The Present

Part One

Panties.

Lace, pink panties. When Chris first opened the box, he thought the girly pink material was just some kind of stuffing for the actual gift, but it dawned on him pretty quickly what he was touching and looking at as he started shifting through the multiple pairs. “Amy, what the hell?” he asked, holding up one of the delicate pairs.

It was a ‘Christmas’ tradition that his family and the Scotts’ did nearly every year. Rather than send each other gifts in December, they waited until they were together a few weeks or a few months later to exchange gifts in person. Back when they were kids, he and his cousin Amy were close, and it was a fun tradition to look forward to. These days, he always dreaded it. 

Amy had turned into a little deviant over the years, but only Chris knew the truth about her. Their parents all thought she was a sweet girl, an innocent high school senior just starting to find her way in the world as a barely-adult looking ahead to college. But that couldn’t be farther from the truth. 

Amy swore. Amy drank. Amy kissed a number of boys AND girls on the regular. Boys, because she enjoyed having them wrapped around her finger. Girls, for fun. Despite only seeing her once or twice a year, Chris knew all this about her because she didn’t try to hide it around him. When her girlfriends were over, and their parents weren’t, Chris was around for all the shameless gossip and bragging. And they didn’t even try to swear him to secrecy. Amy acted like such an angel around adults, no one would have believed him anyway.

Not even he was safe from the little games she enjoyed playing with boys. For the past two years, Amy had gotten him seemingly innocent gifts. Gifts that he hated, but that no one else would bat an eye at. A small collection of jewelry that was borderline girly, especially considering that he normally didn’t wear jewelry at all. And then a handful of socks and ties that had the same theme the next year—bright, girly colors. 

There wasn’t a damn thing he could do about it. The jewelry was so he could “try new things,” and the clothes were “bold” compared to his “same old colors,” according to Amy when she eagerly explained her gift choice to him and their parents.

They were gifts. And it was rude to scoff or frown at gifts. So each year, he had to begrudgingly thank her, and then wear at least something Amy got him to show his appreciation during the visit, only for her to smirk and make a teasing comment about it when only he could hear. 

This year, however, there was no way she could get away with it. Not with something like this. He held up the pink fabric by his fingertips like it was disease-ridden, showing everyone that it was clearly a pair of panties. Not pink briefs. It was girl’s underwear. She couldn’t possibly explain the ‘gift’ away like the previous two years.

“Chris. Language,” his older sister immediately corrected him. The two of them were visiting the Scotts alone; their parents would be coming up in a few days after finishing up some business back home.

“Amy?” Aunt Mary glanced at her daughter. Not with suspicion or anything; just with a curious look about the unusual gift.

Amy was ready for it. “Oh no!” she exclaimed, clasping a hand over her mouth. The devious brunette looked at the underwear in Chris’s hand with false surprise, “Those were for Stacey! That means . . . Oh my God, I have to call her!” Leaping from her seat and grabbing her nearby phone, Amy fled from the room.

“She’s been going through some girl drama at school,” Aunt Mary explained. 

Chris didn’t know if that was the truth or not. It’s not like Amy lied about everything, despite her sociopathic tendencies, but he was genuinely curious how much she could even tell her parents when living two different lives. He tossed the pink underwear back into the box and closed the lid, placing it aside for now. For now, he’d take the win. His devil of a younger cousin wasn’t trying to claim his gift was so that he could ‘try new things.’

A few minutes later, Amy returned to the room with watery eyes. “Chris, I’m SO sorry.” She walked over and threw her arms around him in an awkward hug, leaning over while he was seated on the sofa. Then, with her lips right next to his ear, she whispered, “You ready?” Before he could process the somewhat seductive voice that was way more uncomfortable than sexy when coming from his cousin, she stood back up and turned to their parents. “I shouldn’t even open my gift,” she said, “It’s not fair that I get something and Chris doesn’t.” Amy went on to explain that Stacey was out of town, now with the wrong birthday gift; otherwise, Amy would drive over and make the swap right now. 

Chris knew what his cousin was subtly reaching for. But there’s absolutely no way that would happen. Right? Amy might play the innocent angel role well, but that didn’t mean things would get from A to B without better hints. 

Or so he thought.

“You know, Chris,” Amy’s mother said, “Some boys wear underwear like that.”

No. No way. Amy was a fucking adult, and he couldn’t believe her mother was still eating up her act and trying to protect her with lies of her own. Well, not technically lies. Sure, the modern day has all kinds of people out there, but Chris was literally a straight, white guy with pretty vanilla tastes. He wouldn’t be a sacrifice just to make his cousin feel better, especially when this was clearly her plan in the first place.

“No.” Getting ahead of it immediately, Chris dismissed his aunt’s subtle suggestion. “Amy did this on purpose. I’m not putting on-” he paused, not able to actually say the word out loud, “-those.” He gestured to the closed box.

Amy gasped. “I did not! Why would you say that??”

“Chris,” his mother said, “Apologize to your cousin.”

He knew better than to argue. Accusing her was a misstep in itself, as nothing like that would ever stick when it came to her. “I’m sorry, Amy,” he said.

“Apology accepted,” she replied, with a humble smile, “And it’s fine, Mom. They probably wouldn’t fit him anyway.”

Unfortunately, he was outnumbered three to one. While his older sister, Chloe, had already graduated college and was officially an adult with her own apartment and everything, that didn’t mean she would pass up an opportunity to mess with her nineteen year old brother. “Chris, you should at least try,” she said, in response to Amy’s last point, “If they fit, it’ll be a good opportunity to try something new. And I’m sure Amy would appreciate the gesture.”

“Really, it’s fine,” Amy said, playing the part perfectly, “You don’t have to, Chris.”

Except he did, since the one adult in the room was still determined to make her daughter feel better. So, just when Chris was hoping Amy had screwed her own plan over by committing to the angel role, Aunt Mary brought things home. “Chris, go try them on,” she said.