Don't Drop Your Mask

Casanova and Charlie are brothers. Twins to be exact. Well, I guess now I can speculate his real name is Travis.

I ran back over everything in my head. Travis likes lemonade. Charlie doesn’t. Travis fell into my balcony. The day “Charlie” came over, it was Travis. I kissed Travis. Then I slept with Charlie. Sort of.

I never really like Charlie as more than a friend. I fell in love with Casanova, or Travis, I guess, pretty much the moment I met him.

I can probably trust Charlie a lot more than Travis.

Well, not anymore. I guess now I can never speak to either one again.

And I don’t know why either one would want to talk to me.

It’s embarrassing.
It’s awkward.
It’s a mess.

And I made it that way.

I could have not misled Charlie. Not acted like such a slut.

I could have just avoided trouble and Travis.

But, no. I had to get “bored with my life” and want adventure. So what do I do? I fall in love with a guy and practically throw myself at his twin brother. I walk around Baltimore’s shady area at one o’clock in the morning and almost get raped. Twice.

Dating can never be a normal thing for me I guess.

I sighed. Being brave, I decided to grab my dog and go for a walk.

I leashed up Turtle and set out the door. I cautiously entered the hallway. No signs of twins, together or alone, or shouting. I made my way down a flight of stairs to the lobby.

Charlie—or maybe Travis—was standing by the door.

Thinking that I had to face one or both of them sometime, I slowed down when I started nearing him. I kept my head down for a few seconds then looked up.

“Travis?” I guessed.

He tried a smile. “How did you know?”

“Your name, or that it was you?”

He swallowed and I could tell his throat was dry from here. “That it was me.”

I took a deep breath in and then started walking. “You look at me differently than your brother.”

I heard him follow me outside and whorled around. “Don’t follow me. Okay? Do you really think I want to talk to you after learning that you’ve been living a floor up from me this whole time? That you knew about me and Charlie… knowing about each other and didn’t tell me the truth? Right now, I don’t even know why you want to talk to me. Just don’t follow me. Okay?”

I heard him sigh as I turned around and walked away. I guess my little speech worked, because for the next hour, it was just me and Turtle.