Chapter 23 - Laughter, Love And Flatulence

Presence knocked on Charm's door, only to be greeted by a swift, "Fuck off!"

Undeterred (because when has a closed door ever stopped a determined sibling?) Presence pushed her way into her elder sister's bedroom like she was entering her own personal kingdom.

Charm, sprawled on her bed in a pose that screamed 'leave me alone to wallow in my misery', glared at her. "Did I stutter?"

"Bitch, hush your face," Presence retorted.

Though Charm was two years older, born in London before the family moved to Nigeria where Presence arrived, they behaved like twins.

Frustration painted across her face like abstract art, Charm grabbed a pillow and hurled it at Presence with the precision of an Olympic discus thrower. But Presence, channeling her inner ninja, caught it mid-air and flung it right back, her grin widening to street cat proportions.

Before Charm could react (or grab another weapon), Presence pounced on her, landing on the bed with all the grace of a caffeinated squirrel. They started giggling and yelping, a tangle of limbs and laughter that defied the laws of physics and sisterly animosity.

"Let go of me, you fuckwit!" Charm protested, her voice carrying all the conviction of someone who secretly didn't want to be let go at all.

Presence, channeling her inner WWE wrestler, kept at it, determined to claim victory in this impromptu sisterly smackdown. Finally pinning Charm down, Presence let out a triumphant fart. Because nothing says 'I win' quite like biological warfare.

"Eww, you pig!" Charm shrieked, summoning superhuman strength to launch Presence off her.

As Presence tumbled off the bed in a graceless heap, both sisters erupted into the kind of laughter that makes your sides hurt and your cheeks ache.

Because that's the thing about sisterhood - it's built on a foundation of shared DNA, mutual annoyance, and the ability to go from mortal enemies to best friends in the span of a single, well-timed fart.

"Are you even alive?? Did something die inside your stomach... fuck!" Charm wrinkled her nose, her face a perfect mix of disgust and poorly concealed amusement.

Presence, still sprawled on the floor like a fallen soldier, held her belly and laughed even harder, letting out more farts in the process. Because why stop at one when you can turn your digestive system into a one-woman orchestra?

As the giggles subsided and the air cleared (literally and figuratively), Presence and Charm shared a look that said more than words ever could. Because sometimes, the strongest bonds are forged not in grand gestures or profound conversations, but in silly moments that smell vaguely of death and sound like pure, unadulterated joy.

One more escaped Presence, a final encore in her gastric symphony.

"Oh for fuck's sake," Charm exclaimed, leaping off the bed like it was suddenly made of lava. She rushed to the windows, throwing them open with the desperation of someone trying to air out a crime scene.

Presence, still on the floor, tried to control her laughter. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry," she gasped between giggles.

Charm shot her a look that could have curdled milk, waving her hand frantically as if she could physically beat back the smell. "Yeah, right. Like I haven't heard that before. Seriously, did you eat a dead rat or something?"

As Presence's laughter finally subsided, she wiped tears from her eyes and sat up, still grinning. "Sorry, sis. Guess the stress just had to come out somehow."

Because that's the thing about life - sometimes your problems, your stress, your fears, they all come out in the most unexpected ways. For some people, it's tears or angry outbursts. For Presence, apparently, it was turning her digestive system into a weapon of mass destruction.

Presence, still sprawled on the floor, looked up at her sister with curiosity.

"Hey, Charm," she began, her tone turning more serious. "Why didn't you tell Mom about Deji earlier? I mean, you've been together for what, almost two years now?"

Charm's expression shifted, a mix of excitement and apprehension crossing her face. She sighed deeply, sinking back onto the bed. "Because... he proposed."

Presence's eyes widened, her jaw dropping open. "Bitch, excuse me?"

"You heard me," Charm said, a small smile tugging at her lips despite her obvious nervousness.

"When? How? Why didn't you tell me?" Presence scrambled to her feet, moving to sit beside her sister on the bed.

Charm twisted her hands in her lap. "It happened last week. He took me to that rooftop restaurant where we had our first date. Got down on one knee and everything. It was... perfect."

"And you're just telling me now?" Presence nudged her sister's shoulder. "Some sister you are."

"I wanted to!" Charm protested. "But I knew I had to tell Mom first, and I was... well, you saw how that went."

Presence nodded sympathetically. "Yeah, that was quite the show. But seriously, Charm, congratulations! I'm so happy for you."

"Thanks," Charm smiled, then groaned. "Now I just have to figure out how to tell Mom without her having a coronary. Or worse, trying to see Deji's entire future before she even meets him."

Presence squeezed her sister's hand. "We'll figure it out together, okay? And hey, if all else fails, I can always clear the room with another fart."

"Don't you dare!" Charm laughed, shoving Presence playfully.

As they sat there, giggling and plotting like co-conspirators, the bond between them felt stronger than ever. They were more than sisters; they were allies in the face of their extraordinary family legacy and the ordinary challenges of life and love.

Charm looked at Presence, a mischievous glint in her eye that could have powered a small city. "So, what's the update with your ghost boyfriend?"

"He's not my boyfriend!" Presence protested, her cheeks flushing faster than a toilet in a freshman dorm.

"Yeah, sure, okay," Charm replied, her tone dripping with enough sarcasm to float a battleship. "Come on, spill. I want all the ghostly details."

Because that's the thing about sisters - they can go from farting and fighting to sharing secrets in the blink of an eye. And when your sister can see ghosts, well, the term "boy trouble" takes on a whole new meaning.

Presence sighed, then began to recount her experiences with Kel. "Well, there was this one time we went to a bar, and suddenly a gang fight broke out. Guns everywhere, chaos all around. But Kel... he was so calm. He helped me navigate through it all, kept me safe."

Charm listened, her eyes widening. "Wow, that's intense. Go on."

"Then there was the time he accompanied me to Dad's grave," Presence continued, her voice softening. "It was... different, having him there. Comforting, you know?"

Charm nodded, encouraging her to continue.

"And then there was this wild situation with his ex-girlfriend, Funi. Kel asked me to be a conduit for them to communicate. It was strange, feeling her presence, her emotions. But Kel was there, guiding me through it all."

As Presence spoke, her eyes lit up, her hands gesturing animatedly. Charm listened attentively, a knowing smile growing on her face.

When Presence finally ran out of words, Charm said, "He sounds cute."

"He is," Presence admitted, then quickly added, "I mean, for a ghost and all." As if being dead was just another quirk, like having a weird laugh or collecting vintage bottle caps.

Charm's smile widened. "You have a crush on him. In fact, I'd say it might be more than just a crush."

Presence stared at her sister, her mouth opening and closing like a fish out of water, struggling to find words in a situation where words seemed woefully inadequate. She tried to deny it, but the truth stuck in her throat like a particularly stubborn piece of popcorn kernel. "Am I crazy?" she finally asked, her voice small and fragile.

Charm's smile faded, replaced by a look of concern that seemed to say, 'Oh honey, we're all crazy, but you've just taken it to a whole new level.' "Sis, I know the heart wants what the heart can't have, but this is next level."

Presence looked away, suddenly finding the pattern on Charm's bedspread fascinating. She was acutely aware of how smart her sister sounded and how crazy she must seem for admitting her feelings for someone who technically didn't have a body to feel with. "I know," she said softly, her voice barely above a whisper.

Understanding flashed in Charm's eyes. She shifted closer to Presence and wrapped her in a hug, enveloping her in the kind of sisterly love that doesn't care if your crush is alive, dead, or somewhere in between. "Just be careful, okay? I wouldn't want to see you get hurt."

"I won't," Presence answered, leaning into her sister's embrace like it was the only solid thing in a world gone topsy-turvy.

And then, because the universe has a wicked sense of humor (or maybe just because sisters are sisters), Charm let out a fart. The stench quickly filled the air around them, turning their moment of connection into a game of 'who can hold their breath the longest'.

Presence tried to break free from the hug, but Charm held on tight, giggling mischievously like she'd just pulled off the world's smelliest heist. Finally, Presence managed to tickle her way out of Charm's grasp and darted to the door, escaping like a prisoner making a break for freedom.

Before leaving, she turned back with a grin. "Dinner's ready, you stink-bottomed skunk bucket!"

Charm threw a pillow at the closing door, her laughter echoing behind Presence.

As Presence headed downstairs, the smell of home-cooked food replacing the less pleasant aroma from Charm's room, she realized something. Maybe love, like life (and apparently, flatulence), doesn't always make sense. Maybe it's messy and complicated and sometimes smells bad. But it's also warm and comforting and makes you laugh until your sides hurt.

And as she breathed in the scent of dinner, leaving behind the lingering aroma of sisterly shenanigans, Presence knew that no matter how complicated her love life got - whether her heart belonged to the living or the dead - she'd always have this. This house, this family, this perfectly imperfect blend of love and laughter and occasional stink bombs.

Because that's the thing about family - they're there for you, whether you're crushing on the boy next door or the ghost in your head. Even if they occasionally try to gas you out of the room.

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