"Hey, can I have some of that?" asked Ellie.
Sally gave her sister a sideways glance. "And you a mere child of nineteen... you just want to get me in trouble for contributing to the moral ruination of a young lady, don't you?" She snickered, then ducked a carelessly thrownTV Guide. "Okay, okay!" Holding up a hand in surrender, she passed the bottle to Ellie. "Here, help yourself. Just don't tell the parental units. And don't drink from the bottle, for God's sake. Be civilized, get a glass."
"Yeah, yeah," grumbled Ellie, stomping into the kitchen to seize a glass from the dish rack, then back into the living room to flop down in the chair. "Mom lets me have wine every now and then," she declared, "That is, if Dad's not around. Jeez, I'll be legal in less then two years anyway." Grabbing the bottle, she carefully measured out a rather large drink.
"Thirsty, are we?" murmured Sally.
"Up yours, bitch," grinned the teen. "I earned it, with this pair of dishpan hands."
"Can't argue with that," Sally said, raising her glass. "Merry fucking Christmas, sis."
Ellie held her own glass up and took a warm gulp. "Merry fucking Christmas. God, I'm glad it's over. Nearly over," she added, glancing at the clock above the fireplace.
It was approaching midnight, and they had just dispensed with the last of the dishes from the enormous Christmas dinner. The house had been full of relatives from both sides of the family tree. Arranging and preparing for the event had taken days and Sally had been marshalled into duty minutes after arriving home for winter break by her mother, Anne, who had given her eldest daughter a hug, a kiss and just enough time to shrug out of her overcoat before handing her an apron and pointing toward the kitchen.
The party had ended two hours earlier, but there had been plenty of cleaning up left to do when the last of the guests had said their goodbyes. Their mother, Anne, had wanted to stay up and help the girls, but Ellie and Sally wouldn't have it, shooing her upstairs.
Now that the work was over and done with, the sisters relaxed in the living room, listening to a jazz CD. The parents had gone to bed and the house was blissfully still.
The two sisters sipped their wine, savoring this oasis of calm after the hours of frenzied activity. In fact, what with a gruelling week of finals just before her flight home from Dartmouth, then the dozens of party tasks her mother had delegated over the last few days, this felt like the first tranquil moment Sally had enjoyed in ages. She sank a little deeper into the comforting embrace of the couch with a happy sigh.
Ellie was wearing her Christmas sweater, the one her mother had knitted... red, with little green holly leaves above her left breast. She'd paired it with khaki slacks that fit snugly. Sally wore a maroon skirt, which came up to just above her knees and was slit halfway up the left side. She'd worn a semi-sheer blouse, open just enough to show a tantalizing hint of cleavage.
Ellie broke the silence, smiling wistfully as she cupped her wine glass in both hands. "Can I ask you something?" she said. "It's sort of personal."
Sally shrugged, "Fire away."
"Do you ever... think about the things we used to do together?"
Sally arched an eyebrow, "Things...?"
"You know," Ellie replied. "Don't pretend. Not now."
The older sister paused, pondered. "What brought that on?" She finally asked.
Ellie traced the lip of the glass with her finger, "I can't help but remember... especially whenever you're home and it's Christmas."
Sally sat quietly for a moment, then slowly nodded. "Yeah... I guess I still think about it. Not as much as I used to, but..." She studied her younger sister. "Ever tell any of your girlfriends about us?"
"No," Ellie replied. "I never would."
"Really?" Sally tilted her head, an intrigued expression on her face. "Think they might get all... weird on you?"
"God, no," snickered Ellie. "My last girlfriend Mandy -- you never got to meet her... when she saw that snapshot I have of you in your volleyball uniform, she said you were and I quote, a 'hottie', and told me she would love to take you to bed." She giggled, then shook her head. "Jeez, if I ever even dropped a hint about the things you and I did, Mandy wouldn't give me a minute's peace until I hooked you up with her." She fell silent, gazing into the embers that still glowed in the fireplace, then glanced up at Sally. "Honestly, I never wanted to tell anyone about you and me. It's... it's not for them. Only us."
"I've never told anybody, either," Sally nodded. "Probably for the same reason..."
Ellie smiled. "I knew you wouldn't tell. Somehow, I just knew."
"El," murmured Sally, setting down her glass. "Have you given some more thought to... you know, coming out to Mom and Dad?"
Sighing heavily, the nineteen-year-old leaned back in her chair, studying her hands. "No," she shrugged. "I think Mom would be okay with it, but Dad... he'd totally freak." She glanced over at Sally. "What about you? When's the last time you went to bed with a girl?"
"Oh... a couple of months ago, actually. Billy, the guy I'm seeing... he understands that I need to explore that side of myself every once in a while." She grinned. "Of course, he's bisexual himself, so..."
"No kidding!" Ellie exclaimed. "Is he into, you know, threesomes and all that?"
Sally shook her head. "No... and neither am I. We respect each other's space that way."
"I think that, even though it was only for a week... what we had was perfect. Just you and me, being close in a whole new way." Ellie hesitated, took another sip of wine, then gazed shyly at her older sister. "You know, Sal -- for all the girls I've been with, I never had a better lover than you."
"That's so sweet," Sally smiled, blushing a bit. "It's funny, you know -- how we've never talked about it since then."
Ellie nibbled nervously at her lip as she studied her sister. Taking a deep breath, she spoke. "I was watching your ass move all night while you were walking around... all I could think about was how much I wanted to touch it." Her voice faltered, but she soldiered on. "I... I wanted to take you into the basement and feel you up."
Sally arched an eyebrow. "Wow... you really have been giving this some thought, haven't you?" Her heart was now throbbing steadily, and there was a restless warmth building between her legs. She shifted in her seat, murmuring, "It's been a long time..."
"It has," Ellie sighed wistfully.
They sat silently for a long moment, listening to the whispery caress of Miles Davis' trumpet, sipping at their wine.
"So, El... let me ask you something," Sally finally said, setting her glass down.
"What?"
She gazed evenly at her sister. "If I was to pull up my skirt and take off my panties... would you come over here and kiss me?"
Her eyes alight, Ellie nodded slowly. "Yeah. Yeah, I would."
Sally leaned back on the couch and tugged the hem of her skirt above her hips to reveal black panties. These she slowly slid down and off, carelessly dropping them on the floor. She put her arms behind her head, watching, waiting.
Ellie slowly rose, then padded over to where Sally sat on the couch, kneeling before her. The sisters drifted into each other's arms and, for the first time since that magical week of lovemaking, shared a kiss.
It was gentle at first, but Ellie quickly brought her tongue into play, tracing Sally's mouth. The older girl moaned, eagerly parting her lips... and within seconds, they were kissing like ardent lovers, as if they'd never been apart.
Their hands roamed freely over each other's bodies. Sally's hands slipped into Ellie's slacks, squeezing her ass through silky white panties. Ellie clumsily shoved her pants down to her knees, then embraced Sally again.
Sally parted her legs to accommodate her sister, letting Ellie grind lustfully against her mound. The motion and the heat sent waves of pleasure rippling through Sally's tummy. Ellie unbuttoned her sister's blouse, then dipped her head to kiss the tops of Sally's breasts. Sally struggled with Ellie's sweater, finally tugging it over her head to reveal a sheer red bra, her younger sibling's nipples easily visible beneath the cups.
Ellie sat up, unbuttoning her pants... then she flicked open the clasp of her bra, while Sally eased herself up to struggle free of her own. Now bare-breasted, the two sisters came together in a frantic embrace, kissing passionately.
Ellie's hand found its way between Sally's thighs and the older girl parted her legs to admit her sister's questing fingers. She put her own hand inside Ellie's panties, closing her eyes as she fondled the warm, secret part of her baby sister that she hadn't touched in years.
"God, I love you, Sally," Ellie breathed, as her older sibling worked a finger, then two, inside her.
"I... I love you too, Ellie!"
"Do you like it, Sal -- my fingers inside you? Jeez, your pussy is like an oven!"
"Oh, fuck... I didn't realize how m-much I wanted this..."
Their hands worked frantically as the sisters brought their mouths together in a bruising kiss.
When the inevitable climax came, it enveloped both of them at the same time. They shuddered and moaned and clutched at one another, Ellie's face buried in her sister's neck.
After the throes of ecstasy passed, they lay quietly, holding each other close and listening to the sounds of their breathing.
And then, another sound.
