The Evil Twin? (3 page)

“Nandi?” she cried.

Seriously??

The guy reached out and put his arms around the woman and said, “I know, but that’s not her.”

“Oh my gosh…it’s got to be her.” The woman quivered.

I turned to look at Jen, and it looked like she was as shocked as the woman. The guy took a few minutes to calm his girlfriend while she continued to stare at me.

“Hi…I am Geeta.” She held her hand out after she calmed down.

“I’m Vinnie.” The woman took my right hand in both her hands and continued to look at my left hand.

“Vinnie, very nice to meet you and sorry about my reaction,” she managed in a steady voice.

“Can I please look at your left hand?” Geeta asked softly.

“Geeta, it’s not her,” the guy chimed in.

“I still can’t believe it,” Geeta said in disbelief.

The couple spoke amongst themselves for a few more minutes and left quietly.

“What was that?” Jen asked shaking her head.

“That was weird.” I took a deep breath and continued what I was doing before the guy strolled into the coffee shop.

“Well, we at least we know for sure you have a doppelganger.” Jen sounded relieved.

“
Had
a doppelganger…Jen. I think the girl they were talking about died in an accident and she was from India.”

“Yeah…so?” Jen wondered.

“All the others who asked me if we had met prior did not have the same reaction. I wonder if I have another doppelganger in San Francisco.” I giggled.

“That’s freaky!!” Jen declared.

“Yup…I wonder when I’ll get to meet my clone.”

Chapter 3
 

“There’s the face I love,” Dave, my co-bartender said as I walked into the back room of the bar and restaurant on the pier.

“Good to see you too, Dave.” I smiled as he wrapped his arms around me for a bear hug.

“Did you have a good weekend?” I asked smiling at him.

“I had a crappy Saturday night. I should have worked at the club with you,” he grumbled and added, “The speed dating thing was not worth it.”

“The club was crazy that night, and Jason was being a total dick as usual,” I grumbled.

Dave and I worked in the club on event nights so the owner of the bar didn’t have to hire temp help. The money was good, and the tips were great on event nights so I didn’t mind the fifty-mile drive south of San Francisco.

“That guy has a nice piece of ass, but I want to kick him every time I see him. What did he do?” Dave growled like a protective brother.

“Easy buddy…Jason doesn’t have the balls to go past the dirty talk.”

“That’s my girl!!” Dave cheered and asked, “Why do I see a break in your schedule for fifteen minutes on the schedule at six today? You normally don’t take a break till eight.”

“I know, I am meeting a guy for a few minutes at six.”

“Like a date?”

“No, Dave!! Long story, but I have some of the guy’s stuff, and he is coming to get them from me.”

“You need to go on a date, hon…it’s been such a long time since I’ve seen you with a dude.”

“That’s because not everybody is as interesting as you are Dave,” I teased, tying my apron around my waist.

“Aww...you are a darling and too smart for those lame guys that are all over the city.”

Dave and I had worked together for over a year, and he was a good friend. He was a few years older than I was and a few inches taller than me. He had crystal blue eyes and styled his dark blond hair differently every day.

We clicked the first day I started working at the bar. He was very protective and would stay past his schedule on days I was closing to make sure the stragglers didn’t cause any trouble. I had my own set-up of a baseball bat and a can of pepper spray just in case I needed it, but I never had to use it with Dave hanging around and walking me to my car.

“Who is the guy that’s coming to see you at six? A date, special friend?”

“None of the above. In fact, I maybe able to set you up with him if his boyfriend doesn’t show up.”

“Sounds good and here’s our first customer for the night,” Dave said wiping his palms on the bar towel.

“Okay Dave, here we go, five bucks he is going to order a lite beer.”

Dave and I always bet on the drink the first customer of the night would order, and it so happened that nine out of the ten times I was right. I had a good streak lately and have been pretty successful.

Dave shook his head looking at the thirty-something guy and said, “It looks like he had a pretty shitty day, and he is going to get a Jack’n’Coke.”

Two minutes later, Dave handed me a five-dollar bill looking very dejected.

“You will win one of these days Dave, don’t lose hope.”

The crowd at the bar was light as a lot of people were at the tables for an early dinner. It was ten to six when Dave came rushing to the back room where I was filling up a canister with hard liquor.

“Your dude is here with another hot dude.” I rolled my eyes at Dave’s excitement.

“They are a couple Dave, please don’t hit on the guy you like.”

“There is no way in hell…” Dave’s voice drifted off when he caught my stern expression.

“Behave, and I will introduce you to the guy you are interested in.”

I walked back to the bar to find Reyan and Neel talking to Tanya, the hostess. Tanya was clearly blushing looking at Reyan, and I wondered if it was that hard to tell that Reyan and Neel were a couple.

Reyan and Neel were standing with their backs to the bar. Reyan was a few inches taller than Neel and carried his business suit with ease over his broad shoulders. I had my eyes fixated on Reyan’s shoulders when he turned to look straight at me. His face broke into a smile as soon as our eyes met, and I felt my heart skip a beat and my lips parted automatically.

My memory of Reyan’s face did not do justice to his rugged looks and the masculinity his body emitted. I smiled at him casually as he approached the bar with a glorious smile pasted on his face.

Just another eye candy!!

“Hey…” His voice was husky and modulated.

“Hi Reyan, hi Neel...you guys are early. I have a scheduled break at six.”

“Hey Vinnie…Reyan tells me we are getting a free drink.” Neel winked.

“Sure, Dave can make your drink, and I can make Reyan’s. What would you like Reyan?”

“What do you think I am in the mood for?” he asked softly.

I smiled and grabbed a bottle of beer and set it in front of him. He looked at me as if he was looking for an explanation, and I gave him one.

“I am sure you are popping pain killers like it’s nobody’s business for that injured wrist. You can’t handle anything stronger than this tonight.” His face broke into a gorgeous smile and his eyes deepened.

“That’s very thoughtful of you. Neel and I will hang out at that table. Come join us when you start your break.”

He is gay!!! Right?

I stared at Reyan as he walked back to the table where Neel was seated chatting away with Dave. Dave came back a few minutes later to the bar grinning.

“Vinnie, Neel is so cute…thank you, thank you!! Oh, and I saw sparks between you and that other guy…what’s goin on?”

“What sparks? The boys are not into women Dave.” I rolled my eyes at Dave.

“You got this all wrong girl. Neel’s the only guy on my team. The hot one was drooling all over you.”

“No he wasn’t, but I have to agree that Reyan has the smile that can move mounds, but too bad he is not into women.”

“Twenty bucks that he will rip your clothes off in seconds if you are willing,” Dave challenged.

I laughed and agreed to the bet. I took off my apron as I headed towards the back room.

“Get ready to kiss your twenty bucks goodbye, Dave.”

“Don’t be too cocky girl!!” Dave winked.

I grabbed the plastic bag with Reyan’s stuff from the back room and walked towards the table where Neel and Reyan were seated. Reyan stood up as I got closer to the table. He smiled and put his arms around me gently. My free hand automatically ran along the smooth material of his suit jacket, and my fingers gripped around the plastic bag.

“Are you back to work already?” I asked Reyan as I settled down next to Neel.

“Yes, I just need to wear the sleeve for a week for my wrist, but I am good. Neel is my designated driver because I am grounded.”

“Why are you grounded?” I asked laughing.

“Well, I totalled Neel’s car and you ran away with my driver’s license.”

“I did not run away with your stuff; actually I did, but Neel said it was okay for me to run.” I winked at Neel.

“That’s true. Reyan is in so much trouble for ruining my car.”

“I did you a favor Neel, that thing is like a toy car. You need something with more muscle,” Reyan teased.

“You are buying me the same exact car, no more discussions,” Neel declared.

Reyan shook his head but did not say anything.

“Vinnie, is Dave single?” Neel whispered.

“Ummm…he is but…” My voice trailed off as I looked at Reyan who was looking at me with his scorching eyes.

“Neel, Dave looks lonely at the bar, you should go talk to him,” Reyan encouraged.

I realized at that point it was time for me to kiss my twenty bucks goodbye. I pulled out a twenty-dollar bill and handed it to Neel and said, “Neel, hand this to Dave and tell him I lost the bet.”

“What bet?” Neel took the bill from me.

“He’ll know what I am talking about,” I snickered.

Neel chuckled and walked to the bar settling on one of the bar stools.

“How long have you known Neel?” I asked looking at Reyan as he sipped his beer.

“Since elementary school. My dad and Neel’s dad are very good friends,” he said casually.

“Oh…that’s a long time, and it’s cool that you hang out together.” I said, feeling a pang of jealousy that I didn’t have a friend like that.

“Neel is more like a brother than a friend,” Reyan said looking over my shoulder at the bar where Neel and Dave continued to chat.

I smiled when I realized that’s what Neel meant when he had said that Reyan was more than a friend, and I just went with the boyfriend theory. I knew Dave would rub it in big time as soon as I got back to the bar; I wondered what Meg would do if I told her I was wrong about Reyan.

Meg would never find out, I couldn’t let her know that she was right. She would chastise me for telling her that Reyan was gay.

“What are you thinking about?” Reyan interrupted my thoughts.

“Oh, it’s nothing. Do you need to go back to the hospital for a follow up?”

“Maybe in a week to get my wrist checked.”

I nodded looking at the plastic sleeve on his left hand.

“Thank you, Vinnie.” Reyan reached to take my hands in his and held them firmly.

“You are welcome,” I said smiling at him.

“It was ridiculous of me to have you ride in the ambulance with me, but I am glad you did.”

I sat in silence unable to make eye contact with him and ended up staring at his thumb that gently stroked the back of my hand. I sat deliriously wondering why I followed him to the hospital in an ambulance, shamelessly flirted with him even when I thought he was gay, and I was letting him touch me.

“You are the hero of our family, and you have your Bhatia family fan base.”

I looked into his eyes and smiled taking in the intensity in the air.

“I am glad you are feeling better, and I agree with you about Neel’s car. When you squeezed out of the car, I wondered how you fit in it.”

Reyan threw his head back and laughed. The sound of his sheer joy echoed in the empty space and sent my heart on a rampage. I struggled to maintain my composure and took in a few quick deep breaths. He smiled looking at me as if he could see through me and feel everything I felt.

“What happened that night? Why did the car go off road? You weren’t going that fast,” I asked hoping to distract myself.

He smiled leaning forward and whispered. “I fell asleep at the wheel.”

“What?” I almost screamed.

“Do not tell Neel. He thinks I was distracted because of the argument we had just before I left his place. I am going to use that to get him a real car.”

It was my turn to laugh and as my laughter died, I noticed the wicked smile on his face, and I knew he was enjoying the effect he had on me.

Get a grip Vinnie!!
He is just another pretty face!!

“What did you guys argue about?” I was curious to find out what grown men argued about to storm out of someone’s house.

“Well, Neel is technically still in the closet,” he whispered.

“What?” I asked in disbelief.

“With his family, I mean,” he clarified and added, “His brother is getting married in the summer, and I wanted him to tell everyone before the wedding.”

“Why did you leave in Neel’s toy car?”

“He didn’t want me to leave and took my keys so I grabbed his keys and left.”

“You guys are so silly,” I said, shaking my head.

“I know!!” he said taking another sip of his beer.

“I have to go…my break is almost up.” I stood up and smiled at him.

“Will you text me when you are free?” he asked standing up.

“Maybe!!” I smirked, tilting my chin up and quickly turned away from him to walk back to the bar.

“Vinnie…” he called out.

I turned around smiling only to crash into Reyan’s chest and felt his arms wrap around me. I got a whiff of his sexy cologne as his lips brushed against my cheek.

“I am a man of my word, and I do what I say. I told you I wanted to kiss you.”

I smiled remembering our flirtatious texting and said, “Very smooth, Reyan. I am tempted to crush your family jewel, but I will spare you this time.”

“Thank you for not cracking my assets,” Reyan planted a kiss on my other cheek and said, “I will see you tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow?” I asked curiously.

Reyan stepped away from me and smiled without responding as he walked backwards away from me towards the bar. I stood rooted in my spot and watched Reyan and Neel leave.

He is not like the other guys!!

“You let the guy kiss you, and he walked out of this place in one piece,” Dave summarized in disbelief.

I shook my head refusing to let the conversation continue. All I could think about was when I would see Reyan again. I knew I had to figure out what it was about him that turned me into a softy when I had punched and crushed numerous balls when men misbehaved with me in the past.