TWO

The Present

“Babe, someone’s at the door!”

Silence.

“Babe!”

“What?!” Lolita screamed back, disorientated.

“Someone’s at the door.”

She pressed her face into the pillow, trying to convince her brain cells to start working. Lolita hated when Jarrod screamed her name so early in the morning, thereby interrupting her sleep. However he seemed to forget that she wasn’t a morning person and was now constantly screaming her name in the morning.

“Babe!”

“Give me a minute!”

Groaning, she rolled down from the bed. Brushing her hair hurriedly with her hands, she left her bedroom and trudged down to the door.

“If he’s so bothered by who’s at the door, why don’t he just go and open it himself?” she mumbled to herself.

She was usually very calm and sweet, but her rough hours were in the mornings. This was especially why she scheduled her work to start from 1pm and not 8am. She could be using all that time to sleep, but now she was opening a door.

The door bell rang. The sound went straight to her head and raised her hackles. Before Jarrod’s voice could reach her, she already threw open the door. Lolita stood there, quietly fuming. She saw that the man was already raising a hand to knock on the door before he then noticed her.

He smiled. “Hello, there.”

She froze. Then she looked back into the house and back at the man. “Jarrod? Aren’t you supposed to be inside?”

“Yes babe?” he called from the kitchen. “I’ll be right there, just make him stop ringing the darn bell!”

The blood drained from her face. If Jarrod was inside, then who was this man? The man’s smile disappeared now, leaving only a smirk. Her head was spinning, so she grabbed the door handle.

“Are you going to let me in?” he asked.

“Who are you?”

“I admit that the look of shock on your face is fulfilling. It’s been a while I got those.”

“Who are you?”

“You’re about to find out,” he hissed as he dove past her.

Lolita stood at the door for several seconds. Never in her wildest dreams did she imagine that she would ever meet a man as stunning and incredibly attractive as the one at the door… who looked very much like her boyfriend.

When she turned around, she saw him heading to the kitchen.

“Jarrod…” she said.

Was it possible for someone to bear the exact same features as her boyfriend? Could someone else look so completely alike just like that? When she saw him at the door, she was already imagining that Jarrod had divided himself and landed on the door step.

Unless they were brothers

.

Yes, brothers, she thought. Jarrod had mentioned having a brother, but it was so long ago that she wasn’t even sure it was true. Intrigued, she stepped towards the kitchen. She saw that the door was closed and the maid was out.

“What’s going on, Pamela?” She asked the older lady.

The maid shrugged, apparently confused as she was. Lolita would have barged in, but the mood felt off.

“What are you doing here?” Jarrod’s voice boomed through the door.

“I think I’m going to check on the laundry,” Pamela said as she quickly walked out.

Lolita walked closer to the door, her curiosity getting the better part of her.

“Are you not happy to see me, brother?” The other man asked.

See, they even sound alike! She thought, and then paused. Brother?

“You should not be here,” Jarrod grunted. “I don’t want to see you here, and you know that.”

“Oh that’s too bad,” the other guy sounded disappointed. “I’m here to stay, and I’m a bit disappointed that you don’t want to see me, but I’m sure we can sort it out.”

“Are you crazy? Get out! Get out!”

“Stop screaming, brother. You’re going to make everyone think we’re having a fight.”

“Do. Not. Call. Me. Your. Brother.”

The new guy snickered. “Our resemblance denies that.”

“I don’t care. I don’t want to see you. Leave!”

Lolita walked away from the door. She’s never heard Jarrod sound so violent before. It shocked and amazed her. She didn’t even know he had it in him. Whenever he was upset with her, that was what it was—being upset. But anger? She never experienced it from him until now.

“You’re making me lose my temper,” she heard him say. “Get away from here, please. I don’t want to see you, you know that. We had an agreement.”

“What a fine temper you have, brother,” came the answer. “Yes, we did have an agreement, but it’s been six years, Jarrod. Surely you miss me.”

“No I don’t.”

“That’s a shame. I had very high expectations when visiting but I guess I was out of my mind thinking that my dear brother would miss me by now.”

Lolita expected him to snap again, to yell at his new found brother to not call him that term. She couldn’t even fathom how they were brothers and Jarrod was acting so temperamental. Was there a part of him she hadn’t discovered yet?

“I can see I’m not welcome here,” the brother said. “Fine, I’ll leave you alone now.”

The door opened in the next minute. Lolita was standing in the middle of the room, watching the kitchen door. When it swung open and the man filled the door, something else filled within her. Something deep and familiar and strange.

He grinned at her. “Why, Jarrod, what a fine woman you have here.”

Jarrod peeked his head around the brother’s shoulder and saw her.

“Go to your room, babe,” he said.

She so desperately wanted to obey him, but she couldn’t move. Her eyes were fixated on the strange man—the brother. He was dangerous, she knew. There was something insanely beautiful about him that made him dangerous.

“Babe!”

Jarrod’s voice snapped her out of it. She hurried to her room and slammed the door behind her, breathing heavily. Her reaction to the strange man was unwarranted, but the way his blue eyes settled on her just made her feel things.

She heard the man laugh downstairs. Was he teasing Jarrod? She wouldn’t know. Even his laugh was deep and sensual. He could star in a movie and all the stars would fall for him. He only looked like Jarrod, but he was nothing like him. The body build, the messy hair around his forehead, the smirk that seemed etched into his face, the aura.

Oh my god, the aura, she thought.

Lolita lowered herself to the floor, still leaning on the door. She heard the front door close, indicating that the man had left. Once her breathing evened out, her face was lit with shame. Why was she acting like this? It was disgraceful.

“I’m just going to remain here a minute longer,” she mumbled. “And then Jarrod is going to give me answers.”