Twice The Trouble Book 2 of 2: Twice The Love

Chapter 67: One Fixture

Lucas

Back at my apartment, I shook my head, tired of my troubles with Sophia, tired of academics and business training, tired of not being able to relax for even a split second.

Despite my weariness, my feet gravitated towards my computer, figuring I should at least check my emails. When I came to the first message, however, all I could do was stare at the screen.

HAS SHE REALLY TOLD YOU THE TRUTH? READ HER TEXT MESSAGES. YOU'LL FIND THE ANSWER THERE.

"I don't know what to tell you, man," said Bryce the following day, sounding at a loss. "What do you think it means?"

After reading the message a dozen times, I had finally reached for the phone to call my twin brother who virtually cursed in my face for waking him up at five am.

"I don't know," I said before brushing my teeth and spitting into the sink.

"Have you checked Sophia's phone?"

"No," I answered. "I just got the email. I haven't had time to do anything. I'm just trying to make sense of it."

"Maybe you should do what the message says," Bryce suggested. "Sift through Sophia's inbox."

"For what?" I stepped out of my bathroom and into my bedroom to pull out my school uniform from its hanger on the wall. "I don't even know what I'm supposed to be looking for. And I can guarantee that Sophia's phone has nothing to do with what's been going on lately."

"What are you talking about?"

I put on my white shirt, then my blue slacks before I related the previous events to my brother. When I finished, Bryce grew quiet. "I just want to make sure I heard you right," he said at last. "She was at Liam's?"

"Yeah," I affirmed.

"And she didn't tell you?"

I impatiently knotted my blue necktie around my white collar. "No, but she said that she was going to."

"And you believe her?"

That was the crux of the matter, wasn't it? Would she really have told me?

"I don't know," I confessed, shoving my feet into a pair of sleek black shoes.

After a brief pause, Bryce spoke. "Again, I don't know what to tell you."

"What do you think it means? Why is someone sending me emails like this?"

"Maybe they know something you don't," Bryce pointed out.

"Or maybe they just want to have us break up," I said while organizing my stuff in my dark green backpack.

Bryce asked: "Do you love her?"

I weaved a hand through my wet hair. "More than life."

"Listen, call me if you learn something from Sophia's phone. As much as I hate to admit it, I'm beginning to live vicariously through your adventures."

"I wouldn't consider these emails adventures."

"Call them what you will. But you've got to admit, they've been making you think, right?"

"Oh yeah," I said, my voice sarcastic. "They've been making me think."

"Well, at least we're both suffering," Bryce muttered.

"What?" I wedged my black phone between my ear and shoulder as I closed the zipper of my backpack. "What the hell's been going on with you?"

"Not me exactly," sighed my brother. "A couple of weeks ago, Stacy's bank account was hacked. She lost over two million pesos and the complaint she filed was ignored."