Dopplebanger (Meet-Cute #5)

Chapter 32

THIRTY-TWO

My eyes fought to stay open, and I covered my yawn with a hand as I pushed inside Doc Lovejoy’s Vet Clinic and Grooming Center. Lately, I hadn’t been sleeping much. Too many thoughts of a certain guy, which left me irritated about the fact that I couldn’t just forget about said guy.

He’d stopped calling five days ago. Which was what I wanted?

Shoot, even in my head I put a question mark on that. While theoretically it would help me try to get over and move past everything that’d happened, I hated how much disappointment I experienced over him giving up already. He doesn’t think I’m worth fighting for.

Which was an unfair thought since I’d been the one not returning his calls, and I still didn’t know if I could ever forgive him, and yeah… Long story short, I hadn’t been sleeping and my mood tipped toward the constantly-discontent side of the spectrum, which made me feel not like myself. To make matters worse, I didn’t have time to stop for coffee this morning, so I didn’t even have the caffeine I needed to fake being my bubbly self.

“Morning, Gwen,” Dr. Lovejoy sing-songed, and I pulled out the plastic smile. Usually she was the tired one who took an hour or so to fully wake up and I was the one giving out chipper greetings first thing.

“Morning. I’ll get you those reports—I did them last night, I just wanted to doublecheck them when my brain was fully awake and functional before I emailed them to you.”

My boss was giving me this weird smile I didn’t think I’d seen on her before. “No worries. Er, I mean, yeah. Get right to your computer so you can do that.”

Oh-kay, then.

I rounded my desk, and warmth somersaulted through me. My boss had gotten me coffee from Sacred Grounds. I didn’t even know she’d been paying attention to where I bought my coffee. A brown bag sat next to it, too, and I opened it up, my mouth watering when I spotted the chocolate muffin inside.

As I dug it out, a folded yellow paper came along for the ride.

Since I had my priorities, I took a bite of the muffin and then lifted the note.

Gwen,

While I love your caffeinated hurricane mode, I also love those few minutes in the morning where you’re just a pinch grumpy and words don’t come as easily. I figured that I’m probably responsible for you being anything less than happy, which kills me, but I was hoping that coffee and a muffin would help.

I’m not asking you to call me or text me yet. I’m asking you to give me today to show you how well I know you.

Also, I figured that I should share a few things you might not know about me.

I HATE blueberries. The reason why involves a puking story, and since I don’t want to ruin your breakfast, I won’t go into any more detail than that. I will say that if you’d agree to have breakfast with me, I’d eat every blueberry muffin Sacred Grounds has.

(Just give me a heads up if you’re going to take me up on the offer, because I might have to go in early, buy up most of their blueberry muffins, and force them upon random passersby.)

*side note: did you see how I used the correct plural form of passersby? That’s what a ridiculously expensive education does for you. Teaches you how to be a lawyer, and how to sound pretentious all in one!

Ethan “Not Evan” Haynes

I accidentally laughed out loud at the pretentious part. Imagining him buying up all the muffins also made me smile, even as that gaping hole in my heart pulsed to life, reminding me of how Evan and Ethan’s lies had put it there.

“The guy who brought that in was very handsome,” Dr. Lovejoy said, leaning against my desk and reminding me that she was there. “Is he your boyfriend? The one you’ve clearly been holding back details about?”

How did I even go about answering those questions? Oh, no, he’s totes not my boyfriend. He’s actually my ex-boyfriend’s twin brother, and I might be in love with him, but because I can’t just let people lie to me, I also can’t be with him.

I don’t think.

I re-folded the note and ran my fingers over the crease. “If I open that can of worms, then there’d be early birds in here trying to catch them, then the cats and dogs would go crazy, and isn’t this place enough of a madhouse?”

My boss blinked at me, wearing the confused expression a lot of people did when my random rambling kicked into hyperdrive.

“Looks like the caffeine’s kicking in.” I lifted my coffee in a sort of salute, then took a gulp that was hot enough to burn my tongue and make me wonder how close I’d been to catching Ethan at my desk.

I’m asking you to give me today to show you how well I know you.

I didn’t know whether to be excited or afraid. Honestly, both emotions bubbled up inside me, and I found myself glancing at my phone.

Then a customer came in, saving me from doing something I might later regret. It was crazy how strong the urge to talk to Ethan had been, not fading with each passing day, but growing. Hearing his words in the letter brought the temptation to call screeching to the surface.

Luckily, one customer after another came in, and then all I could think about was keeping up.

My caffeine buzz was long gone by the time the end of the work day finally came around. As I neared my car, I noticed something on the windshield, and as I walked closer, details started standing out.

White horse with a horn, fluffy white tail and mane, and a bright rainbow underneath.

I glanced around, then picked up the unicorn and hugged it to my chest. I’d never confessed to Ethan that while I was right about the game totally being rigged, the way I’d won the stuffed toy had also been rigged.

The yellow note pinned under my windshield wiper caught my attention, and I slid it out and unfolded it. The paper matched the one that’d been in the bag with my muffin, and it hit me that they were from a legal pad. I wasn’t sure if he preferred that type of notebook or he was doing some kind of lawyer symbolism.

I bet he’s an amazing lawyer. Kind and protective, yet fair. Smart. Probably even quotes the Gettysburg Address to impress clients.

I bet most of them fail to see how cool that is, which is a damn shame.

Says the girl who’s failing to see how cool he is.

Not that I failed. I was trying to keep my dignity. Reading this note would undoubtedly make it harder to do that, but it’s not like I couldn’t not read it. Just like I’d listened to every single one of his voicemails.

Steeling myself for a tornado of emotions, I opened up the paper.

Guinevere,

Have I mentioned how much I love using your full name? Remember when I said names were important? Well, trust me, if anyone understands just how important they are, it’s me.

A memory from the night at the carnival came back to me, about how he’d said that very thing, which made much more sense now that I knew he’d been going by the wrong name.

Anyway, Horny’s getting out of control, humping his way across my apartment, and I thought that he should channel some of that energy to help you offload some product.

But let’s be honest, he’ll probably just keep on humping his rainbow.

Fun fact: my favorite animal is a turtle. I used to have a couple of red-eared sliders as a kid. I got so into my turtles that Evan staged an intervention because he said it’d damage his rep if his twin brother was known as the amphibian kid. I, of course, told him that technically, I’d be the reptile kid. It felt like a pretty good comeback until saying it aloud made me realize I was THIS CLOSE to becoming a social pariah.

(I wondered if I should leave Evan out of my stories, but I’m trying to be completely honest with you, and the truth is that while he’s sometimes a pain in my ass, he’s my pain in the ass.)

Another fun fact for you because I’m generous like that. I used to think Merry-Go-Rounds were the lamest ride. Now, thanks to a beautiful girl who showed me how much fun I could have on one, they’re my favorite. I’d even rank them higher than the Zipper, although since the one we rode made you cling to me like you were never letting go, it’s a close second.

Ethan the Reptile Kid Man

(Not as cool as some of the superheroes you guessed, I know)

My heart felt like it might burst. Remember that thing about not liking rollercoasters? Well, it felt like I was on one. The ups were amazing, but I’d experienced that hard and fast down, and I still wasn’t sure I liked it. Although no one had ever hand written me notes and poured out his heart like this before, and it definitely nudged me closer to the forgiving him line.

The forgiving and forgetting and going all in one…?

Undecided.

“I think I need to get home and talk to Tori about this,” I told Horny the Unicorn, because I figured I might as well embrace the crazy that a certain handsome, charming lawyer had driven me to.