Page 4 of That One Night

And I don’t even know her name.

And I’m not going to learn it, because she doesn’t want to talk. She wants to be left alone. And I’ll be damned if I’m gonna be that guy who saves her from one douche only to become one myself. Nope, I’m keeping my eyes on my basket of fries, my dick in my pants, and my questions to myself.

But then I feel her shift next to me, clearing her throat.

“So…what brings you to Seattle?” she says in that soft voice.

“Umm, my sister,” I reply.

“Amy?”

I nod.

She smiles. “She’s not about to waltz in here and blow our story, is she?”

I sigh, letting myself give in to the pity party I’ve been desperate to throw since I got off the phone with her thirty minutes ago. I couldn’t just sit alone in my room, so I wandered up here to the bar.

Jake Compton, loser table for one.

“She’s not coming,” I reply. “We were supposed to meet here as a sort of halfway point. We were gonna spend the week hanging out and doing touristy shit. But her flight got cancelled.”

“That sucks,” she murmurs.

“Yeah,” I reply. Itreallysucks. With our crazy schedules, the time change, and the distance, I haven’t seen my sister in almost a year. I miss her like crazy.

Her brow furrows. “How is Seattle a halfway point? I’m just trying to think through that geography…”

“Amy lives in Japan, and I’m out on the east coast right now,” I reply. “So, it’s sorta halfway. I’m closer, and have no customs, so she made me pay for the hotel.”

“Whoa…that’s neat. What is she doing over there?”

I glance to my right, trying to play it cool. I just need to see her again. I need to know this is real, that I’m not making her up in my head. Yep, she’s still fucking gorgeous. And she’s looking right at me, waiting for me to reply. She’s initiating this, so I’m not the douche, right? I was totally minding my own business. She’s asking the questions.

“Umm…shit, I’m terrible with the details,” I say with a laugh. “Amy is the smart twin. Like,supersmart. Two master’s degrees in engineering, and an awesome job doing something with a robotics company.”

She gasps, those pouty lips parting as her eyes flash with interest. “I’m a twin too.”

I grin. “No way. Fraternal?”

“Yeah, my brother Harrison. He’s eight minutes older,” she adds, taking a sip of her lemony tea.

“Hey, Iknewthere was something about you.” I grin back at her, raising my hand. “High five for fraternal twins!”

She laughs and rolls her eyes, playing along. She raises her right hand, the slim gold bracelets on her arm jingling as she gives me a high five.

We settle back on our stools, and I feel a little lighter. I want to know her name, but I’m terrified to ask. It just feels like if I do, she’ll disappear like a puff of smoke.

With Amy MIA, and my new flight home not scheduled until Tuesday morning, I’m all alone here in Seattle for the next two days. Maybe things are looking up…maybe this is fate. So what if I have to put off seeing Amy until Thanksgiving? I’ve got a beautiful girl keeping me company, and she doesn’t seem to totally hate talking to me.

“So…what areyoudoing in Seattle?” I ask.

“I’m also here on twin business,” she replies. “My brother’s wedding was this weekend.”

“Is that why you’re all dressed up?”

She nods, her smile falling. “Yeah, I had a post-wedding brunch today, but I wasn’t feeling very festive. I may have slipped out. I’ll text Harrison later and apologize,” she murmurs, checking her phone.

She may be gorgeous, but it’s also obvious that she’s depressed over something. I don’t want to push my luck, but I’m a social person…and I’m super nosy. I drive my teammates crazy by always shoving my way into their personal lives. What can I say? I like gossip, and Ireallylike to help where I can. You can just call me Mr. Fix-It.

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