The Trouble With Tess Pt. 01

Matt stopped, gasping for breath. Clenching his fists and screwing his eyes shut, he tried to calm himself down. He'd gone too far. He'd started to yell far too loudly. He'd always hated that. He might have issues with his sister, but she didn't deserve to have him yelling right in her face like that.

"Sorry, Tess," he murmured, "I shouldn't have yelled like that."

Matt reopened his eyes and offered a small smile with his apology.

Tess didn't acknowledge it. Or him really. She was staring off into the void again, as if wrestling with some unseen foe. Matt doubted himself for a moment. Had she really been unaware of it all? Had she really not realised that he had left because of her? The cynical part of him whispered that of course she hadn't. She was too busy being perfect. The brotherly part of him that was still left said that she was probably under as much pressure as he was, if not more, from their parents.

"Tess, I..." Matt started to speak again, something to fill the building silence.

"You work in IT," Tess interrupted him softly.

"I'm not sure of your official position, but I know it's in IT. You did well enough to get hired pretty quickly; Dad was proud of that at least. Mum thought you might end up on some sort of promotion fast track.

"You had a few girlfriends; nothing really serious though. You made a decent circle of friends too, but none of them are super close from what I've heard. You're still a nerd, closer to your gaming buddies than any of them."

Tess's bright blue eyes flicked up and down his body.

"A fit nerd now, at least."

Matt didn't know how to respond. He just looked at his sister in shock.

"What?... How?" he managed to get out.

"You're my fucking brother, Matt. Of course I pay attention to your life, you dick. You think that just because you fucked off down to Melbourne, you ceased to exist?" Tess was yelling at him now.

She stopped as something occurred to her.

"That was half the fucking point though, wasn't it? You didn't want us to exist," she accused with a stabbing finger.

"You're back here, giving me shit about my life and how I don't know shit about you, but I bet you don't have a fucking clue about us either do you? DO YOU?"

"No Tess, I don't," Matt admitted bluntly. If they were gonna do this, may as well get it all out in the open now.

"As you said, that was the fucking point! I didn't want to know! I didn't fucking care. I just wanted out!"

"Then why the fuck are you back here if you don't give a shit?" Tess spat at him.

"Cause it turns out I do give a shit! Covid scared the fuck out of me, Tess! It made me realise that I didn't have to hate you, resent you. That our time together is fucking short. It made me realise I could be better, and it made me hope all of you could too. It made me hope my decisions, my successes could be respected, that I wouldn't be treated like the bad apple simply because I wanted to live my life my way."

Matt shook with emotion. Finally, finally they were clearing the air. Breathing deep, he sighed heavily and then added one last thing.

"I missed my sister, Tess; I didn't lie when I said that earlier. I came back because I wanted to reconnect with you, to get to know you."

He looked at her, studying her face, trying to find some hint of how she was going to react. She was flushed with anger, nostrils flaring as she tried to rein it in. The familiar scowl on her kissable lips. But her eyes. The bright blue windows to the soul. They told a different story. Sorrow. Doubt. Resignation.

He took a step towards her.

"Tess, I..."

She cut him off again, this time flinging out a hand, telling him to stop, and Matt stopped dead in his tracks.

"I think," she said. "I think I'm going to be sick."

Matt could see it. The rising green tinge to her complexion as it overtook the heat of anger. Tess bolted. Pushing past him with a shove, his sister took off for the bathroom. A few seconds later, he heard her be quite noisily and repeatedly sick into the toilet.

Well, that was one way to end an argument. He frowned to himself as he opened the fridge and pulled out a bottle of water. If that was really an argument. It had been more just shouting at each other. A venting match.

Taking the water with him, he followed the path Tess had taken. Stopping off briefly at the closet to pull out a fresh face towel, he took both items to the bathroom.

Tess was bent over the sink when he came in. One hand holding her long hair over her shoulder out of the way, the other was pressed to her forehead. She glanced up at him when she heard him enter, and he gave her the water bottle without a word. While Tess drank, he wet the washer and waited for her to rinse and spit before handing it to her.

"Are you ok?" Matt asked tentatively after Tess wiped her mouth.

"I'll be fine. I usually hold my drink better than that," she replied.

"That was a lot of alcohol," Matt said.

Tess didn't take the bait and didn't answer the unspoken question.

"I'll be fine tomorrow. Emotions got the better of me is all," she said instead.

"The better of both of us," Matt agreed.

Tess nodded along and then groaned uneasily.

"That was a bad idea. I'm gonna head to bed."

"Tess..."

"No more tonight Matt; we can talk, argue, whatever again tomorrow ok?"

Matt nodded. His sister was probably right. They'd let a lot out into the open tonight. It was a start. They didn't need to solve everything in one go.

"You go to bed. I'll clean up and put the food away," he told her.

"Ok," Tess replied.

He almost thought she was going to hug him, but instead she just brushed past him and in a moment he was alone.

***

Matt jerked awake the next morning to the sound of the front door slamming shut. The night before had ended up just as hot as the day, so after clearing away the pizza and Tess's discarded drinks, he'd flopped back into bed and lost himself in his thoughts while waiting for sleep to claim him again. He'd left the door open to try and get some of the cool from the aircon, and now it seems it'd come back to bite him. He hadn't heard a thing all morning, but now it seems his sister had made sure he heard her leave for work.

Seems like they'd have to wait till tonight to talk, argue, whatever.

Sighing heavily, he laid back down and decided that it really wasn't worth getting up over. He'd see her tonight.

When he eventually got up, he was on holiday after all, Matt spent the day doing a mix of things. Checking his emails to see if anything needed seeing to. Some exercise; he'd risen too late to run. Organising the evening's dinner. A home-cooked meal would probably go a decent way to making amends between them. He even sent a message to his parents to find out if or when they'd be back while he was in Sydney. But most of all, he thought about Tess and seeing her that evening.

It was late afternoon when worry started to set in. The hot summer sun was inching towards the horizon, and still no sign of Tess.

It was dusk when he decided to send her a quick text to see when she'd be home for dinner.

It was full dark when he realised he wasn't going to get a reply. Tess was either busy with work or she was avoiding him. His brain told him that it was more likely to be the former. His sister had said they'd talk again tomorrow and she had never been one to lie.

He ate alone. The steak, mash, and veggies he'd prepared for them somehow tasted lesser without his sister there to share with him. He left hers in the fridge. Maybe she'd eat it later.

He watched a movie. Browsed social media and the internet till late into the night. Still no Tess.

It wasn't until barely past midnight, just as he'd given up and gone to bed for the night, that Matt heard a car pull into the driveway. The slam of the car door easily heard all the way in his room. Climbing back out of bed, he slipped towards his door and listened. The jangle of keys and the metallic click of the locks confirmed it was definitely his sister. Flicking on the hall light, he went out to meet her.

A pile of folders under one arm, a bag looped over the other, and one already on the table, Tess was already inside and unloading when he got back to the living room.

She looked up when he entered, and he instantly knew that it had not been a good day for her. Stress lines and the scowl he knew so well were etched onto her face.

He realised that it wasn't the time for them to restart anything. His sister had obviously had a very long day. It wouldn't do any good to his hopes of repairing things by going after it now.

"If you're hungry, I left some dinner in the fridge," he said before Tess could speak.

Tess bit back whatever thing she had been about to say and quite obviously changed what she had been going to say.

"I already ate but thanks," she said.

"Fair enough; I'll see you tomorrow," Matt said, and he turned to head back to bed. "Goodnight."

"Night," he heard Tess reply from behind him.

Shuffling back to his temporary bedroom, he paused at the door. Considering. After a few seconds thought, he left it open. Maybe he would hear Tess in the morning and catch her in time. Flopping onto the bed, Matt let loose a deep breath and tried to relax. Closing his eyes, he let the sound of the fan above help lull him to sleep while his thoughts were once more full of his sister.

He woke briefly, during the night, unsure of how much time had passed or of what had awoken him. But through blurry eyes, he caught sight of a shadow in the doorway. Someone leaning against the frame and watching him sleep. As soon as they saw him fidgeting, they began to move away. The moment was broken. Long blonde hair reflecting in the hallway light for just a second was all he needed to recognize who it was. Tess. He mumbled her name drowsily but she didn't turn back and within moments he was sound asleep again.

***

Matt woke up again in the morning to the sound of the front door slamming shut once more. He groaned as he realised he'd slept too late once again. He really did need to set an alarm. Grabbing his phone, he did exactly that. Setting an early start for the rest of the week. Early enough to go for a run and then be back to see Tess before she disappeared.

Getting up, Matt prepared himself for the motions of the day. They ended up the same as yesterday. Emails. Exercise. Prepare dinner.

He sent a message to Tess to see if she'd be home to eat it, but he gave that low odds of actually getting a reply. He changed it up a little and texted his friends that were still in the city - instead of his parents - to see if any of them wanted to hang out while he was in town. He got a few replies there, but no one was available for a few days. All of that done, it was late afternoon when Matt settled in behind his computer and decided it was time for some gaming. He only moved to eat, use the bathroom, and reposition for maximum comfort as he spent the remainder of the evening immersed in games and avoiding any thoughts of his sibling.

Matt was in bed again, just dozing off, when he heard Tess arrive home. He briefly debated on getting up to see her, but after not hearing from her all day, pettiness won out and he just turned over to get some sleep. He pretended not to hear her as she came along the hall and once more darkened his doorway.

Tess leant against the frame and watched him for a few minutes. The silent tension between them building and building. The unresolved argument, venting, whatever still hung between them. Matt couldn't take it. He spun over, sitting up, ready to resolve it once and for all.

Tess was gone.

Matt flopped back onto his back. Had she been there at all? Or had it been a dream? His sister was screwing with his ahead again, and she wasn't even trying. He needed to sleep, to wake up in the morning and finally get this sorted out.

***

BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP

The next thing Matt knew, the alarm on his phone was blaring next to his ear waking him up with a curse. Scrambling to shut off the wretched noise, he eyed the glowing screen with a disgruntled squint.

6am.

"Ughhh."

With a groan he rolled out of bed and started to dress. He'd only skipped running for a few days and already his body was mad at him for it.

Shorts, shirt, and shoes took him barely any time at all. Then he was in the hall and ready to go. Just as he stepped out, Tess's door opened, and he had to stop and try very hard not to stare.

His sister was dressed to exercise as well, and she made it look good. Her long blonde hair was drawn back into a single braid that fell down her back. A simple black sports bra was doing the lord's work in attempting to contain her bust, while moulding to it perfectly. More perfection followed - cleanly defined abs, the luscious curve of her hips, and then bike shorts so small and tight surely they'd be banned in several countries.

Matt considered himself lucky he hadn't run into her from behind. He wasn't sure how brotherly he'd remain looking at an ass wrapped in shorts like that.

Then came her legs. Pure, long, smooth, Aussie-summer-tanned pins that just helped emphasise what was sitting above them.

"Uhhh...hi, Tess," his brain finally fired enough to stammer out.

"Morning," his sister replied after a few seconds of silence of her own, and he was thankful she didn't say more about his staring.

"Just gonna go for a run," he added to try and fill the awkwardness he now felt.

"I'd guessed," Tess replied with a pointed look at his runners.

"I was about to do the same," she said. "Wanna run with me?"

The question surprised Matt. Tess offering to do something together was rarer than snow in summer.

"Sure, that sounds great," he replied.

"You look like you might be able to actually keep up now," Tess said with a smirk.

"Ouch," Matt replied and held a hand to his heart. He couldn't really take offence to that one. It was true, and he could tell there was no actual malice in the barb. It felt like actual banter between siblings.

"After you," he gestured down the hall.

Tess gave him a smile that lit up her face and a nod of thanks, then turned down the hall to leave.

"Ohhh fuck," Matt whispered under his breath when she did.

The ass. He'd forgotten about the ass. He'd been right. The bike shorts clung to his sister's curves like a second skin, every step a perfect bounce.

He was doomed. Every time he tried to drag his eyes away from Tess's swaying walk they were pulled right back. His sister had found a new form of torture for him without even realizing it. Following this ass on their run was going to be unbearable, not to mention awkward. And he would be following. He had no illusions about his ability in that regard compared to Tess. She would leave him in the dust.

Realising they were almost at the front door, Matt shook himself and determinedly fixed his gaze on the back of Tess's head. It would not be good for her to catch him staring at her even more obviously than before. This was his sister. What the hell was wrong with him? He'd seen plenty of asses before and plenty of beautiful women. Why was Tess getting to him so much?

His sister's voice dragged him out of his thoughts as she turned to him when they reached the front door.

"You ready? I'm not gonna slow down for you, ya know," she said with a grin.

"Ha, I wouldn't've expected you to. You don't like letting others win, Tess; trust me, I know."

That wiped the smile off her face, and Matt cringed inwardly. Not how he wanted this to go. He tried to backtrack immediately.

"Not being bitter, Tess! Not being bitter! I know how good you are, that's all! Promise," he said, frantically.

Tess didn't look at all convinced with his explanation. He could tell she was wavering on the idea of running with him now.

"Look, let's just run and forget I said anything ok? Tire ourselves out and be too exhausted to argue about anything. How does that sound?" he tried again.

When she didn't answer him again, he sighed with exasperation.

"Tess, just get out the fucking door and run."

To his complete and utter surprise, Tess did exactly that. His sister opened the door and stepped out into the growing light of the sunrise without a word, and he followed her.

Not wanting another chance to put a foot wrong, Matt gestured to his sister, "You lead, I'll follow. You have more experience running around here."

Again, he was surprised when Tess did exactly as he said. Turning up the street, she started an easy pace that wouldn't be too hard for him to match, and Matt followed.

He made sure to speed up briefly so he could match Tess's pace and run beside her. The longer it was before her ass was swaying in front of him, the better it would be for his mind and his gait.

Tess led them on a quick, but tough path through the suburb. Matt enjoyed some of the scenery and memories of his old haunts, while his legs burned and breathing turned laboured. He'd just started to fall behind at around the thirty minute mark and was starting to battle with staring at his sister when she came to a stop just ahead of him.

Reaching her, Matt bent over, hands on knees, as he tried to catch his breath.

"Water?" his sister asked, and he nodded in answer without speaking.

Flopping onto a nearby bench with a groan, Matt realised they'd stopped in front of a corner store cafe that had just opened for the morning. He looked around. Tess was inside chatting to the barista and paying for some water bottles. The sun had risen further into the sky and the heat had risen with it. They'd have to head back soon or it would be too damned hot to walk, let alone run.

The cafe was the first in a string of neighbourhood shops that was at once familiar and yet not. He'd probably been here before, multiple times even. But his time away had robbed him of true familiarity: now it was just another string of businesses rather than his local haven. He felt as estranged from his old home suburb as he did from his family. The thought fed his growing doubts about the decision to return. Nothing had been resolved. You could arguably say it had gotten worse with the revelation that he had cared little for-and even hated-his family.

"What are you thinking about?" Tess interrupted his sombre thoughts. "You're frowning pretty hard."

She handed him his water and took a seat beside him on the bench.

"This place," he gestured vaguely around them.

He took a sip of water before continuing.

"Coming back here. If it was worth it. Whether I should've just stayed gone," he replied.

Tess didn't say anything immediately. Instead she took a drink as well, letting the water cool her down before replying.

"I'm not sure either," she said frankly, "but I am glad you came. Even if I don't show it well. We might not get along, you might hate me for how things were growing up, and I can kinda understand that I guess. But you're my brother, Matt; we're family."

Matt sighed glumly and took another sip. His sister's words hadn't really helped at all. They just made him realize even more that they had both fucked up.

"I don't hate you, Tess. I did for a while; I can't and won't deny that. But I'm older... we're older. I don't want to have to cut my family out of my life anymore. I want to have you as part of it."

Silence stretched between them. They were finally resuming the conversation they'd abandoned the other night. This is how they were going to heal. As soon as they could both admit that they needed to.

It was Tess who broke the silence. The first offering of peace.

"I work as a corporate lawyer for Mum and Dads firm. It's not glamorous or anything, but it pays the bills and I'm very good at it. Their goal is for me to end up taking over when they are done, but before that, I've got to prove I'm not there just because I'm their kid."