The warm water is so comfortable that I don't want to leave the bathroom. It hits my body in a continuous and soft massage that relaxes my muscles and makes the tension bleed out of me.
My blood suddenly gets itself a highway in my relaxed veins and rides on the inertia controlled by my heart to come and go, even in my nipples which it pushes out.
When I finish my shower and descend, Liz is already placing the dishes for the breakfast on the table. I smile at the memory of her lazy appearance just now, even as she was trying to push me to rise early, like a good girl.
Liz catches my smile and rolls her eyes in playful annoyance, before waving me over.
"Come and eat while it's hot."
My smile widens, then I decide to spare her, so I change the subject.
"Today is your rest day. What will you be doing?"
Liz glances at me as she wipes the kitchen counter. She drops the sulky look, and smiles softly.
"I will spend the day learning, for the most part."
I bite on the sandwich and shake my head.
"You really work hard, sis."
Liz shakes her head with a smile, unbothered by the difficulty.
"I need to, if I want to reach mom's level."
"Hehe… Another professor Lockdream in the making."
Liz laughs at my words.
"Right?"
"I really admire you and the rest who swim through the big ocean of knowledge to become doctors."
Saying that, I bite through the sandwich once again. Liz puts aside the folded cloth and ruffles my hair.
"You have what it takes too, why not try?"
I think for a moment, then shake my head. Admiring from afar, even being envious, is still for the best.
"No, thanks. Just imagining the suffering that will take a decade just to start producing reliable results makes me want to stick to the easy path."
"And what is the easy path?"
"The path of money."
"You…"
Liz has been left speechless by my words. She looks at me for a moment, before she finds back the words to say.
"Is that why you woke up so early today?"
I raise an eyebrow and look at her with a gaze that makes it clear that the easy path doesn't mean not making any effort.
"What's with that look?"
"I have been waking up early lately. I have taken to building myself a reliable hardware. You didn't know because you have not slept with me since the last time you spent the night home after the trip to the police station."
Liz turns quiet, her gentle vibe shifting into a guilty one.
"I'm sorry, Liz. I neglected you the past month or two."
I pause mid-bite. I glance at Liz's guilt ridden face, and avert my gaze. Feeling uncomfortable, my voice is low, and my tone soft, when I speak.
"I'm not trying to blame you. I can take care of myself just well. That is why you trusted me enough to focus on your studies."
I don't look up, but Liz's eyes ripple with so much softness that I can almost feel it wrapping around me. It is so embarrassing that warmth creeps up my cheeks and I almost make myself small.
In my distraction, I don't hear Liz move. I only notice her when she embraces me and pushes me in the softness of her chest.
"I will try to be more present from now on, okay, Max? Don't hesitate to open yourself to me, whether to complain or just get my attention. I will always be your best support."
I'm almost reminded of the time I woke up from my short coma at the hospital. Even though I don't cry, I'm moved, as my heart seems to steady itself, to find a load bearing support, one that just needs to be there and needs not do anything at all.
The deep cleavage of Liz's negligee makes me rest against her naked skin, and the cool of her breasts make me want to push myself further in to rest there.
We remain silent for a while, before Liz let me go.
"So, isn't it enough that you joined a martial arts center already?"
I also resume eating as I shake my head.
"No, sis. Martial arts is for defending myself. Girls must learn how to protect themselves without waiting for anyone.
My mention of girls having to defend themselves on their own makes Liz turn quiet for a moment. I don't need to know mind reading, even though she is an insulator like me, to know that she has been made to think about what happened to me at school.
The fight on that rooftop is something I'm not ready to forget either, along with the reflexes that are only echoes of the life past. And speaking of them…
I shake the superfluous thoughts out of my head and continue my words with a smile.
"Exercising is for health, both physical and mental. I'm already feeling the effects."
Liz laughs.
"Hahaha, alright. I can understand what you are saying. So long as you don't turn yourself into a mass of muscles. Of course, maybe that is what you want."
The teasing at the end makes me glare at my sister. Are those words to say to a girl? Does she think I'm exercising to turn into a bodybuilder?
I swallow the rest of my sandwich and bite down on it with vengeance with a huff.
"Humph!"
I turn away from the twinkling violet eyes with all the dissatisfaction I want to express. But that only makes Liz laugh.
"Oh, come on. Alright, let me see."
When I'm not looking at her, she closes the distance between us and pokes my chest.
"You! What are you doing?"
"I just want to test the new hardness of your muscles, can't I? Come, let me see."
"Like hell, I will let you see. You are just poking fun at me! If so, I will test you too. And along the way, I will help you milk yourself."
With my nipples hardening in the hands squeezing my small breasts, I energetically make my fingers squeeze their way into Liz's softness, though she only enjoys my revenge instead of anything else.
"Hahaha, be my guest. I know you have emptied my breasts already today. You will not find much."
"Ahhh!"
My cry is full of dissatisfaction, and I jump on Liz. I have to make her feel the extent of my dissatisfaction so that she can stop laughing and wipe that smile full of amusement off her face.
I, Max Lockdream, refuse to lose to that smug smile.