Letting Him In

Chapter 10

"There I was again tonight forcing laughter, faking smiles
Same old tired, lonely place
Walls of insincerity
Shifting eyes and vacancy vanished when I saw your face
All I can say is it was enchanting to meet you"

-Taylor Swift, Enchanting

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Elijah

As Elijah's shift got over, he left the arcade to make his way over to the food court a few floors above. Just like every Friday, the place had been bustling with hyperactive adolescents and even some older couples all evening. A fight had broken out between a group of boys, and Elijah had quickly made his exit, glad that his shift was over before he had to intervene.

Spotting Allen's bright hair, Elijah made his way to the table where the others were seated at. He greeted Nate and Dean with a nod, as his eyes slid over to the boy sitting next to them. He was wearing a grey hoodie, even though the mall was well-heated, and he looked as if he slightly regretted being there. Not to mention that he shared an uncanny resemblance with Dean. The only difference was that where Dean radiated self-confidence and constantly sported a friendly attitude, this guy seemed to be self-conscious and timid. But Elijah figured he shouldn't judge him by his looks; he hated when people did that to himself, so it would be hypocritical of him to do so.

Seeing Elijah glancing toward the boy, Dean cleared his throat. "Elijah, this is Christian, my twin brother," he explained.

Elijah raised his eyebrows; he had not been aware that Dean had a brother, much less a twin.

"I'm Elijah," he introduced, trying to be polite. He mentally facepalmed; Dean had already clarified that when he had said his name while introducing Christian. I really should stop trying this whole polite and extroverted thing. Being an introvert is much easier, he thought with a slight grimace.

Christian just nodded his head in acknowledgement and raised his hand by way of greeting.

Feeling slightly awkward, Elijah changed the subject. "Kade said will be here in five."

"Cool," said Allen. "But now that you're here, can we order food first? I'm starving."

"You could've ordered without me," he chuckled.

"I was trying to be polite!" she muttered, causing Elijah to let out another chuckle.

"Go ahead. I'm not really hungry, though; so you guys can order whatever. Just order a sandwich for Kade; that's what he always has," Elijah said with a shrug.

As everyone else ordered food, Elijah let his eyes drift over Dean and Christian, looking for any physical differences between the two. They shared the same black curls and hazel eyes. They even had the same sharp jawline. As Christian cracked a small smile at something Dean muttered in his ear, Elijah noticed that like Dean, he too had a dimple in his left cheek; it was as if someone had copied and pasted one of them to create the other. Their personalities, however, seemed stark opposites. Even though he had only just met the guy, Elijah could already tell that Christian was timid as compared to Dean; and he seemed to have a habit of looking down when he wasn't interacting with someone, as if trying to avoid a new conversation. Something made Elijah feel as though there was a story behind all that' but it wasn't his place to ask. He barely knew him.

"Which one of you is older?" he asked looking at them, slightly curious. It was hard to tell

Dean seemed slightly surprised at the sudden question, but it was Christian who answered.

"I am," he said, and he seemed to be trying to stifle a laugh at Dean's annoyed expression. Allen sighed, and Nate looked amused. Seeing Elijah's confused expression, Christian elaborated, "He hates being the younger one, because I can tell him to do stuff; being older has its perks."