Page 63 of My Twin Sister's Ex

I’d never felt so much tenderness for another person. I wanted to cherish her and protect her all at once. I had to do all I could to make sure she understood that fully. I didn’t want her to doubt me again.

I pulled her down into a dip and brought her lips to mine. Then I pulled away and gazed into her eyes, letting all the emotion I felt flow into her. I wanted all the world to know how I felt about this girl. None of this was acting anymore for me. The lines where I professed my undying love were real as I said them.

I became so overwhelmed by my feelings that my lines blanked from my mind. I used that moment to gaze into Jessilyn’s eyes. My heart pounded. What was my next line? I had to play it off like the pause was intentional. Jessilyn’s eyes widened as she noticed my slipup. I brushed her hair back from her face.

Think, dude!

The words appeared in my mind miraculously, and I slipped back into the scene like nothing had happened. Like it hadn’t been an almost disaster. Had Mr. Brownley noticed my slipup? My nerves threatened to take over as I focused on that thought. But I slowed my breathing and focused on getting the scene finished before it ended in a giant mess.

Jessilyn must have noticed my moment of floundering because she took control of the scene, coming alive on the stage. I drew strength from her courage, and we ended the scene successfully.

When we were backstage, Jessilyn threw her arms around me. “We did it, Bennett!”

“I almost lost it there for a minute,” I admitted.

“I noticed that. But then you pulled through like a champ.”

Reese came up to us. “You two have amazing chemistry on stage. If you don’t win this competition, I’ll be surprised.”

Jessilyn gave her friend a hug. “Oh, thank you, Reese. That’s so sweet of you to say.”

She must have been watching us from the sidelines.

“When are you performing?” I asked Reese.

“Not for a while. I’m near the end.”

“I’m sure you’ll do great,” Jessilyn said.

We went into the drama classroom to hang out with the rest of the people who were waiting for their turn.

I slipped my hand into Jessilyn’s, entwining my fingers with hers. We took a seat and kicked back and relaxed. “I’m so glad that’s over now.” I breathed a sigh of relief.

“Me too. I’ve been looking forward to it for so long. It went by in a flash.”

“Jessilyn, I want you to know something.”

“What is it?”

“When I was onstage, saying my lines, I had a realization,” I said.

“And what was that?”

“Everything I was saying in character was how I feel for you now.”

She was quiet for a moment, like she was putting the pieces together of what I was saying.

I brought my face close to her and spoke in a quiet, fervent voice. “I’m in love with you, Jessilyn.”

She brought a hand to her mouth. “I love you, too.” She took her hand and touched my cheek. The gesture was so tender. “I had an idea that you were feeling that way. I could see it in your eyes, but I wasn’t sure.”

“I couldn’t hold it back.”

“Well, it made for an awesome performance.” She smiled at me.

“Do you want to go sneak in the back of the auditorium and watch the rest of the competition?” I asked.

“Sure,” Jessilyn said.

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