Page 52 of Grumpy Bossy Doctor

"Yeah," I smiled.

"I best be on my way," she said and added, "It was a pleasure meeting you again. Ethan, and Ben. I wouldn't want to disturb a brotherly outing. Tomorrow night, Ethan?"

"Tomorrow night," I said.

She smirked and started to leave. Maybe due to the sweatpants, or maybe she wasn't wearing any underwear, but her ass jiggled more than usual. Now came the big problem.

"What did she mean by Ethan?" Ben asked.

"Maybe it's one of those things were the girls would mistake me for him," I replied, playing the ignorance is bliss card. "Let's get going."

"That's not enough excuse," he said. "Ethan isn't in the country. He dropped womanising since the Stacy incident. And Natasha doesn't sound like she's aware that he's married. What are you doing Ian?"

"I don't need a lecture," I said as I walked away.

He held my arm and forcefully turned me around to face him.

"The ice cream would melt," l reminded him.

"I have a deep freezer at home," he said. "What exactly are you doing, Ian?"

"It's not that serious. I have everything under control."

"What control? She thinks you're Ethan. Did you think about what would happen if Ethan returned and she ran into him with his wife?" he asked.

"You wouldn't understand," I said as I looked away.

"What's there not to understand?" he mused. "Judging from the way you look at her, you're actually very interested in her. So what's the problem then? Why not just approach her as Ian? Why steal Ethan?

"Because she doesn't love Ian. She loves Ethan," I answered almost raising my voice. "What would he or even you understand about that? It's always easy for any of you to get a woman into your bed without having to pay her."

"Tone, brother," he warned.

"You have absolutely no idea, what it's like to live under the shadow of two giants," I continued. "You have no idea how hard I've had to struggle. People actually think I enjoy being alone when I just can't talk easily like Ethan can. They think I'm rude because I can't be easily kind like you. You have no idea how many women have approached and looked at me with disappointment just knowing that I'm Ian Sullivan."

He didn't say anything but he still seemed upset.

"You think this is easy for me? I know it's wrong, but I know I'm never going to be the one she wants," I said softly. "But in the end, if this is the only way for me to get closer to her, why am I not allowed to take it?"

He was quiet and the anger in his eyes settled as he sighed, "Did you actually try to be yourself and she rejected you?"

I recalled when I spoke to her in the garden. When we kissed and even when she insisted that Ethan told her everything that Ian knew. Could I really say that she rejected me?

"You can do whatever you want," he said as he walked past me. "But will the reality of things be easy for her to bear once you tell her who you really are?"

The question he asked was one I was scared to answer.

Ben

"Where's uncle Ian?" Chloe asked as I returned home with the items we bought.

"Something came up," I replied.

I didn't leave him at the supermarket: he specifically asked me to drop him off at home. Twins. He was right when he said I wouldn't understand. When the twins were born, I was glad to have two younger brothers at once, but as they grew older, I realized that not all twins shared a very good alliance. Ethan envied Ian. It felt like whatever Ian did radiated maturity.

To Ethan, Ian and I were the lucky ones. I was Dad's favorite, and Ian was an adult at the age of ten. He would often look down on him because of his clumsiness. Ian envied the both of us. No matter how he tried to act mature, he would always be our baby brother. I knew how everyone outside the family treated him. So much burden and so many expectations that weren't even necessary. Sure he liked his quiet time to aid his studies, people naturally avoided him for the simple wish to be alone.

It made no sense and wasn't fair. I knew that a lot of people preferred Ethan. I had also heard the fabricated rumors. True he could be brutally honest, but that was his own way of communicating. At times, it would cause sparks between him and Ethan. Whether as kids, teenagers or young adults, both of them always seemed to find an excuse to fight. My knuckles still hurt from having to separate them by force. And maybe it was just the spirit of being the last born, Ian would always be the one to stir up trouble.

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