Page 30 of My Twin Sister's Ex

9

Bennett

Jessilyn raked her fingers through my hair, sending chills down my spine. What was this beautiful girl doing to me? We were supposed to be acting, but nothing felt more real.

She pulled away from me, but I reeled her back in for another kiss. I pressed my lips to her warm, soft lips for a long moment. She pulled away and looked up at me and smiled. “Well, that wasn’t in the script.”

“No, it wasn’t. I hope it was okay.”

Her smile widened. “It was more than okay.”

It was? Did this mean she liked me? It was a bold move to kiss her again like that, but the first kiss had been so magical, I couldn’t resist. Luckily, it looked like I’d made the right decision. Jessilyn seemed to want to keep kissing me.

I went back to the scene and recited my next lines, but I couldn’t keep the smile off my face. It was a good thing looking blissfully happy went along with the scene. We got to our second kiss, and I pressed my lips to hers. It was just as magical as the first kiss. The third kiss came along, and I decided I could get used to these rehearsals if it meant all this kissing was involved.

When we finished our scene, the reality of what I’d just done came crashing down on me. I couldn’t be romantically involved with Jessilyn. Her sister had just broken up with me. Maybe that meant Jessilyn was free game, but Jackilyn wouldn’t see it that way, and I didn’t want her causing trouble for Jessilyn.

I was beginning to wonder if it was a mistake to let my feelings take over like that. I had to keep things platonic between Jessilyn and me. She had enough stress on her. The last thing she needed was problems with her sister. Her dad wouldn’t exactly be thrilled to know I was making moves on his daughter either. I knew I didn’t deserve a girl like Jessilyn. She deserved better than me. She was headed to college. She was the type of girl to get a scholarship. I would be lucky if I could get my high school diploma.

I knew I should stay away from her, keep our only contact at our rehearsals, but I had to see more of her.

I glanced back at my script a few times as reminders of what my next lines were. I wasn’t quite off book yet. I knew that would come with time, as long as I kept working at it. We got to the part where we had our second kiss, and Jessilyn put her arms around my neck and looked up at me, welcoming me to bend my head down to kiss her. A shiver raced down my spine as I brought my lips to her soft, warm ones. I savored the feel of her lips against mine for just a moment before I pulled away. We continued on with our lines like nothing had happened, but my heart was pounding so hard I wondered if Jessilyn could hear it.

We ran through another two pages of dialogue, and then I spun her around on the grass like we’d practiced before. I brought her toward me and kissed her again. The more I kissed her, the more comfortable it became. I could see why it was a good idea to practice the kiss beforehand. It would have been a lot more awkward to have had our first kiss in front of an audience.

When we finished running lines for the day, I said, “I have to get going. I have work.”

“I do too. I should get home and finish the rest of my homework before my shift starts.”

“I’d like to take you out sometime,” I blurted.

She blinked up at me. “Like a date?”

I smiled at her. “Yes, like a date.”

“Okay. I’d like that.”

“Are you available next Friday night?” I asked.

“Yes. I’m off work that night.”

“I just have one request.”

“What’s that?” she asked.

“Can we keep this between the two of us? I think Jackilyn would be upset if she found out I was taking you on a date.”

Jessilyn laughed, but she didn’t sound amused. “You’re right about that. Jackilyn would definitely be upset.”

“So let’s not tell her. What she doesn’t know won’t hurt her.”

Jessilyn looked up at me with her clear-blue eyes, and my breath caught in my throat. She was stunningly beautiful. “Okay,” she whispered. A slow smile spread across her face. “It’ll be our little secret.”

“Good,” I said, smiling back at her. “I like it.” I shouldered my backpack. “I have to get going. Want to meet me at Skippy’s Diner Friday at six?”

“Sure. I can do that.” She put her script back into her backpack and zipped it up.

“I’d pick you up, but then Jackilyn might see.”

---