Right Back to You

16. Shocking

Time seemed to have stopped as an avalanche of emotions tore threw Kyle.

The most worrisome was the darkness creeping at the edges of his vision. But the shock and the confusion kept it at bey because they outweighed the pain shredding his heart into pieces. There was also a bit of happiness there, because he'd finally found Kay and there was nowhere for her to run this time.

But that didn't change how weird this was.

Jessie grabbed his hand and squeezed, as though sensing his torment.

How could this even be possible? It had to be on purpose. There was no way this was an accident. And yet, Kay! And kissing someone else! Happiness, torment, betrayal. The fucking shock.

So the first thing to come out of his mouth was the all important question. "Jerry?" 

His words had them breaking apart at once. Kay's beautiful blue eyes widened as they went from him to his brother. She yelped and hopped back, one hand over her mouth.

"Oh my God," she squeaked. "That's why you looked so familiar!"

"Jerry?" Jessie asked at the same time. "That's Jimmy."

Kay waved her arm at him, apparently unable to produce words. For a moment he was sure she was choking and he wasn't sure just why he was standing there like a moron, not doing anything. 

Jerry was an evil, devious bastard.

"Tom," Kay said to Jerry, then looked back at him. "Sam."

"Um, what?" Jerry asked.

Kyle was going to kill him. But first he was going to make Kay feel like shit for making him do it.

"Seriously? I get you're mad, but with my own brother?"

"What the fuck, I'm not your brother," Jerry retorted.

And it was in that moment that Kyle decided to believe him. Because there was no way in hell stiff, prudish Jerry would ever say fuck. They all fell silent, Kay still hyperventilating, Jerry or not glaring at him and Jessie just shifting her weight from one foot to the other.

"We're not engaged," she offered. "We're just pretending."

"What?" Not-Jerry-but-apparently-Jimmy asked with a frown.

"That's true," Kyle said, for good measure.

"Oh God." Kay sunk her face in her hands.

"Look, could we just get out of here?" Jessie asked. "I don't think the hotel lobby is the best place to have a meltdown. Our fake engagement has a purpose. Which we will tell you in a moment."

"Yeah, good point. We should get out of here." He stepped back and pressed the button on the elevator. It was fortunately still there from a century ago when they'd headed down and fallen into the twilight zone.

They all stepped in. The doors closed, and the four of them were alone in a small space. Kay's lily scent got to his head much to quickly, bringing with it a desire to damn what just happened and... And what? They weren't alone. They were in a tiny space with two other people, all of them struck dumb, and he wasn't even sure what he was trying to process more. The fact that Kay was kissing someone else or this Jimmy looking exactly like Jerry. Kyle squinted at him, but he couldn't find any difference apart from the way he carried himself. And maybe that he was thinner, but broader somehow.

"What?" he asked, his tone half-hesitant, half-hostile.

"If you're not Jerry, and you're not because he would never curse, how the hell can you look exactly like him?"