“Keely, I said I didn’t want to try clothes on.”
“Do it for me, Zoe. You’re already in there with all those dresses. It can’t hurt to put a couple on, right? Plus, I need my partner in crime tonight.”
“I wouldn’t consider what we do crime.” Although, some of the guys she’s been attracted to could have very well done some time.
“It would be a crime for you to pass up the black dress on top on your pile.”
It’s a size smaller than I normally wear, and doesn’t look like it could keep half of my chest where it belongs. “It won’t fit, Keely.”
She tosses something else over the dividing wall of the dressing room, landing on my head. “It will if you put that on first.”
Pulling it off my head, I stare at a big piece of elastic. Surely it’s a torture device in some country. “What is this thing?”
“It’s shapewear. All the stars use it. You’ll slide right into that dress, no problem. Trust me.”
Trusting her is the problem. I trusted her to leave me alone today. Yet here I am, trying to wiggle my ass into the meanest spandex I’ve ever met. “Don’t they make a bigger size? I can’t breathe.”
“Breathing isn’t important. And don’t you dare take it off until I see you in it!”
“I can’t even get it on.” With my back pressed against the wall, I stop long enough to catch my breath. That’s when I see the top of her shoe tapping in front of my door. “Why aren’t you trying anything on yet?”
“I have to make sure you won’t run.”
“Run? I can’t even waddle in the damn thing. You’re sure it’s safe?”
“Grab a handful and pull it up.”
There’s no chance of me running or standing because I can only get the shapewear to my thighs before I lose my balance and fall against the mirror, my cheek smooshing against the cool glass. “This isn’t going to work. I can’t get it up.”
“Shit, I hate when that happens. Just keep trying.”
“Why do I feel like we’re not talking about the same thing anymore?”
“We will be if I ever get you laid. Now, suck it in and take it like a woman.”
I listen to her advice, standing tall and pulling it up and over my hips. My arms barely make it in the straps before it’s so snug against my body I feel like I have a brick on my chest. The two boobs I came in with are now one giant uniboob. It’s like when those robbers wear nylons over their faces, smashing their features into an unrecognizable mess, only I have it all over my body.
“Should it hurt to breathe?”
“If you’re doing it right, yes.”
“I’m nailing it then.” I’m positive if I can wiggle it a little further up my thighs, I’ll have more room at the top, but the second I try to shimmy, the cardboard tag assaults me in the most unlikely of places. “Ohmigod, it’s up my ass.”
Keely pulls the door open, letting herself inside without asking. “What’s the problem? You look perfect. All you have to do is put the dress over the top and you’ll look like a million bucks—and really skinny.”
Too afraid to take a step in any direction, I hold my arms up, letting her dress me like a child. She yanks the equally tight fabric over my curves until the dress is hugging my thighs and slowly killing me. “I still can’t breathe.”
She claps her hands, standing back a little to get the full view. “You are totally fuckable, Zoe. Chaz is going to lose his mind.”
“If this is for Chaz, no way. I’d never put myself through this kind of pain for a guy like him.”
“But you would for someone else? What are you hiding, Zoe?”
“Nothing, I’m just not going out in public like this.”
“Like what? You look like you have a stick up your ass.”
“It’s cardboard.”
“I don’t know what that means, but if you don’t like this dress, try another. One of them will make you happy.”
“No more. I’m done. I’ll go to your party, but I’ll wear something of my own, or I’m not coming.”
Huffing, she shakes her head. “Why do you make being a girl so hard?”
“Because you can’t dress me up like a doll. I’m a human being, Keely.”
“A cranky one.”
I shuffle closer, so I don’t have to say this any louder than necessary. “Listen to me. I have a tag in the crack of my ass. One wrong move and I’m going to need a colonoscopy. So, I suggest you get this hooker dress off my body before I rip it off and make you pay for it. Because I’m positive all your beer money would be gone!”
With wide eyes, she glances at my ass. “You’re serious, aren’t you?”
“As a heart attack.”
I’ve never seen Keely move quite as fast as she does when she pulls the dress over my head, tosses it on the chair, and runs out of the dressing room like a woman on fire. She’s lucky I’m a nice sister because the thoughts tumbling around in my mind are downright evil.
CHAPTER FOUR
Dylan
“It’s all yours, Dylan,” the landlord says as he places two shiny keys in the palm of my hand.
“Thanks for making this happen so fast.”
He smiles and nods. “You must be in a hurry to get your lady into her new palace.”
“Something like that,” I tell him.
Truth is, Zoe could very well turn me down. I’m putting all my faith in her, and the fact that she’s been stuck living in a dorm for a good portion of the last three and a half years.
All I can do is hope she’s so tired of it she runs into my arms—and our new place. I thought long and hard about making the move, considering my apartment now is too small for the both of us. With my uncle passing away last year, I figured it was time to use some of the money he left me. I can’t think of anyone better to spend it on than Zoe.
“Dylan, let me know if you need anything. I’m right next door.”
I clutch the keys in my closed fist, letting the teeth of the metal dig into my skin. It’s the only thing helping to ground me when I want to run to Zoe, pack up all her stuff, and make her mine. “I will. Thanks again.”
Once he leaves, I look around the living room, already picturing my favorite chair in the corner and Zoe in her favorite spot on the couch, wrapped up in her fuzzy blanket. But imagining only gets me so far. I may have had the keys all of five minutes, but it’s time to let her in on my secret.
“Hi, Dylan. What’s up?”
I’m relieved when her sweet voice filters through the receiver. “You busy, Zo?”
“Keely’s about to drop me off at the dorm. What’s up?”
It doesn’t surprise me that Keely ran to Zoe. I’d probably worry if she hadn’t. “Have Keely drop you off at Beans instead.”
“More coffee? Aren’t you hyper enough?”
“He probably wants to talk about me,” I hear Keely say in the background.
If she only knew what I have to talk to about, she’d really lose her shit. I also realize it’s probably not the best idea to spring new living arrangements on one sister the same day I dumped the other. Then again, I’ve never done anything crazy like this before. Yet I couldn’t imagine doing it any other way.
“I don’t want to talk about Keely, but I could use your help if you’re not busy.”
Just as I finish my sentence, Keely’s car speeds through the intersection, ignoring the yellow light completely. In typical Keely fashion, she bumps the curb with her tire like she does every time she parks along the street. Those hubcaps don’t stand a chance with her behind the wheel.
I open Zoe’s door, making sure to acknowledge Keely when I help Zoe out. She smiles at me but doesn’t make any attempt at conversation. I’m okay with that.
She does give Zoe a menacing look, and it makes me wonder what they’ve been talking about. All she says to Zoe is, “Don’t stand me up.”
“I won’t. I said I’d be there.”
Keely laughs, earning the evil eye from Zoe. “She’s fine, Dylan. A little unexpected visitor put her in a foul mood. But I’ve gotta run. The party awaits.”
She speeds off as fast as she came, never bothering to use her turn signal.
Zoe watches the taillights until Keely’s out of view. I reach for her hand, wanting to comfort her, but stopping before our fingers touch. “Tell me what’s wrong.”
From the look in Zoe’s eyes, she wants to cry, but she walks toward the coffee shop next door, only stopping once she’s in front of the window.
“Zo,” I whisper as she falls into my arms without persuasion. “Do you want to go inside and tell me about it?”
Glancing over her shoulder, her eyes roam over all the tables before she turns back around and shakes her head. I’m not sure who she is looking for, but she’s acting like she’s trying to avoid someone. The only person she’s usually hiding from is her sister.
“Can we get it to go this time?”
“Yeah, okay,” I tell her. “I have something to show you anyway.”
I lead her inside with my hand on the small of her back. There are so many things I want to say to her, but I’ll hold back until I find out what’s going on.
We’ve gotten coffee together hundreds of times in this cafe, but today is different. It’s not like Zoe’s an animated, over-the-top kind of girl, but I don’t want her to ever hide from me. Right now, I get the impression she is. I can’t blame her, considering I put her in the middle of my breakup with Keely. All I can do now is say, “I’m sorry, Zoe.”
She looks up at me with her warm, brown eyes, instantly shredding me to pieces. “What are you sorry for?”
“I’m sorry about Keely, but I couldn’t stay with her just for the sake of staying. I think we both know she’s not who I want.”
She shakes her head, her gaze falling to the floor. “Dylan, I honestly have no idea what you want these days. I think I was more surprised that you hooked up with Keely in the first place, but that’s not what’s bothering me. Yes, I’m mad at Keely, but it has nothing to do with you. It’s our typical sister drama.”
“If it was nothing, you wouldn’t be upset, Zo. Talk to me.”
She waits until we each have a coffee in hand before she stops just inside the door of Beans.
“Keely was talking about what it’ll be like after graduation—how she’ll be moving back home and I’ll be staying here. I guess it made me realize I have a lot to figure out still. I’m a planner, and you’ll tell me I have plenty of time, but lately time is flying. Not to mention she’s trying to hook me up with Chaz again.”
I nod toward the doors, realizing there’s no time like the present. “Come on. There’s something I need to show you.”
With her shoulders up around her ears, she brings her warm coffee close to her lips, following me back into the cold. Her legs move double-time to keep up with me, and when we get to the house, she climbs the stairs to a place she doesn’t yet know belongs to the two of us.
“Who lives here?”
I shrug, unlocking the door in silence before reaching for her hand and pulling her inside. Standing in the middle of the empty living room, I set my coffee on the floor and dig into my pocket. She watches, smiling when I pull out a candy bracelet, just like the one I gave her when I asked her to go to the dance with me freshman year, and every year after that. It wasn’t a coincidence I was always single when the Sweetheart Dance rolled around every single February.
“It’s been a long time since I gave you one of these, Zoe.”
“You’re right, it has. Our high school dance days are over, though.”
I take her hand, sliding the bracelet onto her wrist like all the times before. “You’re right, there’s no dance, but I have a something else to ask you this time.”
“Yeah? What’s that?”
I could go into some long, drawn-out speech about grand gestures and shit, but I’ve waited long enough for today. Without a shadow of a doubt that this is the right move for us, I go for it the same way I did in the equipment closet of the high school gym.
“As of today, this place is mine, but I’d like it to be ours. Move in with me, Zo. You won’t have to worry about housing, and I won’t have to live on takeout anymore.”
Her coffee cup almost slips out of her hands, but after she regains her composure, she holds onto the cup so tightly her knuckles start to turn white. “You’re serious? You want us to live together?”
“That’s exactly what I want,” I tell her as I stare into her eyes. When she doesn’t respond, I stare at the hardwood floor, wondering if she’s going to reject my offer. “It won’t be so bad. We’re together all the time anyway.”
When I hear her sniffle, I raise my head, wondering why the idea of living with me reduced her to tears. “You don’t have to, Zoe. I thought it would solve some problems, save us some money, and when I walked you home every day, we’d both be going the same direction. It made sense in my head, but I can see how you’d be freaked out.”
“No, you’re right. All those things are true.”
I can tell she’s slowly suffocating inside her puffy coat, so when she turns and walks out the front door, I don’t stop her. The last thing I want to do is push her away, so I give her all the time she needs.
But as I lean against the wall next to the windows, all I can do is watch her swipe at the tears falling down her cheeks as she sits on the front porch of our new house. It’s ours in every sense of the word because Zoe Allen has me. I just need her to want me.
CHAPTER FIVE
Zoe
All my prayers have been answered, yet I’m sitting on the porch crying my eyes out. Only I’m not the least bit sad. Instead, I’m scared. Dylan’s gone above and beyond to help me out, but I’m afraid living together will ruin the friendship we’ve spent years building.
I couldn’t even live with my own twin for more than three months before we completely fell apart. If that were to ever happen with Dylan, I don’t know what I would do. Or if I could ever recover. He’s my rock—he always has been.
But no matter how many reasons I come up with as to why living with him would be too risky, it’s still a risk worth taking because it’s him. That’s why, just this once, I’m going to let Dylan solve my problems for me, even though I swore up and down I’d always be an independent woman. Even the strongest need rescuing once in a while.
I dry my tears, even though new ones are already falling, and hurry back inside. “Dylan?” I call out as I round the corner of the foyer. At first, I don’t see him in the dark, but once I make out the outline of the shadow leaning against the wall, I run to him.
Suddenly happier and more at peace than I’ve been in a really long time, I stop only to set my coffee cup down before slamming into Dylan with a hug big enough to knock him off balance. He doesn’t let us fall, though; he only holds on tighter, lifting me off the ground.
“Thank you so much, Dylan,” I tell him over and over until he’s laughing so hard I think he might really drop me this time.
“Is this something I need to get used to?”
“What? Me jumping on you?”
“Well, I wouldn’t mind that, but you were crying two minutes ago, and now you’re smiling so big your teeth are sparkling. Is this one of Zoe’s many mood swings?”
“No, this is me being excited, happy, thankful—all of the above.”
“So, it’s official? We’re roommates?”
“It looks like I’m moving in with you. You’re stuck with me.”
Dylan spins us around, and I’m rewarded with one of his killer smiles. This is by far my favorite day in the history of our days.
“We need to celebrate, Zo. What do you want to do?
”
I can think of a million things I’d like to do, but before I tell him a single one, I remember the promise I made to my sister. “Keely’s having a party with her roommates. I have to go.”
“Can I go? Or will she kick me out? It’s probably too soon for the whole friends thing, isn’t it?”
“I’m not sure she wants to be your bestie or anything, but it should be okay. If anyone says anything, tell them you’re with me.”
I don’t realize what I’ve implied until Dylan’s goofy grin disappears. “That should go over well with Keely.”
“I didn’t mean it like that.”
He nods like it’s better that way, but I don’t miss the flicker of hurt in his eyes when he looks away from me. “We should get going before you get too cold. The heat’s not on yet.”
I follow him through the door and wait for him to lock up before walking to his car in silence. He was so happy, and I went and ruined it by talking about my sister.
Before he gets in the car, I stop him. He’s always driving me around, and I don’t want him to be upset or feel out of place tonight. The least I can do is give him some time away from Keely before trying to make him barge right back into her life.
“I can walk home, Dylan. It’s not that far.”
With his hand on the open door, he leans against it, his caring eyes and warm smile slowly returning. “Don’t make it into something it’s not, Zoe. It’s already forgotten.”
“Okay,” I whisper as my breath billows into a cloud of smoke.
“Are you hungry?”
“Starving.”
“Why don’t you come back to my place and I’ll make us something.”
This time, he’s the one who says something stupid. It’s no secret Dylan has the culinary skills of a child. If it doesn’t involve slices of bread and a piece of cheese, he’s lost. “You can’t cook for shit. How about I make dinner, but you’ll need to stop at the store first. Your fridge is always empty.”
“I eat out or on campus most of the time, but since we’re celebrating, I’m thinking we should go with lobster.”
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