THE CODE THAT LINKS US ©

Chapter Seventeen

DYLAN

I sit down on one of the edges of the large sofa and hope for her to sit next to me but instead, she sits right in front of me, on the individual couch, and shows me a satisfied smile.

I feel ridiculous, so I improvise lying down playing with one of the pillows in my hand.

"So... Madison and Alison," I say and as soon as she hears her name, the girl comes out from the room walking straight to her sister, who immediately stretches her hand giving her the chocolates that we were picking up from the floor just seconds ago. Her little hands get full of the small silver chocolates. She smiles enormously and then runs back to where she came from.

"I am sorry," Madison apologizes for the tenth time since I met her. I smile and she blushes looking away. She likes me. I am truly sure of that and she's so fucking perfect, that she needs to be mine.

"Your parents really broke their heads thinking of names for you two," I continue and right when she looks at me confused I can hear her excuse me in my head. The thought alone makes me giggle. I am going to kiss her. Right here. Right now. "Are you sorry?" I mock her.

"What?"

I sit down at the center of the sofa placing my hands over my thighs. "Literally, I think that was the twentieth time that you've apologized in the time I've met you and I am pretty sure that you are going to blush once I am done talking." She blushes and I smile because it's unbelievable how much I already know her and how easy are women to read.

"I am sorry," she says and covers her mouth when she realizes that she has done it again. "I can't stop," she says ashamed between laughs and I just smile staring at her. She's gorgeous in an exceptional way.

Her smile made upon big pearled teeth, her shiny eyes of intense emerald green, her brown and wavy hair falling over her shoulders, stretching as she laughs, makes it impossible for me to stop admiring her. Impossible to resist to that instant attraction. Whoever saw her, could see it.

"It's incredible how much I already know you, even though I have only heard you saying two words," I say.

"You know me?" she asks with a smile.

"I have more information about you than anything the CIA could ever find," I nod and she raises her eyebrows.

"How can you be so sure of that?"

"I can't reveal my sources," I joke and she rolls her eyes, a habit so common of her. "I am going to tell you what I know so far," I clear my throat and she raises her hand on a very formal way to let me begin. I stand up and begin to wander close to the door. Her eyes follow me. "Your name is Madison." I rub my temples.

"Impressive," she says.

"Doubts and comments at the end young lady," I reply like any authority would have done and she laughs in reply. "You are from San Francisco. You have a little sister that could easily pass as your clone. You apologize for the fly passing by." She smiles again and with each sentence, I give a step closer to her, but she doesn't seem to notice. "You use sarcasm as your way of living. You are probably escaping from someone and the fact that they could find you at any moment is driving you nuts," she bites her lip. "My question is... why? But I guess I will find out later. One of my best friends is suddenly a friend of yours and for some reason, you pretend to be his girlfriend even though you clearly aren't Jessica." I sit down on the table right in front of the couch she is sat at and stare deeply at her.

"Is that all?" she asks and for the tone in her voice, I know she's nervous. All mine.

"Your eyes have an extremely unique green color and shine so bright," I tell her once her eyes meet mine. She notes it trying to look away. I take her gently from her chin forcing her to look back at me. She bites her lip. We are so close to each other that I can see how a white spot gets formed on her lip when her teeth press it. "You are extremely beautiful," I lower my voice making it sound stronger and our lips almost touch when I talk. I glance at her lips one more time like asking for permission and I am pretty sure her eyes beg me to go for it. I move my hand from her chin to the back of her neck to hold her head and bend. I am so close that I can feel her breath on mine. She is breathing like the air is missing. I get closer and just when our lips are about to lock on each other...

"Madison!" Our foreheads collide and what I thought would have been my moment, ends up being a fiasco. We look at the girl at the same time. Her lips are all brown. She stares at me seriously like if she were judging me for trying to kiss her sister. I straighten up feeling awkward.

"What's going on?" says Madison getting the child's attention back to her.

"I want more..." the girl replies rubbing the couch's arm. Madison looks at her, rubbing her forehead, where she now has a red spot. She stands up taking a bag full of those chocolates from the kitchen. The little girl almost jumps for happiness.

"Wait. What happened to your hair?" Madison says before handing her the bag. The girl's hair is a mess. A tangle of hair fully frizzed.

"I brushed it," she says passing her hands on the mess. "Do I look like you?"

"I really hope not," she says handing her the bag. I laugh for the thought of her looking that way.

"But I brush it as you do," Alison replies letting herself fall on the floor to open one of the chocolates.

"You just made a mess," Madison tells her coming back to me. "I... hmm... think I'll... see you later?" she hesitates to try to get rid of me. I take the chance to make my offer.

"I was thinking..." I say standing up. Her eyes meet mine. "Maybe I could show you the city tonight, you know... what's better than meeting L.A. with someone from L.A." She bites her lip.

"You are not from L.A.," she attacks and this time is me who bites my lip.

"Someone did pay attention..." She smiles proudly.

"You are from Chicago. Surf lover- Soon to be a movie director winner of ten Oscars. You have two sisters and work on a boring coffee shop in the mornings," she says and thinks about it for a moment. "You drive a black Mini and you have run marathons."

"Someone should give this woman an A!" I applaud trying to make a move, but she gives some steps back. "See you at seven?"

"Why would I go out with someone that lies?"

"Because no one can resist L.A. and everyone lies." She opens the door.

"Smart..." she says leaning against the door. "What am I supposed to do with her?" I look at the girl when nods at her. She looks like a cartoon eating all those chocolates.

"Give her more chocolates and I could almost swear that she won't even notice that you left." She laughs when she sees her.

"Touché," she says. I step into the hall raising an eyebrow. "Until seven..."