Fred
Watching my little sister spew her drink across the table is not a sight I get to see very often. Sheila is one of the hardest women to fluster that I’ve ever met. As much as I would love to take credit for that, she’s been unflappable since she was born.
“Whose hand do I get to shake for making you lose that cool facade you’ve had up since forever?”
I let out a bark of laughter at the middle finger she throws my way as she slides out of the booth to head for the bathroom.
My sister is my only soft spot in this world, and she takes full advantage of that fact.
She’s lucky that she didn’t have to deal with all of the shit I did growing up.
Instead of the piece of shit mother and absentee drunkard of a father, she got the overprotective big brother.
And she tests my limits to this very day, twenty some years later.
While I wait for her to return, I order us another round of drinks.
Our server is cute for a woman, but she’s barking up the wrong tree by flirting with me.
I don’t think I ever bothered with a closet to come out of.
I never hid who I was attracted to from the start.
Yeah, it was difficult being the only gay kid in my middle school – at least the only one who wasn’t afraid to show it openly – but I had already faced years of bullying thanks to my home situation. They knew not to mess with me by then.
The pout on the server’s face when I don’t react to her advances annoys me in a way that I haven’t really experienced in years.
I’m not used to seeing someone trying to emotionally manipulate me after I’ve made my position clear.
I spend most of my time outside of work going to the local BDSM club where consent is a vital part of every interaction.
They use the RACK system to evaluate making sure people are being safe.
Risk Aware Consensual Kink is paramount to every interaction once you get past the desk.
Add on the fact that I have been running my very successful contracting firm for years and have built up a “don’t fuck with me” reputation in the business world and it’s pretty clear why I’m not used to seeing someone continue to push my boundaries.
“Back off, blondie. He’s not interested,” Sheila says as she slides back into the booth opposite me. “But I could be if you’re down for some fun later.”
The server blushes adorably at my sister’s advances and rushes away to a back room. It’s amazing how someone could annoy the fuck out of me one second and then as soon as they could potentially bring my little La-La happiness, they become cuter than kittens.
“She’s not my type anyways.” Sheila shrugs and picks her phone back up to make a call. “I gotta call a friend and get some details on his last message.”
I watch as she pulls the phone away from her ear before trying again. After a few more tries, the call obviously goes straight to voicemail. I don’t like seeing the frown on my baby sister’s face. She sends a text and her displeasure only deepens the longer it takes for her to get a response.
“Everything alright?”
My sister is like me in a lot of ways, especially when it comes to shouldering burdens that she should be seeking help with. Whatever is going on with this friend of hers, it’s got her worried. My sister doesn’t make friends easily, so this guy must really mean something to her.
She puts her phone face down and takes a big sip of the fruity concoction she chose for tonight. “I don’t know,” she admits with a sigh. “Cas is… he’s stubborn. His fiancé is a controlling douche nozzle and probably threw a hissy fit because I asked Cas to be my plus one to Mom’s thing tomorrow.”
I take a healthy swig of my beer to hide my disappointment in the fact that Sheila is still in contact with our mother.
The woman has tried, unsuccessfully, to reinsert herself into my life for the last decade – ever since my company made its first million dollars.
The woman is a gold digger and an addict.
She might fool others into thinking she’s changed, but the only thing that’s changed is the fact that she doesn’t have to worry about Child Protective Services painting her in a bad light anymore.
“She said she hopes to see you tomorrow, too.”
I roll my eyes which elicits a giggle from by baby sister. “I’ll drop you off and pick you up. That’s about as close as I’m willing to get to the hag that spawned us.”
“Fair enough,” she sighs dramatically before slurping down the rest of her drink. “I’m going to head home, then. I’ve got an interview at the new urgent care at noon and it wouldn’t look that good if I went in hungover.”
I leave the rest of my beer on the table and walk her outside.
It’s so difficult letting her go off on her own anymore.
The older she gets, the less often I get to see her in person.
Between both of our jobs, we barely scrape by the free time for our weekly talks, let alone meeting up.
The last time I saw her before today was Christmas, I think.
I definitely need to do better with making time for my baby sister again.
“Let me know if you need a ride tomorrow,” I remind her as she climbs into the back seat of the rideshare she ordered. “I’ll always have time for you, baby sis.”
She jumps out to give me a quick hug before getting back into the car to head home, leaving me feeling empty and alone once again.