"I've been dating someone for a few weeks, but to be honest, I've just been using him as a distraction, which isn't fair to him. I need to end that when I get back."

"Why didn't he come with you?"

"I didn't ask him to. In fact, I told him not to. He's best friends with my sister's husband, so it's a little complicated."

"Did your sister fix you up?"

"She threw us together a lot. There's nothing wrong with Jeff. He's a nice guy."

"Just not the guy for you."

"No. He would be another Dani in my life, warning me not to try anything too different, not to reach too high. It's fine coming from my sister, but I don't need someone else telling me what not to do. I need someone who pushes me outside of my comfort zone." I didn't want to say I needed someone like him, but the idea had crossed my mind.

Kade took the plate out of the microwave and put it in front of me, then slid the remaining slices onto another plate to heat up for himself.

"It sounds like you need to let him go," Kade said, folding his arms as he leaned back against the opposite counter and gave me a thoughtful look.

"I'm going to do that when this is all over." Seeing the contemplative expression on his face, I said, "What are you thinking about?"

"Just wondering what it would have been like to grow up with a twin, someone who looked exactly like me, who made me feel like I was part of a duo instead of a single."

"Dani didn't make me feel that way. It's just a fact. Twins are together before birth and forever after that. It's a bond that's impossible to describe to anyone who hasn't experienced it. It's like I can feel her in my heart, and the same goes for her." As I finished speaking, I took a bite of pizza. I was relieved that it tasted normal and drove away the metallic taste that had been lingering in my mouth since I'd been drugged.

"But you and your sister are different people," Kade said.

"Yes, and that's where it gets tricky. Because it's easier to be the same. People expected us to be the same. Dani was good in math, and the math teacher had high expectations for me that I could not meet. Same thing for music, but in reverse. Because I played an instrument, everyone thought Dani should, but she had no talent or interest in music."

"What about your dad?" he asked, as the microwave began to beep. "What was his relationship with you both?"