The Double

𝒯𝒽𝒾𝓇𝓉𝓎-ℰ𝒾𝑔𝒽𝓉

"I love this thing." Anna and I are out for drinks and she has Eppy open in front of her. "I use it for work and everything. All together. You need an app, though."

"I know." Right now it's only available as a web version that I built myself, thanks to online tutorials.

"It keeps me on track. Do you know how much time I've saved this week? Six hours. Six! I binge-watched Netflix without shame."

I beam at her. Eppy is good. I know it. "Thanks."

"I don't know how you came up with this." She shakes her head. "It's the thing I didn't know I needed but I can't live without. What's next?"

"I need to sell it. Promote it. Get the funding for the app." I have a business plan and my list of people to call. Tri is right on the top but I haven't had the courage to make the call, not after what happened with Taehyung. Now that I've put it in my Don't Think, Do column—saved for the tasks that you'll do anything to avoid—it's going to happen.

"You're the Marie Kondo of time management," Anna says. "I already have people at work using it."

We get new drinks and then Anna leans forward. "Spill."

"What?" I empty about half of my drink in a single gulp and have a coughing fit that Anna sits through with an impassive face.

"Kim Taehyung." It's a soft name with smooth, rounded sounds but she enunciates it crisply.

"What about him?"

"That's what I'm asking. I saw a lot of footage of you guys together. You looked great, by the way."

"Makeup and hair."

She snorts. "Bull. You glowed whenever you looked at him and he . . . Whew, girl." She shakes her head. "That man was into you. I don't know why you two are over just because you didn't want to be Duna anymore."

I trace circles on the table with my fingertip.

"Suzy."

"They thought I called ZZTV." I sigh. "I thought they did anyway. That's the main reason I left."

"How did you get that idea?" Her eyebrows pull down to a point between her eyes.

"I listened to their conversation." I fill her in on what I overheard and she sighs, then look around the bar for a moment before letting her gaze rest on me.

"Did you think, possibly, an app wasn't the most authoritative way to get a translation?"

"I do now," I mutter. "I was wrong. Taehyung said so when he came to find me."

"He did what?"

"Only to get me back to help Duna."

Compassion softens her face. "That sucks."

"Yeah."

We sit in silence for a moment. "Are you sure that's why he came after you?"

"That's what he said. So yes."

"Or is that what you expected to hear? You never trusted his feelings?"

"I did." Didn't I? Or was I always nervous, as if I was getting played? That there was no reason that Taehyung would be interested in a nobody like me? Doubt. Always that little seed of doubt no matter what he did.

"I don't think you did. I think you think he's some big-ass movie star and you're not, so why would he care about you."

I go bright red because having these thoughts laid out is as embarrassing as being stripped in public. "What if I did?"