It had now been three months since Chelsea and James’ adventure in the park and, much to Chelsea’s relief, nothing bad came from their adventures. The fact that it was now winter also dampened any further attempts to try any outdoor or public shenanigans.
However, Chelsea or James were not thinking about that today. Today, they were fulfilling a desire of their new friend Angela: a trip to the Adler Planetarium.
Chelsea and James had tried to find time to hang out with Angela at least once a week since their chance meeting, and even when they couldn’t, they made it a point to dine in the restaurant she was working as a waitress.
In that time, Chelsea felt she had become good friends with Angela. She believed Angela was a sweet and curious girl who was determined and worked hard. Chelsea also couldn’t help to admit that she was also pretty cute. There was just something about her bronze skin, wavy brown hair, and cheerful personality that caused Chelsea to ponder the possibilities.
It was only about a four-block walk to get to the bus route that ran directly to the planetarium, and a half-hour bus ride was better than an hour’s walk in mid-30-degree weather and slush.
Chelsea and James made sure to arrive well ahead of their appointed time and waited on the steps of the planetarium for Angela to arrive. James had offered to pick her up so that they could all ride together, but she still insisted on them not inconveniencing themselves by doing so. About fifteen minutes later, another bus arrived and Angela disembarked with several other passengers.
“Hey, Angela!” Chelsea greeted and hugged her.
“Chelsea!” Angela let out a squeal, giving both of the siblings a hug. “What’s up, James?”
“Nothing much. Just enjoying our nice Chicago winter,” he sarcastically answered.
“Oh yeah, let me tell you about that, having lived here for 18 years,” Angela laughed.
“Did you find your way here alright?” Chelsea asked.
“Yeah, no problem. The Milwaukee District West train got me most of the way here, then just a couple of buses from Union Station. No problem.”
“You never cease to amaze me in your ability to get around,” James laughed.
“Hey! You have to learn how to. It’s not like driving is much of an option once you get into the city, even if I had a car,” Angela shrugged.
“Well, we have about an hour before our show starts. Want to go in and visit the museum until then?” Chelsea inquired.
“Yeah!” Angela excitedly answered, bouncing on her feet, eliciting a laugh from Chelsea.
“Alright, let’s get going,” Chelsea invited as the trio walked up the stairs into the planetarium.
The group visited many of the exhibits inside. One of them had several displays featuring the planets of the solar system. They then moved to a section about the Moon race, which included an actual Gemini capsule on display which amazed Chelsea in that it could fit two people. Finally, they walked through a hall lined with TV screens, displaying all sorts of interesting astronomical information.
Finally, it was time for the trio to attend their show: about a half-hour-long presentation of what the night sky would look like over Chicago if there was no light pollution. The show caused both Angela and Chelsea to let out several “oohs” and “aahs” as the ceiling above them became illuminated and simulated them moving through space to visit several planets and stars.
Once the museum tour and planetarium show were completed, the trio exited back outside and tried to readjust their eyes to the sun.
“So, do you have to go to work today?” Chelsea asked.
“Nope! I actually got today off. Thanks for bringing me here. I just never got the chance to. Besides, coming by myself is kind of lame,” Angela happily thanked the pair.
“Well, in that case, I’d ask if you wanted to come back and hang out at our place. We have nothing else planned. We can easily order something to eat. It’s well past lunch as it is unless you ate something before you got here?” James invited.
“Go to your place? You wouldn’t mind? I mean, sure, if you don’t mind. I’d love to! And no, I only ate breakfast, so I’m starving!” Angela responded, flustered.
“Well so am I,” Chelsea added. “The bus takes us pretty close to our place already, so we can just ride it back. A half hour or so there. Maybe a half hour for food. Hopefully, you can hold out for an hour or so.”
“Yeah, I think I can survive,” Angela laughed.
The trio then waited for the next bus and rode back up to the stop nearest to Chelsea and James’ building and walked the rest of the way there. They took the elevator up before finally entering the condo.
“Wow! What a view!” Angela excitedly exclaimed as she ran up to the large windows overlooking the city, before realizing what she was doing. “Oh, uh, sorry. It’s just… you live here?!”
“Yep, this is our place,” Chelsea grinned, as she took off her jacket, revealing a red ribbed tank top and a pair of jeans.
James also put away his jacket, showing that he was wearing a simple light blue polo shirt and a black pair of slacks.
“I couldn’t imagine! I live in a dinky two-bed, one-bath apartment with my older brother and a nice view of a car dealership!” Angela remarked, still awestruck.
“I hope it doesn’t intimidate or overwhelm you. Our intent wasn’t to wow you by bringing you here…” Chelsea remarked.
“No, no, I know. It’s still just, wow, though.” Angela turned to look out at the city once again.
“Here, come sit down before you wear yourself out,” Chelsea laughed, sitting on the couch and inviting Angela to sit next to her.
Angela nearly skipped over to the couch, but before she could sit, James offered to take her jacket. She handed it to him, leaving her wearing a black off-the-shoulder knit sweater and a pair of blue jeans. James then pulled up another chair to sit in and pulled out his phone. “So, food? Before we start eating the countertop.”
“You know, I’m feeling simple today. Like pizza,” Chelsea suggested before looking over at Angela to get her opinion.
“Oh, uh, yeah, sure. I’d prefer something like chicken and peppers, if that isn’t too much to ask.”
“No problem,” James nodded. “Can get a large pizza, half chicken and green peppers, half Italian sausage and banana peppers. Are an order of cheese sticks alright with you two?”
“Yep!” chimed in Angela.
“Absolutely,” Chelsea agreed.
“Alright, let me put in the order.” James tapped several buttons on his phone and then finally looked satisfied. “Yep, about a half hour.”
“Excellent,” Chelsea said approvingly. She then turned to face Angela and changed her tone. “So Angela, you said you live with your brother? No one else? You don’t have to say if you don’t want to.”
“No, no, it’s alright. Yeah, Ed. He’s cool. He’s taken care of me since mom died when I was in my early teens. We’ve kind of been living on a bit of a shoestring budget, I guess. It’s one reason I got the job I did. I was really lucky to even hear about it. But it helps us support our place along with my brother’s job. I know he can get some better jobs elsewhere but I don’t think he wants to inconvenience me by trying to move or anything.”
Chelsea felt Angela was a bit more somber than she usually was. “That sounds like it’s tough. You two are… Guatemalan, was it?”
“Yeah, our parents moved here as immigrants. We were both born here. But you might guess what immigrant households are like. Half American and half like their home. We also live in a community with a lot of other Guatemalan immigrants and descendants. It’s kinda like a mini-Guatemala out there,” Angela added the last part with a laugh.
“One thing I’ve been curious about,” James began to ask, “how did you come about getting the job out here? I’m sure they’re not exactly advertising out in your neighborhood.”
“Like I said, I guess I just got lucky. One of my friends just heard from one of their friends that they were looking for new waiters and waitresses one day and I guess I was like ‘what the hell, what do I have to lose.’ I guess I’m good at impressing people ‘cause they decided to hire me. I’ve been working there since. After school and weekends at first, and now whatever hours I can usually pick up now that I’m out of school.”
“Did you ever consider going to college?” Chelsea inquired.
“I mean, I dreamed,” Angela said with a rather somber laugh. “I’m not sure if my grades were good enough. Besides, I didn’t have the money. Whatever I have left over after living expenses I’ve been slowly trying to save up until I know what I want to do. Even community college could be useful, you know?”
“Yeah, I get it. You sound amazing, Angela,” Chelsea complimented.
“Really? I can’t really be that impressive, given where you live and the car you drive and stuff,” Angela blushed hard.
“No, really. You work hard and take care of your family. Take opportunities when they arise. Very impressive,” James added.
“I—I don’t really know what to say…” Angela for once appeared to be short on words.
“Well, is there anything you’d like to know about us?” Chelsea then chimed in after a slight silence.
“Oh, I guess, what do you do? How long have you lived here? Everything! You guys interest me so much!” Angela answered excitedly.
“Well, we moved out here, I guess about seven months ago now. We’ve only recently been able to start exploring some of the things to do around here, thanks to your suggestions, by the way,” Chelsea said with appreciation. “I’m a business analyst and James here does sales at a big software company,” Chelsea added, motioning towards James when mentioning him, eliciting a nod in response.
“Oh wow, so not very long. Well, if you want any more suggestions about things to do, I’ll be happy to try to help!” Angela helpfully offered.
“Ha, that could be a pretty big help. There is so much to do it can sometimes be hard to tell what’s worth it,” James remarked.
“And business analyst and sales? I guess that explains this place. You guys must be rich,” she added with a bit of a laugh.
“Oh, we’re well enough off, I guess. We appreciate what we have and don’t try to live beyond our means,” James responded.
“So, are you dating anyone? Anyone special out there?” Chelsea inquired with a grin.
“No, my last boyfriend and I broke up in junior year. I’ve been kinda too busy to really think of finding anyone else. Just fantasizing about people who come in to eat at the restaurant,” Angela grinned.
“Oh, does that happen often?” Chelsea joked.
“No. Actually not. Serving most people is just business, you know? Give good service, hope for a good tip, have a good day, and goodbye. I’m still not sure what exactly caught my eye with you two.”
“Well, I’m glad you did. You’ve been fun to hang out with, Angela,” Chelsea smiled.
“Really? I’m glad. I was so nervous even showing up to our first meeting! Like the whole thing kinda still feels surreal in a way, you know?” Angela commented.
There was then a knock on the door.
“I guess that’s the pizza,” James surmised, before walking over to the door and opening it. He thanked the delivery driver and accepted the pizza box, setting it on top of a table in front of the sofa. “Lunch is served.”
Everyone took a slice and started chowing down. They had tried ordering from several nearby pizza shops, but this one always ended up being Chelsea’s favorite. The crust, cheese, and sausage on it were always perfect. They were a bit pricey, but it was absolutely worth it.
As Angela was finishing her latest piece of pizza, she turned to look at the two of them. “So, how did you two meet? I have in my head some dreamy encounter, but it will probably be boring,” she let out with a laugh.
Chelsea and James exchanged glances before James answered. “That’s… kind of a long and involved story.”
Angela got a curious look on her face. “Oh, I’d love to hear about it, assuming you want to share.”
Chelsea then chimed into the conversation. “We’ve only been together for about ten months or so.”
“Oh. Really? I’m kind of surprised. You seem so cool around each other, it feels like you’ve known each other a lot longer. Maybe it’s just my imagination.”
“We did know each other a long time before that. It’s just that this was, well, a more recent development,” James continued.
“Oh cool. So, like, a long-time friends-to-lovers type thing? That’s sweet!” Angela bubbled.
James gave Chelsea another quick look. “Yeah, something like that.”
Chelsea, meanwhile, was feeling increasingly uncomfortable with the direction of the conversation, and it wasn’t necessarily because they were heading into a dangerous topic of conversation. She knew that if Angela pressed, James and herself were eventually going to have to start just flat-out lying about their relationship. Not only was Chelsea worried that keeping that straight would be difficult in the long term, but she just felt that it was wrong to lie to Angela like that.
Angela was someone special. She was one of the closest friends she and James had ever had. Sure, they had close friends before, but there was just something about this girl. Chelsea felt an attraction to her she hadn’t felt to any other friends. And on one of the most important facts about Chelsea and James’ life—something that would be relevant to all of them if this became more than just a friendship—they’re just going to lie to her?
Chelsea knew the risks of telling the truth, but she felt like it was a better option than lying.
“We should tell her,” Chelsea contended flatly.
James snapped his neck to look at Chelsea with a befuddled look on his face. “We can’t,” he said, trying to sound calm in his response, but Chelsea could still hear a bit of strain in his voice.
Angela meanwhile, looked between the two with a confused look on her face.
“I can’t lie to her about this,” Chelsea sternly declared.
“What? What are you guys talking about?” Angela asked with more confusion. “Lie about what?”
James leaned back in his seat and let out an extended sigh. “I hope you know what you’re doing.”
Angela continued looking back and forth between Chelsea and James. This was as close to a “fight” as she’d ever seen the two have.
Chelsea took hold of Angela’s hands as if she were prepared to tell her about some bit of bad news like a death in the family. “Well, see, um…” Chelsea tried to find the words and decided to just say it plainly. “James and I are siblings. We’re brother and sister.”
It appeared to take Angela a second to process his information. “But… aren’t you two together?” she asked, confused.
“Yes, we are together as well,” Chelsea responded plainly. She wanted to take this as slow and deliberate as possible.
Angela looked between them a couple of times again. Chelsea wondered if she was trying to gauge the family resemblance between them or not.
“Oh, uh, well… I see…” Angela stammered out. She still appeared to be trying to process it all.
“I know it may be a bit… difficult to take in. You can ask me anything if you’d like. I’m an open book,” Chelsea offered.
“So, you don’t just kiss, right? You like, fuck each other too?” Angela inquired.
Chelsea let out a slight giggle. “Yes, we fuck each other.”
Angela let out a deep sigh. “Woah, this is deep. I didn’t say anything because I thought I was definitely mistaken, but I did get sibling vibes from you two at a few points. I guess maybe I was on track there.”
“Like what vibes?” James asked curiously.
“I dunno. Like sibling rivalry-type vibes. You can just kinda tell sometimes, right? I don’t know, I thought it made you two cuter. A lot of the sibling banter you two can get up to sometimes,” Angela explained.
“You seem to be taking this, well, better than I was anticipating,” Chelsea expressed with relief.
“I mean, it’s kinda a shock. I’m still kind of trying to take it in. But I know a lot of people who are in ‘normal’ relationships that are a lot worse than yours. Even some people with ‘good’ relationships would love what you two share. I guess—I feel I can’t really judge. I look at you two and I’m like, how can I say this is bad?” Angela was talking a bit faster as she tried to explain her thoughts.
Chelsea and James let out a simultaneous sigh of relief. It felt like a giant weight was lifted off Chelsea’s chest. Their secret had always weighed down all of their other friendships ever since their relationship started, and now having a close friend who knew—and was seemingly okay with it—was like coming up to the surface of a pool after being stuck underwater, struggling to breathe.
“So, uh, how did that start? Again, you don’t have to tell me but…” Angela inquired again.
“No, it’s okay. Well, I guess it started when we went on a double date—we each had our own separate dates—and, well, they both went pretty bad for us. We’d been living together for a while at that point, mostly out of convenience. Here we are in our mid- and, in James’ case, late-twenties and we’re both still single and we both were having shitty dating luck. I guess we ended up commiserating about it all and, well, stuff happened.”
“Oh. So do you think you already had a thing and that’s why it was hard for you to date others? I’m surprised you too took it so well. I feel like I’d definitely be torn about it,” Angela noted excitedly.
James jumped in to add to the story. “We’ve always wondered if that was the case. Whether we had some latent attraction already which was…
