But Bay could tell. Now that he knew what to look for it almost seemed comical that he’d been tricked by them before. It was all in the eyes. While this Sila, the one currently listening intently to something Riel was whispering to him, had the same overall composure, there was a flash of something in his mismatched gaze. He contained it well, but two days ago when he’d walked in and caught Bay’s eye, it’d been impossible to miss.
Admittedly, aside from that their likeness was uncanny. They moved the same, lounged the same, even smiled and made the same types of comments. It wasn’t until no one else was looking that the Sila seated in his class room dropped any bit of the mask and, even then, it was fleeting. If Bay hadn’t been looking, he would have missed it.
Even if they always appeared the exact same, however, Bay would have known. It was the feel in the air that did it. There was no thick tension that made his insides swirl, or his skin prickle with awareness. The Sila talking with Riel was every bit as physically attractive as the one who’d pinned Bay to that brick wall and fucked him madly.
And yet Bay’s body gave no reaction to seeing him. His dick remained flaccid in his pants and his heart completely unaffected in his chest.
He’d tried to contact Sila several times since that night but all messages had gone unanswered. After that first class with his brother in his place, he’d sent another text, only the device on the replica’s arm had beeped.
So they exchanged everything when they swapped places, even their multi-slates. Made sense if they wanted to stay in character. Still, the disappointment Bay had felt in that moment had been impossible to hide, and Sila’s brother had looked at him and tipped his head in clear observation.
It made Bay wonder how much he knew. Had Sila told him all the sordid details of their time together? Had he shared the videos of Bay touching himself in the Seaside or taking it up the ass in the woods? He’d wanted to ask, wanted to demand an answer, actually, but fear kept him silent.
There weren’t many things Bay was afraid of, but the idea that Sila had given his brother insight to their private moments…that frightened him. For a couple of reasons, but most of which because it would be a betrayal, and even though their time together had thus far been brief in the grand scheme of things, Bay was already attached. He already wanted to rely on Sila, at least to keep his word about his grandmother.
He taught Varun’s class twice a week, with a day between, and he’d been hopeful today his Sila would arrive, but no such luck.
“Read the case provided to you all,” Bay announced when class finally ended. “You each need to write a profile of the criminal spoken about. It’ll be due next week.”
“You coming to lunch,” Jol asked the fake Sila as the three friends stood and collected their things.
Riel scowled at her. “And put up with all the rumors about Rin that keep going around?”
The Sila replica’s mouth twitched but that was all the reaction he gave. If only they knew they were talking abouthimright now.
“How about we check out that restaurant nearby? They have private room seating,” Riel offered.
“I’m going to the pool,” the replica replied and his friends both frowned.
“Without eating?” Jol clicked her tongue. “That’s not healthy.”
“I’ll be fine.” He winked at her. “Thanks for worrying about me.”
She snorted and tossed her backpack strap over her shoulder with more gusto than necessary, then linked her arm through Riel’s to tug him toward the exit. “Whatever.” She stuck her tongue out on the way and then the two of them were spilling out of the room with the rest of the class.
Bay held his breath when the replica didn’t immediately leave with them, instead heading up toward the front where he still stood behind the podium with the controls for the projector at his back. He pressed against his glasses over the bridge of his nose and cleared his throat uncomfortably. “Is there something I can help you with, Mr. Varun?”
The replica tipped his head toward the still open door and listened, almost as if he was making sure everyone else had truly left. Then he turned back and it was like his entire demeanor changed at the snap of a finger.
His shoulders pulled back and his hand tightened on the strap of his black backpack, the other slipping into the front pocket of his black dress pants. He cocked his head and there was something in his eyes, nothing dark or empty like the real Sila, but something wild and angry. Almost like there was an entire volcano hibernating within him that was at risk of blowing at any moment.
“You knew I wasn’t him,” he asked, and even the voice had altered slightly, an accusatory edge there that Bay had never heard come from the real Sila before. “How?”
Bay blinked at him and then gripped the podium, taking a second to remind himself that they were currently on Vail, in his classroom, and he was the professor here. Even if that weren’t the case, this wasn’t his Sila. His brother, the replica, wasn’t in charge.
“I’m not sure what he’s said to you—” Bay began, only to have the replica grunt at him.
“He’s told me jackshit, Professor, that’s why I’m standing here asking you. He’ll be pissed if he finds out, so give it to me straight already so we can both go on our ways.”
“I’ll remind you that I’m your teacher, Mr. Varun.”
“Ah,” he hummed, “so I suppose that means you scold my brother whenever he’s rude to you, huh?” He rolled his eyes, the golden star huggie earring in his ear swinging and catching the light.
They switched down to even the minute details.
“You don’t seem interesting enough to have caught his attention. My brother doesn’t bother with anyone. But now he’s investigating murders for a stranger. I don’t like it.”
“I’m not a stranger,” Bay said. Sure, they hadn’t really known one another for long, but Sila had beeninsideof him. That had to count for something.
