The Perfect Boyfriend

The first time I saw Adrian Carter, he was standing in the middle of the college basketball court with sweat glistening on his forehead and girls practically fighting for his attention.

And somehow, out of everyone there, he noticed me.

“You’re blocking the view,” he said with a crooked smile.

I stepped aside quickly, embarrassed. “Sorry.”

He laughed softly, not in a mocking way, but like he found my awkwardness amusing. “Relax. I’m joking.”

That was three months ago.

Now, as I stared at my reflection in the mirror of the café restroom, I tried calming the nervous flutter in my stomach. Adrian had invited me to dinner with his family tonight. According to him, it was “nothing serious,” but meeting the parents never felt casual.

Especially when your boyfriend looked like every girl’s fantasy.

Tall, athletic, messy black hair, sharp jawline, dark eyes that somehow made you feel like the only person in the room. Adrian Carter was the type of guy girls wrote songs about and cried over at two in the morning.

And he was mine.

My phone buzzed.

Adrian: Outside waiting. Don’t make me come in there.

A smile spread across my lips before I could stop it.

Me: You’re dramatic.

Adrian: And you love it.

I grabbed my purse and hurried outside.

His black car was parked by the sidewalk. The moment he saw me, he stepped out, leaning casually against the driver’s door.

“Wow,” he muttered.

I rolled my eyes. “You say that every time.”

“Because you keep giving me reasons to.”

Heat crept into my cheeks. Adrian had this effortless charm that made compliments sound dangerous.

As I approached, he reached for my hand naturally, his fingers sliding between mine like they belonged there.

“You nervous?” he asked.

“A little.”

“My family’s harmless.”

“Easy for you to say. They already love you.”

He opened the passenger door for me. “They’ll love you too.”

The drive to his family’s house was filled with music and teasing conversation. Adrian kept one hand on the steering wheel while the other rested lazily on my thigh, occasionally squeezing gently whenever he caught me zoning out.

“You’re overthinking,” he said.

“I’m trying not to embarrass myself.”

“You dating me already embarrassed you enough.”

I laughed despite myself. “You’re unbelievable.”

“That’s why you’re obsessed with me.”

I turned toward the window to hide my smile.

Maybe he was right.

The Carter residence looked more like a mansion than a home. Warm lights glowed through massive windows, and expensive cars lined the driveway.

“Adrian,” I whispered, “your family is rich rich.”

He smirked. “Too late to run now.”

Before I could respond, the front door opened.

A woman with elegant features and kind eyes stepped outside. “There you are!”

“That’s my mom,” Adrian said quietly before leading me forward.

Dinner went better than expected.

His mother was welcoming, his father surprisingly funny, and the atmosphere felt oddly comfortable. They asked me questions about school, my hobbies, and how Adrian and I met.

Apparently, embarrassing me was tonight’s entertainment.

“She rejected me twice,” Adrian announced proudly.

His mother gasped dramatically. “A girl finally humbled you?”

“I was being careful,” I defended.

“No,” Adrian corrected. “You thought I was a player.”

“You look like one.”

His father burst into laughter.

Adrian leaned closer to me. “But you still fell for me.”

Unfortunately, that part was true.

After dinner, Adrian offered to show me around the house while his parents cleaned up.

“You survived,” he said as we climbed the stairs.

“Barely.”

“You were perfect.”

The sincerity in his voice made my chest tighten.

He led me down a quiet hallway before stopping in front of a closed door.

“And this,” he said dramatically, “is where greatness happens.”

“Your ego is exhausting.”

“You love it.”

He pushed the door open.

At first glance, the room looked exactly like what I expected from Adrian—modern furniture, basketball trophies, dark colors, expensive electronics.

But then my eyes landed on someone sitting by the window.

I froze.

The guy looked exactly like Adrian.

Same dark hair. Same sharp features. Same height.

Except his expression was colder. Harder.

He looked up slowly from the book in his hand, eyes narrowing slightly when they landed on me.

For a terrifying second, I genuinely thought Adrian had somehow teleported across the room.

Then the boy spoke.

“So this is the girlfriend.”

My brain stopped functioning.

Adrian sighed beside me. “Relax, Ava. You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

“You, you have a twin?”

The stranger stood up calmly.

“Yes,” he answered before Adrian could. “And judging by your reaction, he forgot to mention me.”

I turned sharply toward Adrian.

“You never told me you had a twin brother!”

Adrian rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. “I was going to.”

“When? On our wedding day?”

The twin chuckled softly, though there was little warmth in it.

“Trust me,” he said, closing his book, “he forgets important things.”

Something about his voice sent an unfamiliar shiver through me.

Unlike Adrian’s easy confidence, this twin carried a quiet intensity that made the room feel smaller.

Adrian stepped forward quickly. “Ava, this is Ashton. Ashton, my girlfriend Ava.”

Ashton.

Even their names sounded annoyingly perfect together.

Ashton studied me carefully before extending his hand.

“Nice to meet you.”

The moment our hands touched, something strange happened.

Not romance.

Not attraction.

Just… awareness.

Like suddenly noticing a storm cloud hiding behind clear skies.

His gaze lingered a second too long before he pulled away.

“She’s prettier than your last girlfriend,” Ashton remarked casually.

“Please don’t start,” Adrian groaned.

“I’m complimenting her.”

“You insulted my ex while doing it.”

“That’s called efficiency.”

I laughed before I could stop myself.

Ashton’s eyes flickered toward me briefly, almost surprised.

Adrian pointed accusingly between us. “No. Don’t encourage him. He becomes unbearable.”

“Too late,” Ashton replied.

The tension between the brothers felt natural, practiced. But there was something underneath it too something sharp hidden beneath the jokes.

Ashton walked past us toward the door. “Mom asked me to grab more drinks.”

Before leaving, he paused beside me.

“Good luck dating him,” he said quietly. “You’ll need patience.”

Then he disappeared down the hallway.

I stared after him for a moment.

Weirdly, the room felt emptier after he left.

“Told you he was dramatic,” Adrian muttered.

I blinked. “Why didn’t you ever mention him?”

Adrian shrugged casually, though something about his expression shifted. “We’re not exactly attached at the hip.”

“That’s still a major detail to leave out.”

“Would it have changed anything?”

“No… but I nearly had a heart attack.”

He laughed and wrapped an arm around my waist, pulling me closer.

“You only need one Carter brother stressing you out.”

I rested my head briefly against his chest, listening to the steady rhythm of his heartbeat.

Adrian was sweet, charming, attentive everything a girl could want in a boyfriend.

Perfect, even.

So why couldn’t I stop thinking about the other twin?

The one with the colder eyes.

The one Adrian never mentioned.

The one who looked at me like he already knew something I didn’t.