Perfect Redemption

Four: In Which She's Headed Straight For Trouble

I let her feel my face, her hands becoming a familiar warmth. Her fingers dance over my skin, tracing the hollows of my eyes, the ridge of my nose, my cheeks, my lips, then the outline of my face. She smiles, her hand retreating, and she snorts.

"What?" I ask.

"You're wearing makeup today." Belle says it as-a-matter-of-factly. "You rarely wear makeup. Unless it's for my brother."

"Damn you and your hands." I laugh.

"You know, even if I wasn't blind, I would still figure it out. I'm not stupid," she shrugs. "Makes sense. He made his bed today and he only cleans his room only when he's expecting guests. In this case, you."

"Hey, you know it isn't a big deal, right?" I tell her. "You will always come before him, Belle. Always. He just happens to distract me from the world."

"I know and it's revolting." She sticks her tongue out and pretends to vomit. "You should end it soon. No offense, Blaire, but you're bad for him."

"Yeah, but that makes it much more fun." I can't help but smile. "You want me to stay with you? I can totally ditch him. Chicks before dicks, am I right?"

Belle snorts, then turns her head to the television. "I'm just watching The Vow."

"Again?"

"This is the shit that I live on. It's addictive." She points to the screen. "Channing Tatum? Hot as fuck."

"You've never even seen his face. How would you know if he's hot?"

She winks at me. "I have a very wild imagination."

"Sometimes I wonder what goes on in that brain of yours." A laugh vibrates from my throat.

"I have a visual imagination. Makes sex much more fun. If he's an ugly fuck, at least I can pretend he's Channing Tatum."

"Okay, Belle. Whatever you say." I say. I love Belle. As much as I hate the fact that she cannot see the world like everyone else does, she doesn't let it get to her. She makes the best out of everything. Even blindness.

"He's waiting for you, you know." She nods to the staircase. "Can I ask you a favor? Can the both of you not fuck like rabbits while I'm downstairs?"

"So... we can fuck like dogs instead?" I tease.

"You know what I mean," she rolls her eyes. "Do it in his car. Not in the house."

"Ooh, kinky. Never had car sex before. I bet Ben will like that."

"I may talk a lot about sex, but please refrain from talking about sex with my brother to me." Belle laughs. "Go."

"If you insist." I kiss her on the cheek.

"Bye, bitch." She tells me.

"Bye, hoe." I reply teasingly.

I head up the stairs taking two at a time, and when I'm upstairs, I head straight to Ben's room. The door is left ajar—a sign that he's ready for me and we're going to have a good time. I find him on the edge of his bed, a smug grin on his face.

Ben—like his sister—is unbelievably gorgeous. He doesn't make my heart skip a beat or cause butterflies to appear in my stomach, but he makes me feel good, which I can say is an achievement considering not a lot of people can make me feel this way. His dark hair is always unkept and messy, but his eyes shine like emeralds, a feature that I greatly adore. High cheekbones, beautiful and talented lips and body.

"Blaire." He nods when he drinks me in, his eyes scanning me. "You kept me waiting."

He stands up and walks towards me with the intention of kissing me, but I press a hand on his chest and shake my head. "Your sister is downstairs. Not here."