Beyond The Fine Line

Chapter IV - Twins

Jay reclined in the comfortable leather seat, his eyes gazing vacantly out of the aeroplane window. Despite late February, the sky outside was a tranquil expanse, clear and uninterrupted by clouds, with the sun casting a warm, gentle glow over the horizon.

The pleasant voice of a flight attendant drew his attention as she approached with a tray holding a crystal glass filled with amber liquid - a glass of aged whisky.

"Your drink, sir,"

He accepted it with a slight nod, bringing the glass to his lips and taking a measured sip. The sensation was like a slow, smouldering fire. The whisky caressed his palate, its complex flavours unfurling gradually, offering a momentary escape from the maelstrom of his racing thoughts.

Brown eyes shifted back to the horizon as his mind drifted to a rather disturbing phone call that had derailed his meticulously planned trip...

It was another late night at the office. He was busy tying up all loose ends before his upcoming trip. His fingers moved swiftly across the keyboard, finishing the last document related to the most recent case when an email from Art Thawin arrived. An email that left him bewildered.

Art Thawin introduced himself as Tay's close friend and insisted it was an emergency. Jay's initial reaction was one of guarded scepticism. The situation didn't add up. Why would someone claiming to be Tay's friend reach out to him, ignoring his mother in the process? It raised a proverbial red flag in his mind.

His connection with his identical twin had been severed abruptly over sixteen years ago when their parents separated them. At first, he missed him terribly, but as years passed, Tay had become a distant, almost forgotten figure from his past. Two lives, two worlds. They were now little more than strangers. Part of him wondered what became of his twin, but the other felt apprehensive about the possibility of being dragged into someone else's mess.

He couldn't help but question the motives behind this unexpected contact. Why hadn't Art contacted their father, who had custody of Tay, or even their mother if it was a real emergency? Jay felt an unfamiliar stirring in his chest – a blend of curiosity and a vague discomfort. He contemplated ignoring the message and continuing with his trip to Peru, but something stopped him. Perhaps it was a lingering sense of familial duty or a curiosity about the twin brother who had been absent from his life for so long.

Nevertheless, he couldn't ignore it and dialled the number in the email.

The line connected almost instantly as if the other person was waiting for their phone to ring. After exchanging standard greetings, Art made a borderline inappropriate joke about Rebecca's persistence in blocking him from contacting Jay and how glad he was that she finally came to her senses. Jay, however, remained unamused, and his tone of voice exuded a cold professionalism.

"I assume you have a valid reason for reaching out to me at my workplace," he inquired, steering the conversation in the right direction.

"Oh, yes," the voice on the other side replied hurriedly. "I'm sure you remember me, right? We were friends as kids in..."

"No, I don't," Jay cut him off, his voice indifferent yet tinged with slight irritation. This whole conversation began to feel like a waste of his time. "If you will excuse me, I'm busy."

"Wait! Tay is in the hospital!" Art exclaimed in panic. "He is in critical condition... doctors aren't sure if he will ever wake up."

After this frantic revelation about his brother's condition, Jay remained composed, his tone devoid of any immediate emotional reaction. It wasn't that he didn't care, but rather that the passage of time had created a gulf between them, reducing his identical twin to a vague memory.