Alex was having her third glass of alcohol while sitting on a dim corner of the counter where the bartender was standing a meter away from her humming by himself while cleaning a glass with a white cloth. For someone who was weak with alcohol, she was surprised herself that she was able to drink that much. She asked for a third glass.
"Georgie, give me another shot please."
"Cheerie, you must be nursing a broken heart," the bartender called George said with concern while pouring alcohol on her glass. "This is your third glass now, Alex."
Alex already a bit tipsy from the alcohol she was drinking got annoyed and drank it in one gulp.
"You are so annoying. Give me another glass and shut up."
"I'll give you your final shot."
"Whatever."
She snapped at the bartender and took the glass. She was sipping her alcohol slowly this time when a familiar guy sat beside her and ordered.
"One glass of whisky for me," said the guy in a familiar voice. Then, turned to her while she silently studied him from her side. "What are you looking at, young lady?"
"My lady, my ass. You talk weird, St. Claire."
"I'm a St. Claire. Glad to know you know that." Then he chuckled. "How do you know that by the way?"
"Because you bought my house, bastard. You slimy jerk. Mother jumped easy on your offer."
The stranger was amused by the statement.
"Daniel." He muttered under his breath.
"Hmm…you're saying?" Alex asked through heavy lidded eyes.
"I'm Devin." The guy introduced himself but was caught surprise when Alexandra pulled his head towards him and locked her lips on him and said "I love you, Daniel St. Claire" before passing out. Devin was quick on his hands and caught Alexandra's head before it fell.
"Twin brother, you are so in trouble."
--
Alex woke up with a major hangover and found herself sleeping on a stranger's bed she did not know. Her head was throbbing as she got up from the bed. She tried to see past the window and saw her house on the opposite street. She looked around and before she realized that she must be in St. Claire's house, Daniel entered the room looking angry and accusing at her while bringing a glass of apple juice and two tabs of aspirin. He put it on the bedside table.
"Thanks." She mumbled.
"Drink it and get back to sleep. You look awful." He said still looking angry while being gentle with his words.
She looked at him with scrawny eyes then took the tabs and peeled it and put in her mouth and took the glass and drank it. Before she went back to sleep, she saw another figure standing by the doorway but sleepiness won her through. She fell into deep sleep and didn't wake up until the next day with the warm ray of sunshine shining on her head.
She went down and heard loud voices in the dining room. She found two faces of Daniel St. Claire sitting across each other on the table having breakfast.
"Why are there two of you?" she asked with dry humor. "And you two are so loud in the morning."
"I'm Devin. His older twin."
Devin said in a deeper voice. "I've actually introduced myself to you yesterday. Don't you remember, Alex?"
Alex tried to recall that she met a familiar guy at the bar while getting drank and kissed him. She felt her ears turned pink.
"You haven't told him that, don't you?" Devin asked pointedly, his voice laughing.
Daniel looked at him intrigue.
"About what?"
Alex flushed again and looked at him with suspicion.
"I need to use the bathroom and get myself an orange juice so if you excuse me."
She said briskly and went to the kitchen.
Once she emerged out of the bathroom, she went to the fridge and took a pitcher of orange juice. Then, strode to the counter to get a glass for herself. She went back to the dining room carrying them and joined the twins having breakfast and casually chatting. She found herself a plate of two pancakes, a slice of bacon and sunny side up.
"Pass me the scramble egg and butter, please."
Devin passed her the bowl of scrambled eggs and small tray of butter.
While eating her breakfast, Devin kept on teasing her.
"Daniel, you should have seen Alex drunk."
"You've already seen her drunk." He threw back a reply to his twin.
"She mistook me for you and—"
Alexandra who was sitting beside Devin extended her arms and shut his lips with her hands.
"Shut it, Devin St. Claire," she snapped at him. She studied him for second and asked directly, "Would you like to go to Sarah's flower shop with me?"
Devin returned her look sideways.
"Sure. What time should we leave?"
"Give me fifteen minutes to change." Then, she threw her attention to Daniel who was finishing his third pancake. "Are you coming, Dan?"
"I have to finish my game. I'll follow when I can."
"Daniel, if you keep that attitude, I might steal Alex from you."
Daniel didn't answer but Alex noticed how his knuckles gripped tight holding his fork.
--
Devin was driving the car when he started a conversation.
"You haven't told him yet you love him, don't you?" he said sidling a glance at her while Alex sat quietly next to him.
"You're the one who heard it, unfortunately."
She retorted with her arms crossed. Devin chuckled at her reply.
"I feel like the lucky one." He said back smiling. "I'm sorry you mistook me for him."
Alex turned to look at him diverting her attention from looking at the passing view from the window. Devin is the identical twin of Daniel.
"You looked exactly like him. And I was drank and I thought you were Dan."
"Most people really mistook us for each other. Only Sarah can distinguish us. She's been with us for a long time already."
"You have a deeper voice than Daniel," observed Alex. "Aren't you surprised why I'm his fiancée?"
"You're posing as the substitute bride, right?"
"You're quick to figure, Devin."
"We've had like a long unspoken rivalry over Sarah. And since I dated her when he left to work in Shanghai for a game company, we had this going on us."
"You're the reason why he was on a rush to marry her."
Alex said the statement in a calm quiet voice.
"I love Sarah. Daniel loves her, too, very much actually to even string you along his crazy plan to pose as bride and asked Sarah before the wedding day."
"How do you know that?"
"He's easy to read. He's my twin brother afterall."
Devin said his voice turned serious.
"Who do you think Sarah will choose? You or him?"
Devin didn't reply to the question.
Then, they stopped the car in front of Sarah's Kale's Sunny Bright Flower Shop. Something jingling fell on the car floor as Devin stopped to break. He went out first of the car and walked to her side, opening the door to her seat.
"You go first, Devin. I think my keys fell on the floor. I'll search for it and follow you."
"Suit yourself." He said and disappeared inside the shop.
It took ten minutes for Alex to find her keys. It inserted itself below the seat of Devin. As she pulled it out, she noticed a jutting piece of thick paper a little far away from where she pulled out the key. Gently, she pulled it out and formed itself to be a postcard of red roses on the front. She flipped it back and was surprised by the note. It's a postcard written by Sarah addressed to Devin in Milan sent two months ago.
May 3, 2019
My dearest Devin,
How are you? I've been missing you since I last receive your post. Come home soon, Dev.
I love you always, Sarah
Alex put her keys inside her side pocket and placed the postcard inside the hidden drawer of the passenger seat. She closed the door of the car and went inside the shop.
She did not find either Sarah or Devin in the front of the shop. She went to the back of the shop. The two was neither seen either. She walked up the stairs and found Sarah and Devin in close embrace and passionately kissing each other. She didn't know whether to wait down by the table until the two are finished or—she saw red in her eyes and made a loud coughing sound.
Sarah and Devin disentangled from each other. Alex walked quietly but fast towards them and slapped Sarah and Devin on the face.
"You two people are hideous. How could you do this to Daniel?"
She looked sharply at Devin and with a scathing remark.
"You're his elder twin brother. You could at least tell him to stop himself from deluding that he will end up with Sarah."
She turned to face Sarah.
"You should at least confront him so he'll stop thinking he can marry you. I've learnt to love him in the process while I pose as your substitute bride, Sarah."
Alex blurted out. Sarah looked at her with a surprised expression on her face. She removed the ring on her right ring finger and opened Sarah's left palm.
"I'm giving this to you. It's actually for you. Check it, Sarah Kale. That engagement ring even has the color of your eyes. It's turquoise."
"How could you be so selfish? Have you never felt him?" she asked accusingly in a sad tone.
Alex tried to stop the tears that were welling out of the corner of her eyes.
"I need to be out of here."
She looked at Devin with an order of command.
"Drive me back to the house."
After she said that she turned her back and strode to the staircase. She heard Devin talking to Sarah in a pleading tone.
"I'll return, okay? Well sort this out."
--
Alex was silent throughout the drive but Devin broke the silence.
"I know you're mad at me and Sarah." He started. He raised both his arms from the steering wheel to show defeat.
"We'll talk to Daniel about it."
She looked at him with a face full of scorn and disbelief.
"How could you be so unfair to him? I feel so sorry for St. Claire after catching you two red handed and guilty."
"How long have you two been together?" she asked.
"For a while now."
"Exactly when?" she insisted.
"Two months."
Alex released a frustrated sigh.
"You've been unfair to him, Devin," she said. "He doesn't know, does he?"
"All's fair in war and love, Alexandra."
They drove in silence until they reached the house.
--
Alex went inside the house while Devin drove away back to the flower shop. She found Daniel sitting on a sofa in the living room once again occupied with his laptop. She stood by the doorway, her arms on her side and confronted him.
"You will never win Sarah's heart. She's in love with your twin, Devin."
Daniel looked up at her. His face darkened.
"I know that but she loves me, too."
"Like the lesser little brother?" she jeered. "When will you realize that?"
He suddenly rose and strode towards her. He raised his right arm as if to slap her but controlled himself.
"How dare you, Alex? Are you jealous of Sarah?"
He asked with his twisted face. Then, he released a shallow laugh and sneered at her.
"Don't tell me you've fallen in love with me?"
Alex was surprised by his question. She took a step back.
"Are you? Aren't you?"
He smirked at her speechless expression.
"I love Sarah Kale, you know." He said with emphasis. "You know that very well. I'm sorry, Alex. I can't love you back."
Alex studied his cold expression.
She leaned closed to his face and gave him a gentle kiss on the lips. Then, with a brave expression she said, "I do love you, Daniel. But, I don't need you. Grow up from loving Sarah. I'm leaving."
She turned her back, tears streaming on her face and went upstairs to her bedroom to fetch her clothes and put them on her suitcase. She brought it down on the stairs and opened the door out. Smarty was lying on the patio and got up with a sad expression on his face.
"Come on, Smarty. Let's go back home."
They went into her car and she started it. When she curved out of Avery Hills, Alex took the cell on the dashboard and called Sabina.
"Hello." Sabina's voice answered from the other line.
"Sabina. Would you like to go on vacation with me in Italy?"
"Alex." Sabina said, her voice full of concern. "What happened?"
"I confessed to St. Clair that I love him and he slapped me back about being in love with Sarah. He said he can't love me back. That jerk."
She sniffed while trying to control her tears.
"Oh, I'm sorry. He's been in love with her for a long time, you know that. Do you expect him to love you back?"
"I don't know. I told him to grow up from loving Sarah." She paused thinking about what happened just a while ago. "I was with Devin in the shop when I found him and Sarah kissing. They're already in a relationship. When will that dope realize it?"
"Do you think he'll know about it?"
"Honestly? I really don't know or care anymore."
Sabina went silent on her statement. Changing the subject, she instead asked, "where would you like us to go in Italy?"
"Where do you recommend? I need somewhere quiet where only the two of us can enjoy our vacation."
"Would you like us to go to Sicily? It's summer now. Let's enjoy a deep tan under the sun," said Sabina helpfully.
"I like that, Sab."
"I can book a flight now. I'm actually in front of the PC. Give me a sec."
Sabina went silent for a minute.
"Hey, Sabi. You're still there?"
"Yeah, still here. I'm booking us a flight. How long do we have to stay?"
"I need a month long vacation."
"Got it, bestfriend."