“Who’s Perry?”
“He’s my other brother who just so happened to be born to different parents.”
Tyler nodded. He understood what she meant. He felt the same way about Matt.
“So we get milk and eggs and some other stuff…I can’t remember. The two of them are only eight years old and Bink was super tiny when he was younger, so I give him the eggs ’cause it’s the lightest thing to carry, I give Perry two cartons of milk, and I’ve got everything else.” Her smile widened, making her look even more adorable. “Now we’re walking past one of the houses at the top of the street and we hear this growling…and it sounds quite vicious. Then out of nowhere, this little poodle jumps out and Kevin just bullets down the street and this dog goes after him. He’s running. He’s screaming. He’s throwing eggs, but this dog is relentless.”
He noticed that each part of the story was accompanied by hand gestures and after she threw an imaginary egg, he realized he liked watching her tell stories too.
“So eventually he throws the box, but it hits Perry in the face and he falls over and milk is gushing everywhere. Then in one swift jump, Bink’s over the fence and in our yard, yelling for my mom to open the door. Perry’s still on the ground drenched in milk, both of them completely annihilated by this tiny, little poodle. And you probably think I’m the worst big sister in the world, but I couldn’t help myself.”
“And?” he asked with amusement.
“And…I laughed so hard…” She could barely keep her giggles in anymore. “I farted.”
He was now the one who couldn’t hold back his laughter. Somehow it was much funnier hearing it than saying it. It was rubbish. They were talking about utter rubbish and yet he couldn’t remember the last time he’d had this much fun.
“You’re silly, Jordan,” he said more to himself than to her.
“Sometimes a little bit of silly is a good thing.”
“You make it a good thing all the time.” He didn’t mean to say that. It just slipped out. And when he noticed the shy smile on her face and the redness that returned to her cheeks, he knew he needed a diversion. “You call your brother Bink?”
“Did I say Bink? Sorry. Force of habit, I guess.” He didn’t ask for further information, but she gave it anyway. “When he was three, he used to have trouble sleeping on his own. Nightmares. I had a little teddy bear named Binky-boo. He started talking really late so he couldn’t say Binky-boo. He could only get Bink out. Whenever I heard him fussing, I’d go into his room and he’d ask for Bink and then I’d cuddle up with him and the bear until he fell asleep on my lap. The name just stuck.” She shrugged. “He’s also the only one of us that doesn’t have a stupid middle name, so it’s also kind of a small payback.”
He smiled as she reminisced. She loved her family. It was apparent from lightness in her voice, the slight gleam in her eyes. Something was happening. Either he was becoming more inebriated, or she was becoming more appealing. “Maybe you’re not the world’s worst big sister,” he said.
“At least not all the time.” She began fiddling with the pins in her hair, removing them one by one and placing it on the table.Don’t do it, the voice in his head shouted.Don’t do it!
But it was too late. The dark mass of curls cascaded over her shoulders and his professional accountant was gone. All that remained was this Jordan. The Jordan that kept popping into his head. There was nothing particularly special about this Jordan. She was simple and ordinary, yet so exceptionally beautiful in her simplicity, so completely fascinating in her ordinariness. He needed a diversion and he needed it now!
“You wanna play some pool?” he asked.
“Sure.” She stood up and walked with him to the tables. “You any good?”
“Yeah, pretty good. You?”
“I’m alright. A little rusty, though. Haven’t played in a while.”
Jordan racked up the balls and Tyler took the first shot, sinking two balls. He aimed again but the ball missed the pocket and rolled to the other end of the table. Jordan leaned over the table, pool cue in hand, but it slipped as she was about to take the shot and the white ball went in the opposite direction of where she was aiming.
“Here.” He trotted around the table to assist her. “Hold it like this.” His left hand went over her left hand, his right hand over her right hand as she held the cue stick, her back against his chest as he leaned over her. Being so close, he got the slight scent of her cinnamon and vanilla perfume and remnants of the cheap beer. The smell was intoxicating.
Nice diversion!
“So like this?” she asked and he remembered that he was supposed to be tutoring her.
Her soft hair tickled his chin, the soft curve of her ass pressing suggestively against his pelvis. And he was feeling very open to suggestion right now.
Steady, Tyler. It’s just the alcohol.“Yeah…and if you balance the cue on your left hand like this…” He adjusted her fingers slightly and placed the cue over her thumb and index finger. “It’s a bit more stable.”
She took the shot and the ball went spinning into the pocket. She glanced back and smiled at him. “You’re not a bad teacher, Tyler.”
They played a few more shots and he could tell that she wasn’t sorustyanymore.
“Let’s put money on the next game,” she suggested.
“How much?”
