my last relationship, but it didn’t take long to remember how much I hated the beginning stages, the getting used to each other part. It was enough to make me avoid relationships—well, that and the pain that came along with the breakup. I think the only reason I even decided to give this a shot with Jacoby was because I wasn’t in my right frame of mind.
I was stuck somewhere between heaven and hell—my life and Tiff’s.
“Then hurry up and go take a shower,” I teased.
His smile grew even bigger, and for a second, I didn’t think I had enough strength in me to resist. “All right. I’ll do that and then come over. How does that sound?”
We quickly made plans for dinner—he’d cook for us at my place—and then I headed back while he cleaned up. Which meant I was stuck at home by myself, watching the seconds tick by on the clock until he came through my patio door.
I sat on the counter in the kitchen while he concocted something with whatever ingredients he found in the fridge and pantry. All the while, we talked about my day and what we’d both been up to over the last week and a half. He seemed far more interested in hearing about Ty’s boot camp than anything else. Apparently, he found it humorous.
Then we ate in the living room, sitting in front of the TV that neither of us actually paid attention to. We were too busy continuing our conversation from earlier. But by the time we finished dinner, I was tired of talking about Tiffany and my portrayal of her.
“Is this really how it’s going to be all the time?”
He turned to the side, facing me, and asked, “What do you mean?”
“Like, is this all we’re ever going to talk about?”
“No, but as of right now, it’s the most interesting thing that’s happening in our lives.” He wiped his palm down his face and sighed. “It’s not like I knew any of this when we were hanging out before. This is the first time we’ve actually had a face-to-face conversation about it since I found out who you really are. Sure, you and Dave explained some things, but this is the first time we’ve been able to talk about it freely without anyone else around.”
He made a good point, though that didn’t mean I was interested in talking about my sister to the guy I had the hots for. “Fair enough, so how about this… How about you get ten questions, which I will answer to the best of my ability, and then we move on to something else. Does that sound good to you?”
Jacoby nodded and then sat back, lacing his fingers together behind his head as if getting more enjoyment out of this than he should have. “Okay, for my first question…why did you agree to do this if you hate it so much?”
“Money. Next question.”
He looked like he was about to argue, but instead, he asked, “Why do you need the money?”
“The youth center does a great job of keeping kids off the street. But it doesn’t do anything for the ‘non-athletic’ ones, the kids like me and Dave. So I want to create a space for gamers. Just because they’re not troublemakers doesn’t mean they don’t need a safe haven, too.”
He was quiet for a moment. It was clear that my answer had caught him off guard, but he quickly cleared his throat, shook his head, and moved on. “Do your parents know that you’re doing this whole Tiffany takeover?”
“No. The only people involved are Tiffany, Adam, Ty, Dave, and me. Well, and now you, but you don’t count because you’re not supposed to know.”
“What happens if other people find out? I mean, I did. It’s not that big of a stretch to think someone else might figure it out, too.”
“As far as I know, Tiff has never admitted to even having a sister, let alone a twin. I know enough about her to imitate her around others. For the most part, they’ll probably think she’s on drugs, at which point, I don’t care. But the chances of anyone finding out are slim to none.”
“That actually doesn’t answer my question, so it doesn’t count.”
I rolled my eyes, figuring he’d try something like this. “Fine, I guess it would depend on how someone found out. If it was because of something I did or said, I could be held liable—same goes for Dave. Which is why