I find myself staring at the haunted house. Cody and Monica are screwing, aren't they? I'm no idiot; I can see it plain as day.
Tears prick my eyes, and I lean my forehead against the gold pole.
“Why the long face?” a pair of voices ask in unison, and I jump, spinning around in the saddle to find the twins standing on either side of the faux horse's rump. “It's your birthday, isn't it, Chuck?” they repeat, leaning in and grinning at me. They each have one hand on their hip, and they're dressed in loose jean shorts, and red tanks, the rose tattoos on their shoulders bright and beautiful under the sparkling lights of the carousel.
My eyes fill with tears, and even though I sniff hard and try to hold them back, I end up crying. Just a little.
The twins exchange a look, and step forward, one on either side of me.
“Are you crying, Chuck?” Tobias asks, reaching out and brushing one of the tears from my cheek, his green eyes dark with concern. He leans in so close that when he blinks, I swear his eyelashes brush my forehead.
“I think my best friend is fucking my boyfriend,” I say, and then sigh, reaching up to brush the tears from my face. Tobias leans back and studies me while Micah crosses his arms over his broad chest. “That, and they both forgot my birthday.”
The two boys look at each other, and it occurs to me suddenly that … we're not in Connecticut. We're in California. What the hell are they doing here?!
“Um, what are you two doing here?” I ask, and they both turn to look at me.
“Our mother is the dean of the university,” they tell me, shrugging their shoulders in unison. “She wanted us here for break.” They both blink big, beautiful eyes at me before cocking their heads. “How do you think your father got scouted out for the position at Adamson?”
Damn. Hearing them say one or two words in unison is impressive, but entire sentences? It's eerie … and maybe just a teensy-weensy, little bit sexy.
“They forgot your birthday, huh?” Tobias asks, breaking up the twin routine again. “That's pretty fucked-up. Why do you think they're sleeping together?” He hops on the next horse over and curls his long arms around the pole as Micah wanders off.
“Monica can barely look at me. And Cody only seems interested in peering down my shirt.” Both Tobias and I pause as a creaking sound emanates from beneath us, and the music starts up. The horses begin to bob, and the carousel starts to spin.
Micah saunters back around the other side, and hops onto a gold unicorn with pink bows on its head, spinning around in his seat so that he's sitting backward, fingers curled around the edge of the saddle. He's looking at me so intently, I shift uncomfortably in my seat.
I can't help the smile that takes over my lips though.
“How did you get it to start?” I ask, and he gives me this dark sort of smile that makes him look completely different than his twin brother. It's in that moment that I wonder how I could ever confuse the two.
“Magic,” he says, and then shrugs his shoulders like it's no big deal. “Are you going to confront them? Sometimes these things get ugly.” I turn away sharply and exhale, that sour taste churning in my belly. There's no way around this: I have to say something. And yet part of me knows that as soon as I do, there's no going back to the way things were. My friendship with Monica and Cody, the life I had before Dad and I moved to Connecticut, it'll truly be over.
“You sound like you know what you're talking about?” I say, phrasing it as a question. But when I turn back and look at Micah, he's gazing out at the ocean, his eyes dark and far away.
“What do you want to do for your birthday?” Tobias asks from behind me, and I glance over my shoulder to see a naughty smile take over his full lips.
“I have no idea. Honestly, all I was looking for was a Happy Birthday, Charlotte.”
Tobias smirks and hops off his horse to come stand beside me, putting one hand on my bare thigh. I can feel the heat of his palm, a small line of fire from my leg straight up to my heart. My pulse begins to race, and I have to swallow