The Thin Line Between

The smile that appeared on her face meant I couldn’t help but return it. “We’ll discuss that later. First, I want to cum while your cock inside me.”

“Sorry.”

She kissed my cheek, then leaned up to my ear. “I always cum on top.”

I laughed at her suggestive tone. Soon enough, I was on my back, Charlie sat between my legs as she spent a few minutes blowing me. It didn’t take too long for my cock to harden, surprising me once again. Not that I ever had problems, but I usually needed a few more minutes than that. Once I was ready to go, Charlie straddled my lap and, after grabbing my cock by the base, positioned herself over it and lowered herself down in one slow movement.

“Oh, fuck!”

“Good, right?” I asked with a smirk.

“You have no fucking idea.”

Grabbing her by the hips, I lay back and watched my sister pleasure herself on my cock. It was an absolute vision, continuously running my eyes up and down her body. Her beautiful face. Slim neck. Gorgeous breasts. Kissable stomach. The fur above her pussy. Watching my cock disappear inside her as she slowly bounced up and down, then rubbing herself back and forward, I assume to rub her clit.

She kept her eyes closed to begin with before they opened and she stared into mine. I stared back, watching her mouth part as she panted, occasionally moaning as her breathing slowly increased.

“Fucking hell, Matthew,” she cried. It was loud and I’m sure our parents heard. But they could have opened the door at that very moment and I wouldn’t have stopped.

“You have no idea how good you feel,” I admitted, because it was true.

She giggled. “I’ve never had a cock this good inside me.” She continued to giggle as I no doubt had a self-satisfied smile on my face. “And I’ve wanted it for so long.” I raised an eyebrow. She just shrugged, or I think she did, considering she hadn’t stopped. “It’s true. That’s all you need to know.”

I wasn’t going to argue. If it was in the past, I think it was time to leave it there.

So I continued to watch her, enjoying the feel of her body in my hands, running one up and down her stomach, occasionally caressing one of her breasts, perhaps giving one of her nipples a tweak, earning me a gasp or giggle. Maybe even both. Otherwise, I focused on the feeling of being inside her. I know I lay back with a small smile the entire time, slowly realising this was what I had been looking for my entire life, certainly over the past decade and more.

Charlie eventually leaned forward, hands to either side of my head as she kissed me again. I trailed my hands from her side down to her arse, cupping both cheeks, bending my knees slightly. If she loved this position, she knew what was coming next.

“Fuck me and make me cum.”

She knew. I fucked her gently to start off with, as she met my thrusts. She continued to look into my eyes, her mouth still agape, hearing her breathe, hair hanging down, framing her face, noticing the slight sheen of sweat on her forehead. I started to fuck her harder, hearing her grunt as I did so, before she gasped.

“Oh fuck, that’s the spot.” Figuring I had the right tempo, I just did that, watching the smile broaden on her face once again. “God, my brother can fuck me well,” she muttered, moaning loudly again, “I’m going to cum so hard in a minute.”

So was I, to my surprise, putting it down to the fact it was Charlie, and she just made me that way. I pulled Charlie down to kiss her, remembering how she moaned into my mouth earlier, fucking her just that little harder, hearing her squeal with delight as I did so. She lowered herself onto her forearms, resting her forehead gently against mine, still looking into her eyes. She was panting heavily now, closing her eyes every so often, before reopening them. “Oh god, I’m close,” she whispered, “Go faster.”

I fucked her. Not hard, just fast, enough to get us both off. I know I started to grimace, trying to hold off cumming again before my sister had even cum once. I heard her moan loudly again and felt her start to squeeze against my cock. I knew she was holding back so I moved up to kiss her, then trailed down towards her neck. That did the trick as she yelled something intelligible before collapsing on top of me. “Don’t stop!” she pretty much demanded, so I kept right on fucking, wrapping my arms around her as I felt her shudder. “Christ almighty!” Well, I wouldn’t compare myself to the big man but I appreciated the compliment. Feeling her continue to squeeze my cock, it didn’t take long for me to finish again, hearing my sister giggle as I unloaded what I assumed was a much smaller load inside her.

I lowered my legs to the bed and felt myself relax. Charlie didn’t move from on top of me, listening and feeling her breath against me. “Holy shit!” she finally muttered.

“Yeah…”

“I mean… If it’s always going to like this…”

“I hope so.”

“Me too.”

I continued to hold her in silence as we recovered from our exertions. I felt bathed in sweat. She felt like it too. Complaining that she felt like jello, I suggested we should have a shower, then perhaps change the sheets. It took a little convincing, though she finally agreed. Causing her to giggle as I lifted her up in my arms, I carried her to the bathroom and suggested we could have a bath, as it was big enough. She told me to wait, disappearing for a minute, returning with some bubble bath and some candles. Ten minutes later, I lay back in the steaming hot water, my sister lying back against me, as we soaked by candlelight.

Our appetites for one another sated, at least for now, I simply held Charlie in my arms, occasionally but awkwardly making out. It was otherwise blissful silence. I think we’d told each other everything that we needed to. The past would always be there, but I hoped that we could eventually leave it behind.

We must have soaked for a good hour before finally getting out, and after changing the sheets, we got into bed. Charlie lay on her side, ensuring she faced me, an arm each wrapped around the others waisted. She just looked at me, that slight smile on her face that was no doubt on mine. She kissed me, told me again that she loved me, closing her eyes and drifted off to sleep. I watched her for a little while, kissing her forehead, telling her the same thing, before I closed my eyes too.

*****

CHAPTER THREE

“Matthew,” a voice said quietly.

“Yes, Charlie?” I stated, automatically squeezing her, body pressed against mine, enjoying the sensation of her warm skin against mine.

Then I realised it wasn’t Charlie who asked the question. With a sense of dread, I opened my eyes to see my mother standing next the bed. Before I could say a word, she put a finger to her lips, as Charlie was still asleep. I couldn’t help notice her smile, though. That really confused me. “We should talk later, Matthew. After breakfast,” she whispered.

“Huh?”

“Once Charlie is awake, come join your father and I. Okay?” I nodded. “Take your time. There’s no rush.”

After Mum closed the door behind her, I had to shake Charlie awake. She turned around, opened her eyes and smiled, though it disappeared once she saw my face. “What’s wrong?”

“Mum knows.”

“Oh god…”

“Wait. It’s… weird. It’s like she’s okay with it.”

“Huh?”

I shrugged. “I have no idea what’s going on. She just said we needed to talk.”

Wondering what the hell was going on, we got up. Charlie kissed me then disappeared to get dressed as I did the same. I waited outside her door until she was ready, automatically grabbing her hand as we wandered into the kitchen. Dad was already at the table, cheerfully wishing us a good morning, which I know confused the hell out of us even more. If Mum had told him, I figured he would have hit the roof, and probably would have tried killing me. So Charlie and I sat down as Mum eventually set a plate of bacon and eggs in front of us. We devoured it, as both of us had worked up an appetite the previous night. Once breakfast was cleared away, Mum and Dad sat opposite us. Charlie and I shared another glance, still obviously confused.

“You had sex last night,” Mum stated bluntly.

I glanced at Charlie, who blushed and looked away. I just shrugged. There was no point in lying as it was obvious. “Yes, we did, Mum.”

I wanted to say more, but Mum shook her head. “Don’t want to know details,” she stated with a chuckle.

“Do you love him, Charlie?” Dad asked. She nodded. “Are you in love with him?”

“Definitely,” she said quietly.

“And you, Matthew. Do you love Charlie?”

“More than anything, Dad.”

“And are you in love with her?”

“I’ve always been in love with her.”

Mum smiled. Dad nodded, as if understanding what everything had been about. It was what I’d finally realised and understood. Then he leaned forward, placing her elbows on the table. “I’m sure this isn’t the reaction you were expecting.” I couldn’t help chuckle, though I grabbed Charlie’s hand, as I figured she needed support. “You’re both adults and clearly in love with each other. Who are we to stand in your way? If we drove you apart, all we’d do is force you both away from us. We don’t want that again.”

“But we know you can’t stay here,” Mum continued, “Too many people know you, and it’s not possible for it to remain a secret. Someone will find out, then all our lives would be destroyed. So we have a suggestion.”

“What is it?” I wondered.

Dad looked at Charlie. “Go with Matthew, Charlie. Go with him to Perth. No-one knows you over there. You can act as husband and wife. Not just act. You can be husband and wife.”

She looked at me first, jaw agape, before looking at our parents. “You’re serious?” I finally asked.

“Completely,” Mum said.

“We’d prefer both of you remained close, but we know that isn’t possible,” my father continued, “But neither of us are stupid. We know this has been coming since… since it all started to go wrong.”

“What are you talking about?” Charlie asked.

“We thought it was just a pair of crushes, that you couldn’t be in love with your sibling. And we quickly realised that is why you pushed him away, Charlie. We wanted to get involved, particularly once Matthew started to… change, but by the time we realised what was happening, it was too late,” my mother explained.

“It’s not your fault,” I told both of them.

“It’s no-one’s fault. It was a unique situation which none of us were capable of understanding or dealing with at the time,” my father said.

“So, what, this has your blessing?” Charlie wondered.

Mum and Dad looked at each other and smiled. “Obviously to your surprise, yes, it does. Granted, we think it’s a little strange, we can’t deny that. But… You make each other happy. And, as parents, all we want is for our children to be happy, but more importantly loved. You’ve found it with each other. So be it.”

“Thanks, Dad,” Charlie said, using her free hand to wipe her cheek.

“We could tell you to be careful and what not, but we guess you’ll figure it out as you go along. And, if you go to Perth, you can live your lives as you see fit.”

Charlie was silent for a few seconds. “Okay.” Then she looked at me and smiled. “Okay. I’m doing it. If that’s what you want?”

I laughed. “Are you kidding me? Of course it is!”

“Holy shit, I’ve got so many things to organise. I’ll have to quit my job. Start packing. Say goodbye to so many people. It may take some time.”

“Okay. So how about this? I’d like to stay the entire time, but I guess I should head back and prepare for your arrival. Plus, I guess I should find a job too. I’ll probably end up where I was before the Navy. I kept in contact with my old boss and he’s keen to have me back. So, why don’t you wrap up your life here then either fly or drive to Perth?”

“Sounds like a plan.”

I stayed for another week. Though Mum and Dad were understanding, we obviously tried to keep our relationship as siblings in front of them, though they walked into us making out on the couch more often than not. All Mum did was tell us to go to one of our rooms and keep the noise down. Dad was a little more circumspect about things, but he could see we were in love, so although a little awkward at times, he never said anything.

Unlike the first time I left, leaving the second time was a hell of a lot harder. Charlie was already crying by the time we got in our hire car, Dad driving his car so she could be taken back. We spent as much time together as possible before I had to catch my flight, shaking hands with Dad, then hugging Mum for what felt like forever.

“I’ll call when I land, and every other day. I promise, Mum.” She could only nod as she cried into my chest. “Don’t worry, it won’t be another ten years.”

“It better bloody not be. Otherwise I will come and find you!”

We both laughed as I leaned down so she could kiss my cheek. “I love you, son.”

“I love you too, Mum.”

Dad escorted Mum away, leaving me alone with Charlie. The kiss we shared was probably the most intense and passionate of all those we had shared up to that time. I have no idea how long it lasted. I honestly didn’t want it to stop. But we finally had to come up for breath, Charlie just looking up into my eyes, her own filled with tears.

“Will I definitely be okay driving?”

“You’ll be fine, Charlie. Just take your time. It took me around a week the first time, though I know you’ll be in a rush.”

“And you definitely want me there?”

“For the rest of our lives.”

She smiled and I hugged her tight towards me, not wanting to let her go, even for a second. But she would soon be with me, and we could then live our lives together as a couple. I kissed her again a final time before telling her how much I loved her. She told me the same before breaking down again. Dad appeared as I handed her over. I have no problem admitting I needed to wipe my cheeks as I waved goodbye.

The next month sucked, only because I felt alone again. The same shipyard I’d worked at before the Navy happily accepted me back, so that was something. Now that I would be living at home full-time, I started to fill the apartment with furniture, though made sure I communicated with Charlie that she liked what I was buying as it was going to be her home too.

I received a text message one morning from Charlie, letting me know that she’d left Sydney. She didn’t know how long she would be but would let me know when she arrived at the apartment, as I’d given her the address. I had butterflies in my stomach from the time I received the message, though the guys at work joked about the permanent smile. Thankfully, none of them had a clue Charlie was my sister. They only knew I’d reunited with an old flame.

I was in the bowels of a yacht we were fixing a week later when I heard my name being called. I wandered out onto the deck to see Steve beckoning me. “You have a visitor,” he said.

“Who?”

“No idea. They just asked for you by name.”

I grabbed a cloth to clean my hands before I followed Steve into the front office. I came to a halt as the person waiting for me raised their hands in the air and yelled, “Surprise!” before she ran forward and jumped into my arms, covering me in kisses.

Charlie.

We must have made out for a while as there was eventually a cleared throat, Charlie and I breaking our kiss to see Steve looking at us. “So, Matt, going to introduce us?”

“Oh, right,” I said, lowering Charlie to the ground, “Steve, this is Charlie. Charlie, Steve, my boss.”

The pair shook hands, before he gestured and I realised we had a crowd. “So this is the lovely lady who put a smile on your face?”

“Damn, Matt, how’d you manage to pull that?”

“Does she have a sister?”

“Charlie,” I stated, before I started pointing, “This is Mark, Chris, Adam, Paddy and Tom. They’re usually okay, but show them a pretty lady, and they act like dicks.” I turned towards her. “When did you get here? Your last message said you wouldn’t be here until tonight.”

She made a gesture with her fingers. “A little white lie. I wanted to surprise you.”

I just hugged her. “You sure did. Best surprise ever.”

I heard Steve shoo my colleagues away before he cleared his throat again. “Matt, I think you have holiday the rest of this week.”

“Seriously?”

He nodded. “I remember what you were like before. If this is the woman who has put that stupid but constant smile on your face, then I think you need to spend some time with her. So get the hell out of here and I’ll see you next week. Charlie, delighted to meet you and I hope I’m invited to the wedding.”

We held up our hands. “We’re already married. You didn’t notice the ring?” I asked, pointing at my left hand. There wasn’t actually a wedding, but we’d bought them the day after the conversation with our parents. Neither of us minded that we’d never have an actual wedding. All that mattered was that we were together.

“Well, shit, no I didn’t. There goes my idea of a piss up. Er, congratulations. That was fast!”

“I wasn’t letting him get away again,” Charlie stated.

“And I finally realised what I was missing in my life,” I added, wrapping an arm around her waist, “Charlie.”

We drove to my apartment separately, helping Charlie carry her two suitcases, as she grabbed her handbag and backpack. I put those in our bedroom before showing her the view of the city, then a quick tour of the apartment. I think I’d done a good job decorating, though it wasn’t a strong suit of mine, but I was learning. Charlie was impressed with what she was shown.

“How’s the bed?”

“Been a bit lonely lately the past few weeks.”

“Can it handle two people?”

“I think so.”

“What about two people who want to fuck each other’s brains out?”

“I think we can definitely put it to the test.”

We ended up in our bedroom rather quickly, undressing each other with a sense of urgency. Just before I was about to throw her on the bed, she stopped me for a moment. “I have to ask you something.”

I didn’t like the tone. It wasn’t going to be bad news, but I was still nervous. “What?” I asked carefully.

“Do you want to start a family?”

I couldn’t help smile. “With you? Definitely.”

“I may have planned this rather well. I finished my last pack yesterday. I do have another pack if you’re not sure. I’m not entirely sure when I’ll be completely ready, but… I can stop taking them if you’re ready to try?”

I couldn’t help wrap my arms around her, then kiss her. She smiled as that answered her question. “I want one with you, Charlie. Never doubt that. But we’re going to need a bigger place and really sit down and figure things out.”

“Okay. We have plenty of time. I’ll find a doctor and a job. Then we can talk about it… When we’re clothed and you’re not standing in front of me with a nice, hard looking cock that I definitely want inside me.”

“Oh, it will be soon, but first,” I retorted, gently pushing her backwards onto the bed. She grinned, knowing exactly what I wanted.

“Anyone would say you were addicted, Matthew,” she said, running fingers down her body to just above her slit, “Are you a pussy addict, Matthew?”

“Of yours? Yes!”

She laughed, dragging me up to kiss her first. “You want to worship me as the goddess you think I am?”

“That’s the general plan.”

“I love you.”

“I love you, Charlie.”

She shuffled back so she could rest her head on a pile of pillows, her eyes focused on everything I would do to her body. As I’ve said, I was no sex god. But the one thing I wanted to do was make her happy. I wanted to make her moan loudly when I touched her, shudder uncontrollably when she had an orgasm and scream my name as I fucked her.

I kissed her everywhere. Her lips, her neck, that little spot on her earlobe I’d learned. Her breasts were shown plenty of attention. They were not too large, but they were perfect. Not just as in they were perfect breasts, but they were perfect for her frame. Even her stomach was shown plenty of attention, all the way down towards her mound, before I moved down her thighs, and even showed attention to her feet and toes. I wasn’t a big fan of feet, but knew even that could be erotic, and she certainly giggled when I tickled and kissed them. It helped that my sister did have very pretty, little feet.

She eventually told me to stop teasing her. I could see why, her pussy glistening with her juices, her excitement clear as she was already panting from everything I had been doing, figuring she probably wasn’t going to last long.

“How do you know all this?” she wondered.

“Part experience, part reading, part I want to make you as happy as you make me.”

“Make me cum and I’ll love you forever.” I kissed back down her leg to her mound, inhaling her natural scent. I made sure I made that obvious, as she giggled again. I barely touched her with my tongue and she almost jumped off the bed. “Holy shit! I’m so turned on right now!” Keeping my eyes on hers, I then took one, long, slow lick up her slit. Her eyes closed as she groaned loudly. We didn’t have to worry about noise now.

Pushing her legs slightly further apart, I know I tormented her as I kissed and licked all around her entrance while completely ignoring her clit, knowing I was driving her nuts, feeling her push her cunt into my face. “Please,” she pleaded.

“Enjoy it.”

“I’m going to pass out when I cum!”

Wetting two fingers, I slowly inserted them inside my sister, hearing her moan loudly, even thanking me for doing it. I didn’t immediately start finger-banging her, I was incredibly slow, feeling her body react and move as I started to gently run my tongue up and over her clit. That caused her to make even more noise. “Fuck me!”

“Later.”

“I didn’t… I’m not going to last long, Matthew.”

I would have preferred to have done this all night, but I know I’d been horny since leaving her in Sydney. I figure she was feeling just the same, so little wonder I was getting her off rather quickly. I started to fuck her with my fingers a little faster, knowing exactly what to do and what spot I should be hitting. I clamped my mouth above her clit and started to slowly flick and circle it, having already learned she liked that and it worked. I felt her hands run through my lengthening hair, letting it grow slightly longer, precisely so she could grab it when I ate her out.

“You love my pussy, don’t you?” she somehow managed to ask. I just mumbled a positive response, not taking my mouth away. She was now properly fucking into my face, having to hold her onto the bed around one of her legs, now driving my fingers into her. “Keep going, not long,” she moaned, feeling her hands disappear, noticing she was now gripping the sheets tightly, her head back on the pillows, breathing rapidly.

“Oh god!” she cried out. I knew she was very close, but she was almost holding back. Now I properly fucked her, while her clit was being practically abused by my tongue. I could barely keep hold of her as she writhed against me, my hand running slick with her juices. I wanted to lick them up but wasn’t going to stop until she had an orgasm.

And then she did. And it was a big one. I think my neighbours may have applauded, or called the cops, depending on what they thought was happening. I kept doing what I was doing until she told me to stop, unable to take anymore, immediately removing my fingers and licking those cleans, watching with a smile on my face as she continued to shake. She finally blinked and looked my way, unsurprised to see a few tears in her eyes. She didn’t do that all the time, but I think being the first time back together meant a lot to both of us.

Grabbing me by an arm, she pulled me up over her to kiss me, her hands again running through my hair as she did. “That was ridiculous,” she whispered, “How the hell do you do that to me?”

“You’re my sister. I love you. And I love making you cum.”

I watched her take a deep breath before saying, “Well, I think it’s time I made you cum. Give me a minute, then you can fuck me.”

I didn’t last long the first time. Five minutes at most, simply because I’d barely masturbated since leaving her, because it just didn’t feel the same anymore. And I was so turned on after what I’d done to her, I was never going to last very long. Charlie didn’t mind, simply holding me close as I groaned, unloading inside her, before virtually collapsing on top of her. Surprisingly, my cock stayed relatively hard while inside her, causing her to giggle as she squeezed the walls of her cunt against it.

“Leave it in,” she said quietly, “It’s back in its home.” I couldn’t help chuckle, as I was thinking exactly the same thing.

We made love the rest of the day and night, only getting out of bed to go to the bathroom, or collect the pizza that we had delivered to the apartment. Other than that, we made love or fucked, depending on the mood. By late in the evening, I was feeling utterly drained, Charlie was exhausted, but we continued to make love, not worrying about orgasms by then. Eventually, we just stopped, continuing to kiss, laugh, cuddle and talk about nothing at all, before we finally ended up laying on our sides, facing one another. I caressed her face and told her I loved her, watching her eyes sparkle in the low light, a slight smile appeared on her face, before she closed her eyes.

*****

Epilogue

“How much longer, Daddy?” a tiny voice asked, her hand squeezing mine.

I looked down at my five-year-old daughter. “Not long now, munchkin. Their plane just landed.”

“And they’re really staying forever?”

“As I’ve told you time and again, yes, they are. You’ve already seen the house they’ll be living in,” I replied with a chuckle. I still don’t think she believed me. She only saw my parents once or twice a year, but the fact they were now moving cross country to Perth was even difficult for me to believe at times.

I could see my wife returning from the bathroom, carrying our three-year-old son in her arms. He was laughing away about something, though when she met my eyes, the smile she returned was the same I remembered the first time I saw in the old house, after the day at the park, when I realised she was in love with me. Her eyes had never changed. Still that same look of love and devotion.

“What’s amused him, Charlie?” I asked, as I lay a kiss on her cheek.

“Oh, you know three year olds and silly things. To be honest, I have no idea.”

“What’s tickled your funny bone, little man?” I asked my son. He couldn’t reply, still laughing away about whatever he found funny. It was infectious, as soon my daughter was giggling away as well. The wife and I just shared a glance before chuckling as well.

The parents appeared ten minutes later, the two kids rushing towards them. Grabbing Charlie’s hand, we walked towards them too, letting the kids say hello first before we did the same.

“Looking good, you two,” I said.

“Retirement does wonders for the soul, Matthew,” my father stated.

“Yeah, but I have at least another thirty years until then.”

Mum hugged Charlie first, then me. “Good to see you, Matthew.”

“You too, Mum.” We only saw each other twice a year, but we spoke nearly every day.

I helped carry their bags to my car, Charlie taking the kids in hers. Once Dad was settled next to me, and Mum in the back, I followed Charlie out of the parking spot. “Are you sure you guys don’t mind looking after the kids so soon after arriving?” I asked again.

“Oh, hush, Matthew. When was the last time you and Charlie had a holiday?”

“That would be Fiji, five years ago. Just happens that was when Charlie fell pregnant.” I smirked as I looked in the rearview mirror, my eyes meeting Mum’s. “Ah, memories,” I added wistfully. She just laughed. Mum and Dad fully accepted our relationship, but I could joke about it more with Mum. Dad was fine with it, but even now, it was still a little awkward for him. I understood and respected why.

“And how are you and Charlie?” Dad wondered.

“Stupidly happy, Dad. I know I am. I have the woman I love as my wife, in all but name. I have two brilliant little kids. We own our own house. I make bank at work, while Charlie can work from home and dote on the kids at the same time. I wouldn’t trade it for anything.”

“Any more kids?” Mum asked, a little hopefully.

“No, Mum. That’s been taken care of. Snip, snip. The first pregnancy was okay, but the second was… difficult. Considering she’s nearing 40, it becomes more difficult. Add who we are, and the risks increase significantly.”

“We’ve got two grandchildren, Matthew. That’s all we ever wanted,” Mum said.

Arriving home, we let Mum and Dad settle in. After an hour, they were practically pushing us out the door, as were the kids, as they knew they were going to spoiled rotten for the next week. “Call us when you arrive, don’t worry about a thing here. We’ll pick you up from the airport when you return,” Mum stated.

We hugged and kissed the kids, now distracted by the arrival of their grandparents, hugging them too, before Charlie and I got in my car, looked at each other, shared a kiss then burst into laughter. “Thank god for grandparents,” I said.

“A whole week without kids, Matthew. What are we going to do?”

“I’m going to fuck my wife senseless pretty much the entire time.”

“I like the sound of that. When do you intend on starting?”

“As soon as we get to the airport hotel. Then I’m thinking on the plane, if you’re up for it. Then as soon as we get to the resort on the island.”

Charlie giggled. “Good thing I can’t fall pregnant anymore.”

“All the more reason for us to fuck like rabbits.”

“Not the most romantic thing you’ve ever said, Matthew, but by god I can’t help but agree.”

She grabbed my hand and kissed it before locking our fingers together. Every time I had a chance, I just turned to look at her. She kept her eyes on me, the slight smile on her face I knew so well, the eyes that of a devoted wife and partner, nothing but love for me in them. I still had to pinch myself at times that this was all real, that she was with me now, that she was my wife, the mother to my children, and that she would never leave me. I look back at my earlier life and had to shake my head at times, wondering how close I had come to throwing it all away. The lost decade, I now called it. I know, at the back of mind, I continued to make up for it every day. I told her I loved her waking up every morning, I told her throughout the day, and it was the last thing I told before we went to sleep every evening.

The line between love and hate is thin, but in my life now, there was only love.