Incest/Taboo The Anderson Women

Vanessa Anderson: Mike's stepmother.

Deborah Anderson: Vanessa's sister-in-law.
Julie and Sarah Anderson: Deborah's daughters, with Sarah being elder by three years.

Mike, 26, returns home after being away for a good few years. His best friends Robin and Phil had an accident and he takes the responsibility of their son Joe. Mike's father, George, wants him to take over the business and he reluctantly agrees. Vanessa, Sarah, and Deborah are thrilled because of his return but not so much Julie, his cousin, and first love.

Mike's eyes ran over her figure. Illuminated by the evening sun, her brown hair had a shade of red in them. Red suited her, he thought to himself. He very quickly set a reminder on his phone to gift her red dress, which she can wear the next time they went out for dinner or movies.

"Even in blue..." he murmured.

She had his blue t-shirt on, the same as the color of her eyes. He watched her silently as she stood in wait for the coffee to be ready. Her long legs were bare as she only had a single cloth on her body, his t-shirt. To take out the cups, she bent in an angle and gave him a clear view of her bottoms.

A smile crept upon his face as he observed the little red mark by the edge of her round cheek. He couldn't help himself from releasing a low growl as he recalled the feel of her soft, smooth flesh held against his palm. His "print" on her fair skin looked especially vibrant.

She turned around to wag her finger at him, aware of his lustful gaze. His dick hardened at the sexy gesture. He never had realized that a simple finger-wag could do that to him. With a small shake of her head, she went back to humming her tune even as she poured herself a cup.

Mike shifted in his chair to let his hardness breath. He tried to focus on her voice, to figure out the song, but gave up just as soon, because he realized he didn't have enough restraint to move his mind away from her butt and he didn't have to. It was only them at the moment, alone and free. Unconsciously, his hand slid down to his organ.

A small chuckle of hers made him lift his eyes from her wondrous ass. She had turned around to face him, sipping her coffee slowly. Their gazes clashed with each other. She then glanced down to his crotch to catch him brushing his hand over his tent and raised her eyebrow to him.

He felt a little embarrassed at first. To be spotted by her with his dick in his hand, still felt unusual and weird, no matter how much time had passed or how their relationship had changed. He couldn't see her lips as she had held her cup in front of them; nevertheless, he assumed she must have been smiling from the way her eyes had stretched.

He felt emboldened by that and his hands, which hadn't stopped their motion, gripped it hard over the cloth. She laughed heartedly. He watched her attentively, he watched her breasts, and he watched them jiggle. They were more than a handful; he couldn't get enough of them. Bite marks, hickeys and the like, he was sure he would find them if she lifted the t-shirt.

"Just one peek," he signaled with his expressions.

She shook her head in denial, a playful smile on her lips. Then suddenly her eyes widened, in warning to him, as he had crossed the few feet that had separated him from her to hold those flesh peaks, to claim them, her.

Two women were sat at the relatively quiet corner table of the bustling coffee place. Both of them were impeccably dressed for an early morning get together and were the subjects of more than a few admiring gazes. They didn't seem to mind all the attention and were also silent themselves. There was an air of suspense in between them and the tension was mounting by the minute. Nonetheless, they both kept their eyes off of the other, their thoughts to themselves, as if waiting for the other to break the silence.

Ashley looked up to her friend. She was staring out the glass, across the street, like there was the world's most interesting show going on the empty lot. She flicked the blonde strand of her hair behind her ear in a nonchalant way and doing an impressive job of ignoring the piercing gaze on herself. This action of hers made Ashley inwardly sigh at the beauty of her friend. But there were more pressing matters than to laud each others' faces at the moment.

"Julie..."

Ashley couldn't hold herself back and said the first words after the shocking revelation made by Julie.

"Hmmm... what?"

"Are you serious?" An incredulous look came upon Ashley's face as she watched the lazy demeanor of her friend.

"You know what..." she continued after taking a deep breath, "You don't expect me to believe its true, right? I mean, how could you?"

"Yes, it's true. I slept with Mike... so what?"

"But, but..."

"I know. I know! Dammit, I know!"

They both turned silent once again after a few of the customers had started staring their way at Julie's raised voice.

Ashley took a long look at her friend. She knew she was biased but even then she had to admit that Julie was one of the best-looking people she had ever seen. Julie was tall, with a well-proportioned figure. Though she didn't have the biggest of breasts, neither was she a slouch; rather she made up for more than it in the ass department. But most of all she had style, and she had it in abundance. Her oval face and her deep brown eyes, with locks of her strawberry-blonde hair falling over them, were enough to take anyone's breath away.

Being with her for so long, Ashley had watched boys and men go through ridiculous things just to get Julie's attention, just for her to glance at them, just to get her to agree to a date with them. So she never did understand why Julie always found it hard to get in a good, healthy relationship. And now this thing, it was on a whole another level.

"It isn't as if you are actually related..." Ashley thought out loud after a few minutes.

"Yeah, if we really think about it you don't seem to have done anything wrong!"

Suddenly she seemed thrilled by the idea. Ashley let out a creepy stifle and smirked at her friend, her eyes carrying a hint of playfulness.

Julie understood this was her friend trying to calm her down. But she knew it wasn't as simple as that. The things that happened and those that remained unsaid weren't so easy to resolve. She couldn't believe to just turn up at his door today and not find him expectant.

"It's not so simple," she sighed.

"I don't even know exactly how I feel or how should I feel... It's a mess."

"But then why did you do it?"

Julie scoffed, "Finally you ask? Dying to know?"

Ashley giggled unashamedly and whispered leaning in, "I mean he is your cousin after all."

Julie had to shake her head at Ashley's reaction. She could be both serious and playful at the same time which confused her many a times.

Julie turned her eyes away after she took a sip of her coffee which had almost gone cold. She replayed the events of last night in her head and then her mind went back to the week Mike came home. It all seemed a long time ago, but barely a month had passed.

"I don't know but I blame him!"

"And Sarah!"

"Huh? Sarah? Why her?"

"Nothing would have happened if she didn't get engaged!"

"What now? She's engaged? When?"

"Oh right, you don't know yet. Yes, she's engaged. She announced it yesterday."

"Congratulations...?"

Julie rolled her eyes at Ashley's reaction.

"Bitch!"

"I'm happy for her and you don't have to pretend to do otherwise either."

"Oh thank god! I'm so happy for her. I should call her... or maybe go meet her..." Ashley nearly got lost in her thought, "Yeah but anyway, why is it her fault?"

"If she didn't get engaged right now, I would have felt so shitty!"

"What?" Ashley really didn't understand whatever Julie was saying.

"Listen... you don't have a sibling so you don't understand. It's complicated."

"What is?" Ashley had question marks written all over her face.

Julie looked reluctant to say anything, but had to gather her thoughts and explain to her friend when she didn't seem to budge, "I mean, sure I couldn't be happier that she's engaged, that she seems to have found the love of her life, no matter how he seems, but at the same time I'm also jealous and..."

"Right, and? And what?"

"I just seem to have lost, like she has won or something."

"Eh?"

"See... I told you. You won't understand."

"But why?"

"It's what it is," she sighed and then continued, "When Mike came home and I saw him with Joe, it felt weird at first but by the night of party... I just couldn't handle it anymore!"

Ashley kept mum and waited for Julie to open up.

"... Here I'm trudging through and there he was, taking care of a kid on his own. I mean, when did he get so- so reliable and cool? I was supposed to be... more mature. And then Sarah also got engaged, it's like the both of them have moved on and I'm left behind, far behind."

After a few moments, Ashley asked, "And how did this lead to... you know..." she gestured with her fingers, "fucking..."

"Hmph," Julie snorted at the vulgar action, "He just- somehow he has turned into this total hunk. And even more so he has morphed into this image of the perfect man I have had since forever. The more I tried to suppress the feeling, the more I would feel defeated and attracted to him... and finally, it led to last night."

"When you say hunk..."

"You slut! I open up my heart to you, and all you can think about is this?"

"Sure, but... come on tell me!"

"...Dreamy!"

Julie only said a single word after a few seconds of persuasive looks from her best friend, and a faint blush crept across her face which she prayed would go unnoticed.

"Really?!"

"Mmm..." This time only a nod was enough to express her thoughts on her cousin.

Ashley chortled at her state. Julie gave her a mean look but had to join in, in her infectious laugh.

"And- and..." Julie found it hard to control herself anymore and had to get it all off her chest, "You know what? It would all have been fine if he just sucked at it."

Ashley raised her brows at this line of conversation. They both had shared more than a few details about each others' partners over the years, but since it was Mike she thought this would be weird or out of bounds perhaps.

"Yes, it would all have turned for the better, if only he sucked at it," Julie was in the zone and didn't notice the obvious discomfort creeping up at her friend's face.

"I just- somewhere in my mind, there was this thought that if I could just be better than him in this, then it will prove that I'm not the loser in the family, that I too am moving forward. He's looked so beyond his years with Joe, I just wanted there to be one thing I'm better at... I guess it was a stupid thought..."

Julie let loose a weary sigh, but there was also a sign of fondness in that.

"He rocked my world! I've never had any better." She slumped down on her chair, seemingly recalling last night's events.

"Oh yeah? That good?" Ashley forgot all about her earlier reservations and became very interested to get the details. After the way Julie said the last sentence, she could feel there was more to the story.

"Not just good... It was out of this world."

"Ooh! Then maybe I have to see for myself!"

"You slut! Keep it in your pants!" Julie gave her a dirty look, even as the enthralling scenes of last night with Mike dominated her thoughts. She looked oddly at Ashley even as her mind turned to the threesome between Mike and his friends.

Mike came down the stairs and into the kitchen. His mind was still taking in the happenings of last night.

Julie.

His thoughts were stuck on her. A sheepish smile floated across his face as he recalled her sweet aroma, her welcoming embrace. He felt as if he was on top of the world, as if he was infallible. They were a lot of things to process, but he had a good feeling about them.

"Mornin' Mom," he went behind Vanessa and wrapped his arms across her waist and gave her a kiss on her cheek, and a playful nudge on the back of her head.

"Oh baby, you're in a good mood!"

Vanessa turned around from the kitchen platform and smiled gleefully. She took in the sight of her son and leaned forward to place a chaste, light kiss on his lips.

It was not a common occurrence and Mike was similarly not surprised. Vanessa sometimes did peck his lips whenever he was in a particularly good or bad mood, it was meant to be her way of sharing in his feelings.

Mike held her in his hands and observed her curious eyes. He so wanted to tell her all, he could see she wanted him to, even expected him to. But he held himself back. Her blue eyes were the most inviting, she had let her hair loose and her blonde hair looked especially lustrous in the morning light. She had puckered her red lips as if to pout due to his secretiveness. Involuntarily he raised his hand and traced along the sharp nose of hers and bopped it at the end. She sweetly giggled and her round, full face turned pinkish at his cheeky act.

"Not going to tell me?"

"Not yet," Mike replied in the same playful manner as she had asked him in.

"Well fine, you know where to find me."

Vanessa slowly turned away and went to take out the milk and pour him a bowl of cereal.

"Where's dad?"

Mike asked as he took a seat on the table.

"You know, out with your uncle to play golf..."

Vanessa handed him the bowl and sat beside him after pouring herself a glass of juice.

"Hmmm... Never miss those!"

They both chuckled at Mike's quip. It was a running joke in the family about the fondness of golf shared by John and George. Whenever they had time, they would be out on the course. Mike could only shake his head at their habit and thank his stars they never seriously considered turning pro.

"So how was the party last night? I found Sarah in Joe's room when I went in a bit earlier."

"It wasn't a party," Vanessa sharply glared at Mike before breaking out in a giggle when he stuck out his tongue. She knew how Mike felt about the numerous parties they arranged and it had been a constant subject of their sole disagreement. But she knew he was just teasing her and left it at that.

"It was terrible!" She looked up the stairs for any signs of Sarah coming down before she continued, "Sarah was quiet the whole evening and left early too. I just don't understand what brought it on."

"Huh!"

Mike's eyes started spinning and his thoughts started running haywire. He was hoping that it was just his fear that was making his brain go in overdrive and there wasn't any substance to it, that he hadn't truly been found out.

"She didn't go with home Rick?" He tried to sound as nonchalant as possible and surprisingly did a good job of it.

"Right! I was a little surprised too when she told me she will sleep in with Joe." Vanessa replied while she once again glanced upstairs.

"Oh! So she returned earlier than you? When did you get in?"

"Yes she left alone," Vanessa smiled a little mischievously and licked the edge of her glass. She gave Mike a sneaky glance as she tried to hold in her giggle, "Baby! Your mom had a little too much to drink last night."

Mike's eyes widened at the gestures of his mother and the playful tone. He didn't remember the last time she had looked quite so happy and acted quite as flirty with him.

'Maybe before I left home,' He thought to himself. For a while he forgot about Sarah and his fear of getting discovered, all his focus turned to his mother who was staring in his eyes even as she brushed her silky blonde locks with her fingers.

"Have you been naughty?!"

Mike couldn't believe the words that came out of his mouth. But he maintained his gaze on Vanessa and watched her get stumped for a second. This time it was her whose eyes widened and she looked particularly enchanting with a pink blush on her fair face.

Vanessa swatted his hand, "It's bad to tease your mom!"

The pretend anger on her face made her even cuter, Mike thought. He smirked at her, "And teasing your son is good?!"

"Yes!" Vanessa responded unnervingly before she broke out in a giggle. She then got up to put her empty glass in the sink. Mike watched her from behind; she looked quite the beauty in her house-wife attire.

"Just missing an apron," he laughed to himself.

"You said something?"

"Nothing. No."

"Well alright. I have to run some errands for Joe," Vanessa kissed him on top of his head and went towards her room.

As soon as she left his sight, Mike's thoughts immediately turned to Sarah and his mind started sprinting at million miles per hour.

"No way! I didn't hear anything... it's just me overthinking things."

Try as he might to convince himself, he couldn't. Finally, he decided that he should talk to Julie and maybe that would help relieve the stress. He could discuss last night and give her a heads up just in case. But all this while, he hadn't for a second worried about anything other than getting discovered prematurely. He firmly believed that it was just a matter of when, and not if, they disclose their relationship to the two families.

"Hmmm... there's a ton of things to do-"

He got distracted when suddenly he saw Sarah coming down the stairs with Joe in tow.

"We're going out!" Sarah paused in front of the door and announced in his general direction without even taking a glance towards him.

Mike blanked out for a second. A million thoughts ran through his mind at that moment.

"Sarah, wait!" He shouted and quickly caught up before she left the house. He held her hand and tried to make her turn towards him.

Mike got taken aback by the scowl on her face. Sarah looked very irritated and it further strengthened his fears.

"You should work on that presentation. Joe will be with me so that you won't have to worry about getting distracted."

Her scathing tone made him flinch. She hadn't been this angry in forever and he could only pray in his mind that it wasn't because of what he thought. He kept repeating in his head that it was something else, that he should keep calm and not dig his own grave by saying something stupid.

The awkward silence between the two cousins broke with Sarah's voice, "Joe, let's go!"

She then lifted Joe in her arms and strode out the house.

"Fuck!"

Mike cursed in resignation.

"And I didn't even get to say a word to Joe... Fuck!"

"Julie?"

"Can I call you in just a sec?"

Julie hurriedly disconnected the call. She took in a few deep breaths to calm herself and remained staring at the screen of her phone all the while. She expected Mike to call her but she didn't expect the reaction she would have after listening to his voice.

It was a mixture of a whole lot of things, guilt, love, dread, chief among them. After she had unloaded all her thoughts on Ashley, she felt a lot better; still, she was undecided about where to take her relationship with Mike. She was confused and scared. Confused because she didn't know if her attraction to Mike was just a phase and scared because she didn't want to ruin their bond if it already hadn't.

"What if I suddenly find him unattractive just as I found him attractive?"

"What if I just want to be with him because of my fears?"

"What if..."

She had asked Ashley almost in tears.

"You have to walk the walk!"

Julie had nearly burst out in laughter when she had heard her friend's "advice".

"This is no solution."

She lightly slapped her two cheeks to bring herself out of the funk and picked up the phone to call him.

"Hello, Mike?"

"Listen, I have something to tell you!"

His voice sounded urgent and a little panicked. This, in turn, made her panicked too.

"Okay, alright...I'm listening."

"I think Sarah knows..."

"WHAT???"

Julie's mind as if exploded. She couldn't believe it at all. Her hands turned stiff and she nearly dropped her phone.

"What do you mean she knows? How?"

"It's not definite but I have a feeling..."

"What does that mean?"

"It means that I don't know for sure, but I suspect that she knows."

Mike's voice still sounded the same, though Julie calmed down a lot. She believed that it was just Mike being Mike. For all her life, the years she had spent with Mike, she always believed that he was a scaredy-cat. She often teased him over it.

'He's just freaking out as usual... Wait a sec!'

All of a sudden she had a brilliant idea. An idea that could get her out of her current situation and it won't ever hurt anyone's feelings or make Mike resent her. She did feel bad suggesting it, as it felt to her that she would be deceiving him or taking advantage of him, but she apologized to him in her mind.

"Where are you right now?"

"In my room, alone."

"Good, that's good. We should talk about it only when no one can have a chance to listen in."

She thought she heard him scoff at her but she decided to ignore it for the time being.

"We have to observe her..."

"Hmmm? Why?"

"We have to act like everything's the same as two days ago and see if she says anything or acts weird. We can't let her get any clues..."

"But is it really the best way to deal with this?"

"Yes. You have to listen to me!"

"Bu-"

"We must wait till her marriage; she's already in stress after her engagement. We can't do anything till then. And if someone finds out before we, ourselves, tell them, we will lose all credibility."

"Hmmm..."

Julie waited with her breath stuck in her throat. She knew Mike was mulling over things from his side, and she was praying that he would agree. This way she will get some time to sort out her feelings and won't do anything rash like last night.

'Please!'

"You do have a point, I suppose."

She sighed in relief and clenched her fist in jubilancy.

"Of course, I have a point."

"Hmmm..."

"So we have to be careful and not expose ourselves, you understand?"

"...Fine."

"Even if we think we are alone, we have to be careful!"

"Alright, alright... Geez!"

"I know, this sounds terrible but we have to stay strong. For Sarah!"

"Yeah, alright."

A strange pause enveloped their conversation. Both were at a loss, suddenly, and didn't know what to talk about anymore. Julie also felt terrible and immense guilt in tricking Mike like that, but all in all, she was relieved.

"So..."

"So?"

"What are you up to?"

"I don't know... Joe is with Sarah so maybe I should catch up on my work."

"Oh?"

"There's that meeting coming up with the-"

"Why don't we go out?"

"... Didn't you just now say we have to maintain distance?"

Julie once again found herself in a huge whirl of indecision and dilemma. She cursed herself and her heart. She didn't even understand why she had said it and what she wanted anymore.

"But we can still go out, right?"

"Julie..."

... His hands took the cup from her and placed it on the counter behind her. She tried to hold back from smiling, to maintain the look of annoyance and defiance. But her efforts tumbled in the face of his soft kisses to her neck.

"Mike, please..." She moaned.

He gently pecked the mole on her shoulder and ran his hands over her bare thighs feeling her heat. Just a few inches shorter than him, she felt his hardness against her stomach. It was peeking out from the top as his shorts were not cozy enough to accommodate his full length. She sighed at the sight and it got deeper when he sensually stroked her artistic, long legs. Despite her groans of gratification, she tried to block his advance, tried to keep him away from her wetness. Mike, though, brandished a devious smile and kneeled down level with her thin waist.

She held the edge of the t-shirt down to shield her sex and pleaded for him to stop, "Not now please, Joe could be up any minute..."

But it turned out to be just token resistance, a futile effort to delay the inevitable. They knew there was only ever going to be one winner after he had run his tongue over her opening.

"He's not up yet..."

The muffled voice tickled her and his fingers took advantage of the moment and slid under the cloth to knead her breasts. A low moan of pleasure sounded above his ears. Even when she had bit her lips to not let out any sound, she could not control herself, putty as she was in his hands.

"You're so..." she spoke between breaths, "... incorrigible..."

Her fingers clutched his hair in between them to pull him in.

"Oh, Mike!"

He ran his tongue over the length of her opening, mixing his saliva with her wetness. His fingers pinched and rolled between them her nipples with practiced ease.

"So delicious..." He winked at her.

She put him to work instantly, maybe because she didn't like the interruption or maybe because she didn't want him to see her reddening face, and he was happy to oblige.

He parted her lips with his fingers and licked around the wet, pink edges. His fingers invaded her opening while his tongue flicked the nub above.

"Ah..." she hummed in approval.

He doubled his effort, not only because her hum was incredibly sexy, but also because he could feel the onset of a momentous flood. His finger gun kept poking inside, encouraged by the squelching sounds and his tongue kept lapping up the nectar sprinkling outward.

Her nub was erect and was in dire need of his touch, so were her nipples, as much as him. She felt him circle her clit with his thumb and a groan escaped her mouth. Her hands on top of his head increased their force and directed him upwards. Compliant as ever, Mike flicked the flesh bud with his tongue and licked it repeatedly.

"Yes... Yes... Yesss-"

Mike stopped just when she was on the verge of falling to the abyss of pleasure and stood up in a flash, his shorts pulled down to his ankle. He was aching, and she was the cure. She opened her eyes to find him smirking at her. His rock hard dick was humping against her vulva, eager to penetrate her.

A panicked look came across her face as she shook her head and pushed him away with both her hands.

Mike twitched his eyebrow. It was the first time she had denied him, and he had to rake his mind to figure out the reason.

Unaware of the storm raging in his heart, she reaffirmed her conviction. With a strong gaze, she spoke, "No..."

Mike lay down on the sofa in Sarah's chamber. The meeting had run long and he felt immense fatigue from it. Sarah had asked him to go ahead while she accompanied their partners to be.

"It went well I think..."

In the past week, he had heeded Julie's words and maintained some distance between them. Still, he felt odd glances from Sarah from time to time, especially when they spent time alone in preparation for the new project. There wasn't any overt action, just sometime he would feel as if she looked at him resentfully or in a wronged way.

Nevertheless, Sarah hadn't given any hint or said anything to make him believe that she had any inkling about Julie and his tryst. He had relaxed quite a bit and was mulling over if he should convince Julie to see his way. Though she seemed a little odd to him, he trusted her and had decided to stick with her decision untill she said otherwise.

"She's good but nobody's that good. It must've been my imagination."

He sighed at the ridiculousness of the whole situation. Many a time he just wanted to flat out admit it to Sarah, barely he held himself whenever she gazed at him with those expectant eyes.

She had always been the one to confide in, and it was painful to hide such a huge thing from her. He comforted himself in the fact that it was only temporary. The memory of that night was still vivid in his mind and he hated that he had to do something that may hurt her.

"Well she's calmed down a little and Joe also seems happier to spend more time with her."

Mike realized that she had been spending a lot of time with Joe ever since she got engaged but he didn't mind it. In fact, he welcomed it. Joe always seemed to light up in her presence more than anyone else's and Sarah also would look serene whenever she spent together with them.

"What are you doing?"

Sarah asked as she stood staring down at him.

"I-uh... nothing," Mike got startled initially and mumbled his way through as he pulled himself away from his thoughts and made room for her on the sofa.

Sarah looked at him funny before seating herself beside him.

"What were you thinking about?"

Mike turned away from her as he tried to evade her question as well as her eyes, "Nothing, just this meeting..."

"Oh yeah?"

"Sure!"

"Mike," Sarah spoke in a calm tone and then turned his face towards her own.

It was quite a shock for Mike to feel her acting so intimate when he thought she was upset with him.

"What are you not telling me?"

He felt her soft hands held his face in them. Her focused gaze, appraising his face like a piece of exceptional art, was soft and yet it felt spiky to him. Inches away, he could feel his breath on his mouth.

"I-"

Her ever accepting aura dulled his ability to lie and the fragrant smell tickling his nose lulled his senses.

In a business suit, Sarah looked exceptionally sharp, Mike thought, a fair divide from the warm and comforting presence he knew her as. Her soft bun, impeccable the few minutes ago he saw her, had nearly come off which was quite unlike her and he imagined was wholly unintentional, something she must have not noticed because of the long afternoon. Her professional attitude, she had continued to take with him in the company, seemed like a distant memory at the moment. She was back to being the Sarah he knew and loved.

He followed the drop of sweat as it rolled down her cheek and neck and towards the proud cleft. He gulped in a breath as he watched the bead head towards the restricted area of her blouse. The rhythmic rise and fall of her most inviting breasts further lulled him into a sense of serenity.

"You're staring," Sarah cleared her throat.

Mike, awoken from the reverie of a buried memory, unabashedly lifted his head. There was a faint pinkish hue on her face and her hands trembled a little, he noticed, as their gazes met. Her glossy brown hair had come undone and her beauty got even more accentuated by the way the odd strands flew down her face.

He lost all manner of speech even as in the back of his mind, he knew she had asked something just then. Her slightly disheveled look had taken his breath away. He was mesmerized by her elegance and was left rooted by the sudden onrush of alien sentiments. All he could do was to hold himself back, but not his mind. He imagined running his fingers through her hair and touching her soft skin, holding her close in his arms and burying his head between the valley that was her breasts.

"Mike, tell me."

"Huh?"

He mumbled despite of his lost self.

"Tell me, please!"

The imploring tone of Sarah alerted him to the fact that he had almost admitted the one thing he was asked to hide.

"There's nothing really."

"Is that so?"

Suddenly the atmosphere turned odd. Her arms didn't feel as warm as before, her aura not as fuzzy. The few inches between them had somehow seemed like an unscalable chasm.

"Sarah re-"

He tried to mend the distance but got shushed even before he could complete his sentence. The desolate look in her eyes and the hurt expression on her face cut deep in his heart.

"Don't!"

"Don't okay? Please?"

Mike felt as if he was hit by a truck. The intensity of her words shook him to the core, made him realize how much it meant to her that he didn't choose to confide in her, that he would lie to her.

"Let's go."

Sarah announced as she got up from the sofa and straightened her features. In a few short moments when he was still contemplating what he should do next, she had composed herself and was back to usual. He doubted himself on whether it was all just his imagination. His only clue that it hadn't been his mind playing tricks on him was the much too real feeling of guilt and the barely perceptible sadness in the corner of her eyes.

He sighed to himself as he stared at her walking out the door.

"She's... that good."

The air was quiet and awkward between them on the ride home.

'Maybe I should take my own car from now.'

"Don't be late tomorrow. We have a lot of work to do still."

Sarah took off with those words. Her tone was non-compromising as if she somehow knew what he had been thinking about.

It was just one of those things. Since he started in the company, Sarah had been giving him a ride. He didn't know how it became a thing, but she would usually advise him on the inner workings so as so fast track his understanding. And on the way back it was just light conversation about work or Joe.

"Apparently I'm not allowed to take my own car," Mike had to shake his head at the thought of going through the unbearable torture that was the ride home, over and over.

Joe came running to him as he entered through the gate. He lifted the little guy over his shoulder and made a beeline towards Vanessa who was busy in the kitchen.

"Mike! Put him down!"

Vanessa looked aghast. Her eyes widened at the dangerous "stunt" her son was executing.

"Fine," Mike laughed and gently let down Joe, who was having a riot, from his shoulder to the floor.

"You can hurt someone!"

Vanessa lectured him some more on the dangers involved with raising a child before he could go and change out of his work clothes.

On the dinner table, Mike sat between Joe and Vanessa. He asked as he extended to pour curry in his plate, "Where's Dad?"

"Oh, he'll eat out with his friends."

Vanessa sounded nonchalant but Mike thought otherwise.

"What is it, the third time this week?"

"Yeah... well, it's fine. It means I get to spend more time with the two of you."

"Hmmm...But what do they even do?"

"I don't know. Play poker maybe?"

"Maybe..."

Mike was not convinced by Vanessa's words. It seemed a little too obvious to him. He knew his father liked to gamble and such, still to not want to spend time with his wife for it was too much in his opinion.

'Should I ask him about it?'

He didn't want to meddle in between the husband and wife but seeing as his mother was more often than not left at home by herself, he didn't want to take any chance.

"... Sarah?"

"Huh?"

"Joe asked you about Sarah..."

Vanessa clarified for him when he didn't react to Joe's inquiry.

"Oh, Sarah... she left for her home."

"Its fine Joe, you will see her tomorrow."

Mike felt terrible seeing Joe's sad expression. Vanessa was quick to comfort the little guy but it reminded Mike just how much Joe and Sarah seemed to love each other and made him realize the extent of her anger if she didn't even say hello to Joe.

His thoughts further devolved into the awkward ride home and the weird time in her office. He had somehow avoided thinking about it and her, since he arrived home but the guilt came rushing back and he was helpless but to be haunted as his brain kept replaying her hurt expression.

"Everything alright with you two?"

"Ye-Why? Yeah- I mean yes."
​