Blue Fingers

If you talked to a guy and he said he believed in true love, on his missing half, would you think he was trying to seduce you? Would you muffle a laughter and change the subject? Or would you believe him?

Closer

We went up the stairs to her room, the house was silent as it usually was. Vera’s mom was her manager and a professional model herself so she wasn’t usually home. Vera’s dad had been gone since Vera’s birth and ‘big brother’, as I’ve told you before, was never around.

My trembling had subdued somewhat, but it was still there, making my body ache and my teeth chatter. As soon as Vera opened the door to her room she undressed, her wet clothes hitting the floor quickly. I turned around and sat on her bed, staring at her plush toys with a big blush on my face. She seriously is not the type to be embarassed.

“I’m going to take a bath, okay? Grab a sweater from the closet, ‘kay? If you’re hungry go grab something from the fridge…I might take a while so mi casa es tu casa.”

Vera said in a cheerful tone. I nodded and didn’t turn around until I heard the gentle closing of the door: I wasn’t about to peek at a naked girl, regardless if we were friends or not. No boobies and vaginas for me, thank you very much. I stood up and walked towards hers closet, pulling a dark blue hoddie from its perch. I slid it over my uniform and inserted my hands on the pockets. My stomach grumbled, a reminder that I hadn’t eaten anything since five in the morning. I walked down the stares, staring at my feet descend the pale pink rug, avoiding the soaked spots that Vera’s uniform had caused.

I entered the kitchen and pulled the handle of the fridge, examinating its contests. The bottles of vitamin water catched my attention, I grabbed the vibrant red one, the liquid shifting from side to side inside the plastic bottle. I closed the door and went towards the cabinet, where I remembered the peanut butter was stored. After further snooping around and quick arraging I sat at the wooden table in the kitchen with two peanut butter sandwiches and the bottle of vitamin water. I smiled as my teeth digged into the soft bread, the peanut butter oozing inside my mouth.

“Just who the hell are you?”

I heard a deep voice ask in front of me. I dropped the peanut butter sandwich in surprise as I looked up and a pair of jet dark brown eyes met me. I swallowed the piece of bread and peanut butter down and wiped my mouth quickly with the back of my hand,

“I’m- I’m Vera’s friend.”

I explained. He looked at me suspiciously and then noticed the uniform I was wearing.

“Classmate.”

I especified. He grunted, as if saying he believed my story. He turned around and started walking up the stairs when I rushed out of the kitchen towards him.

“Hey, who are you?!”

I all but yelled. He rolled his eyes, placing a hand on his hip and looking me in such a harsh way I was sure he wanted to slap me.

“I’m Vera’s brother.”

He answered before staring to go up the stairs again. My jaw almost fell to the floor. How could I have been so stupid? I realized now that they were so alike they could pass as twins. He also had the reddish spiky hair, only an inch or so shorter than her’s. His eyes were big and he did have long lashes, but the color differed Vera’s since he’s were a potent dark brown. Think of brownies. They did look like brownies…

I heard a Vera yell.

Had I been fooled?

Was he not his brother?

I ran up the stairs as quickly as I could, I don’t even know how I didn’t fall down the stairs headfirst. I reached the second floor and Vera’s room. Her door was wide open and the smell of bubblegum filled the air. I ran into the room and was about to shout- and then I stopped. Vera was hugging the guy who had a really bad fake ‘disgusted face on’ that tried to mask his obvious happiness. When his eyes stopped on me, though, they were really disgusted and annoyed. He let go of the giggling Vera who looked at my direction and then her smile grew wider.

“Teddy Bear this is Alexis. Lexie this is Ethan. “

Without thinking I extended my hand. Extending your hand over for someone to shake was the simpler way to greet someone. If I tried a hug it would be awkward, if I tried a kiss then it would seem like I was hitting on him. A handshake was the way to go. Except he didn’t think of it that way. He stared at my hand and then at my face and faintly nodded in my direction. I let my hand drop and whispered a barely audible and slightly sarcastic,

“Nice to meet you, too.”

Neither of them seemed to notice.

Vera was chatting away with Ethan, telling him about her day in school and explaining her busy schedule for the weekend. She also started asking him questions about her car. I felt out of place. They wanted to be alone and I was intruding.

“Um, sorry, Vera. I think I’m going to head home now…”

I said, interrumpting her in the middle of a word. She stared at me for a few seconds and I could almost see her the chains and pulleys in her mind working.

“And exactly how are you going to do this?”

I responded with a meek smile, I had already anticipated this question,

“A taxi.”

She gasped as if the word was a total insult.

“Oh, no, no, no, no, no, no, no! You’re certainly not going to go in one of those filthy, aids-propaganding, four-wheeled death machines! Over my dead body!”

She screeched, crossing her arms over her chest. Ethan looked at our exchange with boredom in his eyes. He rearranged the pillows on Vera’s bed and then made a mistake: he yawned.

This triggered Vera’s attention and her snapped his way. She smiled and her whole face lit up.

“Ethan, you’re driving Lexie home.”