I Shared a Room with My Half-Sister

I’m driving to my aunt’s country house and I feel like I’m going to veer off the road any second. My migraine is drilling into my skull and the nausea is becoming unbearable. I roll down the window and the smell of wet earth loosens my shoulders a little.

I’ve spent years inventing excuses not to show up at these family gatherings.

Having a big, “perfect” family doesn’t help my anxiety. Everyone asking uncomfortable questions, weighing every word I answer, waiting for the juicy detail that will later become gossip in the WhatsApp group.

What am I supposed to tell them? That they were right? That by prioritizing my career, my marriage fell to pieces? That they can go on waiting for grandchildren that will never come? That at thirty-four I have to start from scratch again? No, thanks.

They don’t need to know everything.

With my best smile and vague answers, I survive the first few hours.

I had everything under control until I saw her walk through the wooden gate.

Suddenly the memories hit me like a bucket of ice-cold water. The stolen sighs behind the tool shed, the forbidden kisses in the shared room, the inexperienced caresses under the sheet. A dangerous game that almost burned us. We were two teenagers with hormones through the roof. One thing led to another and, under the excuse of learning how to kiss, we wore out each other’s lips for an entire summer. It all ended when I started dating my first boyfriend at seventeen, and we pretended it had never happened.

We never brought it up again. I suppose at some point shame got the better of us, because we were half-sisters and because there was no way to explain it to anyone.

I lost count of how many years had passed since I’d seen her. Romina had moved far away with her maternal family and, without us noticing, the messages became more and more sporadic until they disappeared.

Seeing her again stole my breath. I froze, staring at this new version of her.

She was no longer that shy girl I had to persuade into any little mischief. Her charisma dominated the room as she greeted every uncle and every cousin. In seconds I scanned her from head to toe. Her style had always been simple, and now, from the haircut to the sneakers, she made it impossible to look away. The short hair highlighted that combination of almond-shaped eyes and full lips. What struck me was that, unlike me, who kept my feminine aesthetic, she had chosen a look with masculine touches. That disarmed me. It was like the best of both worlds.

The confidence with which she walked toward me set my pulse racing. My hands were trembling a little and the stab in my gut made me understand that maybe I hadn’t buried the past so well after all. She had been my only experience with a woman, and we hadn’t gone that far, and seeing her like this, so magnetic, short-circuited my brain.

Everything happened in slow motion. Her greeting me with a perfect smile and me answering in monosyllables like I’d forgotten how to speak.

—Are you okay, Camila?

—Yeah… yeah, it’s the trip. I’m not used to so many hours on the road. If you’ll excuse me…

—Of course.

I managed to say it before practically running to the bathroom, leaving a bewildered Romina behind.

***

The cold water on my face brought me back to the present. It was lack of sex, I told myself. There was no other reasonable explanation for that reaction. It was just a weekend. After that, each of us would go our own way, like nothing had happened.

My master plan didn’t see the worst coming: when my mother told me I’d be sharing a room with her, I started hyperventilating again. I had to measure every word carefully; I couldn’t screw this up.

Close to eleven at night, I went up to the room to get some air. It had been a long day and I wanted to take advantage of the little bit of privacy before Romina showed up.

The smell of pine, the wood creaking beneath my feet with every step, and the carved details in the columns turned the house into a feast for the senses.

I took a long shower. The hot water ran over my body, loosening every knot. I closed my eyes trying to clear my mind, and without realizing it, I was thinking about Romina while my hands started squeezing my nipples involuntarily. Her mischievous gaze after the fourth beer, her fingers wrapped around the bottle, that provocative smile…

The heat slid down my belly and my body answered the caresses I was giving myself. I didn’t want to open my eyes, I didn’t want to wake from that illusion. Until I heard noises in the room and startled. I rushed out of the bathroom, avoiding all eye contact.

—I thought you were going to sleep in the bathroom —she said while putting her things in her side of the room.

—Haha, you know me. I solve the world’s problems in there.

—Yeah, I do know you —she replied with a teasing tone, holding my gaze.

The comment heated my cheeks. Of course she knew how I was. In many ways.

That first night I barely slept a wink. I kept tossing and turning. On the other side, not a single movement.

—You’re cold, right? —she whispered in a sleepy voice.

—What?

—That if you’re cold. I can’t feel the heat on.

—Oh, yeah… a little.

What cold is she talking about? More than cold, what I feel is a fire that needs putting out.

—Come here. Or would you rather I go to your bed?

—What? No.

—Haha, you’d rather wake up frozen?

—No… it’s not that.

—Cut the bullshit, Camila.

—Do I really have to remind you?

—For God’s sake, almost twenty years have passed. We’re adults —she told me in a bored tone.

—Well… if you want, you come over —I gave in. Maybe everything was in my lustful head and she had already moved on. Romina had gotten over it and I was acting like a child.

She carefully lay down beside me. I turned my back, thinking she would do the same, but she stayed facing my back. Spooning me, without touching. I could feel her warmth through the clothes, her calm breathing.

—I still think this is a bad idea —I protested in a low voice.

—And you think it’s a good idea to keep staring at me all night?

—Me? I wasn’t…

She interrupted me by hugging me and pulling me against her.

—Haha, I was joking. I can’t believe you bought it.

I was speechless. She was playing with me. Shame rushed to my face, but it was quickly replaced by a steady throbbing low in my belly. Every inch of my body was aware of the closeness, of her breathing against my neck, of my ass pressed into her pelvis, of those almost imperceptible movements that deepened the friction. If she wanted to play, I was going to play too. Well, that’s what I thought until I heard her snoring.

Was she serious? I couldn’t believe it. I felt like a pressure cooker about to explode.

But I wasn’t going to sleep like this. Secretly, I slipped my hand inside my pajamas and started touching myself slowly so I wouldn’t wake her. I knew what I needed and I was going straight for it. Circular movements over the clit, soft, barely there strokes, were more than enough. It hadn’t even been three minutes and my heart was already galloping, my breathing was getting ragged, and I had to gather all the strength in the universe to hold back my moans and control the spasms as I came. I was falling apart beside her, motionless, as if nothing was happening. Sleep got the better of me almost immediately.

***

When I woke the next day, I was the only one in the room and felt a strange sense of relief. One awkward moment less.

The hours went by too fast for my taste. We did family activities: a walk through the forest, lunch at a restaurant in the nearby village, endless after-meal conversations catching up. If she went right, I went left. After the previous night, my best option was to avoid her at all costs. Thinking with a clear head, I could see how bad my screwup was and how messed up all of this was.

That night I went to bed a little later than the day before. I waited a decent amount of time for Romina to fall asleep so I wouldn’t have to run into her. Another lousy plan, because she still wasn’t coming upstairs. Past midnight, the only ones left were us and a drunk uncle singing at one end of the living room.

Romina sat beside me and for a moment there was an awkward silence.

—So… how are you, Camila? It’s been so long that I barely know you anymore —she said with a smile.

—Haha, I can say the same! You look so different!

—Different in a good way or different in a bad way? —she asked in a mocking tone.

—Haha, good question. In a good way, I guess —I answered, looking into her eyes. A gaze that lasted barely a second. The brightness in her eyes made me feel tiny and nerves flooded through me.

I don’t know if she noticed, but she changed the subject and I was grateful. We spent a little longer catching up on our lives and, although there was some awkwardness, for a moment the morbid tension disappeared and I only saw my little sister.

I was proud of my progress until…

—Can I ask you something?

—Haha, yeah, shoot.

—Why have you been avoiding me?

—Me? No way.

—Mmm, okay, then it’s all in my head.

—Yeah, I don’t know where you got that from, little sister.

The moment I said “little sister,” her face changed. Her gaze hardened and for a second I wished the earth would swallow me up.

—Tell me something: if I do this, doesn’t it do anything to you? —and she put her hand on my thigh, sliding it upward.

—What are you doing? —I pulled her hand away as fast as I could.

—You didn’t answer my question, little sister —she said, stressing that last word.

—People can see us. Are you crazy?

—Ah, so that’s your fear. That they’ll see us, that they’ll find out —she said in a seductive tone.

—You’re out of your mind. This isn’t right. Good night.

—Yeah, sure, keep pretending your morals are intact.

***

I got up and practically ran to the room. I was only praying my uncle hadn’t noticed the show. I was furious. How dare she? And the worst part was that she wasn’t that far from the truth. I got under the shower with cold water, as much as I could stand.

When Romina came into the room, she went straight to the bathroom. I think we both needed that shower. There was too much tension in the air. When she came out, she looked at me fixedly. I was gathering my clothes. As soon as dawn broke, I was leaving. We weren’t teenagers anymore. If anything happened, I’d be fully aware of what was going on, and that scared me.

—I think this is yours —she said, lifting a panty from the floor with her index finger.

—Yeah, that’s mine.

Before handing it to me, she brought it to her nose and inhaled deeply.

—What are you doing? You slut —I reached out to snatch it from her and she pulled back, biting into the crotch area.

—You want it? Come get it.

—You idiot!

I lunged at her and, when I managed to grab the garment, her hands held my waist so tightly it hurt.

—Let go of me!

—Say it again and I’ll let you go.

My answer was none.

Feeling the smell of her freshly showered skin, her firm grip, and those defiant eyes only made me pulse, and not exactly in my heart.

—Why do you like torturing yourself so much, huh? —she demanded.

—This isn’t right and you know it.

—How curious. You’ve been repeating that since yesterday, but between us, you’re not going to convince yourself no matter how many times you say it.

She looked at my mouth without hiding it.

—You’re gorgeous —she told me, running her thumb over my lips delicately, from one end to the other.

I let out a deep sigh, parting my lips, and the next thing I felt was her finger invading my mouth. I started sucking it without thinking, first the tip and then the whole length.

—Mmm, yeah, like that —she said, speeding up. Suddenly she grabbed my chin and pulled me to her lips.

My brain shut off with that kiss. It had nothing to do with the clumsy kisses from twenty years ago. It was a kiss full of lust with a touch of tenderness. All of this was so wrong, and at the same time it felt fucking good.

She wasted no time. Her restless hands took possession of every inch of my body. I felt soaked, swollen, ready for more, but she kept kissing me, biting me, groping me like it was the first and last time. My clothes were in the way. I needed to feel her.

—Romina, Romina…

—Please don’t tell me you want to stop —she said between moans.

—No, no… I need more.

—Haha, how do you ask?

—Please —I begged, embarrassed.

—As you wish.

***

In her bed, the smell of her on the sheets clouded my vision. I was so turned on that any touch drove me crazy. The clothes hit the floor at lightning speed. On top of me, she positioned herself so our nipples lined up and started moving while sliding her finger up and down my slit. The kisses drowned out the moans that kept getting louder. My whole body started trembling. She wouldn’t stop asking me to give her everything, and I couldn’t resist the rock-hard orgasm I was having.

I hadn’t even recovered when she penetrated me with three fingers. Despite being wet and sensitive, the first sensation was a sting that tore a little cry of pain from me.

—Does it hurt?

—Yeah, a little.

—Should I stop?

—No, please, don’t stop.

She kept at it for a while, until she left only two fingers and, with a hooking motion, started stimulating my G-spot. I was writhing from side to side. Just when I thought I couldn’t feel any more, she, with those expert hands, gave me a new sensation.

I was about to come again when she said:

—Don’t even think this one is going to be as easy as the last one. You’re going to have to earn it.

She stopped and I finally got my breath back. I took advantage of it to taste her a little more. I covered her neck and breasts with kisses. My tongue kept going lower and she, with her hand on my head, guided me to where she wanted me.

—Easy, I’ll lead you —she said calmly. I just nodded.

With my tongue flat, I cleaned her up completely. The dirty girl was soaked and tasted incredible. With her other hand she grabbed my hair in a ponytail and pressed me harder against her clit.

I didn’t have much experience with it, so I just did it the way I liked it done to me. Not too rough, not too superficial. With just the right pressure.

Having her body surrender in front of me was one of the best sensations in the world. I spent a good while enjoying the feast until her breathing became irregular.

—Camila, stop, stop.

—Everything okay?

—Haha, I couldn’t be better.

—Sit on top of me.

In cowgirl position, she lifted her pelvis so that, as I moved, our lips rubbed together easily.

—Move. Move that ass for me.

She directed my movements with her nails digging into my ass cheeks.

Our clits were about to explode and the sight I had was poetry. Her, brow furrowed, moaning with difficulty, biting her lips, hands dug into my ass, my waist, my tits, my neck. As if she didn’t know where to keep them. And me moving like my life depended on it.

We came at the same time. Wild, primal, intense as hell. I collapsed against her chest, feeling the tingling slowly fade.

—Don’t say anything, please —she asked, stroking my hair tenderly.

I fell asleep in that position longer than I intended.

The next morning my body felt strange. I still hadn’t quite woken up from that dream where my sister was kissing me and I was kissing her back. When I finally managed to open my eyes, the feeling became real, only the kisses I was getting were between my legs.

—Hey, what are you doing?

—Shhh… and hurry up, we have to go down for breakfast.

—Shit.

I threw my head back and let myself go.

From that moment on, we became closer. More than my family can imagine, more than society accepts. There are days when guilt gets to me and then she shows up, leaves me dry with that oversized mouth of hers, and I forget everything.