At twenty-five, Lourde was Nash's third and eldest sister. While Ailing and Nastasya had stolen their mother's dark hair, Nash and Lourde had their late fathers pale blondeness. Lourde worked as a personal trainer in one of Thorne Bay's few gyms, but she was also really into cooking. She was stirring a pot of rice on the stove when Nash and Aisling arrived downstairs on that Saturday evening, and her muscles seemed ready to burst through her apron.
"Stir-fried rice." Nash's stomach growled as he realised he'd been so immersed in D&D that he'd barely eaten all day. "Smells amazing."
"Then you'd better eat up. You need to put on some muscle." She squeezed his bicep playfully. " You're shrinking away." She had her long hair up in a neat bun, which Nash always thought looked cute on her. Something about the way it showed off her sculpted trapezius muscles, the bit between the neck and shoulders.
"Is mom joining us today?" Aisling tried to steal a bit of chicken from the pot and Lourde swatted her away like a fly.
"Yes dear, of course I am! Work can't keep me away from my children. Well, not for long, anyway" At the end of the table was a laptop, with a video-call straight to Paris. Their mom beamed at them through the screen with her pretty smile.
"Hey Nash, can I have a word with you?" Nastasya appeared from the den wearing a flowy black dress that flitted through the air as she walked and showed off her mile-long legs. They stepped through the sliding door to the backyard patio. Inroh Island was a beautiful place, and the backyard offered a glorious view all the way down to the bay.
"I've just finished marking your quizzes." Nastasya had a red pen tucked behind her ear. "It's not great."
"Damn," Nash sighed. "I'm trying. I'm just… not great with numbers."
"This is important, Nash. Maybe we should arrange more permanent tutoring sessions. This is your final year. You need good results to get into a decent college."
"I don't even know what I want to do. I don't have a 'thing' that I'm good at. Did you always want to be a teacher?" Nash leaned against a tree and looked out over the pool.
"I always like helping people. And I enjoy working with kids. But it's not something I've always wanted, no." She smiled and held his shoulder. "You'll find something. I promise. Until then, just keep working hard."
"Yeah, thanks." Nash tried to smile back.
***
"So Nash, how've you been?" Mom's voice woke him from a stupor. Nash was almost finished with his supper, he'd been so preoccupied with thought that he hadn't said a word at all.
"I'm fine, mom." To parents, that was the easiest answer. "Nastasya is giving me extra lessons to make sure I do well."
"Oh? Good. That's good." Mom yawned.
"You sound tired, mom. What time is it in France?" Nash spooned his last bit of rice.
"It's late. I'm five hours ahead of you."
"Oh god, mom," Aisling laughed. "Go to bed! Then you can finish whatever work you have tomorrow and come home," she added hopefully. "Oh and mom? Nash played D&D with us today. He really embraced it too. I think I've converted him." she sneered.
Nastaysa tutted. She was always very efficient and had little patience for distractions. Nash figured she would despise tabletop games, and it seemed he was right.
"Tutoring with Nas, gaming with Ays. Don't forget about your other sister." Mom teased.
Nash chuckled and peered at Lourde. She leaned over the table and winked at him. He tried to keep his eyes focused on hers and not on the contents of her low cut shirt, and mostly succeeded. He needed to get out of here and rub one out for his own sanity.
***
Nash helped to clean up after supper, and he once again praised Lourde for the quality of her food. She was muscled and fit with a body like Korra. At his compliment, she pulled him into a hug and squeezed so tight he thought his back would pop.
Mom had fallen asleep on her keyboard, and Aisling went to turn her off. But not before she suggested a movie night. Nastasya declined, saying she had some evening plans. And so Nash, Aisling and Lourde sat down in the den with popcorn, candy and iced tea to watch a new sci-fi show that Aisling wouldn't shut up about.
Nash could barely pay attention to it. His thoughts were drifting again. What was he supposed to do after school had ended? Was his crippling anxiety for the future the reason for his breakdown last year?
***
When Nash was finally alone in his room, he cracked the window open to let in some fresh air. With a bit of slow breathing and some music that Sandro had suggested, he found his heart slowing again. After the encounter with the angel Tempest, Nash's symptoms were less severe, but they were still present.
Now, to other business. Nash locked his door, and found some pictures of the model Mila Azul on his laptop. He'd always thought she had a body just like his sister Aisling. Well, maybe half as good as Aisling. She definitely had the tiny body and boobs so big it seemed impractical for her frame
Nash found a picture of her in glasses that were just like Aisling's. He stared at the picture and tried to imagine all the things he wanted to do to her, and it wasn't long before he got off. But it was hollow. Perfunctory. He needed the real thing.
***
It was sunrise on Sunday morning, and Nash sat on the patio swing with a cup of coffee staring out over the bay with the sun at his back.
"You're up early." Lourde stepped through the sliding door, hair down and wearing a pair of loosely fitted running shorts and a sports bra. Nash enjoyed this view considerably more.
"Join me for a run? Mom said you have to." she tossed a water bottle to him, which Nash completely fumbled. At Least it gave her a giggle.
His thoughts were too loud and he needed a distraction. A run seemed like a good idea.
"Sure." He rushed off to his room to throw on his workout shorts and running shoes. He was ashamed to admit to himself that it'd been a while since he had worn them. Thankfully, they still fit.
Lourde was waiting outside, tying her hair up into a bun. "Think you can keep up?"
"No. You're like a Greek goddess. Go easy on me." Nash chuckled as they set off down the street. He wasn't sure if the flush in her cheeks were from exertion or his flattery.
It took twenty minutes for them to get from the house, down the hills, through town and all the way down to the bay. And Nash arrived sweating like a mule, with his lungs afire. He wished Lourde would have the decency to look a little more fatigued, he was ready to drop.
"I need... Break." Nash barely managed to breathe out.
"We can stop at Yuya's for some brekkie." Lourde pointed. Yuya's was a little family-owned diner right by the beachside.
Lourde threw on her jacket as they entered the diner. It wasn't cold, but perhaps she thought a sports bra wasn't proper diner attire. She left it unzipped, though.
"It's been ages since I've been on a date." she jokingly took his arm as they sidled into a booth.
"I prefer my dates to be much less sweaty than this." Nash snorted and pulled a menu over.
"Then you're having the wrong kind of dates. Yuya!" Lourde clapped her hands together as the man stepped out from the kitchen. Yuya was an Inroh native, like Pavla, and he had the same coffee-coloured skin and silky long hair. There was a silly rumour that Yuya was as old as the island itself. And from the number of wrinkles on the man's face, you might believe it. Still, he was spry as a man in his prime and worked the kitchens and tables himself if he had to.
"Bacon, eggs, orange juice?" his voice creaked as he dried a glass with a cloth. Lourde clicked her tongue and shot him finger guns as if to say, 'you know it!'
"But seriously," Nash turned to Lorde as Yuya retreated into the kitchen, smiling at them through the slit in the wall. "You haven't had a boyfriend since like, high school. Why not?"
"Maybe I prefer women."
"Nah, I've seen how you thirsted after Michael Douglas when we watched that old movie."
"Basic Instinct? Then you remember I thirsted after Sharon Stone just as hard." she fiddled with a pepper shaker.
"Okay, so you like men and women. Then why no dates?" Nash regretted the question as soon as he asked it. It was as if the fire went out from her eyes.
"Just not interested." She dropped the shaker, just as Yuya walked in with their breakfast.
***
Nash felt that he had a pretty good relationship with his sisters. While they sometimes disagreed with each other, they never raised their voices or treated the other with contempt.
So when Lourde abruptly mentioned that she needed to get to work, after quickly shovelling down her breakfast, he knew she was upset with him.
Even if he wasn't entirely sure what he'd said wrong.
Yuya placed the bill next to his plate as he carried another customer's order. Lourde didn't offer to pay, Nash realised. Another sign that she was disquieted.
Nash took out his card to pay for the meal. He was lucky that his mom was so financially successful. While Nash didn't get a ton of pocket money, he had enough that he never had any need to get a job while at school. Occasionally he'd splurge on a new outfit, but most of his money went to videogames.
"Morning, Yuya! Sorry, I'm late." Nash recognised the voice and twisted in his seat.
"Pavla!" he chimed. "I didn't know you worked here."
"Nash!" She rushed over and gave him a quick hug, which he wasn't expecting. She was incredibly petite and barely reached his chin. Her silky hair brushed his face and almost made him sneeze.
"Yeah. Yuya is my uncle so I try to help him out." She was already rushing off to throw on her work apron. "It can be a bit tough though. I work double shifts some days."
"Always late." Yuya admonished, handing her a pot of coffee. "Table three needs a refill."
"I'm looking for a job," Nash decided out loud. "Maybe I could help."
Yuya shook his head. "I can't afford more help. The shop isn't doing so good." Yuya never showed much emotion, but even Nash with his terrible people skills could sense the slight dismay in his voice.
Nash realised that Pavla was probably making less than minimum wage. She was doing Yuya a favour. Nash wanted a job. Not so much for the money, but to broaden his experience. He felt like a loser for having a breakdown and missing the previous year's exams. He felt like a loser every time his head was overly cloudy, or when he got so lost in his thoughts that he felt he'd drown in them.
How much of that was because of his sheltered upbringing? Because he was able to sit and play video games and not really bother about the future? Maybe some more time in the real world would do him some good.
"I'm desperate," Nash said. "Pay me what you can. And maybe I could take some of the burden off of Pavla."
After Yuya finished up with a customer, he threw his white cloth over his shoulder and regarded Nash with incredulous scrutiny. He looked at Pavla, who smiled and gave an encouraging nod.
"Weekends are busy," he said simply. "Good opportunity to learn. Pavla will show you.
"Right now?"
"You said you wanted work," he rushed off to take another customer's order. "So work."
***
Yuya kept Nash till well after lunch. To his surprise, Nash found himself enjoying the work. The business kept his mind from wandering, kept him grounded. And he got to meet a lot of people, including many familiar faces he hadn't seen in weeks or months.
Nash missed his two best friends, Sabura and Kade. And he wouldn't be seeing them for a while either. After their summer holiday, Sabura was heading to the UK to study, and Kade was joining his fathers farming business on the mainland.
He was glad then, that he'd found such quick friends in Pavla and Sandro.
"On the coffee machine, you'll find this big button," Pavla explained.
"Right." Nash tried to take note. Between the different machines, friers and the till there was plenty of stuff to remember.
"Don't ever press it. It does nothing." She pressed the button enthusiastically. Nothing happened. Nash laughed. Pavla had a dry, but unique sense of humour.
"Can you reach up and open the cupboard?" She asked.
"Yeah," Nash obliged.
"Good. You don't want to do that either. There's nothing in there."
Nash growled and clasped the tiny girl's shoulder teasingly, and she let out a puckish squeal.
***
Nash knocked gently on Aisling's door as he entered. She was sitting at her desk by her laptop typing away at something. It was Sunday evening and the setting sun threw itself through the open window and cascaded across her room in a scattering of tangerine delight.
"I have some homework to do and didn't want to be alone." He explained.
"Okay." Aisling nodded and went back to her work. She was sitting cross-legged on her chair in her weekend boyshorts and old tee.
Spending the day with Pavla had led to some revelations for Nash. He liked Pavla, but he loved Aisling, as much as he hated to admit it. There was no rhyme or reason for it. Maybe sometimes there's just someone who… Well, maybe there's just someone.
"What are you working on?" He asked as he sat on the carpeted floor and opened his math books.
"My novel." she continued typing.
"You're writing a novel? Can I read it?"
"Yeah, I write for a couple of hours every morning. But on Sundays, I like to really sink in and write all day. On a good day like today, I can get a whole chapter done.
"Wait wait wait. Books have dozens of chapters. You're telling me on a good day you can get ONE done? How does anything ever get written?"
"It takes discipline and hard work. I have so many ideas but I have to write one for months at a time. But it's also… the most fun thing. I couldn't stop if I tried." Her typing stopped and she stretched, which caused her top to rise a little. It also caused an entirely different rise in Nash.
"Do you think you'll become an author, then?" Nash tried to focus on his math problems.
"Maybe. Most writers never make a cent, so that's plan B."
"Oh."
"Yeah." Aisling cracked her knuckles, put her hands to her keyboard, and continued typing.
###