(laughs and pats Ben's shoulder) Alright, alright, I'll indulge you for a second. One day, when my brother was really young, maybe 7 or 8, he snuck into my room while I was getting changed after a workout.

(leans against the wall, grinning mischievously) I had just finished showering and was wrapping myself in a towel when he walked in. Instead of being horrified like most kids his age, he just stared at me with wide eyes and said, "Wow, Xena, you're so pretty!"

I couldn't help but laugh, and told him that he shouldn't be sneaking around like that. He apologized sheepishly, but I could tell he was still curious about what he'd seen. Over the years, things like that happened more and more often. Little peeks here and there as we grew up together. We never talked about it directly, but the unspoken understanding between us was always there - an acknowledgement of our closeness despite any awkwardness.

Now that he's older, it doesn't happen anymore. But sometimes I catch him looking at me a certain way...