Page 11 of My Twin Sister's Extremely Famous and Incredibly Hot Neighbor

We stand near each other in silence for a moment. I remember the large balcony on his second floor, and I blurt out, “Can I see your balcony?”

He seems surprised at my request. “Why?”

Now I feel a little foolish. “I don’t know. It just seems cool. Does it have a good view?”

He studies me for a moment, and I can’t understand why. It’s such a simple request. Am I being weird without knowing it?

Finally, he says, “I’ll show you.” He motions. I follow him through his house, back to the grand staircase. I’m overjoyed that I get to go up that staircase. It looks amazing. I love the way it curves through the house. Squint follows us up the stairs.

He takes me down the hallway to a door. When he opens it, I realize the balcony is off the master bedroom. Heat assaults my cheeks. I wasn’t trying to be coy or seductive. I really hope he doesn’t take it that way. No wonder he looked at me funny when I asked to see the balcony.

“It’s in here,” he says. We walk through his bedroom, and I notice how neat and tidy everything is. He even made his bed. I bet he was appalled at how Jera’s bedroom looked earlier today when he had to rescue me. I’d tossed all my things around and made myself at home. How embarrassing.

Two large glass doors open up to his balcony. I step out and walk to the railing. The balcony wraps around the side of his house. He has a couple of lounge chairs with a glass table off to the side. Squint lets out a bark and I pick him up. The sun is low in the sky, and I hold in a gasp as I look at the City of Los Angeles stretched out before me. “This is gorgeous.”

Dustin stands next to me, looking out at the horizon. “You have the same view.”

Embarrassment heats my face once again. Jera does, out of her bedroom window. I try to think of something smart to say. “Sure, but it’s different out of a window. I love that you can come out here and feel the breeze on your skin.”

“I guess you’re right. There is something nice about being able to come outside. I come out here often in the mornings and enjoy the sunrise.”

“Sunrise? You must be a morning person.” I make a face.

He chuckles. “You’re not, huh?”

“Mornings are for sleeping in.”

Dustin just shakes his head. We watch as the sun gets lower, the sky turning shades of pink and orange. I hold Squint as the magic of nature paints the canvas of the sky.

“Do you like to read?” Dustin asks me out of the blue.

“Yes. I read mostly non-fiction, but every once in a while I toss in a spy novel.” I answer as myself before I can think about it. Gah. Jera doesn’t read. I should have said no.

“I love non-fiction. I’m reading one right now about the civil war. I find history fascinating.”

I nod. “I hated history in school. It was boring. But as I grew older, it got more interesting to me.”

We chat about history and which stories we find the most fascinating as the sun continues to set. I find myself drawn to Dustin. He’s so much more than just a beautiful face.

The air turns chilly, and I take a step back. “It’s getting late. Maybe I should go.”

We walk back through his house and down the stairs. I stand in his entryway looking up at him. It’s awkward, but I don’t know why.

He runs a hand through his hair and chuckles. “You know, when you first asked to see my balcony, I thought you were coming on to me.”

Heat rushes to my face. “Oh, no, not at all. I really didn’t know the balcony was off your bedroom.”

“I believe you.”

Squint wiggles, and I set him down. He runs off to sniff something. I remember the real reason I’m at Dustin’s house. “Do you think it’s okay to try my phone now?”

He shakes his head. “The article I read said to leave the phone in an airtight container with the silicone packets for at least 48 hours.”

Disappointment settles over me. “Oh.” I’ve messed everything up. Jera needs me to go to that thing tomorrow. I won’t have my phone back by then. I won’t be able to call her driver. I try not to panic, but I’m unsuccessful as my chest tightens and tears prick the back of my eyes.

“Is there something I can help with?”

“I need to go to a party thing tomorrow, but all the details were on my phone.” I exhale. Squint must sense my distress because he runs up to me and whines.

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