《 kisses and hot springs 》

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A few years ago, Linda Foster never would've guessed that having her brother home for the weekend was something she'd look forward to. Back when Sean was still in high school, he'd knock with impatience and deliver whatever it was he came for at the door—laundry, mail, or a lecture on how she should stop being a little spy on everything he did—but he was now sprawled on her bed, hanging out with her just for the sake of hanging out.

Linda sat at her desk with her back facing the window. It was always nice when she could distinctly feel herself getting closer to someone, especially when it was her own brother, who she admired and aspired to be like (not that she'd ever admit it).

"Enough about your company. How's your personal life?" she asked. "You're 21 and still haven't met anyone special?"

"I only waste my time on unspecial people now, as you know," he said. "They're so much easier to handle."

Linda giggled.

"I'm serious, sis." He absently patted the giant teddy bear on her bed. It was a gift from Dylan and Jake for her fifteenth birthday, and now, more than three years later, the golden fur had faded into a sepia tone. "I think I'm going to graduate like this...study like mad during weekdays, drunk out of my mind on weekends."

Linda didn't know what to comment. Sean hadn't been the same since a few months ago. Maybe college truly changed people, or perhaps it just brought out what was underneath all along. He acted like he was pleased with himself, but at the same time it was as if he didn't like himself that much.

"What about Flora?" she asked. She knew she was opening a can of worms, but she had to. Sometimes when she was lucky, Sean repaid her curiosity with candor. Sometimes he just changed the subject.

"What about Flora?" He raised his eyebrows. "Well, since you asked...Flora's doing great. She's had two more boyfriends since she went to Tokyo, and that's not counting the flings she doesn't care enough to tell me."

Ouch.

She remembered how, during summer break, Sean had been so terribly interested in getting himself tanned and the way he religiously got ready for the beach every afternoon. He'd always liked looking nice and staying fit, but not that much. Linda pried and prodded and begged and he finally told her, yes, Flora was back, and things were looking good. She tagged along once, only to witness how excruciating it was every time the two of them had to spring back after accidentally touching each other.

Linda was this close to squishing their faces together and making them kiss. When summer ended, she even helped Sean picked out a bunch of flowers, which by his standard was a gesture as grand as buying the whole Tiffany store and asking Flora to pick a ring, even though he kept stressing that they were just friends.

Yeah right.

Linda peered at her brother before she spoke again with caution. "Don't get mad...but to be fair, you're not committed to each other. It's not easy being in her position, all alone and thousands of miles away from home."

"Sis, I know. You might think I'm being vindictive here, but I'm not. I'm not exactly innocent either, and it'd be unfair of me to judge her. In Janet's words, Flora has her emotional need to be close to people and feel loved, while I have my physical need to fool around with girls at frat parties, so we're even."

He sounded slightly cynical but mostly calm, like he didn't agree with her actions but he understood and begrudgingly accepted. Linda preferred it much more when he was all hopeful and naive and still believed in forever.

"You know the only reason she's having those filler relationships is because you never admitted your feelings to her," she said. "You can't expect her to wait on a vague promise like that and just...freeze her social life."

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