It wasn’t until my mother came in and pulled me out to take pictures with them when things got even more confusing. She positioned me on the opposite side of Stosh. When I felt his arm around my shoulder, the same sensations as before went running through my body. I glanced up and saw him looking down at me, with a big smile on his face.
After a few more pictures, and me trying to hold my breath, I ran back into the house and never peeked out the window to watch them leave.
My sister never came home that night. I knew what it meant. She’d slept with Stoshua. My whole world was shattered. I hated her for being with him and she didn’t even know it.
It took three days for them to stop speaking to each other. Summer had begun and my sister never had a boyfriend during the season of bathing suits and beach weather. She could have cared less about Stosh and what they’d done at prom. The pictures came, and they were placed on the mantel with all our other family photos. I hated going into the living room.
About six weeks after school ended, I found my sister in my room sitting on my bed. She was crying and holding something in her hand.
I sat down beside her. “Ivy, what’s wrong?”
She sniffled and leaned her head on my shoulder. “I fucked up. Dad’s going to kill me.”
“What are you talking about?”
She handed me the pregnancy test. “This is the third one I took. What am I going to do?”
It was the exact moment when I knew I’d lost him forever. I was speechless. All I could do was hug my sister because my mind was on me never being with the only guy I ever loved.
After the truth came out, Stosh’s family insisted on him doing the right thing by Ivy. They were married in a small ceremony at our church a month later. I remember it raining it’s ass off and her hair getting messed up. In eighteen years, I’d never wanted my sister to suffer. Something had changed between us. I was done giving up things for her. I needed a new start, away from my sister and her new husband. They were going to have the family I wanted with him.
I decided to take the scholarship I’d earned to a college out of state. In fact, I’d already moved in when my mother called to tell me Ivy lost the baby. Although I felt her pain, our time apart hadn’t mended my heart. I had animosity toward my sister and knew as long as she was with Stosh, I couldn’t be around them. He and I stopped talking altogether. It was extremely difficult to be cordial when I heard about them.
In just a few short months, I’d lost my two best friends. I felt saddened and completely alone. Every second of every day, I’d always known I had someone by my side. My whole life was immediately turned upside down and I couldn’t deal with it. I had to get as far away as I could. I didn’t care about anything anymore. Why bother, when you can end up losing in the end?
My sister and I kept in touch, but nothing was ever the same as before he came into our lives. She could never know what she’d taken from me. I loved her enough to never hurt her like that.
So I thought…
Chapter 2
The mirror has two faces.
I should probably explain the conversation which put all this into play.
The call from my sister came around four in the morning. When my cell phone started vibrating across my bedside table, I should have known it was her. Since I’d left for college, she never called unless she needed something, or wanted to brag about her perfect life.
I shared a house with four other girls and our lease was up in one month. Since we’d all graduated, we’d already started packing up our things.
I attempted to reach for my phone with my eyes still closed, but ended up knocking it into a box on the floor.
The vibrating stopped and then started back again.
I finally felt it and pulled it out to see my sister’s face displayed on the screen. I double checked the time before answering.
“Hello?”
“It’s me. I’m in trouble and I need you to come home.”
“Ivy, it’s four in the morning. Call me back in a couple hours.”
“I can’t. Look I don’t have time to explain. I need you to come here. Will, I need you to be me for a couple days.”
I sat up straight in my bed. “Are you crazy?”
“No. I’m desperate. Please, Will. Please help me.” She started to sob, and I immediately felt sorry for her.
“I’m not doing anything until you tell me what’s wrong. Where’s Stosh? Why can’t he help you?”
“He can’t know! He can’t ever find out. That’s why I need you to be me.”
“You’re crazy. He’s your husband. He’s going to know I’m not you.”
“No, he really won’t. We barely see each other. He is obsessed with work and doesn’t pay attention to anything I do.”
“Ivy, this is insane. I have a life here. I can’t just get up and be you. It’s not feasible.”
“Will, I’m begging you. It’s life or death.”
“What? What have you done, Ivy?”
“How fast can you get here?”
She wasn’t going to take no for an answer.
“I don’t know.”
“Will, please. I wouldn’t ask you if it wasn’t important. Please. I have to leave today. I don’t have a choice.”
Her cryptic reasoning was making me worry. My sister was always an open book.
“Ivy, if I drive four hours and this is over a past due electric bill, I am going to kill you.”
“Meet me at the airport parking lot B at noon. I will explain everything.”
“You better!”
She was still crying when we hung up. Something was wrong, and I hated I didn’t know what it was. I felt like I wanted to call Stosh and ask him what was going on, but Ivy insisted he couldn’t know. I knew it wasn’t my parents. She would have told me something like that.
Without knowing what could have been going on, I got out of bed and packed a bag. There was a chance I’d be heading home once I heard her out.
I sucked down my latte as I headed toward the interstate. It was going to be a long lonely drive. Luckily, my Land Rover had satellite radio. I hated commercials and needed my fix of nineties music.
I arrived into town a little before ten. There had been two accidents causing major delays. Since it had been a long while since I’d been home, I was surprised to see the small town had built up. Convenience stores and fast food restaurants had been added, as well as a Super Wal-Mart.
Since I was very early, I decided to get out at a local park and do my morning run. It usually took about an hour and it was a perfect day. Changing in my car wasn’t hard considering I was already wearing a pair of yoga pants. I took off my flip-flops and put on running shoes. After pulling up my long hair, I headed out to take in the fresh air.
This particular route of my run was a little scenic trail on the one side of our town. I ran by the high school and thought about all the eventful moments I’d spent there. It made me run faster, causing me to get out of breath much sooner than I was used to.
After getting myself upset, I rethought my decision and considered turning around and heading back home. There was nothing left here for me.
Sure, I should have moved on. I’d dated in college and even had one serious relationship. Unfortunately, none of them gave me the same feelings Stosh had given me when he kissed me. I know it was hard to believe, but I knew I’d been in love with him back then. My feelings were true, and I wasn’t sure if they’d ever completely go away.
Now that he’d been married to my sister for four years, I’d spent time being cordial with him on the phone. He would say hi, but our friendship didn’t survive their relationship. I kept our conversations to a minimum and couldn’t deal with hearing my sister go on and on about the little things he did that annoyed her.
I hate to say this, but I almost hoped they would get an annulment just to calm the stake that was permanently being stabbed into my heart. I’d deleted my Facebook page, because I got tired of my sist
er posting statuses involving places his parents and were taking them.
Jealousy had gotten the best of me, that’s for sure.
By twelve, I’d been sitting in my car, in the airport parking lot, for more than an hour. When I saw my sister pulling up, I knew I couldn’t turn my back on her, even if it was what I should have done.
It was just a couple of days.
What could go wrong?
When I first saw her sitting down, I could tell she’d been through something. She appeared to have been crying for days. “Spill it, Ivy. I just drove all this way and deserve to hear what the hell is going on.”
She covered her face into her hands. “You wouldn’t understand. Can’t you just take my word for it?”
“You’re asking me to be you. Not only is it against the law, but I can’t be someone I haven’t been around in years.”
She ignored my comment and ran her fingers through my hair. “Our lengths are almost identical.”
I pulled away from her. “Ivy, are you freaking serious? I can’t believe I was so stupid.”
She stood up and put her hands on her hips. “Will, please. I’m begging you.”
“Do you even understand what you’re asking me to do? I can’t be you, Ivy. I can’t go and pretend to be married to your husband. I don’t know where anything in your house is and I sure don’t know how to act around him. He will know.”
She smiled, but somehow looked annoyed. “You don’t know anything about marriage. Not only will Stosh be oblivious, but you may not even have to see him. He’s playing cards with his friends like he does this same time every week. When he comes home he’ll be so drunk he’ll pass out on the couch. Tomorrow he has an appointment with a buyer out of town. He usually stays the whole night there and doesn’t come home until lunch time the next day. He’s got bowling the following night after work, and you’ll be fine until I get back.”
I hated how she’d planned this all out in her head, knowing I would come running to her rescue. I may not have been with her much in the past four years, but it didn’t mean I wasn’t bailing her out all the time. It never failed. My sister was terrible with money. I was forever sending it to her. In fact, I think I’d paid her phone bill three times in the past year. She was irresponsible. “I don’t know…”
“Look, I don’t have time to beg, Will. I need you, more than ever before. Just do this for me. I won’t ask for anything else.”
She sounded like a kid instead of someone who was twenty two. “Fine. I’ll do it, but as soon as someone realizes I’m not you I’m out of this convoluted plan of yours, got it?”
She hugged me. “Thank you, Will. I knew I could count on you.”
A short while later, I watched my sister wave good bye to me. She left me with her keys, car, purse, cell phone and her wedding ring. She’d also called a local salon for me to have my hair cut and colored to match hers.
I should have known better than to agree to such circumstances. This wouldn’t end well.
She’d refused to tell me what she was involved in, and I figured the less I knew the better off I would be. As long as I didn’t have to be around Stoshua, I knew I could get through the next couple of days and go back to my normal life.
Since I hadn’t been in town in years, it took me a while to find the house. They’d moved three times and were renting the pool house of someone my father worked with. It had a separate entrance and there wasn’t anyone at the main house when I pulled in.
Their place was cute for the two of them. When I unlocked the door, the first thing I noticed was the space was even cuter on the inside. Then I saw how messy it was.
Ivy wasn’t ever the kind of girl to keep her room neat and tidy. Her clothes were always thrown on the floor and the bathroom we shared was a constant mess. As I walked around the house exploring, I felt like we were back at home. Dishes were in the sink, even though they had a dishwasher. Magazines were all over the living room floor and the couch looked like it was used for a bed instead of a place to sit down and relax. In the bathroom, there were more products than one could possibly use in one day.
There was no way I was going to be able to stay in this house without straightening it up. I started in the bathroom and then worked my way through until the house was spotless. It also helped me manage some of my frustration for signing onto something this stupid. My sister was a grown woman. I never should have helped her with anything. It wasn’t like I owed her. She owed me more than she’d ever be able to pay back.
After I had ventured around the house, including every closet and drawer, I sat down on the couch and watched television. My sister had assured me I wouldn’t see Stosh, so when I heard keys dropping on the table, I started to panic.
I heard him walk into the kitchen and open the refrigerator. “What the hell happened in here? I know you didn’t do all this yourself. What gives?”
It wasn’t how I imagined a husband greeting his wife. I watched him take a swig of his beer, before emptying his pockets and walking into the bedroom.
He must have been shocked I’d put all his clothes away, because he peeked his head out the door and started to say something. I thought he’d figured it out without me even talking to him. After he gave me a questionable look, he smiled and walked back into the bedroom scratching his head. I didn’t know what to do. Quickly, I got up and searched for something to do in the kitchen. My sister didn’t have much. She never could make anything edible.
I found a couple steaks, an opened package of bacon, half an onion and a can of beans. In the freezer was a pack of sausage and some frozen greens. It was enough to work with.
While getting the steaks marinated in some red wine vinegar and Worcestershire sauce, I cooked the bacon up. After separating some for the beans and some for the greens, I mixed in onions and sausage to half of it. When the meat was fully prepared, and the onions browned, I poured in the can of beans. I fried the greens in bacon grease and a few diced pieces of onion while broiling the steaks.
It took me fifteen minutes to create a nice meal. Stosh came walking out with an empty beer bottle. He had a smile on his face, but still said nothing.
I didn’t know what to do when he walked up and put his arms around my waist. I could feel his breath on the back of my neck as he kissed me there. The hair on my arms raised, and I got chills. “What’s all this for?”
“I figured you’d be hungry. I know I’m starving.” I was trying hard to not look at him, but the more he touched me, the harder it was to attempt to ignore what was happening.
“I missed you.” He kissed the side of my head before turning me around and pulling me into his arms.
“I missed you too.” It was the truth. I’d missed him every day for four years. I could deny it to myself, but it would have been a lie. In a matter of a half hour, I was right back to being infatuated with him. The problem - Stosh was my sister’s husband. He could never know how I felt, or that I wasn’t her. This was all pretend. He wasn’t telling me he missed me, he was telling her.
He pulled away and looked me right in the eyes. I tried to think of what my sister would say, except I was speechless.
“What do you want to do tonight?”
I shrugged. “Don’t you have cards?”
Stosh ran one of his hands up my back over my shirt. “I could stay home. We could hang out. It’s been a while since we’ve done that.”
What was I supposed to say? How could I stand there and tell someone I wanted to spend every second with, he should get as far away from me as he could? I swallowed my pride. How bad could it be? It wasn’t like I was climbing into bed with him. I didn’t want to be second to my sister, but since he thought I was her, I wasn’t doing anything wrong. “Okay.”
He seemed shocked I agreed. After taking a green bean out of the pan and popping it into his mouth, he kissed me on the nose. “Go sit down. I’ll make our plates and meet you in the living room.”
I smiled and did as he requested. A few
times, I caught myself looking over at him, admiring how much he’d changed since high school. He was even more handsome as an adult. Stosh’s hair had gotten darker and his face had more stubble on it. He was still built well, just bigger. When he caught me looking, he winked. I turned my head and blushed like I was a teen again. It wasn’t like me to act so immature. I was an adult who handled my relationships with a keen sense of responsibility. Whatever was happening, I had no control over it.
When Stosh came over with two plates and the bottle of ranch, I had to laugh. I’d put ranch on everything when I was a kid and so did my sister. My father would always tell me I was ruining the taste of my meat. He didn’t get it.
It was weird how Stosh watched me eat. Who was I kidding, everything was weird. This wasn’t my life. Pretending to be my sister was only going to break my heart all over again. He was clearly in love with her. I just wanted to know what it felt like.
I should have gotten up and walked out of the house. Whatever my sister was involved in, it was her problem, not mine.
Still, after the time we’d spent apart, I couldn’t tear myself away from this man. Even if it were only for a couple days, or one night, this was exactly where I wanted to be. I wanted to have my best friend back. I began to pretend he’d never fallen in love with my sister.
I wanted to pretend he was in love with me instead.
Chapter 3
Truth or Dare
After we ate, Stosh insisted on doing the dishes. I guessed he was the one who did them every day. In order to keep up with pretending to be Ivy, I sat on the couch and focused on ignoring him. It was difficult. I’d been away for so long I wanted to know what he’d been up to for the past four years. Surely, he’d have a lot to tell me. Unfortunately, I couldn’t ask, since I was supposed to know.
I’d stopped asking my parents about my sister years ago. When I had done it, hearing about them being happy literally made me sick. I was jealous of their life. Perhaps it was inconceivable. I had run away from my problems, instead of facing them. She was my twin sister, and I’d abandoned her.
Twinsequences Willow Page 2
