Tia
What were sisters for if not to remind you why, exactly, you couldn’t stand being related?
Kate sat across from Tia at an expensive café of her choosing; expensive, because all the drinks cost at least seven dollars and for a half decent coffee with a splash of cream, Tia considered that to be far over the top. She could buy eight gallons of milk for that price.
Her big sister’s makeup, as usual, was impeccable. While Tia always considered herself pretty in a more bohemian sort of waif-like way, her sister was a true beauty. Kate was the kind of woman who got all the dates. Ever since she’d turned fourteen and sprouted lush curves and big boobs and a nice, shapely ass, the guys were lining up at their door. Literally. It drove their dad mental. Kate was- well, she was just Kate. Her parents actually paid the rent for six months for her first apartment, just to get her out of the house so they could have some peace and quiet.
It wasn’t easy living in her sister’s sexy shadow. It hadn’t been growing up and it wasn’t any better as an adult.
“So?” Kate pursed her lips. “If you’re here to talk about guy trouble, I thought you were done with that since you dumped loser Jeremy’s ass. God, I told you that guy was bad news. Even you could do so much better.”
Tia ignored the insult disguised as a compliment. Or was there even a compliment in there? Kate was always abrupt, bordering on rude, or scratch the bordering, just plain rude, because they were sisters. They’d never really got along, but Tia didn’t know who else to talk to. Her friends were all busy with their own lives. Most of them had families. They had increasingly little time for her anymore, especially when it had to do with her pouring out her relationship failures and tales of woe. Most people her age were over that.
Kate, on the other hand, always had time to talk about guys. In truth, she always had time for Tia, like a big sister should, even if she wasn’t always nice. She told it like she saw it and her sister definitely saw life a little differently than most people.
Kate was the female version of what would be called a player. Tia would never call her a slut, because Kate wasn’t a slut. She was about as classy as they came. She just liked sex a little more than the average woman. She liked to shake things up and keep things casual. She didn’t like getting attached. She said, even when they were young, that she had no intention of getting married, ever. At twenty-eight, she was a long way from settling down, if it ever happened.
“I- okay, it is about a guy,” Tia admitted.
Kate’s coral colored lips curled up triumphantly. “I knew it.” Her fingers with their pretty gel nails gripped the table top. “Tell me about it. Was it good at least?”
“Was what good?”
“The sex of course. No, scratch that. Of course it was good. You wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t good. You’re over being with guys who don’t know where to put it or how to use it.”
“Kate, come on,” Tia begged. “I came to talk to you because I really am serious here.”
“Alright, alright.” Kate sipped her peppermint latte. Compliments of the upcoming holiday, everything was bloody peppermint flavored. “I’m sorry. I won’t say anything until you finish. On one condition. That you tell me if he has a big dick.”
“Kate!” Tia glanced around, mortified at her sister.
Fortunately they were alone in the little shop. It was downtown on a Wednesday afternoon just after lunch. The crowds had cleared out an hour before. Kate had the day off and Tia- well, she had all her days off at the moment.
“Sorry. Okay, don’t answer that. Just tell me what it is you need to talk about.” Kate glanced at her phone, which sat silent and dark on the edge of the table. “But can you keep it brief? I want to get my Christmas shopping done this afternoon and god knows the malls are going to be a zoo.”
Tia made a choked noise even though she didn’t mean to. This was just Kate. She should have been used to it by now. Kate lived life to the fullest. She was always on a mission, never stopping to set down roots anywhere. Tia just wished her sister could be a little more sensitive, but then again, no one, no man, had the power to break Kate’s heart.
“Alright.” Tia groaned inwardly. She had yet to stat her shopping and with little money left over and no job prospects in sight, she wasn’t sure how she’d accomplish it.
“Alright you’ll tell me or alright you’ll make it brief.”
“I’ll make it as brief as I can and you’re going to listen, because you’re my big sister and that’s what a nice, loving big sister should do.”
Kate rolled her pretty blue eyes. She reached up and gave her long, ebony hair a swish over one shoulder. “Alright, alright.” She sighed, like being nice was the biggest chore on the planet. “Go ahead. Spill the whole sordid story.”
“It’s not exactly sordid.”
“I can tell it’s sordid. You have that look on your face. Like someone who won a prize and lost it.”
“I didn’t lose it. I- I chose to give it up.”
“That’s still losing it.”
“I didn’t lose it! I know where it is. Where he is. God, he’s not a prize.”
“Clearly. Most of the men you choose aren’t.”
“Kate!” Tia slammed her hand down on the tabletop so hard that the attendant behind the counter, who had been wiping down a huge piece of coffee brewing, latte making, whatever the hell it was, equipment, turned to stare at them. Tia felt her face go red. “You know what, never mind. This was a shitty idea.”
She went to stand, but Kate reached out and gripped her arm. The genuine emotion in her eyes, something close to concern or even care, stopped Tia in her tracks.
“I’m sorry. Sit down. I just can’t resist bugging you. What are sisters for? You always were a brat. Always getting yourself into trouble. Always making a mess of things. You’ve always let guys walk all over you and I’ll never understand that. You’re pretty, smart, talented. You’re amazing, Tia. You don’t have to put up with that.”
Tia was a little taken aback. Those sentences were about the nicest thing Kate had ever said to her. She certainly didn’t know her sister thought of her like that and some place deep inside of her warmed.
“Okay, well…” Tia sighed. “It’s complicated. I fell for this guy and it was completely inappropriate.”
“Please don’t tell me he’s married.”
“No, he’s not married!” Oh god, I don’t think he’s married! Anything was possible. Tia’s stomach churned with a wave of nausea. She decided to push that thought away. Something told her Jack wasn’t married. He wasn’t the marrying type. “I- he’s just- one of those guys that unavailable. I believe you’d call him a player.”
Kate rolled her eyes. “Oh. One of those types.”
“Well, here’s the thing. We- uh- had some casual sex. Twice.”
Her sister’s eyes widened. “You? Casual sex? Those two things don’t go together.”
“I know, I know. Don’t make this worse than it is. I just like it to mean something before- well- anyway… I was kind of down since Jeremy and- things happened. I didn’t think it would happen again, but then we bumped into each other-”
“It sounds like you did more than bumping.”
Tia snorted. “You really are the worst, Kate. Seriously. We may have had some inappropriate sex in the- uh- at work and I didn’t know there were cameras and I ended up getting fired and he didn’t. I was so mad I caused a big scene and had to be escorted from the building.”
Kate’s mouth dropped open somewhere around the part about office sex. She stared at Tia for a long moment before she burst out laughing. She slapped a hand over her mouth. “Oh my god. That is seriously the funniest thing I’ve heard in a long time. I never would have pegged you for it, Tia, but I have to say, I’m proud.”
“It’s not something to be proud of,” Tia mumbled. “Now I have no job. Please don’t tell mom and dad. I’m working on finding something else. I don’t want them to worry.”
“Alright, I won’t tell.” Kate stared at her so solemnly that Tia knew she could trust her sister to keep it under wraps.
“The thing is- I thought it was over at that. I could tell the last time that he didn’t want there to be a next time. It was just the way he looked at me that made it clear he didn’t do more than one night stands kind of a deal. Not that it was night and not that it was just once, but you know…”
“Yeah.”
“Anyway, well- the weird thing is, he’s been calling me. I don’t know why.”
“You haven’t answered? Maybe it’s to apologize. He did get you fired.”
“Maybe. I’ve been too afraid to pick up. I’m pathetic. I want to stay angry at him. I want to hate him. I want to- god, I want a lot of things. I didn’t really even realize what was going on until after the second time, or after I got fired. I don’t know. I just haven’t been able to stop thinking about him. I know he’s not in for more than some casual sex, but it’s been almost a week and he hasn’t stopped calling. He’s called me like, forty times or something. Would he really be calling all those times if it was just to say sorry?”
Kate frowned. “Honestly, I don’t know. I haven’t met him. I could probably gauge the situation if I knew him even a little. Why don’t you just answer and hear what he has to say?”
“I said, it’s because I don’t trust him. Or myself. I- I don’t want to be weak. I don’t want to just let him use me for sex.”
“You feel something for him, don’t you? Oh god, Tia! Every single guy you’re with you try and fall for. Can’t you just for once have something casual with someone and call it a day?”
Tia sunk her top teeth into her bottom lip. She bit back a harsh retort about her sister getting a life and finally stopping all the casualness, but this wasn’t about Kate and how she chose to live her life at the moment.
“I wanted it to be casual but- I don’t know. There’s something about him. I don’t know how I know, I just- feel it. Like something isn’t quite right.”
“All the more reason to steer away. Complicated isn’t good. Troubled isn’t good. The worst thing you can do for someone is try and save them. That never works out.”
“He’s not the kind of guy that needs saving. He’s sexy. Amazingly sexy. He could have any woman he wants. He has a good job. Probably a nice house and he has a decent car. He’s smart and a good leader. At work, at any rate. People really respond to him. God, that sounded wrong. I almost meant at work. He brings out the best in everyone. He has this charming, magnetic personality, but underneath it all, when I really started to think about which I didn’t do until after that last time, he just seems… a little lost.”
“Well, guys aren’t like puppies. It honestly sounds like you dodged a bullet. Just be happy you had a few good times.” Kate winked. “And they sound like they were really good times.”
“Really? That’s your advice?” Tia waited. She wanted her sister to tell her that she should answer the damn phone. That maybe she wasn’t imagining things and reading way too much into the situation. She wanted her to tell her that she didn’t have to stay mad and maybe things could work out for the best. Then again, she was an eternal optimist and Kate was a pretty glass half empty, or all the way empty, kind of a person, at least when it came to relationships.
“Yeah. That’s my advice. Now, will you please tell me how big is cock was?”
“Jesus. You disgust me sometimes.” Despite herself, Tia giggled.
“I take that as like ten inches.”
“I didn’t fucking measure it,” she hissed. I’m sorry, next time I’ll be sure to bring a ruler and stop him in the middle of it.”
Kate grinned. “Good. I’m proud of you. Way to go, Tia. You deserve to have some fun. All your life you’ve picked the wrong men. And by wrong, I mean they’re wrong for everyone. They were losers. You wasted your time supporting them and being faithful to them and they never returned the favor. And they probably had small dicks.”
“Well… Jeremy might have needed a set of tweezers to find his. That’s all I’m going to say.”
Kate burst out laughing and Tia joined in. Her sister extended a hand, surprisingly, and Tia let herself take it. Kate squeezed and her eyes softened.
“Answer the damn phone next time. Let him apologize and tell him to take a hike. If you truly want to see him again, that’s the best way to do it.”
Tia stared at her sister open mouthed while Kate laughed softly. She withdrew her hand and went back to drinking her expensive coffee. Her sister seemed to be queen of reverse psychology.
“Oh, and if you want a latte, I’ll buy you one. My treat. I didn’t know about your job or I wouldn’t have let you get away with having a glass of water.”
“Well… now that you mention it, anytime that I can spend your money is a good time.”
Kate grinned. “It’s good to see you, baby sister. It’s been too long. Don’t be a stranger next time.”
Tia couldn’t agree more. Despite how aggravating Kate was, how obnoxious or all-knowing or judgmental her sister could be, she loved her. After all, what were big sisters for?