shaking. "I got lost around town for a while."
Ava lifted her face toward me. Her blue eyes examined me with that mix of concern and possessiveness I was already starting to recognize. She didn't seem entirely convinced, but she didn't let go either.
Behind her, in the living room, were the others.
Mom stood up from the sofa with a tired but genuine smile. She was still wearing her work clothes, though she had unbuttoned the first few buttons of her blouse. Maya was sitting in an armchair with her legs crossed, black hair loose, watching me with that calm of hers that always seemed to see more than she said. Lila, reclining on the other end of the sofa, raised an eyebrow and sketched a slow, dangerous smile. Sophia barely lifted her eyes from her phone, though I noticed she glanced at me a second longer than necessary.
"Finally," Mom said, coming closer. "We were starting to worry. Did you eat anything?"
"No… I wasn't very hungry."
Ava was still stuck to me. When Mom came closer to give me a hug, she only shifted a little to the side without fully letting go. The result was that I ended up trapped between the warm, voluptuous body of my younger sister and Elena's maternal embrace. Mom's cleavage was centimeters from my face. The familiar perfume hit me along with the memory of having seen her naked that same morning, applying oil to her breasts.
'No. Not now,' I thought, looking away.
Maya didn't say anything at first. She just held my gaze when I untangled myself from the hugs. It was a second, maybe less, but enough for me to remember the bulge she had seen in my pants hours earlier. I looked away first.
"You look weird," Lila commented from the sofa, with a casual tone that fooled no one. "Like you've seen a ghost. Or something worse."
"I'm tired," I answered too quickly.
"Sure," she said, and that smile widened by a millimeter.
Ava tugged softly on my T-shirt.
"Come. Sit with me. Or better… want me to fix you something? You look like you haven't eaten all day."
"I'm fine, Ava."
"You're not fine," she insisted, frowning. "You're all tense. And sweaty. Did you run or what?"
Before I could invent another excuse, she took my hand and dragged me toward the sofa. She forced me to sit and settled herself against my side, almost on top of me, with one leg bent on the couch. Her thigh brushed mine. The heat of her body filtered through the thin fabric of her T-shirt.
The rest of the conversation became background noise. Mom asked how I had felt on my first full day back. Maya commented something about work. Sophia murmured that Clay had taken her for a drive. Lila just watched me from time to time, with that expression that said I know you're hiding something.
I answered with monosyllables.
The image of Camila wouldn't leave. The way her eyes dropped to my crotch. The raw question. Is it because of me? And me fleeing like a coward. Now I was here, with Ava stuck to my side, her breasts brushing my arm every time she moved, and the guilt piled up in layers.
After a while Mom stood up.
"I'm going to get things ready for tomorrow. Don't stay up too late."
Maya also stood up shortly after.
"Me too. I have to leave early again tomorrow."
As she passed in front of me, Maya stopped for a second. Her gaze dropped slightly, almost imperceptibly, and then returned to my eyes. She said nothing. She only sketched a half-smile that left my stomach in knots and continued toward the hallway.
Lila yawned exaggeratedly.
"Well. I'm turning in too. Rest well… those who can."
She glanced at me one last time before disappearing.
Sophia got up with little more than a vague "good night" and went after her.
Ava and I were left alone in the living room.
She didn't move. On the contrary: she settled better against me, resting her head on my shoulder.
"Don't leave yet," she murmured. "I like it when you're here."
The weight of her body, the softness of her breast against my side, and the scent of her made me close my eyes for a second. The contrast was cruel. Hours earlier I had been on the verge of confessing to another woman that I desired her. Now my younger sister clung to me as if I were her safe place.
"We should go to sleep," I said, my voice lower than I intended.
Ava lifted her face. Her blue eyes shone under the dim light of the living room.
"Are you going to sleep with me again?"
I nodded.
I had no other option. And, in some strange way, I didn't want one either.
She smiled, satisfied, and stood up taking my hand.
"Then let's go."
We walked together down the hallway in silence. Every step brought me closer to the shared room, to the bed where she slept naked, and to everything I still hadn't processed from the day.
When we reached the door, Ava went in first and left the light off. Only the faint light filtering from the hallway vaguely illuminated the interior.
I stayed for a second on the threshold, my heart still racing and my head full of two different women: one I had fled from and another who now waited for me inside, in the dark.
I closed the door behind me.
End of Chapter 36
A very special and sincere thank you to Ominousgaunt. You've been sending Power Stones almost every day, even though I haven't updated chapters for more than a week. That kind of constant support means a lot. Thank you for sticking with the story.
Also thank you to MRempire for the Power Stones and the continued support.
I appreciate both of you.