The Things You Make Me Feel Ch. 10

But what could it mean? That she had scripted such a disturbing scenario?

"Nothing," she decided, and a wave of relief swept over her. She smiled and repeated inwardly, "Nothing."

For Kara had realized that the macabre details of her dream were simply a means to an end. She'd subconsciously needed to explore the coupling of her and Oliver, and she'd needed it to feel real. Her brain had then analyzed everything she knew of him and paved the shortest, the most efficient, if brutal, path to achieve it.

The brain is a complex organic machine capable of making billions of calculations in immeasurable speed. It's a problem-solver, and ideas such as morality are only considered as long as they don't interfere with the math, with the objective. Once they do, they are cast aside, eliminated from the equation. Kara's brain knew, much earlier than she had, that if such scenario were to exist, of her and Oliver ending up together, something radical would have to take place, if only to make it plausible. This was the obvious solution, her quickest way to Oliver. It quieted the dissonance and enabled Kara to live the fantasy convincingly.

Kara polished off her second drink and returned to the bedroom. Still ruminating, she observed Dave sleeping. Did she love him? He'd better believe it, for even in her dream, and despite the fact that she'd cheated on him with his brother, she had to take care of him, she had to give him pussy like the good girlfriend that she was. And she had given him the holy grail of pussies: Ellie's. Not only that, she'd staged the scene so he would come on top, so he would beat Oliver.

Dave had confessed to Kara a while back of the questionable feelings he'd been having for Ellie. It had been at the time where Kara and Ellie had taken some time out, so the former could ponder their friendship. He did so in order to save their relationship, to make Kara see that some things, however wrong, sometimes happen, and that it could happen to anyone.

In many ways, this tidbit had made her appreciate Dave even more. The fact that he'd chosen to take his chance with her and come clean about it reflected on much he trusted and loved her. Subconsciously, therefore, she'd wanted to reward him for it, for the vote of trust. This was the closest he'd ever come to fucking Ellie, just as it was the closest she'd ever come to fucking Oliver, but it explained why she'd dreamed about them fucking.

She smiled and crawled into his side of the bed. Hers was drenched, so they would need to snuggle up for the rest of the night. When they woke up, she'd give Dave a long, thoughtful blowjob like a good girlfriend and move along.

It was only a dream.

***

June.

Oliver awoke in bed on a Saturday morning. He looked to his left; no sign of his girls. He stretched while clasping his hands above his head and shuffled to his feet. He fetched his white tank, pulling it over his head while he strode to the kitchen, where he soon discovered a lesson in Italian was taking place; sort of. He propped himself against the wall and observed his daughter enriching his girlfriend's vocabulary. He chuckled at the-almost-comical way Ellie was struggling with the pronunciation.

The girls lifted their heads and laughed back at him. His daughter kissed him good morning while Ellie made him his morning coffee. He clung to his sister from behind and wrapped his arms around her belly while nibbling her neck lovingly. She was well into her second trimester and it showed. Ellie palmed the scruff of his neck and purred, loving her brother's wood teasing the cleft of her butt.

Oliver clutched his mug and walked with Michela out to the snug balcony where the sun was bright though still gentle. It seemed it was going to be a warm, sunny day, he thought while sipping his coffee and listened to his daughter making their plans. Ellie cut her eyes at the two of them from the kitchen and tittered. She closed her notebook that was littered with tables atop tables of Italian verbs and their conjugations and caressed her belly.

The baby was kicking again, probably excited to hear Oliver. Her boyfriend was spending a lot of time talking to the baby, sharing his thoughts and feelings, briefing it of their plans. Ellie simpered when recalling him once talking to her belly for over an hour while giving her an elaborate foot rub. He was so excited and amazing, and she felt so blessed.

She joined them out in on the balcony and curved Oliver's arms around her as she propped her back against him. She loved being in his arms, seeing to it that she and her niece weren't giving them much rest these days. She lapped his hands when they interlocked on her belly, loving how firm he felt against her. People underestimate lust, Ellie thought. It was such a big part of their relationship, especially now when she was raging with hormones and was constantly horny, humping her brother night and day.

She begrudgingly untied his hands when there was a knock on the door. They weren't expecting guests. She looked through the peephole and smiled. Her brother Dave and Kara were making faces.

"Good morning!" Dave kissed his sister and picked Michela up when she made a dash to him.

Kara kissed her a second later and stroked her belly. "Gosh, you're huge, Ell."

"Thanks," Ellie replied in mock pain before smiling. "What are you doing here?"

"We're here to take you out to lunch."

"It's only 10, Kar, and I don't remember us making plans for today."

"So, you don't wanna have lunch with us?"

"I didn't say that."

"Yeah, didn't think so," Kara retorted playfully.

The blonde chuckled and started for the kitchen to make her guests coffee. "Where are we going then?"

"Your parents'."

Ellie whirled around, certain she misheard.

"They're grilling today, and they've got the pool ready, so we need to find you a bathing suit. Surely, you need a new one with those huge titties that—"

"Kar, is this a joke?" Ellie chimed in, perplexed by her cruelty.

Since that fateful day, their folks had shunned them, even though they lived only three minutes away; in fact, only Dave and Kara were speaking to them. Inevitably, Ellie had confessed her incestuous relationship to her closest friends, Dayna and Lindsey, as she'd been too far along with her pregnancy to hide it. They both had taken it badly, and it was very uncomfortable among the three, yet Ellie didn't mind so much. She was leaving soon anyway.

It was trickier with Michela. They needed to come up with an excuse as to why her grandparents and Jack hadn't come visit her as well as to why she and Oliver had moved in with Ellie. They'd decided to be upfront with her, about everything; they didn't want to lie to her. She was clever and mature enough to deserve the truth. So on her birthday, they'd told her all about their relationship and why it was so upsetting for her grandparents and uncle.

Naturally, it was difficult explaining to a 5-year-old the intricacy of such a relationship; there were too many layers, layers that children her age were never meant to understand. So they kept it as simple as possible in hopes she'd pick up on the subtleties herself as she grew older. However, one thing that was very simple to explain, was Ellie's pregnancy and its ramifications.

Michela had jumped up and down in excitement after being told she was getting a sibling in a few months. She still hadn't understood why her aunt and father weren't supposed to love each other, but it couldn't have mattered less now. She was going to have a brother or a sister; her aunt was going to live with them forever; and they were going to be a family. It was such a joyful and exciting night, with the three snuggled up in bed, eating ice cream and discussing their new life.

They had flown to Italy the week after Michela's birthday, so Ellie could see for herself what Oliver had been raving about, and she'd loved it there. It was an easy sell even before they'd landed, but she was really getting excited when the three had traveled across the boot-shaped country. Milan was a big, modern city, and although wasn't as pretty as other cities they had visited, it looked to be a great place to live in nonetheless. Ellie could easily see her new family thriving there.

Michela's grandparents were on Oliver. He'd taken them out to dinner and told them about him and Ellie. As Catholics, one would expect them to flip completely, but it was less disastrous than he'd thought. Neither was keen on the notion of him humping his sister and breeding her, but they decided not to play God. It was awkward, for sure, but they'd been slowly warming up to the relationship over the many skype calls they'd been having.

Antonio and Ellie seemed particularly fond of each other, and they'd spent hours discussing it, like two adults. It was difficult for Antonio to admit, but he could understand his son-in-law better than he'd led him to believe. Oliver was crushed after his daughter had died, and he'd had Michela to raise at such a young age. His experience with the ladies was poor at best— nor had he ever tried to improve on it—and Ellie... she was a sister no brother wanted to have, Antonio told himself more than once. Hypocrisy aside, it would have taken a very special brother to fend her off.

Francesca had found it a bit more difficult than Antonio. Incest was a sin according to her beliefs, though she and her husband weren't saints, either, she knew. On their wedding night, neither had been especially virgin, and in her early teens, she'd fantasized more than once doing her older brother. It wasn't the biblical, moral aspect she was finding hard to cope with. It was the fact that Oliver was moving on and replacing her daughter. She always knew Oliver would one day be moving on, but it wasn't easy to face.

"They want you to come, Ell."

Ellie took a deep breath and released, her eyes moist. She'd been missing her parents, and for them to accept her relationship with Oliver meant the world to her. "Baby!"

"What?" his voice traveled from outside, in the midst of a conversation with his brother.

"Come here!"

Oliver finished his coffee and walked inside, easily sensing how excited his sister was. "What is it, my love?"

She repeated what Kara had said.

"Jack's also gonna be there," Kara added.

"Wow," Oliver uttered in surprise. "This is big, potentially huge."

Ellie threw herself in his arms, doing her best not to cry, but the pregnancy made it impossible, so cry she did. The thought of getting their parents back was too exciting.

***

Ellie, Oliver, and Michela, followed by Dave and Kara entered the Jensen residence at noon. They stepped out to the patio, where their folks were casually drinking while chitchatting with Jack and Gena, who was looking perhaps more pregnant than Ellie.

"Nonna!" Michela raced to her grandmother, who sprang to her feet and embraced her with all her heart.

This was easily the most excruciating aspect of fighting with their children: not seeing Michela.

They hugged and kissed while the siblings cautiously paced closer.

"I've missed you so much, baby," Alice whispered to Michela, tears streaming down her cheeks.

"I've m-missed you, too, Nonna," Michela wept back.

"I'm so sorry," Alice whispered, struggling to release her.

"Don't be angry with them anymore... please."

Alice sniffled while kissing her lips over and over. "Go to your grandpa; give him a hug."

She passed Michela to Dan, who smothered his whimpering granddaughter in his arms.

Indeed, those two months had been long and painful.

Alice slowly walked up to her very pregnant, very emotional daughter and cupped her cheek. An agonizing nod from the older woman started the floods as they embraced, each sobbing on the other's shoulder. Oliver smiled, relief in his heart. His sister had always been their mother's favorite, and his daughter had long catapulted herself to equal stature. His mother might have loved him, but his girls were the real leverage against her. They meant too much to her to have kept this up.

The women eventually untangled, and Ellie approached Dan promptly. They hugged and kissed while he was whispering in her ear words none could hear, which only made her sob louder. Jack soon rose, and his twin held him snugly when he invited her into his arms.

A family's strength is truly measured at its lows, and this family was extremely strong, a tight unit that could weather much worse than incest. They were tight, down to the last of them. Well... almost all of them.

Whereas Ellie was receiving warm loving from everyone, Oliver was not. His father merely shook his hand, and Jack settled for a lukewarm nod. Gena flashed a contrived smile at him, and his mother hadn't exchanged a single word with him still. Oliver might have been a part of the family, but Ellie was family. And he'd erred too many times for them to look the other way again. This was his fault. Everything was his fault. If they could have kicked him out and hung on to the girls, they would have, in a heartbeat.

Fallen from grace with his family, Oliver took his seat at the very distant edge of the table, resigning to his fate. There was always going to be a steep price attached to his sister's heart, and by God, he would be paying for it.

***

"Where did you go?" Dave asked his brother when he finally returned from a presumed trip to the bathroom after more than forty minutes.

Oliver opened the fridge and treated himself to a cold one. "Why? Did you miss me?"

Dave studied his face, the bitterness not lost on him. "I told you it was gonna be on you."

"Yes, you did," Oliver sighed as he took a swig. "I still don't get why, but..."

"Dude, she broke her engagement off for you, called off a wedding. You knocked her up! And now you're taking her halfway across the world. What did you expect?"

"I don't know." He bent over the kitchen island and pulled his hair back. "I don't know, Dave."

Dave, too, got himself a beer and bent over the island across from his brother. "What's going on, Bro? Yeah, it's rough out there, but you've seen worse, haven't you?"

"And I'm so fucking tired of it... of this life."

Dave had never seen his brother this morose. Oliver was a master of disguise, and he seldom let his guard down. It was a bit frightening to see, his beaten, dismal mood.

"Oliver?"

Oliver pulled his hair back and lifted his head. "You know, I never wanted this. Not really."

"Are we talking about Ellie? Michela?"

"Any of it. I'm just..." He shook his head and took a draft from his beer. "I was just a kid, Dave, just a fat kid who wanted to see the world, have some fun, maybe get to a third base with a girl... this wasn't the plan."

Dave gave a false chuckle. His brother was getting to him with his defeated attitude, and humor was his way of dealing. "Yeah, I get what you're saying, but life rarely works like we plan. It throws you a curve, and another, and then another... granted, your curveballs have been a little vicious, but... you keep getting up, keep—"

"I feel so old, Dave," Oliver sighed wearily.

"Old? Christ, dude, you're barely 23."

"But I feel like I'm 70. I'm just so tired..."

Dave was bending over backwards to keep it casual, but there was too much despondency surrounding his brother. He was getting to him. "Oliver... you've lived a harsh life, no doubt, but try to look at the good things."

Oliver snorted. "What good things, Dave? I knocked up the first girl I slept with, that I loved, and then she died. Not before leaving it to me to raise our baby in a foreign country. Her parents hated me for leaving, mine hated me for not coming. Then I started fucking with my own fucking sister, knocked her up, and now her parents hate me..." He guzzled his beer. "Were those the good things you were talking about?"

"You know, as much as I wanna pity you, your life isn't as bad as you're making it to be. You have an amazing daughter, one that is crazy about you. Honestly, Oliver, I've never seen a girl that loves her father as much as Michela loves you. And, yeah, this thing with Ellie is less than ideal and might be bordering on insane, but she loves you, and you love her. So what if she gets a pass, and you don't. Who cares? She's still making a huge sacrifice here just so she can be with you. I bet this is not the life she thought she'd live, either. But look at her. Look, Oliver."

"I'm looking."

"No, I mean really look at her."

Oliver gazed across through the glass door, watching Ellie and Gena discussing pregnancy and whatever.

"Tell me you don't see how amazing she is."

Oliver heaved a sigh, his sister in his crosshair. "It was never in doubt, Dave."

"Then what's the problem?"

"The problem is that I'm not as amazing as her. I'm gonna disappoint her. I know it."

"Maybe. But you're sure as hell not going to like this, all defeated and shit. There are people depending on you, Oliver, depending on you to make them happy. Right now, there are two; in a couple of months, it'll be three. You need to pull yourself together and man up. This is just another curve, that's all."

Oliver binned his empty beer bottle and headed to the patio, but then he swiveled to smile kindly at his brother. "When we leave, I'm gonna miss everyone, but you know something?"

"What?"

"I think I will miss you the most, Scarecrow."

***

"Mom, I already told you: I was screened negative for genetic abnormality, and as for other stuff, that's the same as every other couple. My doctor has assured me that the baby is perfectly healthy."

"I'm just so worried," Alice murmured, setting the table outside along with Ellie and Gena while the others were taking care of the grill.

"Don't be. He or she is gonna be perfect, you'll see."

"I can't believe you still don't know the gender," Gena said, cutting a big salad. "Aren't you tempted in the least?"

"Of course I am! But I also want it to be a surprise. Besides, what difference does it make? Knowing the gender won't get the baby out any sooner."

"Just imagine if you're having a boy, too." Gena giggled. "Your mom wouldn't be thrilled about that, would you, Alice?"

"I love boys just as I love girls," Alice clarified. "But please let it be a girl. There are too many boys in this family as it is."

The trio laughed.

"What do you want it to be?" Gena asked Ellie.

"Honestly, I don't care so much, but I know Oliver really wants a boy, and I'm kinda worried at the thought of him stuck in a house with three girls. That seems like a whole lot of estrogen for just one man to cope with."

They tittered again.

"I never thought I would ever say this, but Oliver seems to be doing very well with girls. Maybe a bit too well."

Ellie shot her mother a look, not oblivious to the venomous subtext. "Mom, you really need to get off his back. This isn't fair what you're doing here, what all of you are doing."

Alice gave a snicker. "Was it fair when he left us for five years? When he had Michela and didn't bother to say anything about it to us? He's the last person that should expect fairness."

"He was a kid then. A frightened, confused kid. Cut him some slack."

"Unfortunately, it is easier said than done."

Ellie shook her head in exasperation. "I really hope you cool off by the time we move to Italy. It really starts to piss me off the way you're—"

"Italy? No. You're not moving there."

Ellie gave her mother a long, studying look while Alice was pouring herself a chardonnay. "Mom, we are moving."

"Not a chance in hell. He can move, but you and Michela are staying right here. With me."

"Mom—"

"Ellie, I'm not prepared to lose you. Do you understand me? And if you don't want me to hate him, then you'd better drop it."