Page 4 of Hypnotized By Love

“Are all of my teeth still in my mouth?” I asked my sister. This was lining up with so many of my nightmares. This was usually the point when I would wake up drenched in sweat.

Well, the sweating part had already happened, but part of me hoped this was some kind of fever dream that I’d snap out of soon.

She shot me a strange look, and Bridget announced, “I’m in love.”

“With Mason?” I asked incredulously. “I guess it’s easy to be taken in by him when he’s not wearing his dalmatian fur coat.”

Another strange look from Sierra. There were definite disadvantages to that twintuition thing that she and I shared. She knew what I was thinking and feeling even when I didn’t say it.

She was the only one who knew how I used to feel about Mason.

But instead of making my waking nightmare worse by exposing things I wanted to keep hidden, she said to Bridget, “You’ve been in love with seven different men this year already.”

“Yes, but Mason might be top three. Maybe even The One.”

“Are you on a dating app right now?” Sierra demanded, and Bridget stopped midswipe to say, “I’m just browsing.”

“You had me worried for a second,” my sister said. “I thought you were considering an actual relationship.”

“Maybe I don’t like being single,” Bridget said defensively, still looking at pictures of available men.

“The only reason you’re still single is because all the men in the world got together and had a meeting,” Sierra said teasingly, and Bridget laughed. Normally I would have laughed, too, but all of my focus was on Mason.

I was glad we were at a place that didn’t have any cutlery, because I was definitely feeling a little stabby.

“I can commit for brief periods of time, as long as it’s followed by very long stretches where I’m allowed to date whoever I want,” Bridget said. “And I honestly don’t really believe in relationships, and you should always stand behind your beliefs. So maybe a short fling.”

That had me seeing red all over again, followed by a sick, sour taste in my mouth. “Hooking up with Mason Beckett would be a mistake.”

Bridget didn’t seem to notice my tone. “You’re probably right. He is the kind of mistake you’d only make five, maybe six times.”

Then she set her phone down and smoothed her skirt down. “How do I look? Do I look like I’m about to land my dream date?”

Another flash of anger that made my retinas feel like they were going to bore holes into his back.

Sierra said, “You look fantastic. Like you’re about to add another notch to your bedpost.”

“They’re not so much notches at this point as they are just one long, deep groove,” Bridget said with a saucy wink.

Did Bridget not remember what had happened? How could she be joking about going out with Mason?

But she misinterpreted my incredulous look.

“You are wasting your side-eye. I am not ashamed. I hope he’s wearing socks, because they’re about to get knocked off,” she said and then made her way over to Mason.

I wrenched my gaze away. I wouldn’t watch this happen. I had to leave. But it was like my legs wouldn’t work. As if I really were in some horrible nightmare that I couldn’t convince myself to wake up from.

Sierra cleared her throat. “I’m sorry that I keep asking this, but are you okay?”

Shaking my head, I tried again to do some calming breaths, but it wasn’t working.

Sierra put her hand on my knee. “I’ll support you in whatever you decide, but if you want my two cents, I think you should talk to him. Let him explain what happened. It’s been six years, Savannah.”

“Thanks, Mom,” I said sarcastically, and she immediately stopped. I had no intention of talking to Mason Beckett and didn’t want to find out what had happened, and no one was going to convince me otherwise.

Not even my twin.

Something our mother hadn’t been able to understand or respect.

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