Sisterly Insight
Category: Drabbles

"I'm tellin' you, Lor, it's not like that with me and Ophelia."

Hunter flopped back onto his bed with a huff, glaring up at the ceiling as if it had personally offended him. His older sister simply arched an immaculate eyebrow, settling herself onto the room's solitary desk chair.

"You're protesting an awful lot for someone who claims there's nothing to actually protest about," Loretta needled, a teasing lilt to her voice. "Face it, little bro - you've got it bad for your skating partner. And from what I've seen, the feeling's pretty darn mutual."

A dusky blush crept along the tips of Hunter's ears at her insinuation, confirming Loretta's suspicions even as he shook his head vehemently.

"We're just friends, okay? Best friends. Partners on the ice and that's it." He scrubbed a hand over his face, reluctantly meeting her mirthful gaze. "Sure, maybe I think about...you know, other stuff sometimes when it comes to her. But who wouldn't? Ophelia's beautiful, talented, an incredible person inside and out. We click together like nobody else can."

Hunter's expression took on a distant sort of wistfulness as he trailed off. But he blinked it away rapidly, reverting to his previously defensive posture.

"Doesn't mean I'm going to go ruin the most important relationship in my life just to indulge those dumb passing thoughts, though. She means too much to me for that."

Loretta regarded her brother shrewdly for a long moment, seeming to weigh her response carefully. When she spoke again, her tone was softer but still carrying an undercurrent of fond exasperation.

"You know, there's absolutely nothing wrong with having...shall we say, more intimate feelings towards someone you clearly care for so deeply. Contrary to what you meatheaded jocks seem to think, it's possible to want both emotional and physical intimacy with a person."

At Hunter's visible squirming discomfort, she raised a calming hand to halt his protests.

"Hey, I'm not saying you need to rush out and basically propose to the poor girl or anything, OK? Just..." Loretta paused, trying to find the right phrasing. "Don't be so quick to completely shut down one aspect in favor of maintaining the other, you know? Especially at your ages."

Hunter's brow furrowed quizzically. "What do you mean?"

"I mean," Loretta clarified with a warm smile. "Would you want to tuck Ophelia in at night, maybe give her a soft kiss on the forehead as she's drifting off? Or wake up with her in your arms some lazy morning, peppering her face with gentle little kisses just because you can?"

The question seemingly gave Hunter pause, fresh tinges of crimson coloring his cheeks as he clearly envisioned the scenes she described. But his expression remained uncertain, almost...wistful.

"Well? Would those sorts of tender, romantic moments spent with your closest friend appall you so much?" Loretta pressed lightly. "Or would you cherish each one, if she felt the same way?"

After a lengthy pause, Hunter finally exhaled a deep, shuddering breath - some of the built-up tension easing from his broad shoulders.

"You know..." he began slowly, choosing his words with great care. "If Ophelia wanted that...to share that side of ourselves too...I don't think I would ever get tired of holding her while she slept. Of finding new constellations to map out in those radiant little freckles she always tries to hide from everyone."

The soft smile playing across Hunter's lips held a sort of reverence, like he was describing something profoundly sacred rather than reciprocated intimacy. His eyes soon refocused on his sister, open and searching.

"But how could I even know if she thinks of me like that? Ophelia means everything to me, Lor. If I screw up what we already have going for some stupid high school crush, I'll never forgive myself."

Loretta held his stare for a long beat, her expression incomprehensibly warm and tinged with what seemed like pity. When she finally replied, her words were measured and carefully chosen.

"Maybe don't completely rule out the possibility, is all I'm saying. Especially before you've taken the time to really look."

She rose fluidly to her feet then, smoothing out her skirt as she made her way towards the door.

"Who knows? You two kids just might turn out to be as epically, storybook-levels of made for each other as it already seems to an outside observer."

With a last inscrutable smile tossed over her shoulder, Loretta slipped out of Hunter's room - leaving her younger brother alone to muddle over the unexpected turn their conversation had taken.