1.
Todd sat poolside and tilted his head toward the sky. He was finding it hard to concentrate. The error-laden essay in his hand left him re-reading sentences aloud and tapping out words with his pen. He took several breaks, his eyes frequently wandering away from the page. The warm weather didn't help. It also didn't help that the essay's author lay next to him in a bikini, taking advantage of the heat.
As Todd tried to read, Evie writhed around on a beach towel, eyes hidden beneath a pair of oversized shades, giggling at jokes she told to herself. She rolled the straps of her bathing suit off of her shoulders, shifted, and gave every inch equal time in the sun. Todd found himself transfixed on a drop of sweat threatening to fall into Evie's navel. He licked his lips, his body tense with anticipation as the drop descended down her torso like a melting pearl.
"So do you like it?" Evie asked.
"I do," Todd said in almost a whisper.
Evie shot up, ending the drop's journey. She flashed him a perfected grin. "You do? F'real?"
"For real," Todd said, recovering. He turned his attention back to the essay. He wondered how long it would take him to get through this one, copy it himself, decide what matters and discard the rest, make sure to revise it just enough, and to then explain to Evie what he had done in the hopes that she may pick up something new this time. The fact that she rarely did was ultimately of little concern to Todd. Nor was the time that he took out of his own homework to help Evie with hers. It kept him... useful.
"Omigod, you don't even know," Evie said, clapping her hands. "Like, I worked forever on it. I didn't even go out yesterday."
"You?" Todd said. "Staying in on a Friday night?"
"Oh no. I went out last
night.
Just not during the
day
."
Todd rolled his eyes. "What am I going to do with you?"
Evie shrugged and reached for her buzzing phone. She typed back and forth for several rounds. When she was done, she laid the phone screen-side down and let out an exasperated groan, running her fingers through her long, dark hair.
"Todd?" she said sweetly.
"Evie," he replied. His eager face reflected in her shades.
"Do you wanna cum in my mouth?"
Todd sputtered and choked on all the possible responses gathering all at once in the back of his throat.
Evie raised her sunglasses. "Are you OK?" she asked.
"I'm sorry," he said, beating his chest, catching his breath. "W-what did you say?"
"Do you wanna come in the house?" she repeated, pointing to the back door. "It's getting pretty hot out here. And besides," she added with a giggle, "looks like you could use some water."
2.
Todd had never been inside Evie's house. Their past collaborations had taken place largely in the campus library, and once or twice at a coffee shop dangerously close to his own house. Today's texted invitation to "kik it by da pool n HELP w my paper PLZ" had already been an outlier, one which he had ceased to question once Evie had opened the back gate in her bathing suit. Now, actually inside her family home, he was struck by the power and the intimacy of scent; how a home could project such a lasting, specific smell, that blend of a household's laundry detergent, hair products, and perfumes; how each member of that household carried their own version of that scent out into the world; and how that scent could bring back sights and sounds and feels for those whom they encounter.
Walking through Evie's house, Todd was transported back to the day they'd met in Prof. Wright's class, randomly paired for a "fun fact" icebreaker exercise: He'd learned that she'd seen Young Daddy in concert on five separate occasions ("Omigod, he is
so
choice," she'd declared.); and she'd learned that Todd was afraid of the ocean ("No sir," he'd said, "Full of monsters."), and this had made her laugh, full-throated, leaning into him, her hair sweeping across his hand, leaving that scent of hers on him throughout the day. Moreover, this confession had made him memorable to her, and (as usual) approachable, latchable, dependable, in that class and the others they'd taken together in the time since.
Evie brought her own assets to this relationship, and right now Todd followed a pair of those bikini-clad assets traipsing through the halls, as Evie wiped imaginary dust off framed memories of birthdays, graduations, and school dances. Her life, and that of her family, while perhaps overly-documented, appeared otherwise ordinary. Orderly. Suburban. The walls and mantles and table tops were covered with evidence that Evie, in fact, did not arrive fully formed out of the ocean foam, like some mythological beauty; she was a product of careful planning and the conflation of curated moments: Evie striking a pose in bows, make-up, miniskirts and form-fitting gowns; at the same time, Evie in action, sporting sneakers and jerseys, displaying trophies and slapping sweaty fives.
Who was this girl, really?
Evie stopped at a photo of what looked like identical twin boys, seven or eight years old, shaggy-haired, each with a soccer ball in their hand, wearing the colors of two different teams.
"I can't wait to get my own place," Evie said absently. She turned to face Todd, who snapped his gaze upward just in time. "I just want something of my own, y'know?" She reached out to grab hold of Todd's hand.
Todd trepidatiously reached for Evie, so beautiful, awash in the well-lit glow of the foreyer. She locked his fingers and led him toward the kitchen. "Somewhere with some privacy," she said softly.
"Privacy, yeah," he said, so focused on their mated hands he barely missed bumping into the kitchen doorway.
Evie raised her voice. "This place gets little too crowded sometimes!"
A hand emerged from behind the open refrigerator door and gave Evie the finger.
"You'll have to excuse my sister," Evie said. "She's
hella
rude."
The door swung shut, and there stood a girl wearing warm-ups, carrying a basketball underneath her arm and a bottle of Gatorade in her hand. She threw a quick glance in Todd's direction and said to Evie, "Dude, I don't think mom and dad would like you tracking your boyfriends through the house while they're out of town."
Todd smiled to himself, savoring his favorite part of her statement.
Boyfriend.
"Whatever!" Evie protested, blushing. "This is
Todd
. I told you about
Todd
."
He was excited at that thought of being "told" about. And yet he didn't love the way she repeated his name like that, from the back of her throat, like an aftertaste.
"
Todd
," she continued. "From my class. I told you he was coming over today. Y'know.
Todd
."
The girl gave Todd a longer, quizzical look, but no sign of recognition. She shrugged and took a swig.
"
Todd
?" Evie tried once again. "
Todd!
"
"She doesn't remember, OK!" Todd blurted out. He reeled it in and laughed nervously. "Nice to meet you," he said, extending his hand to Evie's sister. "Todd."
She swallowed a mouthful of Gatorade and stared at his hand, seemingly skeptical. Then she gave it a hard single shake. "Dawn," she said.
"Dawn," he repeated. And then it clicked, as soon as he said it aloud.
Eve and Dawn.
Todd must have worn the revelation in his face, because the girls rolled their eyes in unison.
"We know," they both said.
And despite their very disparate attire, Evie in her two-piece, Dawn covered from color to cuff; difference in hairstyles, Evie's cascading waves versus Dawn's tight cornrows; and the way each girl carried herself, Dawn an action figure, Evie a broken marionette, it was in that moment that Todd realized that the girls were not just sisters, but twins - identical twins. He thought back to the picture of the matching soccer players, and found it odd that Evie hadn't mentioned a twin, a "fun fact" he thought more notable than her devotion to Young Daddy.
"Todd is helping me on my paper," Evie said. She gave Todd a wink. "He's a genius."
"I don't know about all that," Todd said bashfully.
"I'm serious!" Evie said. She scooped up both of his hands with hers. "Why do you think I need you so much?" She leaned her whole body in Todd. His body locked up at the touch of her. There'd been days when he'd looked forward to the feel of her hair brushing him in the face as she tossed it over her shoulder. To be this close to her, her breasts pressed up against him so that they changed shape and appeared even larger; so that he could almost hear her heart thumping through her cleavage (but of course, that was his own heart pounding in elation, just as surprised as the rest of him), this was worth the price of admission. Todd didn't know the reason for this unexpected affection, but he was too distracted to ask many questions.
"'Genius,' huh?" Dawn said, looking Todd over. "And you go to the same school as
her
?"
Evie's face scrunched up. She blew a gust of wind through her nose like a cartoon bull, before her lips curled into a snide smile. "Todd," she said, viciously friendly. "Did I tell you that my sister 'Don' is a big time D..." she coughed, "...a big time D..." coughed again, and comically cleared her throat. "Whew, excuse me. A big time D1 athlete?"
"Ugh, what
ever
," Dawn said.
"
What
ever," Evie said.
"What
ever
," Dawn vollied.
"
What
ever," Evie retorted.
Todd bounced back and forth with the rhythm of this clearly familiar battle between the twins. Eventually, the voices melded together, and Todd caught the differences in their tenors: Evie's, sharp, ringing in her throat; Dawn's, flat, drumming in her chest.
"
