“I’m Liz. I was in the bride’s wedding party,” I said.
He nodded and leaned against one of the walls. He was almost more gorgeous now that I was a bit closer to him. A confident smile was plastered on his face, and it made him more attractive.
“Well, Liz, nice to meet you. I’m Zach. I was with the groom’s wedding party. Pleasure to meet you,” he said, offering a hand.
I took his hand and shook it awkwardly.
“Likewise,” I replied. “Hopefully this will be the last time.”
“Last time for what?” he asked.
“Oh…er…last time I’ll have to go to her wedding,” I said.
“What time has this been?” he asked with a laugh.
“The third,” I said.
“Well then.”
I felt embarrassed again, having revealed something that was a little personal to someone I didn’t know. He turned back to the elevator door, ending the conversation. I lost interest in continuing our chat, so I just leaned against the wall and pounded my head lightly for being so stupid.
The elevator slowed to a stop, and I was relieved to be out of this situation.
The doors tore open to a gorgeous, open-space loft. A fireplace with a mantle tastefully stocked with pictures of the groom’s various adventures adorned one side of the room. The kitchen, with its stainless steel everything, could have fit my apartment neatly inside it, and I still would have had room to bake several cakes. Leather furniture was strewn about but mostly ignored in favor of standing. Guests of the party had already made themselves at home and were taking appetizers from wait staff walking around in monochrome uniforms.
I had never seen such a party before.
I spied my mother standing on the balcony of the penthouse, which overlooked the entire city. She was entertaining many people I didn’t recognize, and I was reticent to see her at the moment. But, like all good mothers, it seemed she had some sort of sixth sense that noted whenever I was around. She saw me and excused herself from her guests, embracing me like a child.
“I was waiting for you. We have some wedding photos to take,” she said.
“Let’s get this over with,” I said.
She ushered me over to Thomas, who was also entertaining a few well-wishers with whom he shook hands before leaving.
“Tom, this is my daughter, Elizabeth. You can call her Liz,” my mother said.
Thomas came close and gave me a fatherly hug.
“I’ve never had a daughter before,” he said. “If there’s anything you need, don’t be afraid to ask.”
I liked the warmth. It reminded me, if only a little, of my real father. Thomas felt oddly familiar, with his piercing green eyes and square jaw, but I thought nothing of it.
“Thanks, Thomas,” I said.
“You can call me Tom,” he replied.
“Okay…Tom.”
“Have you met my boys yet?” he asked.
“Boys?” I asked.
“Yes. Tom has two sons. They were at the wedding earlier,” my mother chimed in.
“Ah, here they are now,” Tom said, gesturing behind me.
I almost didn’t want to turn around for fear of what I might see. I realized why Tom felt so familiar that instant.
“Adam and Zach, I’d like you to meet Elizabeth,” Tom said.
I wheeled around to see their faces. They were indeed the twin boys I’d had my eyes on at the wedding. My heart sank just a little.
“You can call me Liz,” I said, holding out my hand.
“It’s you,” said the boy on the right. “I’m Adam.”
He took my hand, leaning down and giving it a light kiss. Then he gave me a subtle wink, and I knew which brother he was.
“I’m Zach. We met on the elevator,” the other said.
I was embarrassed to be here, and it bothered me that I felt that way.
“Let’s get some photos,” Tom said.
Before long we were wrapped around a chair, posed like a happy family. I did my best to appear to fit in. Adam stood on one side of me and Zach on the other. Being so close to them, I started noticing the small differences between the two. Adam was just a little taller and had softer features, while Zach had a sharper jaw line. If only we had met under different circumstances.
With the photos out of the way, I ran straight to the bathroom to change. A couple of other girls stood in line making small talk, and as much as I didn’t want to listen, it was hard to avoid.
“Seriously, I’m surprised Adam and Zach both showed up today.”
“Yeah, after what Adam did to Zach. I wouldn’t be surprised if we see a fight later.”
“What happened?” I asked.
The two girls turned toward me and eyed me up and down.
“You don’t know?” said the prettier of the two.
“I only just met them,” I replied.
“Zach was on track to get married about six months ago, but Adam charmed Zach’s fiancée and slept with her. They try to one-up each other almost constantly. I think Zach is so dreamy; it would be stupid to sleep with his twin brother. You already have the best of both if you’re dating one of them.”