Chapter 23 #2
She waved the chopsticks dismissively. “Google and I had a great time figuring out the menu. It was just a bit intimidating, but I managed. Besides, I’m sure you had a long day at your mystery job for the family. I figured food therapy would help.”
“That’s very thoughtful of you,” I said, smiling. “Also, it’s really not much of a mystery. I’m in sales. I told you that.”
“Yes, well, I’m extremely thoughtful when dumplings are involved, and sure, you’re in sales, but you also dabble in operations and God only knows what else.”
“It’s really not that interesting.” I grabbed a pair of chopsticks of my own and snagged a dumpling. “Hey, after this, do you want to go out and see the city?”
She thought it over for a moment before she looked down at the food. “I’m fine here.”
“Really? Are you sure? Chicago is pretty impressive at night. There’s a lot to do and see after sunset.”
“Oh, I’m sure.” She gestured at herself. “I’m already in my pajamas and I’m not much one for nightlife. Plus, we’re pretending to be normal human beings, right? That means going to bed at a decent hour so we adjust to the time zone faster.”
“Yeah, that’s true,” I said after a beat. “All of it. You really could’ve just chosen one reason, though. Even just saying you didn’t want to would’ve been enough.”
“Variety is the spice of life,” she said cheerfully. “Besides, there’s no way you could argue with all that.”
“I wouldn’t have argued anyway.”
She looked up at me. “You’re welcome to go out if you’d like. Personally, I’m going to eat enough to qualify as a national security threat to the food supply and probably go to sleep.”
I chuckled. “Thanks, but I’m fine here too. I’ve seen Chicago at night plenty of times and I haven’t really missed it.”
“Fabulous,” she concluded. “In that case, I vote we stay exactly where we are.”
“That’s the most convincing argument I’ve heard all day.”
Both of us tucked in, eating our way through most of the insane amount of food she’d ordered. When she was done, she smiled and leaned back on the couch. “Do you know what I love?”
My heart did that weird thing again, even though I knew she wasn’t going to say, You, Will. I love you. “What’s that?”
“Movies.”
Fuck, but yeah. Okay. I can work with that. “Movies, huh?”
“Yes. Romance movies, specifically.”
I thought back to all those books in her room and nodded. “In that case, I have something to show you.”
“What is it?”
“Just come with me.”
Her eyes lit up immediately. “A secret?”
I shrugged. “Yeah, sure.”
“I love secrets.”
“That’s slightly concerning.” I got up, motioning for her to follow me. “Right this way.”
“Where are we going?” She jumped off the couch with surprising enthusiasm for someone who’d just consumed half of China. “It is in your brother’s house, right? This isn’t some way to lure me out?”
“Nope.” I led her down the hallway and toward the back of the house, past my home office and down the stairs. “Watch your step.”
“What is it?” she asked. “A basement?”
“You’ll see.”
She let out a giggle. “This feels mysterious.”
“That’s the goal.” I pushed open a door at the end of the corridor and the lights flickered on automatically, revealing the in-home theater I’d had installed.
There was a large screen at the front of the room and tiered seating. The chairs were massive and ridiculously comfortable. I’d chosen them myself because I, too, loved movies. Not that I could tell her that it was yet another thing she had in common with me, not Jesse.
Eliza stopped in the doorway. “Oh my God.”
“There’s the reaction I was hoping for.” I grinned. “What do you think?”
“You have a movie theater.”
“Will has a movie theater,” I said, sighing internally. “I just have use of it, but yeah.”
“You’re saying that like it’s normal, but it’s not. You have a movie theater in your house. I live in a castle and we don’t have one of these.”
I laughed. “We try to stay humble.”
She walked slowly inside, looking around like she thought she might be dreaming. “This is amazing, Jesse. Truly.”
“You can pick any movie you’d like,” I said, sweeping a hand out toward the console. “If it’s on any major streaming service, we’ve got it.”
Her gaze snapped toward mine. “I get to pick?”
“Sure. You said you like romance and I’m not really an expert in the genre, so I can’t really help on that front.”
She practically floated over to the console, and five minutes later, we were settled into the back row of seats while a movie I vaguely recognized as one of the greatest romantic tragedies ever filmed started playing.
Eliza curled up beside me, tucking her legs underneath her. “This is incredible. We’re at the movies, but I’m in my pajamas and we didn’t have to go anywhere.”
“I’m glad you approve. I don’t really use this room as much as I should.” It was pretty fucking boring being in here alone. Pretty sad, too. “It’s nice to have someone to share it with.”
“This must be like what being on vacation feels like,” she said softly after a brief pause. “It’s glorious.”
I glanced at her. “You’ve never taken a vacation?”
“Not really.”
“That’s depressing.” And something I would have changed pronto if I really was marrying her. “You’ve seriously never been on vacation?”
“I run a castle. When am I supposed to just slip away to the beach?”
“That’s fair, but it’s still depressing.”
She smiled but focused on the movie once the opening credits were over. About twenty minutes in, her head slowly tipped sideways, landing on my shoulder. I looked down, realizing that she’d fallen asleep.
Even so, I sat there for a while, listening to the quiet sound of her breathing while the movie played on the massive screen, but eventually, I turned it off. Carefully standing up, I slipped an arm under her knees and the other under her shoulders, gently lifting her against me.
She stirred slightly but didn’t wake up, so I carried her down the hall to one of the guest rooms, setting her gently on the bed. She sighed and curled into the pillow as I pulled the blanket over her.
“Goodnight, beautiful,” I murmured, watching her for another beat before I quietly left the room.
Back in the kitchen, I poured myself a drink—and not a polite one.
This was a stiff, glass-practically-overflowing drink, but it wasn’t overflowing for long.
I brought it to my lips and drained a decent amount of the liquid inside in one long gulp.
Then I cocked a hip against the counter and stared out the window into the quiet street.
The truth had been settling in my chest with painful clarity all night long that I wasn’t going to be able to let Eliza go. Not really. Not after all this. I just didn’t know how to do it.
After taking another long drink of my whiskey, I sighed, another problem following immediately behind the first. Because if I did let her go, and if she married Jesse like she was supposed to, how the hell was I ever going to have a relationship with my twin brother when Jesse would be building a life with the woman who had somehow become the center of mine?