“My twin,” I casually interject.
“You’re a twin?!” croaks the man beside me.
“Fraternal,” Jer offhandedly replies while keeping his gaze locked on hers. “And who are you, beautiful?”
“Bryn,” barely manages to leave her lips courtesy of her vacation partner.
“She’s married,” unhappily grumps my fake BAE. “Tomybest friend.”
“Weird flex, but okay,” laughs off the other female in the space.
“Chill, pretty boy,” my twin lightly chortles. “I’m not into married women.”He folds his arms across his tank top covered chest. “That was Pop’s shit. Won’t ever be mine.”
“And just for the research log,” Bryn sassily snips, pointed finger waving dramatically through the air, “I’mmarried,notdead.Beautiful specimen like Jericho,” she flicks the digit in his direction, “are basically like sharks of the human world. Something wonderful to look at but not touch.”
J.T. quirks an eyebrow at her without hesitation. “Except youdotouch sharks.”
Her nose threatens to scrunch.
“For a living.”
“Fuckfine!” She surrenders with both hands. “I won’t touch this one!”
Curiosity gets the better of my brain pushing me to ask, “Do you touch real sharks? LikeJawsshit?”
“Dontgetherstartedonthatmovie,” mutters J.T. during his return to texting.
“Fuck that movie. Sharks are friends not foes!”
“Pretty sure that’s a different movie entirely,” chuckles my twin.
“And second, yes. I work in the field of marine biology, which we can talk aboutmoreelsewhere. Maybe over misposas?
“Man, I love how everything is renamed for the convention,” Jericho muses.
“Metoooo,” Bryn enthusiastically sings.
“We actually have a tee-time up next,” I inform the group, “which you can join us for if you like. They allow up to four.”
“I would love that!” she exclaims, excitement short-lived. “Just like I bet you wouldlovefor Puppet Boy-”
“That’s a rough nickname,” quietly cackles the only best friend I’ve ever had.
“-tostop working,” Bryn emphasizes closer to his clean-shaven face.
He shoots her a displeased glare. “Youknowthis shit is important.”
“I know that the hot girl next to you deserves more attention than she’s getting.”
Seeing a perfect chance to step into the back and forth, I cleverly add, “I’ve never had a guy I’m dating put our relationshipfirst.”
“Wait,” Jericho grunts in confusion. “You’re dating?”
“Fake dating,” the other woman fills in at the same time J.T. shifts his attention to me.
“I didn’t know that.”
“I just found out this morning.”
