All About Us (LT One shot books)

In the morning

- Hey Larry! - Roy's voice was slightly nervous. What happened there?

- Roy, brother! How do you? Isn't it night in New York now? - There was silence on the phone. Larry was very clear that he was not going to hear anything good now. - Roy, what happened? Something with Laurent? - The only reason for such an incomprehensible hitch on the part of Roy.

- I... I just got back to New York. Heck. I don't even know why I called you... - Roy's voice became completely muffled.

- Roy, just tell me what's wrong with Laurent. - Larry could hardly restrain himself from yelling at his friend. He struggled to keep himself on the edge of consciousness, mentally begging Roy to finally start talking.

- Laurent. - Larry swallowed hard. He only had to hear the name of his twin. Roy couldn't explain further. An early morning call to Paris, a long silence, and a heavy pause between two friends, so Laurent had somehow suffered. But Larry felt no uneasiness inside him, no physical discomfort, not even a damned knee that ached for more than three days. So, if it's not a physical injury, then it's an emotional one. But...Laurent is quite difficult to break down emotionally. Only two people in the whole world can do this, Larry and Jessica. And if Larry's been good these past few months, that damn skinny bitch has eviscerated Laurent again. Shit. Larry thought frantically, trying to find a quick way out of the situation.

Larry didn't speak to the twin for several days. Just the usual "hello-bye-how are you" text message. Whatever others think, the twins' connection is a much more complicated thing, and if you are far away, then the signal is kind of muffled a little, especially with Larry. It showed distance the most. After a long separation, he became very clingy, literally becoming Laurent's shadow wherever he went. The twins managed to free a whole week and each decided to go about their own business. Laurent stayed in New York because of Jessica, while Larry flew to his daughter in France.

- What about him? Larry wasn't sure he wanted to continue this conversation.

- And you don't feel anything? - Roy hoped he wouldn't have to describe what a shitty state Larry's twin was in right now.

- Damn it, Roy. It doesn't work like that! Just tell me what happened! - Larry lost his temper. Roy pulled too hard.

- Yesterday I picked up your drunken twin from a not-very-reliable New York bar. And, as the bartender confidentially told me, when I paid the bill, which was only alcohol, Lau was very actively and purposefully trying to run into trouble! - Larry couldn't believe what he heard. Laurent doesn't like alcohol. Yes, he may not drink much, and most cocktails. But so many... - And I saw Jessica at the restaurant this afternoon. With another man. They kissed before she got into her car.

A star map formed in Larry's head and soon paved the way for him to New York.

- AND ...

- What else? - Roy almost felt guilty about that call. But no one but Larry was able to talk to this half of the bourgeois twins. He and John tried. Twice. The first time Laurent kicked out in half an hour, and the second time he didn't even come to the door.

- When we came to him for the second time, he did not let us in. We stood for a while, listening to the noise in the apartment. It looks like he broke something.

Roy listened to a series of long curses in French. He also heard Larry moving, sometimes the sounds of footsteps were replaced by others, but he could not determine their origin.

- The next flight is in an hour. So I'll be there in nine hours. Try something to test it. Thank you for the call.

10 hours later