Page 13 of Play On

Usually I love being a twin. It’s a unique connection to have with another human being, and Nicholas has always been my other half.

But right now, I’m finding it incredibly annoying.

“Pfft,” I say dismissively. “Noah was lovely. I hadfun. But that’s all it was, I assure you.”

Suddenly Amelia’s phone buzzes. She flips it over and reads her screen. “Oh, Liz needs to talk about some wedding stuff,” she says, rising from the table as she sees the call from her best friend. “Please excuse me, I’ll be right back.”

She pauses and drops a kiss on Nicholas’s cheek, and my heart catches as I watch them.

Could I have had that kind of intimacy with Noah?

STOP. STOP. STOP.

I’ve already made my decision, there’s no undoing what I did.

Understood.

As that word flashes through my head, I know it’s final. Noah received my message of disinterest loud and clear. He will never contact me again.

And as that sinks in, my stomach rolls over in response.

“I don’t believe you.”

I blink. Nicholas is staring at me with his knowing eyes.

“Don’t laugh this off, Violet,” he continues. “For some reason, you’ve decided to lie to yourself and say you are no longer interested in Noah Darby. But I not only saw how Noah was this weekend, I sawyou. Youlikehim, Violet. So why are you shoving him away?”

Chapter Four

The Library at Wintersmith Hall

Nicholas knows he’s reading my mind. I pause for a moment, gathering my thoughts, and stare back at him.

“I’m not Noah’s type,” I say.

“Try again.”

“Nicholas, I just don’t want to go out with him, that’s all.”

“You’ve made that clear. Butwhy?”

Exasperation bubbles up within me. Nicholas is not going to let this go, and he’s going to stay on me until I either burst into tears or admit the truth.

Seeing as I hate crying, and I’ve already done enough of that lately, I go with the second option.

“Because Noah doesn’t understand what he’s truly getting with me.”

Nicholas stares at me, a crease forming on the bridge of his nose as he tries to make sense of my comment. “Vi, what are you talking about?” he asks, his voice soft now.

Damn it, he’s going to make me cry with that concerned twin tone.

I stare down at my half-eaten slice of pizza, too embarrassed to look my successful, brilliant brother in the eyes.

“I … I googled him,” I begin. “Noah is driven. He’s known his purpose since he was a little boy. Noah has spent his wholelife working towards this goal of being in the Premier League. People talk about his determination, his brilliance, his goal setting. He’s serious and successful and everything I’m not. I’m a butterfly, Nicholas. Flittering from one thing to the next. It’s just a nice way of saying I’m a flake. I’m not the kind of woman Noah would like once he truly knew me. So why go through this, Nicholas? What’s the point?”

There. The truth is out there.

Nicholas doesn’t say anything.

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