Coriander glanced up from some juvenile show with a look of total boredom on his face. "A house party? For what?"
"I want to welcome the new neighbors who just moved in across the street. What d'you think I should serve, salad?" Turmeric rushed to the kitchen and began to get ingredients together.
Coriander frowned, calling out from the spot on the couch where he hadn't moved. "You're the crappiest cook I know, so that's probably your best bet." After a pause, he slowly meandered into the kitchen, watching his brother feverishly cutting up vegetables. "Since when are we the 'welcoming new neighbors' type?"
"Since this elderly couple moved in with their super hot grown daughter," answered Turmeric.
Coriander rolled his eyes. "Super hot, huh? You're working fast." He retreated back to the living room, but instead of watching more of The Crazy Misadventures of Plumbob Pete, he turned on an ab-sculpting workout video.
"What are you doing, dude?" Turmeric reappeared in the living room. "Get up off the floor, she's going to be here any minute."
"Just her?" Cori fought to keep an amused smile off his face. "The old folks decided to bail on us?"
"I, uh...guess I called at a bad time, they're on a date."
"Just reschedule the party for another day. This is kind of short notice, anyway, right?"
Now it was Turmeric's turn to roll his eyes. "No, I don't want to reschedule for another day. The salad's already been made and she's on her way here. Besides, I can get to know her better without her parents breathing down my neck. Her dad was cool, but the mom seemed a little pushy."
Just as Coriander tried to argue again for another day, they heard the sound of the doorbell.
"I'll get it!" Turmeric raced for the door, with his brother rolling his eyes all over again.
He distinctively heard, "Blueberry, I'm so glad you could make it!" so he turned up the TV. Coriander was only lured to the kitchen by the call of "Dinner's ready!" He wanted to see what kind of spectacle Turmeric was making of himself in front of this girl.
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| Ms. Blueberry Pie was, hands down, the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen. |
As soon as he got to the table, Coriander stopped short. His hands were suddenly clammy. His knees were suddenly sweating. He wasn't even aware that knees could sweat until now. Ms. Blueberry Pie was, hands down, the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen. Breathtaking violet eyes glanced up from an already half empty salad bowl, and she smiled a smile that made his heart stop.
"You must be...Coriander? I've already heard a little about you. My name's Blueberry Pie."
"Uh..." Her lips were moving. What did she say? "Thanks. I mean...I mean yeah, I'm Turmeric's brother. You can call me Cori." She was gorgeous, Turmeric really wasn't kidding! He instantly took the seat at the table right beside Blueberry. Turmeric had taken the spot across from her, and made some light attempts to engage her in conversation. "So...my brother said I should plan the party for another night, since your parents couldn't make it. It was too late for me to cancel on everyone, but I'm glad you could make it, at least."
Coriander snorted. "Everyone? Who else is here? Did somebody RSVP? You made a salad and called it a party."
"It's an excellent salad, though," Blueberry offered.
"Thanks." Shooting his younger brother a brief dirty look, he offered Blueberry another wide smile. "Do you want to watch TV? I've got some great old movies you might like."
Coriander frowned, but didn't say anything. They didn't have a full couch, only a loveseat.
"Sure," said Blueberry. "What did you have in mind?"
"Well, Simder is one of my favorites...and I've got the 30th anniversary special edition of The Khlumzee Sisters--"
"The Khlumzee Sisters?! I loved them when I was a little girl!" she gushed.
"All right, sisters it is, then. Sorry, Cor. I'm sure you can find something to do upstairs."
Blueberry frowned and was about to ask why he would talk to his brother like that, but as she was following him into the living room she saw why. The loveseat was only big enough for two.
"He can just pull a chair over..." she said, feeling a little bad about leaving Coriander out.
"Never mind him," said Turmeric. "He wasn't really down for a party, anyway. He's not really very social, you know? Kind of a recluse." She couldn't help noticing how he lowered his voice a little.
She felt bad about leaving Coriander by himself. It sort of seemed like Turmeric had left him out deliberately, and that wasn't very nice. Blueberry was watching the screen and trying not to think about how bad she felt, not wanting to get involved in a family dispute, when Turmeric yawned quite suddenly and draped his arm over her shoulder.
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| ...when Turmeric yawned quite suddenly and draped his arm over her shoulder. |
She pulled away just a little bit, feeling bashful. "You hardly know me, Mr. Turmeric Spice."
"Well, I like what I do know, and you seem like the kind of woman I want to get to know better. What do you say about that?"
Blueberry smiled bashfully and kept her eyes low. "I don't know," she said. "Maybe."
Turmeric pulled away for a second, suddenly feeling the call of nature. "I've gotta step into the bathroom for a minute," he said. "I'll be right back, just sit tight. Unless you want anything from the fridge, then help yourself."
"Thank you."
Turmeric was gone about five minutes when Blueberry looked up at the sound of footsteps. She was surprised to see Coriander instead of his brother.
"What's he got you watching?" he scoffed. "Simder? That movie put me to sleep."
"It's The Khlumzee Sisters, actually," said Blueberry with a soft laugh. "I love them."
"Yeah, you like old movies?" Coriander didn't seem to have a problem taking the seat that Turmeric had just vacated. "What's your favorite?"
"Oh, I don't know..." Blue paused to think about that for a moment. "I'm a sucker for Lost Dog's Journey Home. I love tearjerkers, too."
Coriander smiled at her. His eyes were magnetic, or maybe he was just sitting too close. "How 'bout you let me take you to a movie sometime?"
"A movie?" Blueberry looked surprised, although maybe she shouldn't have. She had seen the way he looked at her from the second he walked into the kitchen. He never stopped staring at her the whole time they were at the table. And he was cute. Really cute. But then...Turmeric was handsome, too.
"Well, you could sit here and watch this one with us if you wanted..." Her voice trailed off, because she already knew Coriander didn't want to do that. He was scooting closer to her, but he didn't put his arm around her. He was just watching her intently, and Blueberry found that it took her breath away.
"Um...where's Turmeric?" she asked. "I thought he was just going to the bathroom..."
"He takes forever in there," his brother said dismissively. "You could be waiting awhile. Might have to finish this movie by yourself."
Blueberry laughed skeptically, but she noticed that Coriander didn't. "You're serious?"
"I'm afraid so," said Coriander.
"Well..." This was awkward. Blueberry wasn't sure what to do. Maybe she shouldn't have come.
"Don't worry about it." He smiled. "We can get to know each other in the meantime. I want to know all about you."
She glanced down into her lap and smiled. She didn't have to ask why he wanted to know more about her; it was obvious. He was looking at her as if he wanted to swallow her whole. And the craziest thing was that she didn't feel unnerved by it. Blueberry felt inexplicably drawn to both brothers, but there was something about Coriander she couldn't ignore.
They were kissing on the couch before she fully knew what was happening, his hands in her hair and his hungry mouth on her neck. And she didn't want him to stop.
When she pulled away, it was to ask the last question she expected herself to be asking someone she just met: "Where's your bedroom?"
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| ...and he wasn't going to say no if she wanted to do something about it. |
He knew she was attracted to him. He could tell from the second he sat down, and he wasn't going to say no if she wanted to do something about it. He'd been thinking about her mouth all through dinner. Who knew a couple hours later he'd get to feel it? She was amazing, better than he expected...which is why he probably should have felt bad about what he knew was about to happen next, but he didn't. Coriander had never felt an attraction like this to anyone in his life before. There had been plenty of other women, but nothing like this. It didn't matter that they'd only just met...he felt a connection to her, and clearly Blueberry felt it, too.
"Get...get on the bed," he gasped out. He wasn't thinking about anything but her anymore, and he was even more excited when she didn't hesitate.
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| ...so that he never saw Turmeric's face in the window. |
Soon he was lost in the taste of her, as she had been with him only moments ago. All her little gasps and moans were driving Coriander to distraction, so that he never saw Turmeric's face in the window.
Unfortunately, his brother was the last thing on his mind...especially when the lovely Blueberry began frantically removing his clothes.
He paused for just a second, forcing himself to take a deep breath and look her in her starry violet eyes. "Are you sure about this?"
Blueberry kissed him for an answer, and Coriander was done questioning her, done thinking twice about it.
Turmeric flushed the toilet and washed his hands. He already felt kind of embarrassed because he wasn't expecting to take so long in the bathroom; Blueberry had been waiting about a half hour already. He'd be surprised if she hadn't left. He had to go through the kitchen to return to the living room, but he stopped short as the smell of rotting garbage met his nose. The trash needed to be taken out. Leaving it would ruin the mood, so Turmeric glanced over his shoulder and called out, "I'm just going to take out the trash real quick, okay? It's really piled up." Coriander never did it anyway, he was such a pain sometimes.
While he was making his way to the side of the house, Turmeric stopped short. He almost thought he could hear animal noises from very nearby. Muffled animal noises? He dropped the trash in the bin and looked up. The very last thing he expected (or indeed wanted) to see was his brother vigorously banging Ms. Blueberry through the window.
The first thing he wanted to do was barge in and start demanding answers, but honestly, he barely knew this woman. Still, feelings of intense jealousy began to rise within his chest, and Turmeric could feel his blood boiling. Every thrust, every scream, just made him angrier and angrier, but he couldn't look away. It was like a train wreck. His cheeks were flushed, but he fumbled for his phone and snapped several shots of the two of them together. He still shook with rage even as he was putting his phone away. Turmeric wanted to storm into the room and demand to know what they were doing, but it was pretty plain to see. They didn't have curtains on any of the windows, and Ms. Blueberry Pie didn't look so shy anymore. Turmeric drew his hand to his pants. He wasn't focused on Coriander anymore, but on Blueberry's huge, heaving breasts. If she was going to sleep with his brother, then he was going to get something out of it, too. Although his rage hadn't simmered, he couldn't help being so aroused by the sight of her naked that he finished into his own hand, well before his brother was even close to done.
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| If she was going to sleep with his brother, then he was going to get something out of it, too. |
Instantly the sound of creaking stopped. He could hear scrambling, and then breathless whispers. Coriander opened the door fully clothed. His hair was cropped far too short to be a mess, and not even a single curl of Blueberry's beautiful sapphire hair was out of place. But their clothes were rumpled, and he could see that they were both glistening with sweat. The bedroom also smelled unmistakably of sex.
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| ...and to be honest she felt kind of dirty and ashamed of herself now. |
"Guess you'd rather get to know my brother better?" Turmeric muttered, and it sounded bitter even to him.
She started, "Oh, Turmeric, I'm sorry--" but he cut her off.
"Sorry for what? Being attracted to Coriander? You could hardly help it, pretty much every woman is." He laughed, but there was no mirth in the sound. It reminded Blueberry a little of broken glass. To her surprise, she could feel tears stinging the corners of her eyes. When she blinked, they came down her face in two long, thin trails of glitter. This had all happened so fast, and to be honest she felt kind of dirty and ashamed of herself now. The way Turmeric was talking made it seem like his brother went after all kinds of women, all the time.
"I'm...sorry," she tried again, fumbling with the buttons on her blouse. The tears made them a little hard to see.
"Just get out," said Turmeric with a shake of his head. And then, a second later, "You know what, never mind. I don't want to break up this little love fest, I guess I'll be the one to go."
"No, Turmeric, no. This is...this is your house. You're right, I'll just...go."
Blueberry squared her shoulders, trying not to let them slump too much as she headed for the door.
"Blue, wait..." Coriander tried to go after her, but a reddish-orange fist hit him in the face like a freight train.
Blueberry whirled around, her eyes wide with shock. "Turmeric, don't! Stop it!"
"JUST GET OUT!" He surprised even himself with the sheer volume of his voice.
Blueberry turned around and fled for the door, and neither of the Spice brothers tried to stop her.
Turmeric rounded on Coriander again as he was picking himself up off the floor. "How could you do this?!"
"Do what?" Coriander scoffed, "Be attracted to somebody? Sorry, I can't help that."
"Be attracted to HER! I TOLD you I was attracted to her first, didn't I?! DIDN'T I?!"
"Whoa, man, calm down! I didn't know you liked her that much."
"Are you kidding? We only BOTH just met her! I haven't even had the chance to get to know her, and you're already NAILING her?! Tell me, Coriander, because I'm struggling to figure it out...what the hell just happened?!"
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| "Even in school, you won the biggest trophies and got to date the hottest girls!" |
"I don't know, man, I don't know." Coriander sat down on the edge of the bed and put both hands in the air. "You caught me, I guess. It just happened."
"It just happened? I ask what the hell just happened and that's...that's your response?" Turmeric stared while his brother shrugged awkwardly, unsure of what else to say.
"This is not okay, dude. It's been like this our entire lives!"
"What are you talking about, Eric?"
"Don't." Turmeric wasn't feeling friendly enough for nicknames. "You know exactly what I'm talking about. Even in school, you won the biggest trophies and got to date the hottest girls! Why couldn't you just let me have this one?!"
"Look, I didn't mean to horn in on your territory," Coriander sighed.
"Oh, you didn't? 'Cause that's exactly what you did, so that's...I don't know, smells like bullshit. I should just hit you again, you asshole."
"I couldn't help it, I just...felt something different with her!"
"So you started shtupping her while I was taking a shit? Girls who are willing to do that before the first date aren't exactly the ones you want to bring home to Mom!"
"Oh, you wouldn't care if she gave me anything. You're just pissed off she didn't give it to you first!"
Both of the Spice men leaped up, glaring daggers at each other with their hands in fists at their sides.
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| "Everything is always a GAME to you!" |
Coriander was breathing heavily through his nose, but what he said didn't quite match the look of rage on his face. "I wasn't trying to hurt you when I hooked up with her tonight."
"How is that even remotely possible." Turmeric shook his head, having made more of a disgusted statement than a question.
"I told you. I felt something different with her. A kind of...connection I've never felt with anybody." Coriander glanced down at his pale green hands.
"And you think I wasn't starting to feel things? I specifically wanted this party so I could get to know her better, and your jolly green junk ruined everything. AGAIN."
"Hey, come on, that's not fair," said Coriander defensively.
"No, you know what's not fair? Hearing you hooking up with the girl that I met first."
"It's not like you have dibs or something, Turmeric," he scoffed. "Blue's a person, not a passenger seat."
"STOP CALLING HER THAT!" Turmeric exploded. "You don't even know her! Stop calling her Blue! This is not about her, anyway. This is about you hijacking my party tonight, and every relationship I've ever had!"
"Oh, shut the hell up! How many times do I have to tell you that making one damn salad and inviting one person over does not make a party? It's hardly my fault she was mutually attracted to me...and that you spent thirty minutes on the toilet! She was so bored she just wanted to get a little strange!"
"Everything is always a GAME to you! You NEVER think before doing ANYTHING!"
Turmeric stood up and walked out of the bedroom, slamming the door behind him as hard as possible. It shivered slightly within the frame, as if his rage even made it nervous.
Coriander sat in silence on the edge of that bed for a long time. When he finally emerged from the room, his brother was gone. He wasn't sure when Turmeric would be back, but he scrawled a note and left it on the kitchen table.
'I'm out.'
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