No One Is Awake To See and Other Revealing Tales Read online

  No One Is Awake To See

  And Other Revealing Tales

  By Jessica Tang Von Harper

  TABLE OF CONTENTS

  TABLE OF CONTENTS

  NO ONE IS AWAKE TO SEE

  MADELINE’S BIRTHDAY SUIT

  RESEARCH

  OUT OF BUSINESS

  GOOD GIRL

  NO ONE IS AWAKE TO SEE

  Marianne opened her eyes and looked at Chloe. They were both stretched out on deck chairs next to Chloe’s backyard swimming pool. Chloe wore her usual green bikini, and Marianne wore her usual black one. They both wore sunglasses. “So your parents are back tonight?” Marianne asked.

  “Yes,” Chloe answered. “Along with Tony and his friend.”

  “I thought Tony was going to New Zealand.”

  “Tomorrow. He and his friend Ben are catching another flight tomorrow morning. But they’ll stay the night.”

  “Ben?”

  “Yeah. He’s from New Zealand. Tony’s going to stay with them in New Zealand for a few weeks.”

  “Too bad. I probably won’t get to see Tony.”

  “No, he’ll hardly be here at all. He’s just passing through. But he’ll be back in a few weeks.”

  A few minutes passed in silence as the girls lounged in the sun.

  “Did we waste this?” Marianne asked.

  “Huh?”

  “Your parents have been gone for two weeks. Two weeks, you had the house to yourself. Shouldn’t we have done more?”

  “Like what?”

  “I don’t know. A big party, maybe?”

  “We had a party two nights ago.”

  “A dozen people, and we sat around watching movies. That’s not what I call a party. That’s a get-together.”

  “Okay. So what are you talking about then?”

  “You know… a party! People in every room. Music. Alcohol. Mysterious but handsome strangers giving us meaningful looks from across the room.”

  “Mess,” Chloe said. “Damage. People getting drunk and throwing up everywhere. No, thanks. You can meet your mysterious stranger in someone else’s house. I’d rather know everyone who comes into my house.”

  “But how do you meet anyone new if you already know everyone?”

  “I don’t know.” Chloe shrugged languidly. “It’s too late for that kind of thing anyway. My parents are back tonight.”

  Marianne sighed. She sat up and began to wiggle the straps of her bikini top up toward her shoulders.

  “Whatcha doing?” Chloe asked.

  “Skinny dipping, while I still can.” Marianne freed her breasts from the top and pulled the black tangle over her head. “You coming?”

  “Nah. I’m nice and toasty.” Chloe turned her head, watching as Marianne peeled the bottom of her suit down her legs. Marianne stood and approached the side of the pool, pausing at the edge of the water.

  Chloe smiled, admiring her friend’s slender nude body and long legs. “That jogging’s paying off, you look beautiful,” she called out lazily.

  Marianne didn’t turn around, but acknowledged the compliment by giving her rear end a wiggle. She gave a quick hop at the lip of the pool and then jumped forward, disappearing into the water with barely a splash. Chloe closed her eyes, feeling the warm sun beating against her skin.

  Marianne burst to the surface of the water. “It’s so cold!” she wailed.

  “Told ya.” Chloe giggled. She cracked an eyelid, peeking at Marianne’s head bobbing in the water, her long blonde hair floating behind her like a bridal train. Chloe thought the world looked better through her sunglasses, the greens greener, the blues bluer. She let her eyes close again. She felt like she was drifting away into the air, her body melting into nothingness.

  ***

  Chloe didn’t hear her parent’s car pull into the driveway, but she heard their voices outside, and she could hear the sound of Petey’s toenails tapping on the kitchen floor as the elderly dog scampered to the front door. It was shortly after five o’clock in the evening, and Chloe had been watching TV. She turned the TV off and sat, waiting and listening.

  A key turned in the front door lock. The door opened. “Hey, Petey!” Her father’s voice greeted the dog, and she could hear the dog’s tail slapping against the wall. Her father called, “Chloe? We’re home!” She could hear her mother and brother talking to each other as well. Someone spoke in a low baritone, a voice she didn’t recognize, and then she heard the sound of her mother’s laughter.

  Chloe slid out of her chair and headed to the front hallway, her bare feet padding silently on the carpet. “Ah, there she is!” her father said, smiling broadly when he noticed her walking towards him. Chloe hugged him, looking over his shoulder at the others who were passing through the front door.

  “Hi, mom!” she said, releasing her father to give her mother a welcome-home hug. She grinned at Tony, then snuck a peak at his college friend. So this was Ben? Tony hadn’t told her he was so cute! He was tall, probably about six inches taller than she was, with a short mop of thick dark hair and an easy grin on his face. Chloe suddenly wished she wore something more flattering. She’d been lounging around the house in a loose pair of shorts and a tank top.

  “Hey, sis… been a while,” Tony said as she hugged him next. “How’s everything? You good?”

  “Yeah. Glad you’re back, Tony, even if it’s just for tonight.” Growing up, Tony and she had experienced their fair share of sibling fights, but since Tony had moved out to go to college on the east coast, they seemed to get along a lot better.

  “Hey, this is Ben.” Tony waved at the handsome boy behind him. “Ben, meet my sister Chloe.”

  Ben grinned. He had gorgeous brown eyes. “Hey, Chloe,” he said as he leaned forward to give her a casual one-armed squeeze. “I recognize you, kind of. Tony had a picture of the two of you on his desk… from San Francisco? You’re standing in front of a trolley?”

  “Oh, yeah. I know the one.”

  “Yeah. You’re older now, but I still recognize you. Tony says you just graduated from high school?”

  “Yeah. A few weeks ago.”

  “Are you following Tony to Penn State?”

  Chloe shook her head. “No. University of Washington.”

  “Ah. That’s a good school, too.” Ben flashed his grin at her, and Chloe felt herself melting inside. She adored his New Zealand accent, which sounded sophisticated but not difficult to understand. Her mind had already started to dictate a future text message to Marianne, describing this cute college boy who was going to spend the night at her house.

  “I’m starving!” her father proclaimed. “What do you say we order a bunch of pizzas?” Chloe stepped out of the way, letting herself slip into the background as her mother and father fussed around the house and Tony and Ben carried their suitcases upstairs to Tony’s room. She considered going up to her own room to change clothes, but thought it would be embarrassingly obvious if she came downstairs all dressed up for a dinner that consisted of delivery pizza. Tony would see right through her and he would definitely tease her.

  Instead, she disappeared into the living room and jumped on her phone. She quickly described the situation to Marianne in a rapid exchange of texts. Marianne, of course, wanted to come over for dinner.

  “No point,” Chloe texted back. “Everyone’s tired. They’ll probably just crash.”

  “You just want to keep him for yourself!” Marianne texted back.

  Chloe sent back a quick “LOL”. She added, “I’ll sneak a pic and send it to you.”

  The doorbell rang, and Chloe’s father answered. It was the pizza delivery. Her
father paid for the three large pizzas and brought them to the dining room table. Tony and Ben descended rapidly down the stairs. “Smells great!” Tony said, eagerly grabbing a slice of pepperoni.

  Chloe emerged from the living room, feeling shy, and quietly sat across from the two boys at the table. She took a slice of veggie lovers. Her father sat at the head of the table, and her mother took the opposite chair.

  It was good to have Tony home, even if it was just one night. The dinner table seemed brighter and more alive with him there. He had always been loud and boisterous, and now it seemed like he had a whole semester of college stories to tell. He and Ben almost seemed like a comedy duo, the way they alternated their narration, and Chloe could barely eat because she was laughing so hard at their adventures.

  They talked with enthusiasm about their upcoming trip to New Zealand. “Ben’s place is in a beautiful area,” Tony said. “You should see his pictures. It’s like he’s got a mountain range in his backyard.”

  “I told Tony he’s welcome to come visit anytime he wants,” Ben said. “My family is happy to give him a place to stay.” Ben smiled at Chloe. “That goes for you too, Chloe. If you ever want to visit New Zealand, you can come stay with us.”

  “I’d love to go to New Zealand someday,” Chloe said. She felt like her pulse increased in speed every time Ben smiled at her.

  “You can come with me next time, Chloe,” Tony assured her. “I think you’d love it.”

  Chloe thought to herself, “Yes, I’m sure I’d love the scenery,” as she peeked at Ben’s handsome features. As if he could sense her gaze, he looked her way and flashed her that easy grin. She shifted her eyes quickly away.

  “What do you say to watching a movie?” her father asked after the leftover pizza had been put away. “We could see what’s available to stream.”

  “Sure, sounds great,” Ben said.

  “I’m too tired,” her mother said. “I might turn in.”

  “Mom always likes to go to sleep early,” Tony told Ben.

  Her mother nodded. “I’m a morning person. You two shouldn’t stay up too late either. Your flight leaves pretty early.”

  “We won’t,” Tony said.

  They all said good night, and Chloe’s mother went up the stairs while the rest of them went to the living room to sit around the enormous television screen. After browsing the movies, they settled on “Bridge of Spies.”

  Her father barely lasted five minutes before he was snoring loudly in his chair. Tony grinned. “Dad? Dad?” Tony poked him in the arm and their dad snapped awake.

  “What… did I fall asleep?”

  “Yeah. You didn’t miss much, the movie just started.”

  Her father rubbed his eyes. “Maybe I need to go up with your mother.”

  “Cool,” Tony said. “See you in the morning.”

  After their father left, Ben glanced at Chloe. “What about you, Chloe?” he asked. “Are you tired, too?”

  “No, I’m not tired at all. I slept in until ten this morning.”

  The boys chuckled. “We were up at four thirty,” Tony said. “And that’s after we stayed up until one in the morning packing the place up.”

  “Did you sleep at all on the plane?”

  “I tried to,” Tony said.

  They continued watching the movie. Chloe kept her eyes on the screen, but she secretly watched Ben out of the corner of her eye. She wished she could chat with him some more, but he seemed to be interested in the movie and she didn’t want to distract him.

  After an hour, Tony said, “I have no idea what’s going on in this thing. Are you guys following this?”

  “Yes,” Chloe said. “I mean, mostly…”

  Tony shook his head. “I’m nodding out, I think. This is too complicated a movie when I’m this tired. We should have found some dumb comedy instead. Or a horror movie. Something where we don’t have to think too much.”

  “You want to watch something else?” Chloe asked.

  “Ben?” Tony looked to his friend for the answer.

  “Ahh… we should probably call it a night,” Ben said. “Don’t you think?”

  “Yeah,” Tony said. “We’re going to head up.”

  “Okay.” Chloe nodded.

  “Good night.” Ben smiled at her. “If I don’t see you tomorrow, Chloe, it was nice to meet you.”

  “Oh… I’ll wake up tomorrow morning to say goodbye,” Chloe said.

  “Okay. Then maybe I’ll see you tomorrow morning.” Ben nodded at the television. “Enjoy the rest of the movie.”

  “Good night,” Chloe said. She listened to them stomping up the stairs, then followed the sound of their footsteps passing above her as Tony walked Ben to the guest bedroom. She moved to the couch, settling into the spot where Ben had been sitting, feeling his warmth still on the cushions. After a few minutes, she heard footsteps above her again, Tony’s most likely, heading from the guest bedroom to his own.

  Chloe pulled out her phone. She texted to Marianne, “Everyone’s sleeping already.”

  Marianne texted back almost immediately. “Already?!? It’s not even nine!”

  “I told you,” Chloe sent. “Nothing happening here.”

  “Did you get to talk to him at least?”

  “Yes… he’s so funny. I was laughing so hard at dinner.”

  “LOL. Send me his pic!”

  Chloe watched Tom Hanks on the screen for a few minutes. She texted, “I didn’t get a pic of him. I’ll get one in the morning.”

  “They’re leaving early?” Marianne sent back.

  “I’ll wake up to say goodbye,” Chloe sent. She gazed at the phone, waiting to see if Marianne would reply, but the phone sat quietly in her hand. She returned her attention to the movie. After a few minutes, the phone buzzed. Marianne’s message: “Set an alarm!” Chloe set down the phone without bothering to reply.

  She watched “Bridge of Spies” to the end. Afterwards, she flipped through the channels, watching bits and pieces of things, never staying on a channel for long. The house was very quiet, and it was easy for her to imagine that she was still alone there like she’d been for the previous two weeks.

  Finally, she turned off the television. She spent a few minutes wandering around the downstairs turning off lights. The clock in the kitchen read 11:08. That late already? Chloe decided she would take a quick shower and try to go to bed. She’d been staying up past 2 AM every night while her parents were out of town, but it was a bad habit to be in.

  Chloe walked up the stairs. She could hear the low snore of her father as she passed their bedroom, muted by the closed door. Chloe could see a red glow emanating from her bedroom, generated by the lava lamp she kept on her dresser. It was the only light upstairs, but it was enough to see by.

  Chloe retrieved a towel from the hall closet. The door creaked, and she could hear Petey’s dog tags jingle from her parent’s bedroom, as the dog no doubt lifted his head towards the sound. Chloe closed the closet door gently. She carried the towel into her bedroom and closed the door behind her.

  The lava lamp bathed her bedroom in red light, and Chloe could see well enough that she didn’t bother to turn on the overhead light. She peeled off her clothes and tossed them in the hamper, then picked up the towel and wrapped it around herself. After making sure it was securely tucked, Chloe stepped out into the hall, closing her bedroom door behind her. The hallway was dark, but she could make out the dark opening that was the bathroom doorway. She walked quietly into the bathroom and made sure to close the door before flipping on the light switch. The light flickered on and the ventilation fan hummed to life.

  She undid her towel and hung it on the bar attached to the shower door. It was a hinged glass door, and she pulled it open and stepped into the square alcove of the shower. The glass door shut behind her and she stepped across the cold tiles to the silver handle which controlled the water. With walls on three sides and the glass door behind her, the shower could get loud with the echo of the falli
ng water on the tiles. But it also filled with luxurious steam and she loved to unwind under the hot spray.

  Before she could turn on the water, she heard a knock on the bathroom door, and a second later, she heard the door opening. “Anyone in here?” a voice asked.

  “I am!” Chloe leaned over to peek around the edge of the shower. Ben had the door partially open and he was starting to come in. He noticed her immediately.

  “Oh, sorry, Chloe,” he said, raising his hands. “It’s so quiet, I didn’t think anyone was in here. Uh… don’t worry. I can’t see anything.”

  She knew that was true. The shower wall did a very good job of hiding her. Ben would need to be standing right by the glass door before he could see anything. “I’m about to take a shower,” she told him. “I was just about to turn on the water.”

  “Okay,” Ben said. “But do you mind if I come in and take a quick leak?”

  “Right now?” Chloe was surprised. “Um… sure, that’s all right. Will you give me a minute to put my towel on, and I’ll let you have the bathroom?”

  “Oh, you don’t have to leave,” Ben said. “Go ahead and take your shower. I’ll be quick.” The shocked expression on her face made him laugh. “Sorry… I guess I’m used to being casual about the bathroom. I’m sure Tony told you, our bathroom was co-ed at the red apartments?”

  “Yes…” Tony had told her that, but hadn’t really explained what it meant.

  “A lot of us sharing that same bathroom… guys and girls…” Ben grinned and held up his hand. “You know what? It’s all right. I’ll just go and find the bathroom downstairs.” He turned to leave.

  “Wait!” Chloe called suddenly. “It’s fine. You can go ahead.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “Yeah. You’re right. It’s no big deal. There’s a wall between us, anyway.”

  “Cool,” Ben said. “I’ll be quick.” He walked over and lifted the lid of the toilet. Without bothering to check if Chloe still watched him, he reached down the front of his dark sweatpants and fished out his penis. Chloe’s eyes widened. It was thick and long, like a snake with a bulging pink head.