Dusting Off Dreams

I Slept With Your Sister

What the fuck am I doing here? I threw her satin blankets off my naked body and shuffled to my feet, shoving my feet in my jeans.

I woke up in the wrong bed with the wrong girl—again.

"Tell me how to change your mind?" Rachel said.
"You can't—"
"Over coffee, after midnight," Rachel said.
The molecules race inside of my head, expanding the distance between right and wrong, and I'm so fucking engaged. How did I get here?
Rachel held her hands in front of her body. "I don't wanna say 'goodbye'..."
"It's not your decision to..."
"I'm...I'm pregnant."
"This is the second time we slept together."
"You callin' me a liar?"
I gave her a deadpanned stare. "
"OK...so, I'm not pregnant, but what if I am now?" Rachel said. "Can't we just say goodnight and not goodbye?"
"I was drunk and..."
"And you loved it, too!"
"I..."
"Just...don't leave."
"It's late."
"You're not going anywhere," Rachel said louder than I wanted to hear.
"I said it's late."
"You're not leaving until we talk this out over coffee."
I draw a sharp sigh and blow my lips out. "Fine... a cup of coffee," I said, shaking off my coat.

"Drink up," she said, handing me a warm cup. The steam alone said it was too hot to touch, much less drink.
"Listen," I said.
"There's no excuse," Rachel said.
"You don't understand."
"Was I not good enough?"
"I gave you a..."
"And," I said, licking my lips. "I have no complaints. "It's not about sex."
"Everything I get a guy, it's always something," Rachel said as if I were her counselor. "What am I doing wrong?" she said.
"It's not you, it's..."
"Us women use cliches," she said. "Spit it out," she said shrugging.
"Your sister lives three doors down."
"Oh, no, you didn't!" Rachel's narrow eyes turn to crinkled slits. "You're my sister's fiance?"
"I was drunk."
Rachel stood to her feet and pulled a sweater over her shoulders.
"What are you doing, Rachel?" I said.
"Love and trust go hand-in-hand; isn't that what you tell Hannah in your stupid short stories?"
Rachel jiggled the door open.
Hannah stood with her arms wrapped around Rachel's boyfriend as they kissed.
"What are you guys doing?"
"I should ask you the same!"
"This isn't what it looks like!"

(© 2020 Andrew Cyr)