Love's Forbidden Flower (25 page)

A few pampering hours later the world beholds my new face, accompanied with two new outfits, and the best attitude I've had in months. Next on my list is that nice meal Donovan previously promised without concern over the stability of the company.

After a phenomenal dinner that cost Dad a paltry $77.52, on whimsy I skip the coffee with dessert and head for the cafe that was on my morning’s destination list. At nearly 10 P.M., the place is packed with students from Vassar. Sitting at the only table available, my mind is focused solely on the trash novel in my purse and the seaming cup of luscious brew before me.

“Oh, man! There's not enough coffee in the world!” a voice from the next table moans.

The utterance is followed by the loud
thunk
of a head hitting the tabletop and a small wince. My chuckle halts when my eyes feast upon the source of the voice. He's absolutely beautiful! Shoulder length dark brown wavy hair, a few well-placed birthmarks on his cheeks, soft, young, yet manly features, and the slightest upturn to his nose. When he opens his eyes to see who's laughing, their handsome deep hazel-brown has an unfair advantage over my hormones. He's gorgeous! My God, how had he gone unnoticed?

“Bad night?” I ask.

“School started today, and I'm already creamed. I’m so screwed,” he says, again smacking his head on the table.

“If school just restarted, how are you so screwed already?”

“I’m pre-med.”

“Ah! An overachiever. I get it now.”

Sitting upright, he rubs his hand over his lovely face before resting his chin in it and staring straight ahead at the wall. “I’m in over my head. I’m taking too many classes.” Shaking his head he blinks his eyes as if removing the haze of a dream.

“Hey, here's a news flash. You can probably drop one, and it'll be fine.”

He seems never to have thought of the obvious, but then jiggles the notion from his mind. “Nah. It's far more fun to torture myself. Besides, if I play my cards right, I only have a year and a half left—else I might be here forever.”

“I doubt that. Need some help?” I ask, surprised at my calm demeanor in the sight of heaven.

“Yeah, mental!”

“Seriously, I used to help my brother all the time when he was stuck. We came up with a great system. Wanna try?”

An hour later Julian walks me to my a car and I drive off with a phone number and a study date with a gorgeous guy who's warned me that he doesn't have time for a social life. If the only way to spend time with one of the most handsome men on the planet is while studying, I may turn into a genius.

Sitting across from me at the table in my apartment, Julian peers from behind his Behavioral Sciences book and blasts his super nova smile. “Then why do it?”

“I don’t want to go home for spring break. I don’t want to go home for spring break.”

“Lily. Don’t go then.”

My hands jump up in surrender. “You’re right. I shouldn’t go!”

Amusedly he shakes his head as he so often does with me. “I never said that. But if you don’t want to go then why are you going?”

“Uuugh! My Mom is making a big deal over it and keeps talking about how great it's going to be with us all together. The thing is, it's
never
great when we're all together. The last time my family had a normal moment with all of us in the same room was at least three years ago.”

“Seriously, Lily.”

“I
am
serious. If I weren’t serious I would've said it had been a
jillion
years ago! I don’t want to go home for spring break. I should just stay here with you, and maybe then we can finally have some serious time alone.” My gaze is coy, yet quite sinful, as I bat my lashes.

“Sorry. I have finals that week. I'm not even going to have time to slip in while you sleep. You're on your own.”

My head plummets back in melodramatic disgust as Julian returns his attention to the book while still entertained by the antics. The exchange pretty much sums up the months of our affair. Julian spends way too much time studying. Any hopes for a normal relationship are on hold until after his internship, and he hasn't even begun medical school.

Julian possesses a character that illuminates the night. He's also completely gorgeous and beautifully well built under his baggy layers of clothes. At 6’4” he towers over everyone not only in stature but also intelligence, yet he never makes anyone feel inferior. Volumes could be written on his greatness. Law almost won out over medical school because he believes that as much as there is suffering there is also injustice, and that we wouldn't need as many doctors if human rights were upheld around the world. It's a view I'd never considered and reflects one of his adore-worthy aspects: He feels compelled to change the world for the better.

While Julian often finds some semblance of time for me it requires effort. Often he appears just long enough to bring dinner and help with the dishes before leaving to study. Sometimes he'll slip in very late at night, and the only evidence he’s been here is when I wake to find the other side of the bed disturbed and a note attached to the mirror. Weeks can pass without any real time with Julian, and it's almost fine because he constantly finds little ways to show he cares. Life with Julian is pleasantly uncomplicated, making going home that much more difficult.

Walking up the steps of my parent’s home my brain takes a moment to prepare for whatever it may find inside. My last contact with Donovan was upon abandoning him in the park after telling him to go screw himself. Now we will spend four days under the same roof. I tried to make it less. It was supposed to be more. A lot of creative excuses were generated to make it only four days.

Mom practically attacks me before my feet get through the threshold. “I'm so glad to see you! This is going to be so much fun! It is going to be the perfect week!”

Am I in the right house? “Mom, either you know something I don’t, or Dad's been slipping you some little yellow pills.”

“Oh, don’t be ridiculous! I need you to help me get ready before Donovan gets here. I can’t wait to meet Marcia!”

“Who's Marcia?”

“Don’t tell me Donovan didn’t tell you? He's bringing home his girlfriend for us to meet. I don’t think she knows this yet, but he plans to marry her as soon as they graduate. Oh! I'm just so excited! Isn’t this wonderful? I just wish you could have brought Julian with you. How is he? Oh! And have you talked to Christopher lately? Donovan says you still speak to him.”

Dear God, please help me. Please help poor Marcia. This is not going to be pretty.

But this relationship is sensible because Donovan is acting towards her like his true self, not the swamp monster that possessed him the last few years. He seems genuine when he talks about how great Marcia is and how much in love they are. But since him bestowing smugness upon me usually follows this, his honorable intentions are questionable.

The kicker is the disturbing fact that Marcia is my doppelganger. We both have long, wavy brown hair, trim curves, are about the same height and weight, and have similar eyes, though Marcia’s are bluer than my unique grey-violet ones. It's creepy! We both love to cook, hate crappy food, and have similar taste in music. We even watch the same TV shows. Either we're cosmic twins or Marcia's a plant that's been fed copious amounts of information.

After two days of dealing with Donovan’s constant pompousness, the time has arrived to dig towards the bottom of this madness.

Marcia has happily accepted my invitation to a girl’s night at the movies. As we put on our jackets to leave, Donovan motions me into the den. His biting tone matches the grip he has on my arm and is accented by threatening eyes. “Just what do you think you're doing?”

“I’m taking Marcia to a movie. Rumor has it she might become my sister-in-law, so I should get to know her.”

“Lil, I mean it. Don't screw this up!”

“I would
never
do that to you. Despite my apprehensions of your character, I'm taking this situation earnestly. Are you serious about my twin or is this a game?”

“Your twin?” Suddenly the wind of truth smacks like a door flying into a wall. Donovan shakes his head quickly to replace reality with denial as I escape his grip and resume leaving.

“You girls going out? I think it's wonderful how well you get along,” Mom comments as we head out the door.

Dad then jumps in with the winning words of the night. “Of course they get along. With the way they look and act alike, I'd swear they were sisters. Lana, are you sure there's not something you want to tell me?”

Neurotica caresses Donovan. Checkmate!

Strolling to him in my lovely pink frock, my neck cranes to kiss the gorgeous half-naked Adonis in front of me. My face gleams like lamp on a post. “I am going to a tea party to welcome my future sister-in-law to the family.”

“Wait. What? Is this the same brother who brought a girl home over Spring Break that he just met?”

“He's the only brother I have. Kiss, please.” My angelic demeanor is maintained as he satisfies my desires. “Ymmm.”

“Tell me this is at least the same girl you showed me the picture of. The one I said looks like you.”

“Yes. More kisses please.” I close my eyes and only have to wait a brief moment for my request to be fulfilled with the added bonus of a smile as radiant as a uranium mine—which quickly drops.

“Don’t you think it's a little weird that he's engaged already? I mean, didn’t he meet her like two months after you and I met?”

I stroll to the dresser to finish my primping. “Well, they probably actually get to see each other—unlike another couple I know.”

Julian slips his arms around me from behind then rests his chin on my head as he looks at us together in the mirror. Even while wearing heels my head barely reaches his shoulders. “Lily, I'm serious. Doesn’t it seem a little sudden?”

My head falls back as my performance changes entirely. “Oh God, yes! What the hell is he thinking?” I throw myself backward onto the bed; melodrama is my best friend. “He's obviously lost his mind. They aren't planning on getting married until they graduate in over two years. So why get engaged now? Why not wait until he's known her a reasonable amount of time, like say, a year, which is still too soon in my book.”

Julian slides onto the bed and curls next to me. “Glad to hear you say that.”

“Promise me something?”

“Anything.” He kisses me then visibly rethinks his previous words. “Maybe anything.”

“If I kill him, you’ll bail me out of jail?”

Donovan isn't serious about Marcia. Had he brought home a girl who wasn't my duplicate, and if he didn't snicker in my direction like a five-year-old every time he kissed her, then he could be taken seriously. This however, is just a joke, and poor Marcia deserves better.

The stress-induced drive has brought out the lead in my foot, bringing me to the tearoom ahead of the crowd. Our private area is lined in elegant Victorian paintings and boasts a window overlooking a small valley. Pink roses adorning the table fill the space with a lovely aroma and are the perfect complement to the tea set, which is a heavenly shade of blue.