Sister's Arrogant Boyfriend

Wrath

Alexander came home with Thai food, something my parents never let me enjoy. I wasn't allowed to eat anything non-American, whatever that meant.

It was so freeing to eat whatever I wanted without anyone breathing down my neck... even if I'd overindulged on the spice.

My tongue burned and my nose was running, but I tried to ignore it as I relaxed on the couch. I blinked away tears as they formed, trying not to look like a little baby crying from a tiny bit of heat.

"You alright?" My sister's voice asked from the kitchen. Both she and Alexander were in there, chattering mindlessly and taking care of dishes while I lazed around with my head nestled on soft cushions. The clatter of plates and the sound of running water almost drowned her out.

"Mouth," I managed to spit the word out. "Burning."

"Drink some water." Stephanie smiled over to me. She was washing, Alexander drying. "We'll be done in a minute, then we'll watch some TV."

The stinging pain in my mouth refused to go. But I didn't care about the pain; I kind of liked it. I liked the way my tongue tingled. I liked the way it was warm against the roof of my mouth. I liked the way water felt as it washed down my tongue and throat, cold and fresh against the sore skin.

This was the taste of freedom. It had taken me five years to finally understand what my sister had been after, but now I'd experienced some of the other side, I could finally understand why she bailed on us.

And I understood that this pain wouldn't last forever. Just like this visit.

I watched them in my peripheral vision, trying to see what my sister saw in Alexander specifically. To me, he seemed like a bit of a creep. He was always trying to touch her, always trying to stick his tongue down her throat, all the while making these weird sighing noises that made my skin crawl. Even while they worked, he was all over her, rubbing on her, caressing her soapy hands.

For whatever reason, Stephanie seemed perfectly happy with him. But was she really? I wondered if my sister had found her life lonely without our family and just attached herself to the first guy she found. I hoped that she wasn't so insecure, but I couldn't be sure. After all, I hadn't really spoken to her in five years. A person could change a lot in that time.

The clattering in the kitchen stopped. I glanced over in time to see my sister step towards Alexander. She pressed her body tight against his and wrapped her arms around his neck before leaning in to kiss his lips.

Right before me, the kiss turned passionate, and I found myself watching Alexander tongue my sister. His hands wrapped around her back and slipped down her waist before stopping on her ass.

Just as I saw his fingers grab her butt, I looked away. My stomach churned inside of me at the absolutely disgusting display. They didn't have any shame, those two. Being free was fine, but what about when their freedom impeded upon mine? I did want to be able to do more things, but I was thinking along the lines of trying food and listening to secular music, not this. It was dirty, like pornography.

I wanted to turn the TV on to drown out the sound of their lips smacking but I couldn't find the remote. I doubted I would have been able to work it, anyway. Nothing in their apartment was even remotely similar to what I had at home. I was so, so lost. The only thing I could do was clench my teeth together and stare at my own reflection in the black, empty screen opposite from me.

Christ, I couldn't stand the sounds they made, the wet, sloppy smacks that just would not stop. They invaded my ears and tunneled into my mind until shivers were rolling down my spine and coursing through my body in hot waves. I thought I might pass out as if I had heat stroke, gray speckles strobing in front of my eyes.