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“Raven…” he draws out, then turns to scrutinize my features.
“Sloane, did you not mention you have a twin?” Raven says on a laugh.
“Uh… I thought I had…” I say, thinking back through our conversations.
Jax chuckles. “No… she most certainly didn’t. She’s talked about both of you, but I would’ve remembered that tidbit. I apologize for being so caught off guard.”
“I’m so used to everyone already knowing. It didn’t even cross my mind,” I add on a laugh. “This is Raven, my other half. My partner in crime.”
“Truthfully, you all have a strong family resemblance, but I wasn’t expecting there to be two of you.”
“We may look alike, but trust me—we’re complete opposites,” Raven assures him. “She’s my Yin to her Yang. Sloane’s got everything planned to the second, and I’m more of a go with the flow kind of gal. That’s why she graduated a year early and is ditching me for the real world this fall.”
“I’m not ditching you,” I remind her.
“But it’ll be the first time we’ve lived apart since the womb, Sloaney. What will I do without you?” I know my sister’s teasing, but there’s a truth in what she’s saying. I know that I’ll miss her just as much.
I shake my head at her sudden theatrics. “Uh, I’m sure you’ll survive. Stop being so dramatic. It’s not like we saw much of one another this past year, even if we did live in the same apartment. We’ve had our own lives for years.”
“True, but it doesn’t mean I won’t miss you.”
“I hate to break this party up,” Lizzy interrupts, “But if we’re going to catch that movie, Raven, we’ve got twenty minutes until it starts.”
Jumping up from the table, Raven says, “Shoot, we’ve got to go. Jax, it was great meeting you.”
“Great job tonight, Jax,” Lizzy says, standing next to Raven. To me, she says, “You okay getting yourself home?”
“I’m good. See you at the house,” I say to both my sisters. Then I shoo them to the door. “Go. You’re going to be late.”
“It was great meeting you two,” Jax calls out as my sisters rush away.
Once they’re gone, he turns to me with a laugh. “Well, that was fun. You all are hilarious!”
“We have our moments—trust me,” I draw out sarcastically. “So now that we’re alone, what is it you wanted to talk about?”
Leaning back in his chair, he crosses his arms. “Well… I’ve been thinking about the competition at the festival.”
Instantly, I’m all ears. Eagerly, I ask, “You’re going to do it?”
“I will…” he draws out and raises a brow in challenge. “On one condition…”
I’m not sure why his expression is so smug, so I draw out, “And that is….”
“Well… If I’m facing one of my biggest fears, it’s only fair… that you should, too.”
What the hell have I gotten myself into?
Here I am, strapped into a five-point harness, wearing a helmet to keep me from smashing my brains to smithereens, attached to rope that’s thin as hell, on a belay device designed to catch me if I fall. Sure, there are nets below me for an added safety measure, but I’m not willing to risk testing them.
Jax is strapped into his own contraption a few feet ahead of me. He’s making his way across this freaking obstacle course from hell. He makes everything look so mother-fucking simple, I want to scream. If I ever catch up to the rat-bastard, I’ll likely punch him in the face for even suggesting Iconquer my fears.
He gave me the ultimatum at the bar last week, and my competitive self just had to meet his challenge. Oh, what a fool I was to think I could do this. Yes, I want him to perform at the festival. Yes, I’ll go to great lengths to help him overcome his fear of performing in front of a large crowd. And yes, I want him to succeed and for the world to see his amazing talents.
Apparently, that also includes strapping myself into a freaking harness and following him through a ropes course. He thinks he’s doing this to show me that I’m a strong, independent person who can conquer my biggest fear.
News flash—I still hate heights.
Well, it’s not really the height. It’s the falling that I’m more afraid of—well, actually landing—and the whole sudden stop thing. Yeah, I’m not a fan of that. It’s not that I’m scared per se; it’s more that I hate feeling out of control. I make logical and precise decisions with calculated risk daily. I’m strong and would even consider myself athletic. I work out regularly and enjoy pushing my body through new challenges.
