Gentle tattoo
My phone buzzed with a notification. Someone
had answered my question on Quora: “How
powerful is the impact of a ‘first love‘?” My fiancé, Mark, had responded. “Powerful enough that I proposed to her sister, so I could be close
to her, as family.”
I’m that sister. And honestly? I wasn’t as
devastated as you might think. Because the
top–rated answer to that question? That was
mine. And I had a secret too.
- 1.
The doorbell rang. Mark, drunk as a skunk,
stood swaying on my porch. Last week, he’d
proposed. I’d said yes. Now, his eyes were red-
rimmed, reeking of booze. He looked like he’d
been crying. His friend, Ben, steadied him.
“Hey, Sarah! Mark’s just… overwhelmed with
<
joy, you know? So happy he’s marrying you. He
got a little carried away celebrating.”
“Right. Thanks for getting him home, Ben.”
The moment the door closed, Mark grabbed
me, pulling me into a hug. “Finally…we’re gonna
be family.”
As I helped him to the couch, I noticed his
phone lighting up with notifications – likes and
comments. I unlocked it with his fingerprint.
He’d answered that “first love” question on
Quora. He’d written about how he’d initially
pursued me, the younger sister, just to be near
my sister, Ashley. He wasn’t sure he loved me.
He only knew he loved Ashley. He proposed, he
said, to be close to her, to protect her, as
family.
- 2.
I flashed back to the first time Mark met Ashley.
<
I hadn’t even introduced them yet when he’d smoothly said, “Hi, Ashley.” I hadn’t thought
much of it at the time. But now, I remembered Ashley’s surprised look, Mark’s knowing smile. The air had crackled with unspoken something.
- 3.
Ashley wasn’t my biological sister. She was my stepmom’s daughter. She arrived when I started high school, a year ahead of me. Dad adored her. My stepmom, riding high on that favoritism, let Ashley get away with anything. We’d clashed constantly. Things had eased as we got older, a
superficial truce masking underlying rivalry. But
she’d won, hadn’t she? I’d gotten her sloppy
seconds, a man who was still hopelessly in love
with her. I remembered Mark’s engagement
announcement on Instagram: “I’ll become your
family, and I’ll always protect you.” Ashley had
commented, “Congratulations!” Now, reading
his Quora answer, I understood its real
meaning. Ninety percent of it detailed how
<
heartbroken he was after Ashley dumped him,
how he’d followed her, discovered she had a
younger sister
–
me
――
and started pursuing
- me. So that was it.
Mark stirred on the couch, muttering, “Ashley,
don’t leave me…”
I detached myself, my face expressionless. He didn’t know that I’d also answered that
question. My answer was the top–rated one, with 20,000 upvotes. I’d written it years ago and forgotten about it. It was time I woke up
from this dream. Mark was never really him. But
I couldn’t leave yet. I had unfinished business.
- 4.
The next morning, I made breakfast. Mark
barely touched it, grabbing his keys and rushing
out.
“Aren’t we supposed to go look at wedding
dresses this morning?” I asked.
“This afternoon is fine,” he threw over his
shoulder. “Something came up.”
I knew exactly what
–
and who had “come
–
up.” Ashley had married rich, but her husband,
Jason, was a cheating, abusive jerk. She loved
the money and the image too much to leave
him, though. Until this morning, when she
posted: “Worst hangover ever. My head is
pounding.” I knew exactly who Mark was
rushing off to comfort.
