Page 23 of Corrupt Obsession

The bathroom light came on. The water ran. She heard the normal sounds of him brushing his teeth and using the bathroom before she heard his door close as he exited into his bedroom.

Violet stared at the closed door, unable to process what just occurred. She pinched herself. The tiny bite of pain assured her she was very much awake, unless her mind could mimic pain in a dream. But there was evidence… She reached out to touch her sheets, but before she made contact, she stopped. The foreign substance on her cheek suddenly burned white-hot. Stomach tight as a fist, she wiped away the tiny droplets with her sleeve and turned her back on her damp sheets and scooted to the far side of the bed.

She closed her eyes and let out a shaky breath. Even though she’d witnessed it with her own eyes, she didn’t want to believe it. Jesse was her brother. He wouldn’t… She pulled the covers over her head. Maybe she was coming down with something. She had to be to imagine something so deplorable. Jesse was a saint, the poster boy of their high school and church. He had never shown an ounce of depravity or perversion. This wasn’t him.

She clasped her stuffed longhorn to her chest and buried her face in its fur. This didn’t happen. It couldn’t have. She drew her knees up to her chest and willed her mind to erase the past fifteen minutes from her memory banks.

Violet staredblearily at her reflection as she brushed her teeth. She had no idea if she’d gotten any sleep. It didn’t feel like it.

Jesse’s double knock startled her. She hesitated, before she said, “Come in.”

She tapped her toothbrush on the edge of the sink to remove excess water as Jesse entered.

“Morning,” he said.

“Morning,” she returned and set her toothbrush in its holder and reached for her hairbrush.

“Mom made breakfast if you’re hungry,” he said.

“Okay.”

He reached for his comb. She kept her eyes trained on herself as he styled his hair with just a few passes. He was already dressed in jeans and a dark gray sweater. She frowned when he put on a hat. Why brush his hair if he was just going to cover it?

“Are you okay?” he asked.

“Yup,” she said without looking at him.

“You sure?”

“Mm hmm.”

There was a long pause. She felt the intensity of his gaze before he said, “I’m ready when you are.”

When he left, closing his door behind him, she stared at the place he’d been standing. She hadn’t inspected her bedsheets this morning to confirm her fever dream. She couldn’t handle that, so she ignored it, just as she had Jesse. She was worried that looking at him would revive those graphic memories she was trying to repress.

“I’m out, kids! Have a great day! Stay safe!” Mom called as she headed out the door.

“Love you!” Jesse shouted.

“I love you more!” Lynne hollered back.

Despite herself, Violet’s mouth curved. She and Dad never used to say the L word, but thanks to Jesse and Lynne, it had become a daily declaration she never tired of hearing. The familiar ritual eased some of her tension. It was just another day. Everything was the way it should be. And she had to get going.

She gave up on her hair and pulled it back with a clip. She rushed into her bedroom and dressed in jeans and a sweater like Jesse to combat the chilly February morning.

When she made her way to the kitchen, she spotted Jesse outside, wheeling their elderly neighbor’s trash can to the street. On his way back to the house, he was hailed by two women power walking. Violet couldn’t hear what they were saying, but she didn’t need to. The women’s broad smiles and the way they patted his arm told her they were impressed with his thoughtfulness.

She’d heard it for years—adults praising Jesse for being so helpful, kind, and responsible. It wasn’t an act. Jesse was the same at home as he was at school and church. He was a natural leader. People gravitated to him, unconsciously sensing his grounded nature. He was everything everyone believed he was and more. She knew for a fact that he was a genuinely helpful, sweet guy. He had made her life immeasurably better. She had been so insecure, so terrified of things going wrong. His steadfast patience, love, and support healed wounds she didn’t know she had. It took years for her to accept that this was her real life, and it wouldn’t dissolve when Mom and Dad had a fight. She didn’t want anything to change. Not now, when she finally had everything she’d ever wanted and more.

As Jesse started up the driveway, she hastily made herself a breakfast sandwich. By the time he opened the door, she had the leftovers in the fridge with a note for Dad when he came home from work.

“Ready?” Jesse asked.

“Yup.”

She braced one hand on the wall as she shoved her feet into her boots.

“That’s the second time you’ve said that this morning,” Jesse observed.

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