My Sweet Melody

Scotty smiled at me. Then he held out his hand and shook mine firmly, as if we had just made a business deal. He looked like he had put his worries behind him now, post-haste, and that made me happy. I wanted everyone to be feeling good, really, because I knew that once this little trip was over, many of us probably wouldn't see each other again all summer. Perhaps the next time I'd bump into some of them, we would almost be strangers. It was an odd feeling, and I was starting to think that Scotty might have had the right idea.

Eventually, after both s'mores and guitar playing, additional drinking for some and snacking for others, the sun was nowhere to be found anymore and the campsite grew dark and a little ominous. Kristine was the first to yawn, but it spread like a chain reaction until there wasn't a single person that wasn't yawning, and not long after that we said our goodnights and started heading back to our respective tents.

I made the five minute walk down to the campsite bathrooms to get myself ready for the night, so that I could rinse myself off quickly and brush my teeth and whatnot. I had my flashlight in hand the whole time because the moon only provided a small hint of light that wasn't enough for me to make it back to the campsite without running into some sort of obstacle, especially with the ground being so uneven. Once I got back to the tent, my sister had already changed into her sleeping wear - a nightgown made of a thin, delicate material. The kind that seemed to hint at what was hiding underneath.

"Should I keep my t-shirt on, or..?" I asked Melody, but she didn't care, so I took it off. I would usually always sleep in just my boxers at home, and I reckoned it would be far too warm with the two of of us inside the shared sleeping bag either way, and so any extra clothing was not particularly welcomed. Besides, Melody saw me in just my boxers all the time at home in the mornings. It wasn't weird for us to see each other like that.

"I only have one pillow you know. You'll have to use your backpack or something" I told Melody, but she smiled triumphantly and held up her own pillow to show me that she had not forgotten THAT at least. We turned the flashlights off, and crawled into the sleeping bag together. It was quite roomy. Sure, we were right next to each other, but it wasn't like we had to lay directly on top of each other, stacked like sardines in a can.

"Good night, sis.."

"Good night.." Melody replied in a whisper.

I could smell her scent tickling my nose. Her hair was still a little damp from her shower, and I could smell soap and shampoo mixed with her natural scent. I can't say that Melody had never slept in the same bed with me before - this was not an uncommon occurrence when we were younger, or when our parents were out of the house and she got scared. She frightens easily. But this was different. For one thing, we were adults now. We had celebrated our 18th birthday just a few months prior. Both our bodies were developing, and our hormone levels were all over the place. And I could feel her heat, radiating off of her body and onto mine. When she rolled over, laying on her side towards me, our faces ended up within mere inches of each other.

She looked beautiful, even in the dim lighting provided by the moon through the tent's fabric. She had an almost angelic glow. Her full, pouty lips were visible, and seemed to stand out in the darkness. And I could tell that she was awake. Thirty minutes or so went by, until she finally whispered "It's way too warm.."

"I know," I replied. It felt like my sleeping bag was wrapped around us in a tight cocoon, trapping our body's heat somehow. There was no doubt about it - I could feel myself burning up, and Melody's leg had come across mine at some point, making me feel even warmer. I kept my eyes closed, but I had to admit that it felt like she was teasing me somehow. Like she was playing with me. She shifted her body around a bit, and I got even more uncomfortable as her breast brushed against me. It felt warm, soft, and supple. A few inappropriate thoughts rushed through my head, which I instantly tried to push away.

"I can't sleep.. You don't mind if I just open the zipper a little?" she asked in a hushed tone.

"No, that's fine.." I replied, and she did so, but then slipped outside of the sleeping bag altogether. I rolled over, turning away from her, and the sudden chill made me appreciate the warmth that Melody was providing. The difference in temperature was noticeable instantly, and the night air was unsympathetic against my skin.

"What are you doing? It's so cold!" I complained to her.

She crawled back into the sleeping bag next to me, so close to my back. Her naked legs touching mine. My whole body was reacting, and I felt embarrassed about it.

"Can you close the zipper back up for me?" She said, her voice still a whisper. I obliged, and zipped the two of us up inside. As as I did so, I had to reach over her, and I came into direct contact with her skin, and..

"Hey, what happened to your nightgown?" I asked, her nipples now in direct contact with my bare chest. I wasn't able to make out if they were hard or not because I pulled away rapidly - at least not with certainty - but it seemed that way. It felt like they were sticking out slightly from her chest, like two pebbles.I wasn't sure how to proceed. Was she wearing anything at all anymore?

"I'm too hot" she said in a calm voice, without any sense of urgency or embarrassment. "I couldn't sleep like that!"

"Are you at least wearing underwear?" I said, my voice a bit stressed.

"Yes. Hello Kitty panties."

I have to admit, this situation made me feel odd. I didn't want to make a big deal out of it, and just rolled over to my side with my back turned towards her, but I was painfully aware that she was topless now. It felt inappropriate somehow. But I realized that perhaps I was the one making it weird, because of my reaction to it. Simply put, it became sexual because I found it arousing. I had to get my mind out of the gutter.

"Come on, you've already seen me naked before" she said, as if she could read my mind. "It's nothing to be embarrassed about. You don't have to turn away from me. If you're uncomfortable, then I'll put the nightgown back on. But I will be awake all night, boiling up!"

I rolled over on the opposite side and faced her now. She had made a valid point, but there was still something that was making me feel rather uncomfortable, and I wasn't sure if I could pinpoint what exactly. She just stared at me, smiling in the darkness. Her eyes seemed to glow slightly, but perhaps that was my imagination. I guess we had both grown so accustomed to being in each other's company, to being able to share things without words, that I was having a hard time figuring out where this strange sense of embarrassment was coming from. And I felt it from her, too.

"Besides," she started after a while, in an almost flirtatious tone. "I don't want to keep my brother from seeing what a woman's body is like, if he's interested" She lightly traced her index finger down along my chest. "Or do you only care to look at Julia?"

I laughed softly and brushed away a strand of hair from my sister's face, tucking it behind her ear. "You know I think you're beautiful, Mel."

"Oh please. Don't lie to me", she said with a sudden frown. "If you did, you would look at me the same way you look at her."

"What's that supposed to mean? Of course not, you're my sister." I told her. She looked grumpy, though. A little hurt, and maybe a bit vulnerable. I could see in her eyes that there was something bothering her, and I felt bad for whatever was the cause of it. "Mel, what's wrong?"

Melody rolled her eyes and let out a small chuckle. "Just.. don't do that thing where you call me beautiful or tell me I'm pretty." she asked me. "It hurts a little."

"Why is that?" I asked her back, confused. "I thought we were always honest with each other?" I retorted.

She sighed and rolled over onto her back, no longer facing me directly. She paused for a long while, as if trying to find the words to explain how she was feeling, but what came out of her mouth surprised me greatly.

"... I was so sad when you didn't ask me to go to prom with you." she finally confessed, sounding a little whiny. It caught me off guard.

I felt confused. "What do you mean?" I had gone with Julia, because she had asked me. Several weeks before prom, in fact. Melody had said nothing about wanting to go with me at all - had not even hinted at it, as far as I could tell.

"When Julia asked you, and you said yes," she said, and paused, her voice quivering a little bit. "... And you seemed quite happy about that, might I add.. I felt really jealous." Her eyes were looking at me again in the darkness, staring me straight in the eyes. "And it hurt me."

I felt incredibly confused. "What do you mean, jealous?" I asked. "Why did it hurt? Did you think Julia was going to come in between us?" I sounded a little defensive. What was she trying to say here?

She looked at me with puppy-dog eyes, then closed them as she tried to gather her thoughts. It was difficult to stay annoyed with her when she looked like this. "When you kissed Julia in front of everyone.. that hurt a lot, you know? And seeing you so happy, dancing with her.." She opened her eyes again, but she didn't look at me. She looked at the ceiling of the tent.

"I like Julia and all, but we're just friends.. Friends that sometimes flirt." I sighed. "And you and me - we're siblings, in case you have forgotten."

"I know that.. It's just... You were mine, Marwin" she whispered, sounding heartbroken. I was hers?

I caressed her cheek gently with my fingertips. "I don't know what you mean exactly. You and I have, and always will have, a special bond. That can never be broken." I told her. "Surely, you must know that?"

"I know it's stupid," she said, before pausing for a second to think of the right words to say. "But it felt like she was stealing you away from me, you know? That kiss, and how you acted towards her. I just.. I don't know.. It felt like it meant something, or it could mean something, with you two together." she finished. She looked at me now, and I could tell that her feelings were genuine, but I also suspected she didn't understand the consequences of what she was saying. And I was not as sensitive to her feelings as I perhaps should have been. Honestly, I felt a little annoyed by all this.

"What, so I can never get close to a girl because you're worried it'll take time away from you and me hanging out?" I asked, more than a little bluntly.

She frowned, then sighed deeply and fidgeted a bit. "No, that's not what I mean.. But it's difficult to explain." she replied, and when she didn't add anything further, I did.

"I don't get it. So if I hang out with a girl that I could potentially be interested in, that upsets you?" I asked her, and pinched the bridge of my nose. This conversation was exhausting me.

"Yes.." she said hesitantly. "Or maybe.. I don't know.."

"Please say what you mean, instead of speaking in riddles. You're acting weird.", I said in a sharper tone than I intended to use. I didn't like to fight with my sister, but I just couldn't believe how unreasonable she was being right now. "Because right now you sound like you're trying to sabotage me from being happy."

She contemplated that for a time, before she finally broke the silence. "... I just wish you could be happy with ME!" she cried out in a quiet voice. Her eyes started watering and soon enough tears began to fall down her cheeks.

I felt my annoyance instantly fade away. Seeing her cry did that to me. Whatever I felt was pushed to the side, because comforting her was my first priority.

"Hey, hey," I cooed at her. "Don't cry, please. I'm not mad at you. We're talking this out right now, and we'll be fine."

I hugged her closely, holding her head to my chest. I had meant it when I said I wasn't angry, but the truth was that I was also a little shocked by her outburst. I thought Melody and I communicated so openly and honestly about everything. It was a huge surprise to me to know that she had been holding some sort of jealous resentment regarding the whole prom thing. She never even alluded to the fact. I didn't understand why she would get so jealous. The bond I shared with her was unlike any other I would ever have, and we both knew that.

"Why are you so afraid of losing me? You'll always be my best friend." I tried to reassure her, but my sister just shook her head and held me tighter. Her grip was so tight that it hurt my arms a little bit.

"But I'll never be your girlfriend!" she cried out softly. "You'll never want me like that."

I was rather stunned. You can call me daft all you want, but I had not fully realized up until this point that she was actually hinting at something along those lines. It just didn't cross my mind. It was outside the realm of possibilities. In truth, I had never had a conversation like this - so emotionally charged - with anyone before, and so it was difficult to know what to say or how to handle myself. But Melody was crying, and that put me on edge. So I thought out my words carefully.

"You're my sister. My twin sister. We're twins. And you will always be my sister. There's no one that will ever come close to that. No, not even Julia, if you feel threatened by her. Not even any girlfriend I might have in the future." I tried to reassure her, but I wasn't sure how much she understood.

"This isn't about Julia.." she told me, still buried in my chest. "This is about you."

"What about me?"

"Don't you want a girlfriend?" She sounded genuinely curious. It threw me off-guard, and it was hard to think straight because of it.

"Uhh.. Yeah, sure?" I stuttered. "I mean, I'm 18, of course I'd like a girlfriend.." I paused, unsure of what else I could say to satisfy her curiosity.

"And wouldn't you want that girlfriend to be someone that understands you? That knows you? That cares about you, and loves you?" she continued.

"Well, sure," I replied. "But Melody.." She interrupted me.

"You know no one can love you better than I can.." She said, pulling away from my embrace ever so slightly so that our eyes could meet. "You KNOW that.." she whispered. "Right?"

I stared into her eyes and gulped nervously. Her expression was the hardest part for me to read, even though she was usually such an open book to me. There was such a tenderness in her eyes, hidden in the sea of sadness.

"..Right?" she asked again, more forcefully.

"... Yes", I told her. My voice was shaky, because I had just been made aware of some things that had been under my nose without me consciously realizing it until now. She was right. She loved me completely and unconditionally. Would I ever find anyone else that understood me, that cared about me, that loved me, as well as my sister did? Probably not, and that's what scared me the most.

She smiled at me, then wiped her tears away with her hand, and quickly curled up against me again. It seemed like she had had heard all she needed to hear.

"But.." I started, but was instantly shut down.

"Schh.." she shushed me. "Don't say anything else. Please. Let me have this."

We laid there in silence for a long time. She was so close to me, nuzzling her face into my chest and neck. There were no words I could think of that could remedy the situation, and so I just let it be. Perhaps we had both had too much of this conversation for one day, and the alcohol from earlier may have clouded her judgement or something. Besides, I wasn't really sure how to process all this.

Melody was a smart girl, and surely she knew that it was not at all acceptable for me and her to be involved in any sort of romantic way. There could never be anything between us - or did we just have completely different definitions of love and romance, of what was acceptable and unacceptable? But she was right. It was unlikely that I could ever find a woman that would love me as fully and unconditionally as she could. As she did. I thought about that for a long time, trying to imagine someone else loving me in the same way that she did, and failing. My head was spinning with thoughts of Melody, until I finally fell asleep, with her in my arms.

--- DAY 2 ---

Melody did in fact drool on me that night. I woke up with her practically on top of me, her naked breasts pressed firmly against my body, her face buried in my neck and her arm thrown over me. For a second I was shocked by her close proximity, but then I realized that there were many ways this situation could have come to be. Perhaps she rolled over at some point in the night, maybe she was uncomfortable laying on her back. Whatever the reason was, it was warm, and Melody seemed content and happy, so I didn't wake her up. I really didn't mind her being this close to me. I never had. It just felt natural with her. I found myself thinking that it was a really pleasant way of starting the day.

A few minutes later she woke up herself, but she just smiled lazily when our eyes met. Then she nuzzled closer to me, cuddled into my neck, and closed her eyes again. I found myself appreciating her sweet, steady breaths against my neck, and her naked breasts squashed firmly against my chest. So I wrapped my arms around her and held her like that for a while. It felt intimate, special. But as soon as we both woke up sufficiently, and reality started to set back in, she pulled away from me hesitantly.

"Morning" she yawned. She looked utterly disheveled - still half-asleep - and her hair was a total mess, but I loved this look on her.

"Morning, sis." I said with a smile, and dipped my fingers into the little pile of drool that she had left on my body, and then I flicked it at her. "You're such a baby when you sleep, you know that? Drooling all over the place!"

Melody wiped the drool away from her mouth and looked at me with her trademark grumpy face, but her cheeks quickly turned red in embarrassment. She looked absolutely adorable. "Well if you wouldn't make me feel uncomfortable all night, maybe I wouldn't be so sleepy.." she replied in a sassy voice, which made me laugh.

"How did I make you uncomfortable!? I shared my sleeping bag with you, and even let you cuddle up close to me!" I defended myself.

"Uhh, exactly. I was the one cuddling up to you!" She retorted, giving me a push. "Meet me half-way next time, you know? Does a girl have to do all the work?" Her voice was coarse with tiredness.

"I held you when you.. When you were crying", I objected, but she seemed to be in no mood to talk about that at the moment. Instead, she started gathering her toiletries, and got herself dressed for the day. I couldn't help but admire her figure, as she was still wearing those Hello Kitty panties that left very little to the imagination, half-way drowning in her round bottom. She caught me staring a few times, but did nothing to hide herself, as if daring me to make a move. But I didn't. I could hear voices outside the tent and it seemed that many of our friends were already up.

Melody left the tent to get herself ready for the new day, and not long after that - just as I had gotten into a pair of shorts and t-shirt myself - Scotty's head poked in through the zipper flap.

"OY!" He said, way too loudly for this early in the morning. "Let's have some breakfast!"

"Morning, Scotty.." I said with a tired voice. "I'll be there in a minute."

For some reason, we were cooking hotdogs for breakfast. Perhaps it was because we had not really eaten much the day prior, but the sun seemed to drain the feeling of hunger right out of our bodies somehow. Today it was slightly cloudier, but the temperature was still pleasing. It was a comfortable, relaxed morning. The air was full of singing birds, and I was able to catch glimpses of squirrels moving through the trees nearby. It seemed as if everything was alive with nature's beauty, and I really enjoyed just taking a moment to soak in all the life around me. Summer was definitely my favorite season.