One of them was wearing a black, sparkly dress that reminded me of what Kora had worn to a band concert that she and Kristen had played in. Our parents had wondered what my sudden interest was in attending their performances.
I’d never admit to liking band or Kora— this was before we had hooked up— but there it was. I hadn’t been able to stop myself from finding any opportunity to go see her, and even to pay attention to and remember what she was wearing. And I knew it was something a lot like the dress this other woman had on now.
As a matter of fact, I couldn't help but notice a particular theme among Kristen's friends. Like she said, I was a keen observer of the human condition.
All of these friends she had tried to make since parting ways with Kristen— and there were a lot of them— were all versions of Kora, but none of them lived up to her spirit. The similarities were difficult to miss, but the differences were also quite obvious.
I'm not sure why she bothered. Her friendship with Kora was obviously irreplaceable. Not that I couldn't relate.
"You okay?" Kristen asked, coming in to check on me.
"Yeah, it's just the onions," I said.
"That's a parsnip," she pointed out.
"Which are related to the onion," I said.
"I don't think so," she said.
"Oh," I said.
"Did you cut yourself?" she asked, gently examining both my hands.
"Not that I know of," I said.
"You would probably have noticed," she agreed, releasing me.
"Were you planning on starting a winery?" I asked.
"Yeah, I know. A bottle of wine seems to be all anyone can think to bring. A hot entree or a pie certainly wouldn't go amiss," Kristen said.
"I hear you, dumpling," I said.
Soon everything was done and everyone seemed to be waiting around for something to happen, like side characters in a Shakespeare play.
"Should we eat soon?" I asked. “Since you kind of roped me into being here?”
"So you noticed that,” she finally admitted.
“Sure did. And it would have been kind of hard to miss even if I wasn’t a keen observer, like you say.”
“Ha. Well, soon, yes, but not yet, since I am still waiting for one more thing."
I was about to ask what she was waiting for when I heard Kora's voice coming from the dining room. It had been three years, but I would still know it anywhere.
Without thinking, I went to the kitchen door and looked out. She was a bit older but still sexy, dressed in a modest fashion that hid her luscious curves, but I knew what was hiding underneath.
The huge boobs.
The tight, smooth little pussy.
That was always wet for me, just like I was always hard for her.
I wondered if she was still a virgin like she had been when I put my hand down her pants.
I wanted to fuck her right then and there. Bend her over the table, hike up her skirt, rip down her panties and slide my cock deep into her pussy.
I didn't, of course. Not least of all due to the fact that my little sister was right there and it would be so wrong on so many levels just because of that, but it still took every fiber of will-power I had not to act on my natural animal impulses.
I just watched as she took one of the available seats at the table.
"Oh, good, she's here," Kristen said, coming up behind me.
"You knew about this?" I asked.
I guess I had stupidly assumed that one of Kristen’s guests had invited Kora, but that made no sense, since she had mentioned that she was still waiting on something.
Stupidly, I had thought she had meant there was still a dish in the oven waiting to be fully cooked.
Boy, was I wrong.
"I invited her," Kristen said.
Finally, the penny dropped.
We were being set up.
Not in a bad way, though I had to wonder if Kora knew that I would be here. I somehow doubted it. One thing I didn't doubt was Kristen's motives. Pure as the driven snow.
I'd never known her to have a cruel bone in her body. If things ever turned out bad it was because something went wrong, which was more than could be said for me.
I still had scars from my stint in the proverbial "bad crowd." We did almost everything. Theft, drugs, even assault on occasion.
The scars originated from a guy we jumped who had been taunting us, who just so happened to have a knife with him.
I unconsciously touched my side, the scars seeming to burn at the memory. The pain returned to my mind as though the wounds were still fresh and not four years healed. Like the ones on my heart from what happened with us all.
Near as I could figure, this was meant to be some kind of peace offering on Kristen’s behalf. She hadn't been wrong, wanting to keep Kora away from me. Even if it was partly a selfish need on her part.