-TIM-

It's my birthday today.

I should be blowing the candles on my cake. I should be kicking my feet up on the living room table and watching the game with my hand around my wife on the sofa. My little sister should be on the couch across from us reading a book. And while I'm at it, there should be a million dollars sitting in my bank account.

But I don't have a cake, I no longer have a wife, my sister's locked up in her room, and the only place I have a million dollars is in my dreams.

---

"The vase is mine too." Clara said, nonchalantly reaching for the expensive purple vase.

"Do you want my spleen too?" I asked incredulously.

"No, but you still owe that five-hundred dollars, and I expect it by Friday in my mail." Clara tossed the vase in the garbage bag with the rest of the items of which sixty-percent were mine. She was doing this to spite me.

"Bitch..." I whispered.

"What was that?"

"I said you'll get your money." I replied.

My phone vibrated.

I already knew who it was as I looked towards the closed door of my sister's room. I pulled the phone out of my pocket and read: "when is she leaving...". It was my eighteen year old little sister, Elizabeth. She told me from the start that this marriage between Clara and I wouldn't work out; she was right. Rude and obnoxious. She wasn't like that before I put the ring on her finger. To be honest, that wasn't what made me file for divorce. It was the way she undermined my sister, and that was my boiling point. She treated Beth like she was a nobody. It's like Clara forgot or didn't even care that our parents did enough of that. It's why Beth lives with me now. She'll always have a roof over her head so long as she's my sister.

I slipped my phone back into my pocket and frowned. "Clara, I think I've had enough of being around you for a life time. You should go now."

Clara laughed sinisterly as she walked towards the front door. "You're a class act, Tim," she said as she grabbed her keys from the key-rack.

"And you're a pain in my ass, leave."

Clara took her key and scraped the word "FUCK YOU" on the wall before leaving and slamming the door shut.

As soon as the door closed, I heard Beth's door burst open.

-BETH-

I ran towards Tim as a wave of relief washed over me. I jumped on him and embraced him with my loving arms. I hope that he likes my tight pink shorts and blue blouse. I painted my fingernails and toenails red just for him.

I purred when he wrapped his arms around me.

"I won't let her come back here." Timmy said in an almost saddened state. I felt a sharp pain in my heart.

"It's okay, big brother, you'll find someone else." It hurt to say that. I didn't want to say it. I don't want him to find someone else.

"No, I'm done with marriages, Beth. I don't need her... At least I've got you."

My heart skipped a beat, but quickly reverted back when I realized he didn't mean it the way I wanted him to.

He released me and put me down.

"Eventually, I won't be able to lift you like that anymore! You're growing up so fast. Oh crap, I forgot to ask, how was school yesterday." he said, sitting on the living room couch and turning on the television.

I couldn't believe it. It was like his brain had a recycle bin, erasing the recent events within seconds!

I sat down on the couch beside him and put my fingers through his hair; he liked that. "Unh, unh. You aren't going to change the subject, you're still hurt, I can tell."

I leaned forward and kissed him softly on his left cheek. He smiled, and I smiled back.

His smile quickly disappeared as he spoke, "Beth," he shook his head as he looked at the television, "I really don't want to talk about this any more."

Before I could rebuttle, he spoke again, "Can we just go back to the old days when it was just me and you living in this small house? Doesn't that sound great?"

A huge smile streaked over my face. This is what I wanted!

"Yes!" my voice cracked and I blushed as I looked into his eyes. He smiled and put his arm around me, pulling me in. I snuggled my body against him and kissed the side of his chest through his shirt.

-TIM-

"YOU AND YOUR SISTER. IT'S ALWAY YOU AND YOUR SISTER. WHY DON'T YOU HAVE TIME FOR ME?"

"WHEN'S THE LAST TIME YOU TOOK ME OUT FOR LUNCH, HUH?"

"I'VE HAD ENOUGH OF YOU FOR A LIFETIME!"

I slung up from my bed and started panting. I wiped the cold sweat from my forehead as I looked to the left of my bed. Empty. I sighed in relief and smiled. My expression quickly changed as I heard two soft knocks on my bedroom door.

"Timmy, are you okay?" Beth whispered on the other side of the door.

"Uh, yeah, just a bad dream, hun." I replied, my voice echoing off the dark walls of my room.

"Can I come in?" Before I could reply, she was already opening the door.

I couldn't see anything but I could feel the bed depress by my feet as she crawled to left of my bed. I was suddenly reminded of the nights when she was ten and I was eighteen, she would crawl up beside in my bed because she had those terrible nightmares. I always told myself to not fall asleep, that way I could carry her back to her bed when she fell asleep, but we always ended up beside each other in the morning.

I smiled and looked at her face through the darkness of the room, she was smiling too. I put my left arm around her head and she moved in closer to me. She put her head and hand on my chest, just like when we were kids.

"I love you, Tim." she purred.

"I love you too, Beth," I replied, covering her with the blanket.

-BETH-

I yawned and then smiled as I realized where I was. I glanced over at the digital clock, it read 7AM. My eyes wandered up to Tim's eyes which were shut close; he was still asleep.

Without thinking, I slowly eased my body up, careful not to wake him, and planted a soft kiss on his lips. My lips stood dormant on his for ten seconds before my head found itself back on his chest. You really do feel butterflies in your chest when you kiss the love of your life, I thought. I rubbed his chest slowly until I heard him grumble something nonsensical. It kind of sounded like, "brrumbr."

I giggled and felt his hand rub the top of my head.

My hand continued to caress his chest.

"Hey, I didn't even notice your nails. Red looks really good on you." he smiled.

"I figured you would like them," I said, and kiss him on the cheek.

I gasped, "Oh my god, I forgot!"

"Forgot what? Did you forget something at school? We can go get it!"

I giggled at his concern and replied, "No, no, I forgot to buy you your cake!"

"Oh, come on now, Beth. Who cares about a stupid cake..." he said.

"I care about it." I replied truthfully.

Before he could think about carrying on this playful argument, I threw my left leg over his body and I was on top of him, with my chest against his.

He patted my back and said, "Okay, okay, we'll get the cake. We might as well do grocery while we're at it."

I looked into his soft black eyes and put my right hand on his right cheek. He placed his left hand on it and smiled. I shook my head. I waited too long and Clara was the consequence. If I have to wait any longer, I'm going to scream at the top of my lungs.

I licked my lip and lunged my head forward, pressing my lips against his. I felt his hand rub the small of my back and then my hair. I so deperately wanted him to feel my ass through the pink shorts I wore for him. I wanted him to rip my clothes off and touch me all over. I want him to want me because I want him so, so much. I've wanted him since I was thirteen.

I was so shocked that I realized my lips weren't moving but were still pressed against his. He gently pulled my head away, finally breaking the "kiss", and rose from the bed. "Okay, get dressed, we're leaving in ten."

I wanted to tell him that kiss wasn't meant to be sisterly, but that wouldn't be ethical. I smiled and quickly ran to my room. As soon as I closed the door, I jumped on my bed and started crying into my hands. I tried my best to contain the sound, but failed to as Tim yelled from his room, "Everything okay, little sis?"

I regained my composure for just enough seconds to reply, "I'm fine! Getting dressed!"

Sucking up all the tears and frustration, I stood up from bed. I'm DONE WAITING.

I barged out of my room and burst through Tim's door.

-TIM-

I covered my private part with my shirt, "Damnit, Beth!"

"I love you!" Beth said stepping towards me. I stepped back and nudged against my bedside table.

"Well, love, I'm kind of in the middle of getting dressed..?"

"No, you don't understand," she lunged forward and wrapped her arms around my bare chest, "I'm in love with you..."

"Um. Elizabeth, do you mind leaving my room for a second so I can put some pants on? Then we can talk?"

She kissed my chest. The softness of her lips made me almost trip.

After a couple seconds, my jeans and shirt was on, and she was back in my room, standing in front of me. I took her hands and sat on the edge of the bed.

"So, what's going on, Beth?" I replied, looking deep into her eyes for an answer.

"I've been in love with you since I was thirteen years old. This morning I was making out with you as you sle-"

"WHAT?" I said with an unbelieving tone in my voice.

-BETH-

Oh my god, what made me say that!

I relinquished his hold on my now sweaty hands and put them on his cheeks. "Please tell me you love me?"

I reached in for a kiss but he put the palm of his right hand on my face. He shook his head in disbelief and said, "Beth... I thought we were going out for a cake but now you're telling me this? What am I supposed to do?"

"You're supposed to hold me, and kiss me, and put your hand through my hair, and tell me how much you love me and want to be with me. Because that's what I wanted to do for the past FIVE YEARS!" I pleaded and sat on his lap.

"I love you, Beth, but this is, this is..."

-TIM-

"This is what? For the past five years you've protected me from not only nightmares but from our parents! You've always been there for me and I always liked being there with you. Tell me you don't like it when I cuddle with you on the couch, tell me you don't like it when I hug you every time you come home from work, tell me you don't like it when we talk about how my day or your day went and I'll leave your house and won't bother you ever again."

I felt a strange feeling of pain wash over me and then felt wetness around my eyes. It was something I haven't felt since I was a teenager.. I blinked and two droplets of tears rolled down my cheeks; the feeling still didn't go away.

"Don't leave me." I cried out quietly and moved the hair from my little sister's face.

"I don't think I can, Timmy." she said with tears forming in her eyes as well.

I slowly eased my lips towards hers. I've never craved anyone's lips as I did hers. They looked soft, pink, and delectable. She met me half way and our lips collided. I rubbed the back of her body and slid my hand underneath her white blouse.

"I love it when you touch me..." Beth managed to say between kisses.

"You're so beautiful..." I said in a daze of love.

"Oh, Tim..." she said as she started kissing my neck.

She was more beautiful than ever, I thought. Her black hair complimented her gorgeous black eyes. I moaned as she used her tongue to lick down the side of my chest. "Mmmhmm..." was all she could say.

I placed my hand on her head as her tongue made circles around my belly-button. "Oh gosh, Beth.."

She slowly put two of her fingers into her shorts and then plucked it out. She brought her fingers to my nose and I inhaled. It was intoxicating and my love level was now below the legal limit. She shoved both of her fingers into my mouth and I sucked on it.

"Mmmmhhh... Mmmm...."

"Fuck... Tim...."

She brought the fingers back into her mouth and sucked on them for a bit before licking my lips with her tongue.

---

After what seemed like hours of kissing, our lips were 100% worn out. Her body had collapsed on mine, and we both were gasping for air.

"Tell me that I'm more than your sister. I need to hear it." she managed to spurt out.

I held her head to face me so I could look into her eyes. "You're my soul mate, Beth."