Last year, a pair of inseparable twin sisters were torn apart by stress and their differences in the relatively smooth first year of university.
Over the break, Emily and Sarah Roses were able to reconnect and mend their friendship.
When a familia...
"-and that's all for Brandon's and my presentation!" Emily concluded beside her partner, switching to the last slide of her Powerpoint.
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After the whole thing was over, the two were excited about how well the project went. They received a high grade, and got some nice comments from their professor on their research. Emily and Brandon walked back to her dorm, chatting all the way there.
The awkward tension they previously had broke with this project, as they could now just talk like they used to. Silly sarcastic things, fun little teases, they all snuck their way back into the natural rhythm of Emily and Brandon's conversation.
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Once they got to their hallway, Brandon stopped in front of her door.
Tilting her head up, the move just as easy as it was when they were teenagers, he told her, "It was nice being a team again. I miss having you around, Roses."
That did not sound very platonic...
She pushed a short laugh, unsure of how else to respond.
The same part of her heart that lit up when they were together in their younger years flickered on. It was only the two of them. Back then, and now... in this hall.
His hand on her chin, looking up into his eyes and looking at that gentle yet playful smile, it all felt so natural, so familiar.
Why was he still making her like that? Calvin was her one and only. Anything she had with Brandon was long over, and would never ever do anything to jeopardize her relationship.
Calvin respected her feelings and priorities, never getting upset when her twin sister's needs came first.
Brandon manipulated her dang teenage self into leaving her family and moving in with him.
Calvin was soft, sensitive, and caring. He and Emily shared that value of prioritizing our families over everything else. They shared an intense love for cinnamon rolls and the stupid inside joke with scientific process of photosynthesis. He became a brother figure to Sarah, and cared about her a lot. Sure, he got cranky and sometimes too honest, but Emily appreciated his raw opinions and loved how even in his crankiest moments, he never raised his voice once. Their craziest arguments ended in tickling wars.
Brandon was flashy, manipulative, and controlling. He got irritated when Emily put her family first, usually complaining or being overly sensitive when she'd have to do something with her sisters instead of him. Yeah, he was charismatic and had a smooth way of talking, but that love he gave Emily was a heavy chain. It dragged her down and held her in place, so she couldn't leave. When he raised his voice out of irritability, he'd never apologize with words, but just act as if nothing happened later.
So why was her heart rate quickening around the jerk when she was literally lucky enough to have this dorky, adorable, kind redhead boy in her life? Where was the logic in that?
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When he started leaning in, Emily's hand instinctively grabbed his arm, her other ready to push him away. Once he broke her personal space, the hand prepared to push, froze, and his lips were on hers again.
They stayed there, the warmth so familiar.
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"Emily?" A familiar voice finally snapped her out of her fog, causing her to shove him back just as she'd intended.
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That voice... She knew who it was. Slowly, she turned to face the person who'd seen it all.
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