The Twin Dilemma

Chapter 1

AMBER



Have you ever been so damn unlucky in love, that every single relationship you have ever been in, turns to complete and utter s**t? Yep, that’s me; Amber Lopez. Identical twin sister of Avery.

I am twenty-six years old; which means my biological clock is definitely ticking. It is almost as if I can hear it counting down inside my brain. It is not as if I haven’t been searching for ‘the one’, I just haven’t found him yet. Perhaps he just simply doesn’t exist and there is no other half of my soul.

My best friend Scarlett found her happily ever after with now fiancé Adrian, hence their fast approaching wedding day. My other best friend Isabelle definitely has found the one too, she is just too damn stubborn to sort out her issues with her beau Carter. They are quite obviously made for each other but they are both as headstrong as each other.

Although I am ecstatic for them, I can’t help but be a tad envious. I always ask myself ‘why can’t that be me?’ I’m not saying I need a man, I am a strong minded woman who basically does everything for herself. It’s just that every little girl dreams of meeting her prince charming one day and having their fairy tale wedding. It’s not wrong to want that for myself, is it?

Avery’s love life is almost as tragic as mine is, but that is not my story to tell.

I own a small boutique hair and beauty salon with Avery called Hair-larious Salon in Sydney, a few minutes’ walk from Central Station. Our tiny two-bedroom apartment sits nestled on top of the salon. It is definitely convenient for us to only have to walk down stairs every morning to open up the salon. We have two young apprentice hairdresser sisters Leah and Luna plus a beauty therapist Natalia who works a few hours per day during school hours. She has two kids so she arranges her schedule around them. We are a tight knit team and I am so grateful to work with these girls who are like family.

The door to my bedroom swings open suddenly making me jump in fright. Avery walks in while I clutch my pounding chest.

“Are you ready to go yet?” She questions impatiently.

I look at her reflection in my dressing table mirror, my eyes narrowing into slits as I take in what she is wearing.

“Is that my dress?” I ask as I lean forward to concentrate on applying my mascara.

Avery rolls her eyes. “No, it’s my other twins dress.” Her voice dripping with sarcasm.

“It’s polite to ask first, you know.”

“A, we are identical. We might as well have the same wardrobe.” She reminds me, as if I didn’t already know that.

“Shut up. Did you book an Uber?”

Avery flops down on the edge of my queen size bed and whips her phone out of her tiny handbag. “Yep, it’s five minutes away so hurry up woman.”

I jump up off the stool and hurry over to my shoe cabinet in search of my black strappy heels. Rummaging around for what feels like forever, I can’t find them anywhere.

“Did you steal my heels too?” I throw Avery a filthy look over my shoulder.

She rolls her eyes at me again. “Nope.” She says, popping the P.

“Ugh, never mind I found them!” I sit back down on the stool to put on my shoes. “Are you nervous about tonight?”

“A little.” She fidgets with her nails, avoiding my gaze.

Avery is the quiet twin and she has always been nervous meeting new people. Scarlett wanted to get her whole bridal party together for drinks so we could get to know each other before the big day in two months’ time.

“Don’t worry; I’ll be there by your side for the whole night.” I stand up and squeeze her shoulder in support. She looks up at me as I stare into the identical hazel eyes that look back at me when I look in the mirror. She gives me a weak smile.

“Do you think Isabelle will turn up?” Avery asks.

“Highly doubtful but if she does, I’ll give you fifty dollars.”

She throws her head back and laughs aloud. Her phone pings, notifying us that our Uber has arrived. I grab my phone off the charger and throw it into my tiny handbag. We lock up our apartment and make our way down the stairs at the back of our building. I instinctively check to make sure the back door of the salon is locked then we make our way down the narrow alleyway towards the front of the building. We jump into the black sedan waiting for us and we are on our way to Opera Bar.

Once we have arrived and we step out of the car, I can see a beautiful bar with a stunning view of the Opera House and Harbour Bridge. The sun is beginning to set, streaking the sky with orange and pink rays. Once inside, we head straight for the bar.

“What can I get for you ladies?” The bartender asks us.

“Mojito please.” Avery orders.

“I’ll have a margarita thanks.”

We head outside once we have our drinks to find Scarlett and see her sitting with Adrian and Carter at a high table with stools nestled around it.

“Hey friends!” I announce when we are close enough. Scarlett’s head whips around in our direction, a smile brightening her already stunning features.

“Ahhhh! You’re here!” She squeals, jumping off her stool and pulling us both in for a double hug.

We say hello to Adrian and Carter; who looks miserable I might add. Scarlett tells Avery to sit in the stool beside her and she tells me to sit beside Avery.

“Do we have designated seating?” I ask her sarcastically. Avery giggles as we sit on our stools.

Scarlett glares at me for a moment before saying, “Yep, you will be sitting across from your bridal party partners.”

“How is the salon doing Avery?” Adrian asks politely. I feel like he knows that she is shy so he is prompting her to talk about something she loves. Her eyes light up at his question.

“It’s great, thank you for asking. You should totally come in before the wedding so we can tidy you up.” Avery replies.

“Book me in.” Adrian smiles warmly at Avery.

Carter raises his hand. “Me too. Do we get mates rates?” He winks at me across the table.

“You could literally wipe your own ass with your money!” I poke my tongue out at him. He laughs but I notice his smile doesn’t quite reach his eyes.

All of a sudden, two tall men walk around our table and greet Adrian and Carter with handshakes and bro hugs. My eyes are immediately drawn to one of the men. Have you ever heard the saying tall, dark and handsome? His piercing cognac coloured eyes meet mine and a smile spreads across his perfectly chiselled face.

Holy. f*****g. s**t. Who the hell is that?