Page 6 of Little Did We Know
“So does a furniture store,” Reese retorted.“Doesn’t make it a home.”
I smiled to myself and walked behind the kitchen bar that separated the area from the living room.“Would you like something to drink?”
Reese looked interested.“What do you have?”
I opened my freezer.“Gin, vodka, white rum.”I had more in my liquor cabinet, but none of it was cold.Then the fridge.“Ginger ale, orange juice, tonic water, and Coke.”I made room for him to peruse.“Feel free to play bartender.I need to go to the bathroom.There are snacks in that cupboard too.”
“I like snacks,” he said with a nod.
He was in luck.I went through periods of obsession with chips…
* * *
The twins had made themselves at home by the time I returned some ten minutes later.Not only had they figured out how my old stereo worked and put on some bluesy rock—a CD I was fairly sure belonged to my dad—but they’d gotten comfortable on the couch with drinks, snacks, and… Well, Reese had stripped down to boxer briefs and was currently fist-deep in a bag of cashews.
The sight was so comical that it washed away any traces of surprise.Then again, did I have anything to be surprised about?We all knew where this night was going, and if I could, uh, make myself presentable with my bathroom routine, Reese shedding some clothes was nothing.
Still.This was weird.And funny.
Reese grinned when he spotted me.“Hey, gorgeous.Did you get your asshole prettied up for us?”
I stopped short, and it felt like he’d dumped a bucket of cold water over me.Water or embarrassment.Or defiance—or anger!
Who the fuck was this guy?!
I made eye contact with River.“Is he always like this?”
He shrugged a little and took a swig of whatever drink he’d mixed.“More or less.It’s how he digs for information.It ain’t subtle, but it’s effective.”
Information about what?And how exactly?Through shock value?
“If there’s information you want about me, you could start a conversation and ask,” I pointed out.“It’s how normal people get to know each other.”
River chuckled quietly.“Not sure we know what’s normal.”
“Fuck normal,” Reese said bluntly.“Besides, we know plenty about you already.A lot can be said about someone who’s got not only a record player but a CD player and an iPod.”He was looking at my entertainment unit.“Yearbooks on display too—you probably had a childhood filled with fond memories.Picture of your parents, I assume.Happy family.No siblings, right?Your mother helped you decorate your apartment, but you’re not clueless around interior design.You know what you like.Should I go on?”
Um.
“He’s just parrotin’ shit I observed while you were in the bathroom,” River stated.He wore a face of slight disapproval for his brother.“All you did was point out the yearbooks.”
“So what?”Reese smiled.“We’re a team.You do the work, and I present it.”
River rolled his eyes.
I felt my mouth twitch.I didn’t know what it was about these guys, but they were certainly…interesting.
I sat down in the chair across from them and poured a gin and tonic.They’d even filled a bowl with ice and wedged up a lemon, which provided me with some information too.
“What else does my apartment say about me?”I asked curiously.
River’s eyes sparked with interest, and he didn’t waste time letting his gaze wander.From the entertainment unit, where I kept everything related to music and movies, to the shelves, where I only had a few smaller paintings.A friend from college had painted them, and if she ever made it big, I might get rich.But the main reason I’d bought them was because of the DC theme.She painted parks, monuments, and architecture in watercolor.
Next, River’s gaze slid to my liquor cabinet.
“Mind sharing some info aboutyou?”I wondered.“All I know is you’re twin brothers, you enjoy martial arts, you’re Sadists, and you don’t half-ass your gin and tonic.”
Reese side-eyed his brother.“Ain’t much to divulge.River works in IT, and I’m his babysitter.”
