Solid Proof

LEONARD:

Going to work now feels like hiking under a scorching sun. Coming home isn’t any better. It is ridiculous how my controlled life spun out of place. Yet I can’t fully explain what’s wrong with me.

Actually, I can. I miss her. I miss someone who doesn’t know I am missing her. Someone I am no longer sure even existed.

I still leave home for the office out of habit, but I always end up back before noon, drained and fatigued as if I’ve been chopping wood all morning.

Today is the same. I’m in the elevator heading home at 11:17 a.m. I park outside my house and lean my head on the steering wheel, wondering if maybe I need a vacation. A party, perhaps. Anything to feel human again.

Then I lifted my head, and behold, Erica 2 was walking out of my house.

I freeze, watching her close my door and step off the porch. She halts mid-step, either sensing my eyes on her or noticing my car. Slowly, she turns. Our eyes locked. Her knees buckle. My stiffness melts into a grin, bigger than the Joker had ever had on his face.

At last. Solid proof.

She staggers, shocked, and bolts inside. And just like that, the tank inside me bursts. My head snaps back in thunderous laughter.

Did I say I no longer feel human? I must be a liar.

I step out of the car. The sky suddenly seems brighter, almost blinding. The wind rested on my face, and for the first time since I bought this place, I noticed the gate needs repainting, the lawn could use a trim, and the trees are thirsty. My house needs a damn transformation.

I walked to the door, but just for one last confirmation…before I’ll wake up in the hospital with a conjured brain, surveillance footage wiped and be told I was hallucinating…I called Jimmy and set my phone to record.

He joined Erica1’s team this year. He thinks following her would give us the truth we needed, and he was right.

He isn’t a useless agent. He is a freaking genius.

“Leonard?” he answers.

“Where is Erica1?” 

“Here with me. Want to talk to her?”

“I want to see her pretty face, too.”

Jimmy went silent, probably wondering if I’ve lost my mind.

“Is Erica2 there?” he asks suddenly, catching on.

“Behold, Jimmy.”

He switches to video, aiming the camera at Erica speaking with an old man.

“Enjoy your trip now, Jimmy. I have personal business to take care of.”

I walk back to my car and from the trunk, grab a lug wrench, swipe my card against the door, and stroll inside majestically…taking my time. Why hurry? I have all the time in this world. I’m only twenty-eight. I could take ten years to walk up these stairs to her bedroom and still not have a single grey hair.

She is here after all. She clearly didn’t come to see me; she timed it for when I should’ve been at work. With Erica1 out of town, it would make more sense to stay hidden. Yet, she came. Which can only mean one thing—she misses me and came in my absence to feed her ache, just as I have cooked her dishes to feel what it’s like to eat her food.

“Erica 2…” I call as I climb the stairs, lug wrench in hand.

I turned her doorknob and, surprisingly, it was unlocked. I had thought ahead that she would lock it, hence the tool to break it. I check the bathroom, the wardrobe, and under the bed. Empty.

This will be fun.

I search every room, even mine. Still nothing. My temper starts to slip.

This won’t be fun.

“Erica,” I shout from the narrow corridor. “Come out now, or I will call the cops. Trust me, you don’t want to hear the list of charges I’ll press.”

“…”

“Erica!”

“…”

“Fine.”

My call to the cops connected… “111, what’s your emergency?”

“I am here,” a voice says behind me.

 I turn. She’s standing in my doorway.

“111, what’s your emergency?” the dispatcher repeats.

I hang up, drop the tool, and stride toward her, shoving her into my room.

“Where were you hiding?”

She stares at the floor, trembling.

“Where?”

She flinches, then points at a box on top of my wardrobe.

It hits me. She’d hidden in the box that day in Erica’s room.

I cracked into another maniacal laugh. Louder than I did in my car.

“Was it fun? Fooling me like that?” I ask, traces of the laugh vanishing from my face.

“…”

“Answer me!”

“...No.” Her voice cracks.

“Then why? Why did you two make a fool out of me? Why ridicule me?”

“We are sorry…I am sorry…”

Still staring at the floor, her hands clasped tightly and her shoulders shaking.

I close my eyes, exhale, and rein in my breathing. I step closer, tilt her chin up with a finger, and look into the eyes that thought could trick me. Though clouded with fear, the spark was there. And those lips… I swallow, feeling the same magnetic pull.

I step back. “What’s your name?” My tone, softer.

“I…can’t say.”

“You will answer every question. What are you called?”

“…Lucia.”

I nod, acknowledging how sexy her name sounds. “So, Lucia, what’s your relationship with Erica?”

I’ve realised that, no matter what the truth is, it will trigger a huge shift in my life. Whether they’re twins or just look-alikes, I’ll be affected—though one outcome would be easier to bear. If they’re merely a coincidence of creation, it would smooth the hearty path with Lucia. But if they’re twins, family… that would mean I was destined for the Gerux, and that would sting a little.

“Please, I can’t say.” She looks up, holding my gaze, tears swelling in her eyes. “I really can’t.”

I huff, feeling defeated by the helplessness in her eyes. “I will let that go for now.”

I step closer. “But tell me why you have come.”

“To help Erica. She wants me here in her place.”

I’d already figured as much —Erica had sent her to stay with me while she chased after Nathan. And I knew there was more beneath the surface. But I’d asked the question for a different answer.

“Why have you come today?”

“I…came to pick up my earrings.”

I scoff, loosening my tie. Earrings she hadn’t touched in over a month suddenly became urgent?

My hand rises to cup her neck; she quivers under my touch, but I ignore it, lifting her face closer to mine…closer than I did earlier. Her eyes glisten, mirroring my stare, her breath brushing my skin. I feel her heartbeat pounding, her chest rising and falling… a maddening distraction.

“Why are you here, Lucia?” I whisper, my heartbeat matching hers.

“I…”

“Don’t give me another earring lie…please.”

My plea makes her eyelashes flutter. Her throat tightens as she struggles to control her nerves. Except I’m not better myself. My hand on her neck loosens slightly, my nerves betraying me.

“I…”

“I missed you,” I cut in, my breath uneven, lips trembling as they graze hers. “I really miss you.”

“What?” she mumbled. 

“Tell me you didn’t miss, too, and I will let you go.”

“I did,” she whispers, tears spilling. “I came because I miss you so much.”

And slowly, like a cold shower washing my restraint, my lips find hers, ready to give her everything I’ve been holding back.