I blink so hard that my vision blurs. The shadowy figures entwined in each other just moments ago are gone. Like they were never there.
Did that really just happen?
I swallow, my mouth dry. I try to recall what I just saw. An embrace. A kiss. My stomach lurches strangely just thinking about it. It couldn’t be. People don’t kiss their siblings. Not like that.
Had Ana seen me? And I could have sworn Seb turned and saw me too. And then there was no-one, the bay window empty, the curtains standing as mute witnesses.
I stand frozen, my breath little puffs of water vapour. What happens now? If they were there, they’d surely have opened the door by now.
I wait for the front door to open. Wait to unsee the scene.
Did that really just happen?
I need a plan. I need to do something. Do I wait for them to act? Do I take charge and confront them? The house seems intimidating now.
Real or not, it can only be one course of action. Take your pick.
I move to the door and put the key in the lock. It clicks as I push it open. The house feels warm, the smell of fried potatoes lingering faintly in the air. As I step inside, I keep my coat on and peek around the door. Living room, empty. Dining room, empty. It’s silent. And then there’s a clang from the kitchen. Metal on metal.
And I hear my name.
“Lisa.”
His voice sends a jolt through me, my heart beating faster. Seb’s at the top of the stairs, dressed in a cream turtleneck. I blink a few times, my eyes refusing to believe what’s in front of me. When I saw Seb at the bay window a few minutes ago, he was wearing a black turtleneck—the one I’d bought him.
“I was just going to call you,” he says, moving down the stairs. “I got back a few minutes ago. Dinner’s almost ready, too.
He’s smiling, and when he kisses my lips, his mouth is warm and dry. “I hope you’re in the mood for pisto and potatoes.”
I say nothing.
“How’s Deb?” he asks, walking to the dining room table.
My words come out in a croak. “Where’s Ana?”
“In the kitchen.”
He says it nonchalantly, his eyes on his laptop screen.
“Were you …” I trail off. When he looks at me, my ankle gives way under me and I have to catch myself before I slip.
“Woah.” He moves over to me, puts his hands on my shoulders. “Are you okay?”
He looks genuinely concerned, but I’m still shaking. I try to get the words out again. “Were you—”
There’s a voice coming from the kitchen. “Voy a poner—”
Ana’s standing in the doorway with plates in her hands. There’s a confused look on her face.
She’s wearing black.
I open my mouth, close it.
“Are you okay?” she asks me.
Putting the plates on the table, she walks over to me, arms crossed. My eyes dart to Seb—to her—then back again. I shake loose from his grip, pointing a trembling finger at the bay window. “You were there.”
“Sorry?” she asks just as Seb says, “What?”
“You were standing at the window. There.” The words sound more like a question than a statement, and I feel myself faltering.
Seb frowns. “At the window? When?”
“Now. A minute ago.”
I place a hand on the wall. Ana’s still got her arms crossed when I look at her. “I saw—you.”
She looks at her brother. I do too. I see his cream turtleneck, the plates on the table. I smell the cooking food.
Did that really just happen?
“Hey,” Seb whispers, his face close to mine. “What’s going on? What did you see?”
The words run through my mind, refusing to sound reasonable.
I saw you kissing Ana. I saw you kissing your sister.
I shake my head, but his eyes don’t leave mine. He looks truly concerned. Like I’ve gone mad.
“Do you want to sit down?” he says in that tone I love. The one that says he’s only talking to me. Like he’s only ever talked to me. “Let me take your coat.”
I let him peel the coat from my arms and hang it by the door. When he turns back to me, tears sting my eyes. “I, I—”
But the words won’t come.
Seb leads me to the chair, holds my hand as I sit down. Ana disappears and reappears with a glass of water.
“Tell me,” Seb says, kneeling down and rubbing his hand over my thigh. Up close, his cologne is musky and sensual. His voice is barely a whisper. “What’s going on?”
I meet his teddy bear eyes. Where would I start? What would I say? I close my eyes, picture the house from outside, the fog behind me. The memory now drifting away on the water. I manage a word. “Nothing.”
“Is it Deb?” he asks.
I think of Deb, sitting in her home alone, unsure what her husband is capable of, memories of their past corrupted by his behaviour. I compare her to me, sitting in this warm house, Seb’s hand on my knee, a worried look on his face.
But I saw it, didn’t I?
I nod through a sob. Seb wraps his arms around me, the fabric of his turtleneck soft against my cheek. When he lets go, he wipes away my tears. “We’ll have some dinner and you’ll feel better, okay?” He leans in, placing a kiss on my forehead. “I missed you.”
He stands, walks to the kitchen, then turns. “Do you want some wine? A cup of tea?”
I shake my head.
“Have some water,” Ana murmurs. I’ve forgotten she’s been here all this time. She motions to the glass on the table, her arms still crossed in front of her.
I do as she says. It’s only when I put the glass down that I notice my hand is wet. I look back at the glass. It has water splashed all over it, like it was poured in a rush. I turn to look at the window. It’s dark outside, and my face reflects back at me. From here, I can see my eyes are swollen and puffy.
And then I look at Ana’s reflection in the window.
She’s standing behind me, but something’s off. And when I look closer, I see it.
She’s shaking.
I turn back to look at her. She’s frozen in place, her eyes downcast. From the kitchen, I can hear Seb shuffling around with the cutlery. She looks up and meets my gaze. Her eyes are stricken, like she’s seen a ghost. I want to look away but I can’t. It’s like a story’s about to be told. That if I look for a second longer, all will be revealed.
Please, I want to say. Tell me I’m not crazy.
But Seb walks back into the room, a platter of vegetable stew in his hands. Ana moves to take a seat at the table, eyes still downcast. In his haste, Seb drops a fork onto the floor, and in those few beats where he bends to pick it up, Ana looks up and stares right at me. I can see clearly what’s behind her eyes.
Fear.