My face dropped. Cute? Really? Was that the best he could come up with?
I sighed and looked him dead in the eyes. “No. No one has ever referred to me ascute.”
Or pretty, hot, or any of the other things girls like Shelby and my sister heard all the time.
“Well, you are.” Brian leaned back against his chair and tipped his head. “And if you go out to dinner with me, I’ll happily explain all the ways your cuteness shines.”
Color me confused. “You’re asking me out?”
“Yeah.” Brian nodded. “That’s kind of what I meant by dinner.”
Was I being punked? Trina was hiding somewhere, right? I didn’t get asked out. Ever. And now this guy with his charming smile and styled blonde hair was interested? Something didn’t seem right.
“Why?”
He paused and gave me a weird look. “What do you mean why?”
“I mean, why are you asking me out?”
The expression on his face twisted, deepening the lines of befuddlement. “Why wouldn’t I?”
He seemed genuinely confused. Maybe he really wanted to go out with me? Then again….
It was more likely that some asshole set this up as a prank. My gaze fell down to Chase, who was whispering to the guy next to him. However, I was more interested in the small bag being passed.
Was Mr. Popular planning on another private party?
“It’s just dinner, I promise,” Brian said. “I won’t even shake your hand.”
And just like that, I knew what to do with the picture in my pocket.
The corner of my mouth lifted. “How about a party?”
Everyone, at some point in their life, experienced that sinking sensation in their stomach that something just wasn’t right. Like at the zoo when the lion stared at you while licking his lips. These were things I passed off as basic survival instincts. Let’s face it. If that lion broke free from his cage, the human wouldn’t be the one that came out on top.
Most of the odd sensations people felt could be explained away with the same logic, except for when twins were involved.
I was on my way out the door to meet Brian when my phone rang. Normally, I would’ve ignored it and continued about my business, but something made me answer. The second I heard my sister’s voice, I knew why.
“Oh my god, Marnie, you should see the guys in Miami. It’s man-candy central.”
“Hello, Trina.” I sighed. “Hungry as ever, I see.”
Why was I talking to my sister instead of hanging up? Because, for some reason, I couldn’t refrain from talking to her. I also knew when she was hurt, sick, or sad. Shelby called it freaky twin ESP. I called it fucked up. She had no idea how annoying it was to have a perfectly normal day ruined by the sudden onset of nerves for absolutely no reason.
“My apologies,” Trina groaned. “For a second there, I thought I was talking to an actual human girl with raging hormones instead of a robot focused on her next story.”
Focusing on something productive was a much better use of my time.
“Let me guess, one of your professors looked at you a little too long, and now, he’s a pervert that needs to be exposed? Or maybe it was the dean? Cause God forbid a man would ever be interested in a woman.”
“There’s a difference between interest and predatory aspects,” I said while tucking my phone between my ear and shoulder.
“Not every guy is a predator, Marnie,” Trina argued.
“You would know,” I spat back at her. “You’ve dated enough of them.”
My sister’s ability to chew up men and spit them out didn’t bother me. It was the way she devalued herself as nothing more than a toy for them to play with. However, Trina would argue that they were her toys.
