Author's note: Lincoln and Leni deal with the absence of Lori, resulting in their bond increasing. This one has a similar theme to my story Kissing It Better. That aside, hope you folks enjoy it. The next chapter should be up soon.
With Lori now officially moved out, Leni inherited her responsibilities. Unfortunately, she lacked the intelligence her sister had, and the strict nature of affirming authority. That said, she had babysitting down, knew how to cook, and even recently, she finally learned to drive. Her big sister even helped her learn before she moved out. However, Lincoln led the charge by revising his old methods he used to when he originally tried to teach her. It took a lot of practice, but she was able to understand it just enough in order to pass. Granted, she wasn't as good as some of her family members were at driving yet. Although, she gained experience and a better sense of awareness the more she drove.
Leni was currently adjusting to her new leadership as the sound of her alarm blaring woke her up at 6:30am.
She sluggishly reached an arm over and turned it off.
After some brief yawning, Leni got out of bed, then threw off her night gown and changed into her usual dress.
As the girl stepped out, she made her way to the bathroom.
Arriving, she took a seat on the toilet while grabbing her hairbrush from under the sink cabinet.
Looking in the mirror, she began brushing her hair, counting each time she did so. It became more of an obsessive habit, but she always desired to look her best, being well aware of how pretty she is and intending to keep it that way by looking top notch.
Once done, Leni brushed her teeth.
She scrubbed and spat, then gargled down some mouthwash.
She spewed everything out and sighed, inhaling her new minty fresh breath.
Afterwards, Leni left the restroom to rally everyone up.
The moment she came out, the hall lights were shining bright. Her siblings were already awake, including Lincoln, who was just leaving his room after getting his own morning preparations done. He was going to be keeping an eye on her, seeing if she needs help with anything.
While Leni walked through the halls, she could everyone else getting dressed for school.
Noticing nothing unusual, she then headed downstairs as Lincoln paced behind her.
With step one done, now it's time for breakfast.
When making it to the kitchen, they looked at the table to see if they lucked out. Sometimes their dad would leave breakfast for them, depending on his mood.
Realizing he didn't, Leni starting looking through the fridge to figure out what to make.
"What should we have for breakfast, Lincy?" She asked.
As Lincoln stood on his heels behind her to try and look at the options, he came up with something simple. "Hmm, how about some eggs and toast?"
"Great idea!" She responded. Amazingly enough, she seemed like her usual chipper self.
Leni got right to it, grabbing bread, butter, a pan and the toaster as fast as she could.
The girl took a second to butter the pan as she began toasting a ton of bread, she had eleven mouths to feed so this would take a moment.
Leni then proceeded by cooking all the eggs.
As she did, Lincoln hovered by her, making sure she remembered how everyone liked their own served. Deviled for the twins, funny side up for Luan, extra gooey for Lily, egg whites for herself and etc.
The boy noticed right away that she hadn't forgotten. Eager for his own, he grabbed a seat at the table.
The other sisters came marching downstairs due to the delightful smell of breakfast cooking.
They all scattered, hurriedly snagging a spot at the table as if they were playing musical chairs.
Breakfast was officially served as Leni started handing out plates.
The kids dug right in. A big appetite was something they each possessed, and luckily for them she had made the perfect amount.
Following a few minutes of chewing and casually chatting, they finished eating.
Leni grabbed each of their plates and placed them in the sink.
She turned around and saw the whole gang waiting near the door, eager to get things rolling.
With breakfast finished, the final step came about, getting Lily to daycare and everybody else to school. It's three separate trips in total. Even though Leni did earn her license, she still found herself nervous behind the wheel. The paper boy, fire hydrant, and nun incident that happened last year continuously haunted her. But she could do it, she just needed to focus.
"Okay, guys, let's go!" Leni said as she met them by the door.
Everyone marched out of the house and packed into Vanzilla.
Lincoln sat up front next to the girl in charge as everybody else crammed into the back seats.
Leni started up the van and reversed out of the driveway. Her nervousness was apparent, but she did her best to calm down. Her anxiety would be something she'd just have to deal with.
Keeping all of that in mind, she went towards her first stop, daycare.
She drove through the slight traffic and made it there in about five minutes with everyone intact, thankfully.
She carried Lily, taking her inside the building, thus handing her over to the caregivers for the next seven hours or so.
Leni rushed back to Vanzilla to continue to the second stop, elementary school. It was another rather short trip through town.
She made it in a jiffy, pulling up by the sidewalk to let Lincoln, Lucy, Lana, Lola and Lisa out.
"Bye, guys!" Leni said, smiling.
"Bye!" They waved to her and the other older sisters while they headed through the main entrance.
The girl drove off and soon arrived at the last stop for the morning, high school.
Once there, the four older Louds headed to their classes. Leni is a senior now, which meant everything would be more difficult for her to grasp. Although, her frustrations will probably ease seeing how Lisa still tutored her. And with one less sibling to tutor, she could devote more time to everyone else. But this was only the first day, it would only be a breeze.
From there on, the Loud gang endured that beginning day. All the kids, minus Lily, got a brief taste of their new classes and teachers.
Luckily, it had flew by, now there was only the mission of getting everyone home in one piece.
Leni set out to do just that as she exited her last class and headed to Vanzilla.
When she arrived inside it, she waited patiently for Luna, Luan and Lynn to show up.
"Hey, girls." She greeted them once she saw them coming down the back exit.
They all started rambling as they hopped in the van, talking about how cool their teachers were and whatnot.
Leni listened while she turned the engine on and drove to the elementary school.
She focused on the road ahead of her calmly as the young ladies kept jabbering.
As distracting as they could be, the girl surprisingly stayed alert on the trip. It hardly felt any different from when Lori drove them. They weren't sucked into their seats in fear like their dad was last year.
Despite those bad memories, she made it to the elementary school and picked up the younger children.
With everyone buckled in and ready, it was now time for the final trip before going home.
Leni drove slowly to the daycare center, and soon enough, she had her baby sister in arms as she ambled back to the van.
Following strapping Lily in her car seat, she returned to the driver's seat.
She sat down, releasing a huge, relaxing breath.
"Almost done." She thought to herself.
Eventually, they made it home.
Afterwards, everyone headed off to hang out in the living room to watch some tv while Leni decided to try and relax in her room.
She ended up falling asleep unintentionally the moment her head met her pillow. It was totally unexpected seeing how she rarely took naps in the day. But she felt tense, and could surely use the stress reducing rest.
Being in charge of the kids while her parents weren't around took its toll on Leni over the past few weeks. She was going through the motions. Her happiness drained the more she dwelled on Lori's absence. She was left without a roommate, and more importantly, her best friend.
The girl needed a replacement of some sort, someone to cheer her up, make her day. She started losing her typical giddy self. The majority of time she always had that perfect bright smile on her face. As of now, she would hardly eat or speak at the dinner table, and rarely bonded with her siblings as well, which normally was a pretty big part of her daily life. But now, after school she'd be just shut in her room, reading one of her fashion magazines or checking social media before going to sleep.
During tonight, she was doing just that, sitting on her bed and reading.
As usual, she discovered a strange word she didn't understand.
"Hey, Lori, do you know what this word means?" Leni asked, turning her head to the side and pointing at the text on her magazine.
Sadly, the girl received no answer.
Leni sighed. She was so use to her being there. And she could ask her sister about anything. Usually. they'd talk for hours, either about fashion, boys, or whatever else came to mind.
Recently, she would try texting her but hardly ever got anything back. She's also tried calling, which either got ignored, or answered just to be told... "Sorry, Leni, I'm busy." Part of her thought Lori did it on purpose. Is she mad at her? She tried to think of anything bad she might have done, though came up blank. It couldn't have been that, no way.
The only other possibility is Lori really is busy. Understanding how she is well over a month into college, it's definitely plausible.
As Leni sat there thinking about her big sister, Lincoln was going to her room. Luckily, he began to notice her mood over time. Starting from the first day in charge to the current one, he saw a recognizable difference. Knowing that, he decided to pay her a visit as well as start fulfilling a promise.
While he made his way upstairs, he noticed her entrance being slightly cracked open.
The boy gently pushed the door open and peeked his head inside.
His sister remained too lost in thought to even notice him.
"Hey, Leni." Lincoln greeted.
"O-oh." She stuttered, but recovered.
"Hi, Lincy, what's up?" Leni certainly wasn't use to him visiting her, but his company is definitely more than welcome.
"I'm just a little bored, so I thought I'd come hang out with you." Lincoln said as he sat on Lori's old stripped down bed with his comic in hand, placing it on the mattress while he began to readjust himself.
"Oooh, is that a coloring book?" Leni questioned.
"No, it's my comic book. Well, it's one I'm making. I've been working on it for a little while now." Lincoln said pridefully.
"Can I see it?" She asked kindly.
Her curiosity managed to intrigue and worry him simultaneously.
"Leni, I don't think it's gonna be your thing, but... alright." The boy said reluctantly. As always, he couldn't deny her anything. Hopefully, she liked it for his sake.
Lincoln hopped off the bed and handed the several pieces of paper filled with various sketches.
He focused on her reaction when she took it from him.
Leni glared intensely as she flipped through all the pages. Some of them were coherent, some of them were just random doodles.
No matter her mild confusion, she found herself fascinated by his work. Not to mention, there is one drawing that really caught her attention.
"Whoa, that girl has a really big butt! And she kinda looks like... Lori." Leni stated, a bit puzzled by the realization.
She put a hand up to her chin while she squinted at the drawing.
Lincoln blushed and snagged his work from her.
"Oh, dang, I didn't even realize that." The boy stammered. He took influences from his favorite comics and daily life. That said, nothing in there was inappropriate, but he'd rather the others not see how he depicts some of his characters in it.
Despite his brief scare, he lucked out as Leni ended up changing the topic. She still had quite a bit on her mind. "Hey, Lincy, you remember that night when you, Lori and I all slept in your bed?"
"Yeah, what about it?" He asked, surprised she even recalled that.
"I'm hoping we can do it again someday. It was totes comfy!" She squealed, smiling radiantly.
"Oh, yeah, I can ask her when she comes back on break." Lincoln said. Come to think of it, he remembered that only worked because he was snug between the two of them. Otherwise, Lori would have ended up receiving another black eye if Leni happened to have a fashion nightmare.
Although, this was the first time he felt he truly had intimacy with her. It was nice seeing her smile again, too.
The two spoke further on for hours and before either realized it, they reached their bedtime.
Lincoln let out a large yawn as he stood up.
"I'm gonna go to bed now, Leni, see ya tomorrow." He said naturally.
As he ambled towards the door, she responded, stopping him in his tracks. "Hey, wait..."
"Yeah?" He asked, turning around and looking her in the eyes.
"You think you could sleep with me tonight?" Leni asked politely as she rubbed her arm nervously.
A fear of being rejected bothered her as Lincoln glared at her.
"Sure." He replied. It wasn't expected, but he did enjoy her company despite the obligation of checking up on her. However, he almost did the unspeakable the last time he slept with her. Regardless, it was one of the better nights of sleep he's gotten in a while.
Subsequently coming to that decision, they both got ready for bed.
Lincoln went back to his room to change into his pajamas as Leni headed to the bathroom to brush her teeth.
She waited for him to return and when he did, they brushed in unison, eyes diverting back and forth at each other as they almost began giggling. From here on out, they would end up doing everything together. Everything...
Minutes later, they returned to the room and got in bed together.
The two siblings scooted close to each other while under the covers, letting their bodies touch and general warmth increase. They felt so cozy.
"You think Lori's okay over there? I bet she misses us so much..." Leni mentioned sorrowfully.
"I'm sure she's fine. I mean, she's got Bobby, Ronnie Anne and their whole nice family. I kinda imagined it might feel close to home." Lincoln said, hoping to reassure any doubts the girl had.
"I really hope so, Lincy." She uttered as she wrapped her arms around him lovingly.
Hearing her worry about Lori upset him, although, he could definitely relate. He didn't know for certain, but he definitely hoped she's okay.
In order to remedy any sadness, Lincoln hugged Leni tight, even crossing one of his legs over her.
"Ooh." She moaned upon feeling her little brother's warm body wrap around her.
She returned the favor by nudging his face right between her breasts. For the remainder of the night, they could serve as his pillows if he wished.
"Good night, Lincy." Leni said while she finally closed her eyes, seeking to drift off peacefully and dream of something positive.
"Good night, Leni." Lincoln responded, resting his hand on her stomach as he fell asleep.
During the rest of the night, the kids tossed and turned in their slumber, losing their original position.
The boy eventually ended up curled in a ball off the side of the bed.
Meanwhile, the girl had wound up laying on her stomach with her legs spread out.
It was 2am now.
Lincoln opened his eyes, finding himself staring at Lori's old bed.
He turned over on his side and saw the way Leni slept. It was like deja vu. He felt an urge strike him, one he just couldn't resist.
Carefully, he lifted her skirt up enough to reveal her panties.
The full moon outside shinning through the windows illuminated the room. It was still dark, but not to a blinding extent.
His eyes fell on the only thing he desired to see.
Lincoln wanted to go further, noting that Lori wasn't here to stop him this time.
The boy started rubbing up Leni's leg, then onto her thigh, soon traveling up to her buttocks.
Surprisingly, her skin felt like ice. So pure, so cold.
As slowly as he could, he dragged her panties down, gradually moving it from each side one at a time.
His hands shook intensely, he began sweating.
"Please don't wake up." He thought during the moment.
Then he lowered Leni's underwear further, slipping it down from her hips and passed her thighs.
Lincoln finally saw it entirely. Her rear wasn't quite as massive as her older sister's. It was more petite, but still had a nice shape to it, perfectly round with no sagging skin whatsoever.
He could hear Lori's fierce words in his mind. "Don't ever do that to her." It felt just like yesterday. He understood that he is playing with fire, but his urges were far too strong. He needed to feel it, even if it might make him sick from guilt.
The boy placed his warm hands firmly on her butt and started rubbing her cheeks.
He quietly hummed as he proceeded.
The motion went on and on until...
"Mmm..." Leni moaned in her sleep.
Lincoln became startled. What if she woke up? How would even explain himself? The awkwardness would be almost lethal.
He let go of her and remained as static as he could.
He viewed her like a hawk while she let out a relaxing breath.
Lincoln kept fixated on her until he felt safe enough to continue.
Regaining his momentum, he placed both hands on her cheeks, kneading them up and down again.
The more he did so, he found himself feeling strange. His pants suddenly became much tighter, but he did his best to ignore that as he continued.
Lincoln's little hands drifted around her cheeks some more.
He moved his right one down far and felt it graze against her vagina. He knew what it was, seeing how he actually got a peek at Lori's before. However, he's never got to touch one.
Letting curiosity get the best of him, he placed a finger on the lips and poked inside the hole. It felt so warm and wet.
He dug it in a little deeper only to find the feeling heightened the further he went.
"Ohhh." Leni moaned again at a much larger volume this time.
Lincoln's hair stood on the back of his neck.
He froze while watching Leni again.
Fortunately, she remained in her same position, but he had to put an end to this.
The boy almost felt like slapping himself across the face. He shouldn't be doing this to her in the first place. She wasn't very bright and he could easily get away with it, but he'd regret it for sure. That very same realization he came across before, but once again, curiosity got the best of him. The only difference being that he actually got to touch her this time around.
Lincoln pulled her panties back up carefully, and every second that passed felt like hours as he began to sweat more from nervousness.
Luckily, he managed to get them back on without her squirming or moving around.
Getting that finished, he moved slowly over back to the other side of the bed.
Lincoln laid down on his pillow and curled himself up again.
His expression squinted as he regretted even attempting to do that.
From there, he forced himself to go back to sleep.
Thankfully, neither of them woke up for the remainder of the night.
The next morning came about as Lincoln and Leni awoke to the shining sun.
Both kids sat up together, staring and smiling at each other.
"Morning, Lincy!" Leni said, ridding her eyes of sleep.
"D-did you sleep well?" Lincoln asked, nervously rubbing the back of his head while he looked at her.
"Totes!" She exclaimed joyfully.
"Me, too." He said, blushing from embarrassment.
Leni didn't seem to know what he did, yet that was all he could think about currently.
As he remained on the bed going over last night, she hopped off it and headed to her dresser to get changed.
"Oooh, I gotta get dressed. Close your eyes, Lincoln." She said, dropping her panties down around her ankles, subsequently removing her dress and going completely nude.
The boy listened, sorta. Failing to discipline himself again, he covered his hands with his face, purposely splitting a small space between his fingers while he peeked his eyes open.
There it was again, that cute little butt. He also noticed part of her big breasts being exposed just between her shoulders.
Lincoln got more than he bargained for when she bent all the way over to fish through her dresser for a clean pair of underwear.
Her two lower lips were in sight, albeit a bit blurred by the interference of his fingers. He became practically hypnotized by her body as he found himself unable to stop looking.
Leni soon pulled out the clothes she needed.
She started putting on her bra and panties, then her dress.
The more she covered herself up, the more he covered his eyes, keeping in mind that she didn't want him to peek, or did she?
Lincoln became uncertain seeing how she's obviously never changed in front of him before. In Lori's case, he knew for a fact that prior to them becoming closer, she would probably clobber him if he happened to walk in on her during a private moment like that.
"All done, you can open your eyes now, Lincy." She said as she turned and faced the boy.
She grinned brightly at him upon witnessing his hands drifting off his face.
Lincoln 'opened' his eyes back up, though his face burned red as he glanced at her.
She didn't seem to acknowledge it. Instead, she had something totally different on her mind.
"Lincy, can I ask you something?"
"What's up?" Lincoln questioned, her rather nervous tone catching his attention.
"Would you... want to move into my room? It's just that, we hung out all day yesterday and it was really nice..." Leni spoke while her eyes stared into space, feeling that fear of denial again.
Lincoln smiled as he noticed how she acted. He's never seen her be shy about anything until yesterday.
"I'd like that very much." The boy responded. He was too kind, he's practically never said no to anyone in his life, and she definitely wouldn't be the first person he'll deny. He maintained his reign of being the yes man of his family by nature.
"Yay!" Leni squeaked happily while she approached Lincoln and pulled him into an almost deadly hug.
She planted a kiss on his forehead as she held onto him.
Lincoln's face grew an even brighter red.
The girl had him right where she wanted him, not that he had any complaints.
However, he couldn't stay there forever, despite how good it sounded.
Lincoln ended the embrace and looked into Leni's eyes, noting her sheer happiness.
Yet, none of this felt obligatory anymore, he wanted to be there for her because the truth was, seeing her joyful made him feel better about things. Her company is just as beneficial to him, knowing how he's also a bit lonely himself without Lori around.
Not trying to awkwardly dwell on these thoughts, Lincoln spoke up. "I'll get started on that now."
He kept a heartwarming smile as he left the room.
Refusing to waste a minute, the boy gathered what he could through various trips. Stuff like his toys, comics, clothes and his bedding. He planned on taking over Lori's old bed and dressers, leaving his own stripped. Leni offered to help, but he refused her only because he felt it was his duty to get his junk out.
The girl sat on her bed, spectating as he sped back and forth holding a bunch of his belongings.
Many minutes later, he finished getting mostly everything out of his room. The only things left were posters, his mattress and his now emptied dressers. All the other items he placed in his sister's place, now he only needed figure out where to put everything.
Lincoln murmured to himself when he began organizing his junk. "This can go here, that can go there..."
Leni grinned as she watched him set everything up the way he wanted.
His pace seemed to quicken as he went. He got his shirts hung in the closet, his jeans placed in the dresser as well as his toys and comics stashed in a box under the bed.
Finally, Lincoln topped things off by gently laying out his sheet over his new bed alongside placing his pillow down and fluffing it up fashionably, with a style that his new roommate could find herself appreciating.
Once he finished, he clapped his hands in a victorious manner.
"All done!" He declared.
"Come here, Lincy!" Leni cheered, pulling him into another hug, and planting multiple kisses on the boy's face.
The last one, however, was in direct contact with his lips, and she held it as long as she could, even pushing him closer to her.
Lincoln blushed heavily. Being smothered by large boobs and volleyed with kisses was totally unexpected. The former were somehow bigger than Lori's, but her dress did a fine job of hiding that fact. Of course, she didn't have fine rear her older sister possessed. Besides that, feeling affection, and smooches from the girl behind closed doors was much better than say, from his aunt Ruth in public.
Ending her loving assault, she grinned and said. "Oooh, I just came up with the best idea ever!"
"What is it, Leni?" Lincoln questioned. After what happened he wasn't sure what direction she would head next. She seemed more spontaneous than usual this morning.
"What if we took a selfie together right now, to like, make it official?" She proposed.
"Alright!" Lincoln agreed to her suggestion, a harmless one at that. Although, he had second thoughts in the back of his mind. Hopefully, Lori wouldn't flip out on him when she sees the post. She is definitely the jealous type, given the way she acted around Bobby before when other girls were within a ten feet radius of him.
Leni wrapped an arm around Lincoln as they both posed for the picture.
*Snap*
Once done, she immediately posted it on swiftypic. The hashtags were along the lines of, roomies, besties, Lincoln, Leni and etc.
They sealed the deal. From there on, they were officially roommates.
As many more days went by, conversations started to get a bit more personal. Leni found herself speaking to Lincoln about love like she would with Lori. Both girls were big fans of romance, the reality and fantasy of it.
Of course, her big sister had Bobby, whom was someone she had gushed over since he left brownies in her locker. Unbeknownst to Leni, that was partially dwindling. But she could only assume otherwise seeing how her Lori lived with him now.
She knew Lori's deal, but now she wanted to talk to Lincoln about these things. She's never actually asked him about Ronnie Anne much recently. Now, is the time.
Just as they were cuddling in bed at night, Leni found the courage to discuss what was on her mind. "Lincoln..."
Her soft voice caused him to become alert. He couldn't tell what it was right away, but he assumed something was up.
"Yeah?" He asked, facing her and patiently waiting for her to speak up.
"You like girls, right?" Leni knew the answer, but she wanted to see how he would respond, feeling eager to find out whatever she could. A rare occurrence it is for her to actually pretend to be oblivious.
"Yeah, I do. But I thought you already knew that I did?" He questioned, totally confused by how she couldn't have known.
"Oh, yeah, Ronnie Anne, right? She's totes your girlfriend." She responded casually.
Lincoln swallowed hesitantly. "She's not actually..."
"What do you mean?" Leni asked.
"Well, we're like just friends, you know? Not boyfriend and girlfriend." He assured. It was true, Lori even had to hear him say that constantly on trip when they visited the Casagrandes.
"Ohh, so what about any other girls? You got any crushes at school?" She giggled, pinching his cheek. She hoped for a no, but also found herself giddy over asking these kind of things to her little bro.
"I don't..." He admitted.
Lincoln began to feel a little uneasy being asked all this. But if he knew any of his sisters, they did root for him when it came to girls, even went out of their way to get him dates for a school dance once.
Leni smiled. She knew this meant she can have him to herself at this rate. Having no competition is quite convenient.
Although, as she kept thinking of this victory, her brother suddenly edged himself close to her.
"How about you, Leni, you like anybody at school?" Lincoln asked, thinking it was alright to do so seeing how she just did the same.
"No, but they sure do like me. I've had tons of guys ask me out." She blushed greatly. It felt like she was bragging, but it was the truth. She really outdid Lori in that area, her sister never had anyone ask her out before. Bobby became the first guy to come her way, so she capitalized on the opportunity when he made his move. If he hadn't, she'd probably be home and single.
"Did you go on dates with any of them?" Lincoln asked.
He felt generally curious, despite talking about these things not being his cup of tea. He usually knew what his sisters did, where they would go, but for when it came to boy stuff he is kinda clueless. As it came to their special events like Leni's fashion shows, or Lola's pageants, he would always attend and even had a schedule to abide by. But regarding guys they liked, he is only aware of Lori and Bobby's relationship as opposed to any of his other sisters.
"No, I let them all down gently. But there is one boy I do love, though." Leni admitted, her tone of voice as calm as an ocean.
"Whom?" Lincoln asked, finding himself strangely eager to know.
"You." She answered, grinning while she booped him on the nose.
"Oh..." He uttered, blushing a bit as Leni began to giggle.
Catching him off guard was fun to watch, but she certainly wasn't lying to him. She always spoke the truth and nothing else in any given situation.
"You love me, too, right?" She asked sweetly.
"Of course! I mean, I love all of you girls." Lincoln assured through a nod.
Leni decided to give the boy a break. As much as she wanted to dig deeper, to get him to admit he favored her more than the rest, she felt it might be too much. She didn't want to break what she had here. Her cute little brother here sleeping alongside her every single night, and spending most of his time with her in general. She has it made for herself, leading her to believe that things may be as good as possible right now.
"Anything else you wanna talk about, Leni?" Lincoln asked.
"Hmmm..." She pondered.
Coming up blank, and with fatigue setting in, she decided not to drag anything out. "I think we should get some sleep now."
"Good idea." Lincoln replied, snugging closer to her.
She smirked, doing by likewise by throwing an arm around his shoulder and purposely pulling him into her bosom.
After pushing him close enough, Leni bent her head down and kissed him on the lips.
There was no escaping it, not that he even wanted to do so. He was basically booby trapped.
"Night, Lincy." She cooed before closing her eyes and passing out.
The boy's face turned as red as a tomato. He became use to it, and enjoyed kissing Leni, yet he never felt prepared for it when it occurred. Kissing his sister under the right setting became the norm when Lori was still around, though. Another pair of lips to smooch wasn't going to revoke anything they had. Or would it?
When more time progressed, the Louds reached the holiday season. Halloween and thanksgiving went by pretty normally. However, christmas was up next. It's the holiday that people cherished most. This family did as well, it especially became more appreciated by them when they discovered a heart breaking secret about Mr. Grouse the previous year.
Unfortunately, the Louds weren't aware that Lori recently received some bad news. She wasn't going to be visiting her family for christmas. Even though she literally only lived three hours away, Bobby refused to take her home for the celebration. His reasoning being that he wanted her to spend the holiday with his family instead. The way he saw it, she would have to get use to it eventually. Plus, he intended to keep her by his side, he didn't like being separated from her anymore than she use to. He also had big plans for their future that she is completely unaware of.
Regardless of that, she needed to regretfully let her family know about this.
Lori grabbed her phone and started calling Lincoln.
The phone rang a few times before he finally picked up.
"Hi, Lori!" The boy greeted excitedly.
He felt pretty pleasantly surprised to receive the call knowing how she hardly got back to his text messages. This was the first time he would be talking to her since he's left, having longed to see what's been up with her. Heck, even hearing her voice again after so long satisfied him.
"Hey, twerp." She said, nearly causing herself to chuckle. For some reason, calling him that alongside hearing his sweet voice charmed her. If only she was with him right now, that's all she desired. But she had to ignore any deep feelings and just talk to the kid, it's been too long.
"How's it going over there? I texted you a few times, but you never really got back to me..." Lincoln said, finding himself nearly pouting. Of course, he didn't hold it against her. There must've been a good reason for it.
"I'm sorry, Lincoln. I've just been super busy with school lately and I have been trying to kick the habit of using my phone. It distracts me from my homework and I can't risk flunking. But I have been meaning to talk to you, we haven't spoken in..."
"Four months." He finished her sentence.
"Right, so is Leni doing okay?" She asked on the spot. Out of everyone, that girl was the one she worried about most.
"Yeah, she's actually been pretty happy lately." Lincoln stated. It felt good saying, and knowing he's responsible for that fact.
"Really? She didn't get mopey at all?" Lori questioned.
"She did, but we've been hanging out together a lot lately. I saw she was upset so I started spending all my time with her." The boy mentioned. He had to leave it at that to save his own neck. He couldn't begin to think how Lori would react if she found out how close him and Leni have gotten. Whenever she got angry, she became a force to be reckoned with.
The girl heaved a sigh of relief, then spoke. "That's good to hear. And are you doing alright, little bro?"
"I've been fine. Even better since I'm talking to you again." Lincoln added.
"Glad to hear that." Lori said, forming a smile.
She paused for a moment. Hearing him in such a good mood was going to make her next words even harder to speak. She needed to do it, though.
Lori sighed and continued. "I'm not gonna make it down there for christmas this year."
"W-why not?" Lincoln asked, stuttering anxiously.
"Because Bobby literally insists that I spend christmas with his family instead." She muttered angrily.
"You don't like them?" He questioned after hearing Lori's bitterness. He knew well enough that she got along with them while visiting. Yet, living alongside them might be a totally different ball game. From what he remembered, they were just as rowdy as his family, and she sure wouldn't have the same feelings for them as she did her own folks.
"They are... okay. Actually, they're a lot like you guys." She chuckled thinking of that despite her frustration. "But I was still really hoping to get to see you."
"Same here..." Lincoln pouted.
"I'm sorry, little bro, but don't worry, I should be coming over during spring break at least, and summer break as well. We got a lot of catching up to do when the time comes." She smiled at the mere thought of what she implied, regardless if he understood her or not.
"I guess I can wait a few months, but I just wanted to see you so badly." He said.
"Same here, Lincy." Lori replied. The mutual feelings were there and tough to handle, yet they would both be reunited eventually. When that time comes, it's all gotta be worth it.
"So, how's everything else over there going for you? How's school been?" Lincoln asked, hoping to shift the chat over the something much more positive, anything to get his mind off of that utter disappointment.
"College has been pretty good so far, I'm passing all my classes with A's and B's. But as I said, it keeps me really busy and I also got a job at the bodega with Bobby." She stated.
"Ohhh, so how's that job?" Lincoln asked.
"It literally sucks." Lori scoffed.
"Dang, well, hey, at least you're making money now." He mentioned, trying to stay on the bright side of the matter.
"Yeah, but not very much. It takes up a lot of my time. Everyday is almost the same, wake up, go to school, go to work, then try my hardest to get homework done or study before I have to sleep." She let out an underwhelming sigh just thinking about it.
Lincoln frowned upon hearing her tone. "I hope things get better for you, Lori."
"Me, too." The girl said.
She continued. "I gotta go for now. I'll try and talk to everyone else soon when I get a chance. I love you, Lincoln."
"Bye, Lori. I love you, too..."
They both hung up.
Similar reactions hit them after the call ended, a mixture of frustration and heartache as they both covered their faces using their hands.
As much as Lincoln hated it, he had to give the bad news to his family. It would be a huge letdown for everyone, yet the celebrating would still go on without a doubt.
Much later on, the Louds received a christmas card in the mail from the Casagrandes.
Rita and Lynn Sr. got the first glance at it.
They could see the whole family, including Lori, all dressed for the occasion, and filled with holiday spirit as everyone smiled widely.
The parents soon passed the card around so everyone could get a peek.
When Lincoln checked it out, something immediately caught his attention.
Lori's smile, it seemed so unnatural compared to everyone else's. He's seen her smile his whole life and that wasn't it. After having talked to her recently, it made sense and worried him all the same.
Before he thought more about it, the twins started pestering him for their turn.
"Hurry up, Lincoln, we wanna see it!" They complained in unison.
"Alright, here!" The boy grumbled as he handed it over to them.
After everyone got a look at the that card, Leni turned towards Lincoln and said. "Didn't she look so happy, Lincy?"
"Yeah, she did... " He mumbled. Part of him had hoped that she's right, though he had some serious doubts. Concealing sadness through a forced grin sounded like something Lori is quite capable of.
Lincoln became lost in thought about it even far later on. It was eating at him. Making sure Leni is happy is important, but he actually had control of that. Sadly, there was nothing he could do for Lori, except keep her on his mind and in his heart.