CHAPTER 5

“Dear God, you can take back the perfumes. Please, just send me a helper. I promise I won’t lie again.”

I prayed silently, clutching my towel like it was a holy cloth.

“I’m here, Becky.”

That wasn’t God. That was Jimmy; he was back.

“You didn’t tell me you were coming,” he said warmly. “I would’ve ordered your favorite pizza.”

“Well, I wanted to surprise my favorite brother.” Becky’s voice chimed in, playful. “I thought I heard movement in your bathroom.”

That loud mouth! She heard nothing. Absolutely nothing.

Like brother, like sister.

Wait. Sister?

Hold on, Jimmy has a sister? No, he’s an orphan.

I argued with myself in silence, heart hammering.

“Let’s go grab a pizza. I’m hungry,” Jimmy said.

“Okay.”

The door shut with a loud bang. Almost deliberate.

I waited, one minute, two, five, to be sure they were gone before tiptoeing into my room. Safe, back to Idris.

******

Boredom hit hard that night. It was dark outside. I sat on the couch with a bowl of hot popcorn in my hands, watching a vampire series. Fangs, blood, horror, I loved it.

The door swung open, and I remembered, I wasn’t alone in this house. Zeus lived here.

And this time, Zeus brought his sister.

I blinked. She was… stunning. Not as tall as Jimmy, but close. Same striking face and dentition. If his skin was golden, hers was glass, clear, smooth, flawless. I thought mine was spotless until I stood near hers. I could practically see my reflection.

“Idris, you’re back,” Jimmy said casually. “Meet my little sister, Becky. Becky, this is my friend, Idris.”

Was I supposed to hug her? I stretched out my hand for a handshake, something I’d seen men do in movies.

Becky’s eyes lit up. “No way… you’re so beautiful, I mean, handsome.”

She kept staring. This was awkward.

“She’ll be spending the night here,” Jimmy added, already walking back toward his room. Typical, and straight to his laptop.

“Nooo, Jim!” Becky protested. “I’ll stay more than a day. I’m sure Idris has interesting things to show me.”

Oh no. Not another Lilly.

A smile plastered itself onto my face. “Sure, goodnight. I’ll be in my room.”

***

The nightmare came out of nowhere.

“You can’t do this… stay with me, Idris! Idris! Stay with me!!! No, no, no!”

I jerked up, sweating through my clothes.

“It’s okay. I’m here, Idris.”

Jimmy’s voice.

The dream, and that memory, I’d do anything to erase it.

“Nightmare?” he asked.

“Yes,” I admitted, my voice was low. “Sorry if I woke you up, Jim. I’ll try to be careful next time.”

He scoffed softly. “You can’t be careful in dreams, and no, you didn’t wake me. I was up anyway. Craving a midnight snack. I was heading to the kitchen when I heard you scream.”

He stood to leave, but I called out, “Wait. Two is such great company.”

I slipped on my slippers and followed him. Anything to free my mind.

In the kitchen, I perched on a stool, watching him pull out ingredients. Flour, sugar, milk. My thoughts weren’t fully on him, but still…

“What’s the name?” he asked suddenly.

I blinked. “Irish. You see, Irish… Idris… almost the same thing.” My defense tumbled out quickly.

He smirked faintly. “Why are you back in college, anyway? You had your first degree at nineteen. Became a CEO at twenty. You’re the tech guru. Just curious.”

“If I weren’t here, your plan would’ve flopped, Irish. Let’s say I’m here for you.”

Here for me. Right, I rolled my eyes, didn’t want to push it further.

I looked at the counter. He was still pulling things out. “By quick midnight snack, you mean… pancakes?”

He turned and winked.

Arghh! Another wink. One more and I’d kiss him just to make him stop. No, not tonight. My breath probably stinks.

“You can always be Irish here,” he added, calmly this time. “Those nightmares… maybe they’re tied to your costume. Get some clothes, free ones.”

He wasn’t looking at me when he said it.

Big mistake.

When I finally revealed this ass of mine, South African heritage and all, he'd better be ready.

****

Saturday came.

Living with Jim was bliss. No laundry, no cleaning, people came for that. I only washed my underwear and anything that could expose me. The rest? Smooth life.

I studied for hours, ate, then stretched out for a nap. That’s when Becky barged in.

“Hi, Idris! Guess what, I bought two tickets for tonight’s concert. My favorite band, D2!!!!”

She was glowing, literally bouncing with excitement. Honestly? I was just as excited.

Because D2 meant Lee Mo. My favorite artist.

I wanted to jump, to scream, to hug her. But no, men don’t show that kind of happiness.

“You’ll come, right?” she asked, hands clasped. “I know it’s not really your thing, but please, just for tonight.”

“Of course,” I said smoothly. “I’ll come. Let me pick an outfit.”

“Thank you, Idris!” she squealed, running off to get ready.

As soon as she left, I broke into a disco dance. Yeah, yeah, yeah! Too bad I was going as Idris, not Irish.

***

The concert was lit.

Lights, screams, music. We had front row seats, and when Lee Mo bent down in front of us, I almost fainted. I screamed his name, stretched my hands, sang, and danced. For once, I didn’t care about pretending.

It was everything I’d imagined and more.

After the show, we drove home. Jimmy was out late for some meeting, so it was just Becky and me.

I rushed to shower when Becky stopped me. She looked… sad.

“Are you okay, Becky? You don’t look fine.”

Her eyes dropped. “I had a huge crush on you. I never knew you liked men.”

I laughed nervously. “Of course I like men! Why shouldn’t I? Those…”

Shit! The words slipped out before I could stop them.

Which meant one thing.

Becky now thought Idris was gay.