Status: Complete
Oh, Brother
Sera
It got easier, as days passed. By the second week, I could even call Tyler a friend, though he still made my heart flutter and every time he touched me- my waist, when I was climbing into the car, or my arm when I tripped- I tingled for an hour.
I could tell I was affecting him, too. Sometimes, I caught him staring and then he would blush and avoid my gaze for an hour.
I wished I could tell him that I wasn’t Reece, but I couldn’t. He would tell Jeremy and I didn’t even want to think about what the consequences of that would be.
Tyler and I were strolling down the Champs-Elysees hand in hand, taking a meandering way to the Louvre. We’d been in Paris for three days and I had to agree with the people who called it the city of romance.
It was, in a word, beautiful. Until I tripped and was sprawled on the ground. My purse and the contents of it scattered.
Normally, the humiliation would be enough that I hated tripping. But this was particularly bad. If he saw my passport… I’d already gone through considerable trouble keeping Tyler, Jeremy, and Charlene from seeing it. Every time we went through an airport, I was terrified that someone would call me Miss Kincaid instead of Miss Blackwell. I would never be able to explain that to them. My cover would be blown, and the fallout was sure to be brutal.
So I lunged for it, and my wallet. It, too, had potentially incriminating cards. My driver’s license, my college ID.
I scraped my arm on the pavement and I dove in front of an innocent pedestrian, who toppled on me, but I managed to secure my wallet. It took several moments to disentangle myself from the poor man I’d tripped, and another minute spent apologizing profusely while I searched the street for my passport.
Where was it? I was certain I looked like a madwoman, but I didn’t care as long as Tyler didn’t find out who I really was. Seraphina Kincaid had no right to travel on Jeremy Blackwell’s dime, and even less of a right to lie to him.
I was startled by Tyler’s laughter and whirled around. He was right behind me, holding… my passport. I froze. It was open. He was looking at it.
“What were you doing, Reece? Pulling faces at the photographer?” He looked up at me, grinning. I was confused for a second, but then I realized- my passport photo. He was laughing at it. He hadn’t read my name. And why would he? After all, wouldn’t he assume that the name on it was Reece Blackwell?
I used my confusion to my advantage and snatched the passport out of his hand, presumably to get a better look at it. “Oh, that?” I worked to force some laughter into my voice, but I fell woefully short of the mark. “My best friend R-Seraphina was standing behind him making a monkey face at me. I had to retaliate.”
“Naturally,” Tyler said, examining me closely. Granted, I was acting pretty odd. Still, something in my expression must have warned him not to ask. I shoved my things back into my purse and he took my hand and led me down the street.
After that, I didn’t want to take any chances. I went out and bought a pouch with a lock. It fit in my purse, barely, and it would keep all of my incriminating IDs away from prying eyes.
I felt stupid every time I went to pay for something and had to unlock the pouch to pull out my wallet, but it was well worth it. Besides, I didn’t often have to pay for anything on my own. Though I felt horribly guilty about it, Jeremy paid for most everything, or Tyler did.
Tyler…
He was getting to be a problem. If the situation was different, I would have done something by now. Kissed him, maybe. More likely, I would have flirted not-so-subtly until he kissed me. Or maybe I could have made him jealous. I had more than one good friend who would have pretended to date me and been amused to watch his reaction.
But none of that was possible. Reece screwed me over royally when she talked me into coming. The worst part was that I couldn’t bring myself to regret it.
I could tell I was affecting him, too. Sometimes, I caught him staring and then he would blush and avoid my gaze for an hour.
I wished I could tell him that I wasn’t Reece, but I couldn’t. He would tell Jeremy and I didn’t even want to think about what the consequences of that would be.
Tyler and I were strolling down the Champs-Elysees hand in hand, taking a meandering way to the Louvre. We’d been in Paris for three days and I had to agree with the people who called it the city of romance.
It was, in a word, beautiful. Until I tripped and was sprawled on the ground. My purse and the contents of it scattered.
Normally, the humiliation would be enough that I hated tripping. But this was particularly bad. If he saw my passport… I’d already gone through considerable trouble keeping Tyler, Jeremy, and Charlene from seeing it. Every time we went through an airport, I was terrified that someone would call me Miss Kincaid instead of Miss Blackwell. I would never be able to explain that to them. My cover would be blown, and the fallout was sure to be brutal.
So I lunged for it, and my wallet. It, too, had potentially incriminating cards. My driver’s license, my college ID.
I scraped my arm on the pavement and I dove in front of an innocent pedestrian, who toppled on me, but I managed to secure my wallet. It took several moments to disentangle myself from the poor man I’d tripped, and another minute spent apologizing profusely while I searched the street for my passport.
Where was it? I was certain I looked like a madwoman, but I didn’t care as long as Tyler didn’t find out who I really was. Seraphina Kincaid had no right to travel on Jeremy Blackwell’s dime, and even less of a right to lie to him.
I was startled by Tyler’s laughter and whirled around. He was right behind me, holding… my passport. I froze. It was open. He was looking at it.
“What were you doing, Reece? Pulling faces at the photographer?” He looked up at me, grinning. I was confused for a second, but then I realized- my passport photo. He was laughing at it. He hadn’t read my name. And why would he? After all, wouldn’t he assume that the name on it was Reece Blackwell?
I used my confusion to my advantage and snatched the passport out of his hand, presumably to get a better look at it. “Oh, that?” I worked to force some laughter into my voice, but I fell woefully short of the mark. “My best friend R-Seraphina was standing behind him making a monkey face at me. I had to retaliate.”
“Naturally,” Tyler said, examining me closely. Granted, I was acting pretty odd. Still, something in my expression must have warned him not to ask. I shoved my things back into my purse and he took my hand and led me down the street.
After that, I didn’t want to take any chances. I went out and bought a pouch with a lock. It fit in my purse, barely, and it would keep all of my incriminating IDs away from prying eyes.
I felt stupid every time I went to pay for something and had to unlock the pouch to pull out my wallet, but it was well worth it. Besides, I didn’t often have to pay for anything on my own. Though I felt horribly guilty about it, Jeremy paid for most everything, or Tyler did.
Tyler…
He was getting to be a problem. If the situation was different, I would have done something by now. Kissed him, maybe. More likely, I would have flirted not-so-subtly until he kissed me. Or maybe I could have made him jealous. I had more than one good friend who would have pretended to date me and been amused to watch his reaction.
But none of that was possible. Reece screwed me over royally when she talked me into coming. The worst part was that I couldn’t bring myself to regret it.