by Amanda Tru
“I wish you’d let me take you to a restaurant in Brighton Falls,” Adam said, holding the door open for London to pass through to exit into the bright sunlight.
Adam had picked her up at her parents’ house promptly at 5:30, and they had enjoyed dinner at the local Mexican restaurant in Crossroads. While Adam had wanted to take her to a fancy dinner in Brighton Falls, London simply didn’t have the energy. The next few days promised to be exhausting, and adding the bustle and added pressure of an upscale restaurant in the city just seemed too much when she really wanted somewhere casual to catch up with an old friend.
Thankfully, she’d gotten exactly what she’d wanted, and dinner passed quickly with none of the awkwardness she’d been concerned about. London thoroughly enjoyed conversing with Adam and liked the way he’d grown up on the inside as well as the out.
“I enjoyed dinner here!” London insisted as they walked through the parking lot. “I’ve had Mexican food from all over, even in Mexico, and La Bonita Sombrero is right up there with my favorites. Besides, I wasn’t in the mood for the drive over to the city to eat at a restaurant I may not even like as much.”
Adam opened the passenger’s side door of his BMW for her to slide inside. Then he leaned against the door casually and cocked an eyebrow, looking down at her. “That just means I’ll need to take you out again so we can explore Brighton Falls. You aren’t yet familiar with all it has to offer. The city has come a long way since we were kids. The social opportunities and variety of food is amazing. I’ve even considered moving there, not just for the food, of course.”
London waited until he’d shut her door and come around to slide into his seat before responding. “You’d leave Crossroads?”
“Absolutely. I enjoyed my time away when I was in college and law school. I only returned because I couldn’t resist the offer to take over a firm and call it my own, but I never intended to stay here forever. Crossroads is my hometown, but it isn’t my destination. It has always been a stepping stone to my next step.”
“You really have changed since high school,” London said, eyeing him thoughtfully. “I always thought you intended to be a lifelong Crossroads resident.”
“I’m not the same guy I was then, London.” He sidled a speculative look her way and grinned. “I challenge you to conduct a thorough investigation of all of those changes. Of course, that may require a few more dates. Possibly to Brighton Falls.”
London laughed and marveled at the unfamiliar sound. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d laughed, truly laughed. It had been at least a year, and tonight it felt as if the sun may be thinking about peeking through the cloud cover of a seemingly endless storm.
“You win, Adam,” she declared, lifting her hands up in surrender. “I’d love to go out with you again, and I’ll even venture as far as Brighton Falls!”
The second Adam pulled into her parents’ driveway and turned off the engine, London felt an overwhelming sense of déjà vu. How many times had Adam brought her home?
“Are you sure you don’t want to catch a movie or something?” Adam asked hopefully. “It’s still early.”
“Thanks, but I need to help with the wedding preparations. But I had a really nice time tonight,” she added.
Adam looked over and smiled. “I did, too.”
He got out and hurried around the car to open her door, but London opened it first. They started to walk to the front door when Adam suddenly pulled her back in front of the garage, out of sight of the front door and windows.
He glanced over, making sure they were hidden from view and turned to her with eyes dancing. “It’s been years, but I seem to remember multiple pairs of curious eyes hoping for a show whenever I brought you home.”
London laughed and leaned back against the garage door beside him. “You learned your lesson well. We spent many nights saying goodbye right here!”
“Yes, we did.”
It all felt so familiar. The hard garage door at her back. The gleam in Adam’s eyes. The tension that seemed to draw them together. If she blinked, time could rewind over a decade, and she may not even realize it. She even knew how his lips would feel as they touched hers. If she closed her eyes, she could feel their warmth and taste the salty caress that still lived vividly in her memory. She could exactly predict the cadence of her heartbeat. She knew exactly how long the kiss would last and every subtle movement from start to finish. It was a script she’d rehearsed many times before.
It was a pleasant scene, and she’d often thought of Adam over the years, remembering him with fondness, even remembering the giddy excitement of experiencing a first love.
Adam leaned close. She knew he would kiss her. She wasn’t the type to kiss on the first date, but this wasn’t really the first date, was it?
Yet, as his lips poised over hers and beckoned her, pausing just an instant before contact, London hesitated. Did she want time to roll back? Those memories and feelings belonged to the London from long ago. Did she want to reclaim them for today’s London?
Despite the fact that she liked him. Despite the wonderful memories and the way Adam still made her feel. Something gave her pause.
With a slight intake of breath, she pulled a centimeter away. Then she stood on her tiptoes and kissed Adam’s warm cheek instead.
One side of Adam’s mouth quirked upward. “That wasn’t what I was going for,” he said honestly.
“I know,” London replied with amusement. “But it’s all you’ll get tonight.”
Adam nodded in acceptance. “Understood. Just be aware that I’m a persistent kind of guy. I don’t give up easily.”
“I remember that very well,” London granted.
“As long as you don’t take off again for parts unknown, maybe that persistence might pay off this time,” he remarked casually. “It’s rather difficult for an 18-year-old college student to keep trying long distance.”
And there it was.
London didn’t respond immediately, feeling and understanding the tension of what he wasn’t saying. She’d broken his heart. She’d known at the time that he hadn’t wanted to let her go. She’d also known that if she hadn’t left, he wouldn’t have given up. That’s why she’d waited until the very last minute, breaking up with him firmly and decisively the night before she left for college in California. She’d then blocked his number and hadn’t spoken to him until today.
Now she recognized the immaturity in how she’d handled things, and she wouldn’t behave the same way today. She’d hurt him. Even now, her words to him that night haunted her. She’d been shallow and harsh, choosing to simply say she didn’t want a long-distance relationship, instead of revealing any true, deeper reasons for the breakup.
But, with as much regret as she had, she still couldn’t kiss him tonight. Not yet.
“I’m not leaving, Adam,” London said honestly. “I’ve had my fill of the rest of the world. I wanted to come home, and I intend to stay.”
Adam smiled, took her hand, and led her up the sidewalk to the front door. “Well, then, I know you aren’t free tomorrow night, but what about having lunch with me tomorrow?”
“Why not?” London replied easily. “Apparently we are work neighbors. We might as well get a sandwich together.”
“Ok, I’ll drop by tomorrow around noon.” Less than a second after he uttered the words, a cloud of apprehension scuttled across his face. “On second thought, maybe I’ll just text you.”
“Of course,” London said knowingly. “I’d be scared of Rhonda Snow, too.”
Adam laughed and gave her a quick, chaste hug. “You’re good for me, London. I hope I can be even half as good for you.”
Turning around, he walked back down the sidewalk to his car. “See you tomorrow,” he called with a wave, though he didn’t turn back around.
London waited, watching Adam pull out of the driveway and disappear down the street.
Sighing, she turned to open the door to her parents’ house, fully
expecting to be grilled by her siblings who’d surely taken time out of the wedding preparations to spy on her arrival.
Maybe Adam was right. Though some things were the same as in high school, maybe the end result would be different. Was it even possible that the one she’d been looking for was the guy she’d left at home when she was eighteen?
London wearily inserted the key into the lock of her apartment’s front door. It was late. They’d folded all the napkins and prepped the decorations for the wedding, though much work still needed to be done. They’d finally called it a night, and London promised to come back after work tomorrow to help with everything else, which most likely included staying up all night to play the part of Brooke’s floral assistant in assembling the flowers.
The door squeaked as it opened. Before stepping inside, London reached in and flipped the light switch.
“I was beginning to think you weren’t going to make it home tonight!” a voice said casually.
London startled, jumping back against the wall and letting out a little yelp of surprise.
Sucking in a mighty breath of air, her senses recovered enough to recognize her sister, Sydney, seated on an overstuffed chair with her feet drawn up under her and the dim reading lamp on beside her.
“Sydney, I’ve told you not to do that!” London sputtered. “It's not fair to startle me!”
“Why are you startled?” Sydney asked, bemused, and obviously enjoying London’s reaction. “Who else would you unexpectedly expect to be inside your locked apartment?”
“It’s the ‘unexpectedly expect’ part,” London grumbled, setting her purse on the counter and heading to the living area where Sydney stayed seated. “Is it really that inconvenient to call and say, “Hey, sis, I’m coming into town. Can I stay with you this weekend?”
“I thought it would be obvious. I wasn’t about to miss Dallas’s wedding, and of course, I intended to stay with you.”
London sighed. “You’re right, I guess I should know better by now. You never call. You just show up. And not having a key to my apartment has never stopped you from getting inside before.”
London looked at the face that was a mirror image of her own and smiled suddenly. “I’m glad you came, Sydney.” She reached out and wrapped her arms around her sister in a hug.
“I do enjoy the look on your face when I startle you,” Sydney admitted. “But I can’t really help the advanced notice thing. I never know exactly when I will arrive, and it’s better not to advertise my plans.”
London knew that Sydney worked for some government agency, but she didn’t know any of the details and likely never would. Sydney was very closed mouth about what she did, and London had learned to just accept things as they were and to never push Sydney to confide anything. It still bothered her, though. After all, she and Sydney were identical twins and had shared everything growing up. To not feel that closeness left a big hole in London’s life, and though Sydney had never admitted it, London suspected her sister felt it, too.
Drawing away, London said thoughtfully. “Maybe we can develop a code for when you’re in town. That way, you can text me the code, and I won’t freak when I open my locked apartment to find you waiting.”
Sydney sighed. “I guess, but that won’t be nearly as fun.”
“I could also give you a key, you know.”
Sydney shrugged. “That’s not really necessary.”
London sighed. London had moved into this apartment six weeks ago. Sydney had never been here, nor had London ever given her any address for her new place. Yet here she was, inside the locked apartment and acting as comfortable as if she’d lived here for years. Sometimes London wondered why she even bothered telling Sydney anything, especially when she probably already knew everything there was to know about London’s life.
“Have you eaten?” London asked, glancing at the clean kitchen.
“Yes, I already raided your refrigerator, but you didn’t have much. You need to go to the store.”
“I would have if I’d known you were staying with me. Mom didn’t know if you’d get off work for the wedding or not. You know you could have come by Mom and Dad’s and helped with the wedding prep. She made dinner for everyone.”
“Why would I want to do that?” Sydney asked teasingly. “They’ll make me help tomorrow as soon as they figure out I’m in town. Brooke better not ask me to help with the flowers. I’m afraid I’ll kill them with a single touch.”
London shook her head, not believing the bravado for an instant. “Come on, Sydney. We have the same genes. You have some kind of crafty, artistic talent in there. It’s just so buried you can’t find it yet. Maybe helping with the flowers will let your talent finally ‘blossom.’”
Sydney tossed a pillow at London. Laughing, London barely managed to make a dive for the couch as the pillow flew by.
“And you have some serious, yet unrealized super spy talent. Maybe I should help you tap into that!” Sydney retaliated.
“Ummm… no, thank you. On second thought, why don’t we each stick to our chosen fields? I’ll let you handle the super spy/danger stuff, and I’ll handle the artsy flowers and wedding dresses.”
While London stayed flopped on the couch, Sydney headed to the kitchen, though London had no idea what she hoped to find there. Going to the store ranked on the same priority list as decorating her shop and unpacking her apartment. Boxes still stood stacked in every corner while the apartment functioned with the bare essentials. London thought it would likely shock people that such a creative, successful designer made her home in such a stark environment, especially when she could easily afford a larger place decorated to look fit for a magazine. Instead, her apartment looked inhabited by a pauper, and she suspected she wouldn’t actually open those boxes until summer departed for the year. Her to-do list stayed too long, and if given the choice of designing a gown and decorating her apartment, London would always choose her work.
A few minutes later, Sydney showed back up with two bowls of ice cream, and London realized that her sister must have made a run to the store herself. She wordlessly handed a bowl to London as if she was the hostess and London was visiting her apartment instead of the other way around.
London accepted the bowl, loving how her sister always seemed comfortable wherever she found London. It was as if wherever London might live was home to Sydney, and Sydney always made herself at home as if the two were forever roommates. London liked it that way. In fact, in every home she’d ever rented as an adult, she’d always insisted on two bedrooms—one for her, one for whenever Sydney showed up. She honestly didn’t know if Sydney had a home other than the one with London. London had never visited Sydney anywhere. Though they never talked about it directly, London knew Sydney understood that one of the bedrooms was hers. Sometimes when London went to pay her rent, she was informed that it had already been paid for the month, and London knew it was Sydney paying her share.
Sydney sat back in the chair across from London, curling her feet up under her again. “So, Adam Caldwell, huh?” she asked, wiggling her eyebrows suggestively.
London rolled her eyes. “I’d tell you to mind your own business, but you never do. Wouldn’t it be easier to just talk to me about what’s going on in my life rather than spy on me?”
“Who said I spy on you?” Sydney asked, her tone hurt.
“How else do you always know what’s going on in my life? For goodness sake, Sydney, I just ran into Adam today, and we went out this evening. I never get to tell you anything you don’t already know about me!”
London watched a myriad of emotions play across Sydney’s face. For a moment, she felt sure Sydney would brush off London’s irritation with her the same teasing humor she normally did. After all, this wasn’t the first time Sydney admitted to knowing more than she should about London’s life. And this wasn’t the first time London had been irked. It was one thing to keep an eye on your twin sister. It was another thing to have no privacy and be constantly spied
on, which was apparently what Sydney liked to do.
Sydney took a bite of cookies and cream ice cream and paused thoughtfully with the spoon in her mouth. Finally, she set the spoon back in the bowl and set the bowl on the coffee table between them. Then she untucked her feet and leaned forward.
With utmost seriousness, she explained, “I’m sorry, London. I really am. I know it can’t be fun to feel like you’re always being watched. I can try to be more subtle about what I know and not ask you about things I probably shouldn’t already know, but that would seem fake on my part. You’re the only person in my life that I don’t pretend around. So, yes, I keep an eye on you. I won’t say how, and I can’t promise that I’ll stop. In fact, I promise that I won’t. I have a dangerous job. Though I’ve taken pains to keep anonymous with things I do, I have made enemies. Worse, God made another person who has the same face as I do. I try to look different, but no matter what I do to my hair or my makeup, or whatever, I still look in the mirror and recognize your face. I will watch you, but it has nothing to do with you. It’s everything to do with me. I want to keep you safe from the world I live in.”
London swallowed and said brightly, “So, yes. Adam Caldwell.”
As disconcerting it was to know that she was being watched, it was worse to ponder the alternative. Though it bothered her to not know much about her twin’s life or what she did, at times like this, she realized she didn’t want to know. Deep down, she feared she already knew too much.
Readily accepting London’s offer to close the more serious subject in favor of the lighter one, Sydney asked brightly. “Do you think it could be serious?”
London shrugged restlessly. “How could it be serious after just one date?”
“Well, it isn’t just one date. You have an entire history. If I recall, you don’t even have that much baggage to avoid. Your relationship ended when you moved away.”
London nodded thoughtfully. “I do regret how I handled the breakup. It didn’t make for a shining example of my maturity. Adam was my high school sweetheart. In many ways, he was my first love.”
