“Especially if you were covered in sauce.” Cash’s eyebrows danced independently.
We didn’t talk about what happened on the rooftop and the breakfast counter. They bounce off each other. They communicate without words. I sensed that they both knew what was going on and were comfortable enough not to voice it out loud.
Or perhaps they were keeping their promise and making things easier for me.
Bonus. Because if they asked me how I feel about them, the answer would still be the same. I couldn’t choose. I don’t want to choose. Even though, deep down, I understand that this will never work in the real world.
“And you shared the asparagus spears with both of them.” Ariel’s question drags my head out of the fantasy and back to the phone call. “On the rooftop.”
“Yes.”
She knows everything. She is also the only person I know who won’t judge me for thinking that I could… just for one night… have both twins.
“Did they, like, feed them to you, one at a time, while you sat back with your mouth open?” She snorts through the phone. “On second thought, don’t answer that. I don’t want to know what you did with your mouth open.”
“Ariel!”
“Some girls get all the luck. If Tristan had a twin and a rooftop pool, I’d kiss goodbye to my college degree and go buy the sexiest bathing suit you ever saw. Two bathing suits, different colors. To remind me which twin was which.”
I giggle. It’s easy to detach myself from the real world and laugh about it from the rooftop. Literally. But I know the bubble will burst eventually. I’m pregnant. Last night isn’t the start of a sustainable future together.
It was a sexy, romantic, unforgettable interlude.
“I don’t need different colored bathing suits. They both have different qualities that set them apart from each other.”
“Such as?”
“Bash is the serious one, but when he smiles, he gets the cutest dimple. Just one. And when he thinks no one is watching, he squints a little like the sun is shining in his eyes. Cash is louder, more confident, more… everything. But underneath the bravado is a little boy looking for praise.”
The silence is louder than I anticipated.
“Wow.” I can almost see Ariel blinking at the phone screen by the tone of her voice. “You discovered all that while you were lying on your back with your legs open and your eyes closed.”
“Not exactly.” I cover my eyes with sunglasses borrowed from the guest room as if I could hide behind them. “The signs were always there; I just didn’t notice them before.”
Ariel sucks air through her teeth. “Girl, you’ve got it bad.”
“I’m still buzzing from last night is all.”
“Yeah, you tell yourself that, Rem. What are you gonna do about it? About them? I mean, I’m all for girl power, and I’ll support you all the way, but other folks might not be so understanding.”
“I know.” I can already feel the euphoria starting to evaporate in the mid-morning heat. “I can’t think about it right now. They’re both… I can’t even imagine… I can’t wait for you to meet them, Ariel. When you do, you’ll understand what I’m talking about.”
Someone clears their throat, and I startle.
I sit up straight, phone still pressed to my ear. A guy is standing near the entrance to Bash’s apartment, staring straight at me, and my pulse leaps like it got a shot of strong caffeine. He’s wearing a designer suit. At first glance, I thought it was one ofthe twins, but his hair is longer than Cash’s, unruly, and there’s something almost apologetic about his stance, head lowered like he doesn’t want to intrude.
I vaguely recall Fran telling me that there are four brothers. And they all look like that.
“Someone is here,” I murmur to Ariel. “A brother, I think.”
“Put in a good word for me, Rem.”
I end the call and stand up, suddenly hyper-aware that I’m wearing a bathing suit from Bash’s guest room, sunshades that he paid for, and I have full use of his apartment and pool while he and Cash are working. I should’ve gotten a ride into college this morning before they left. I shouldn’t have stayed here alone.
I can already see exactly how this looks: college student gets pregnant, moves into penthouse apartment, and takes the Murray twins for whatever she can get.
“Remy?” he speaks first.
