The first time I met my wife, I had just started high school and she was just a kid. I barely noticed her. Later, she started hanging out with my youn...er brother and his friends, so she was always around. I didn't care. One day, long after I had left for college, my brother asked me to stop by the high school to help him set up some stuff for the theater. I'm pretty sure we did whatever it was that he wanted. She was on stage, applying makeup to one of the actresses. There were a dozen shades. "As we slow danced to Nights in White Satin, King Arthur watched us indisgust and left shortly afterwards."Thanks, sis, you saved my bacon, or at least my honour," I said intoAnna's ear as we revolved."Now you know what we women have to put up with," she said, smiling."You make a very good French maid, sweetie. Have you thought oftaking it up professionally?"That was my big sister all over, teasing me mercilessly one moment,protecting me like a tigress the next.It was just after that that I. . working through your issues."She couldn't suppress a smile and tried to pinch his skin. It was surprisingly difficult to get anything between her fingers. She ended up tickling him instead.Chuck jerked and batted at her hand, clamping his on it and stopping her. He rolled slightly as he let go, and her hand slid to his side. There were no love handles there. The hand he'd used came to her hair and whisked it away from her face."I'm going to kiss you now Claire." he whispered.Emotion exploded. I allowed these slight outbursts every now and again, it gave her a taste of freedom, of having a will of her own.She was spirited enough to look after herself in any case, another planted trigger, if she didn't like what she was seeing, feeling or hearing she would say 'please stop'. Should the thing that was distressing her continue she'd get louder and become more forceful, she'd caught me once with a dig in the ribs that had knocked the breath out of me.I'd been a little rough with her in.