Page 3 of Hot Touch
To go dance and have fun with my sisters, who were genuinely my best friends and wanted to spend time with me. But even if I wanted to go, I had nothing to wear. Nothing fun at least. My eyes skirted to my closet, one that Jackie had rummaged through just forty minutes ago. No. I had nothing sparkly like Liz or colorful like Jack. All my clothes were sensible. Functional. Neutral-colored pieces for the office that got the job done.
“I’m okay,” I answered, hating the sound of it coming out of my mouth. “I have a new book and an early meeting.” Somehow, the idea of a new book didn’t do it for me tonight. I couldn’t get the slight ache of wanting to go with them out of me. To go and have fun.
“Fine, you party pooper.” Jackie sighed with a dramatic eye roll, something she had perfected by the time she was seven. She leaned in and kissed my forehead. “Don’t stay up too late if this meeting is as important as you say it is.”
She rolled out of my bed and shook out her pretty, brightly colored tropical-printed mini-dress that fit her perfectly since she was about my height. That was all we shared in common. Her short pink-haired bob brightened any space she walked into.
“I’m going to go steal a water bottle, is that cool?”
“It’s not stealing if you ask for it.” I sighed. “Get one for Liz, too!” I yelled, and my eyes connected with my older sister.
Liz, I noticed, was looking around the small space of my one-bedroom apartment. “You should move out of here,” she muttered. “It cannot be safe to live here.”
“What do you––“ I stopped myself from lying. I knew it, and so did she.
My place sucked.
The building was old, and the landlord had no intentions of fixing it up. Plus, the area was not the greatest. Not that our little town had a bad area per se, but it wasn’t the safest. And there was no way Mr. Chambers would fix anything more than a lightbulb without raising the rent. Old wires popped out of one corner, and water damage stained the ceiling. It wasn’t much, but it was mine.
“What would you rather I do? Move back in with Mom and Dad?” I asked with horror showing on my face. I loved my parents, but there was no way I’d move back in with them. I was a grown woman.
“No,” she gasped. “Imagine.” She made a face, the two of us burst into a fit of giggles, and I noticed her shoulders relax a little.
We had the kind of parents who made you want to gag from how disgustingly happy they were together. It was cute but gross at the same time. And now that they were empty nesters, they were always out and about on dates and whatnot. There was no way I would want to interrupt that. Not when they had done everything they could to raise and give us anything we could have wanted. And that included sometimes working two to three jobs to make sure that when we all graduated college, we wouldn’t be buried under a mountain of debt.
“I was thinking…” she started to say. I pressed my lips together.
“That’s never good.” The words slipped past my lips dryly, and she shot me a look that said,Really?
“I was thinking, what if you moved in with me?”
“Move in… with you?” My eyes widened. That was the last thing I would have thought she’d say. But Liz shrugged like she could care one way or another. “My place isn’t that bad.” I shook my head and got out of bed. My feelings were a little hurt. Both of my sisters did very well, and it wasn’t a secret they made more money than me, but I couldn’t help but feel a little defensive. My apartment wasn’t the Ritz, but it wasn’t terrible. I was done with this little sister visit.
“I didn’t mean anything by it.” She sighed and crossed her arms over her chest. Something flickered in her eyes. Something I couldn’t read. “I was just thinking… I’m hardly ever home, and it would be nice to know that… that someone is at the house.”
“To take care of your plants?” I guessed, but she shook her head.
“No, smartass.” She made a face. “My plants are on a watering system.” I rolled my eyes. I didn’t even want to know how much something like that even cost. “I just… I just mean it would be nice not to be home alone when I’m home,” she said, her voice uncharacteristically soft.
My older sister was a tough nut. One who hardly ever cracked.
“But I get wanting your own space. It’s why I moved out, too.”
“You bought a mansion.”
“It’s hardly… it’s a house. That’s it. I mean, I guess”—she sniffed her nose as she looked around my room—"compared to this place, I can see whyyouwould think my place is a mansion,” she smarted off, but I could see the humor in her eyes sparkle. I gasped my mouth open before I laughed.
“Go away!” I got up and shooed her towards the kitchen. But the moment I was close enough, her cool, smooth hand took mine and my eyes locked with hers.
“Will you think about it?” she asked quickly. I felt my brows narrow.
“You okay?” I watched as my stoic sister opened and shut her mouth. I knew she had changed her mind about whatever she was going to say.
“I’m fine.” She shook it off, letting go of my hand. Just like that, that bored, unamused mask slipped over her pretty features. “I just thought maybe being sorta roommates would be fun. I’m usually only home half the year anyhow.” Something about her offer stuck with me.
“Text me how much my rent would be and what utilities look like, and I’ll think about it,” I said, obviously surprising the two of us. I wasn’t sure if I was serious or not. Her place was huge, but not only did I work from home, I was a homebody. Her place was nice, great, but would I want to spend all my time there?
“Okay. I’ll do that. But really… really think about it.” Her hand took mine again and squeezed.
