I: Encounter with the Twin Brother

Monique Castaneda gently slowed her car as her cellphone's ringtone chimed, reaching out to the dashboard to check the caller ID. A warm smile illuminated her face as she discovered that it was her boyfriend, Joshua, on the other end of the line.

She couldn't help but experience a surge of happiness; this was simply how things felt when one was in love. Monique felt a bit like a teenager, her cheeks flushed as she answered Joshua's call.

"Hello, babe," she greeted him, using their affectionate term for one another. Even though he couldn't see her, she couldn't help but smile. She was just so elated that Joshua had called.

"Hi there, babe," he responded sweetly.

As she listened to his voice, she bit her lower lip. "Hmm... was there a specific reason for your call?" she inquired, sensing a hint of something amiss.

"Well, I called to let you know that we have to cancel our dinner plans for tonight," he regretfully explained.

"Oh," she replied, attempting to conceal the disappointment in her voice at the mention of their canceled dinner date. She had eagerly anticipated their evening out, even going as far as closing her Pet Shop early to have extra time to prepare.

Earlier, she had declined her friends' invitation to join them, despite being their first choice. She had explained to them why she couldn't make it, enduring their teasing with a good-natured spirit. Her friends had understood, their long-standing friendship allowing her to discern when their jests were lighthearted.

"I'm sorry, babe," Joshua apologised. "Mom discovered that my brother is in town for three days, and she wants me to accompany her on a visit," he elaborated on the reason for their cancelled dinner plans.

"Your twin brother, Jacob, is here?" she asked in surprise. Joshua's twin brother, Jacob, had seldom visited Chicago during the three years of their relationship because he ran a business in New York.

Despite his business' success, he remained a workaholic. Joshua had mentioned that Jacob had become a billionaire. Whenever Jacob returned to Chicago, he would still inform his family that he couldn't spend much time with them due to work commitments.

Joshua and Jacob were identical twins, and her boyfriend was indeed correct. When Monique saw a picture of Jacob, she initially mistook him for Joshua because of their strikingly similar facial features. They were spitting images of each other, and it was fortunate that Joshua's family had no trouble telling them apart, or Monique would have had a difficult time herself.

"Yes, he's here," Joshua replied to her question. "Mom was actually upset because Jacob had been in Chicago for three days already, but no one had informed her. If Mom hadn't called him, he wouldn't have let us know he was already here," Joshua added.

Monique was about to speak when she witnessed a motorcycle crash beside her, swerving to avoid the car in front of it.

"Oh, my God!" she exclaimed after witnessing the incident.

"Monique, what happened?" she heard Joshua's concerned voice from the other end of the line. Even though she couldn't see him, she could sense his worry in his voice, imagining the concern on his face.

"There's been an accident," she replied, her gaze fixed on the fallen motorcycle and the rider attempting to get up from the crash.

"Oh," Joshua uttered from the other end of the line.

Taking a deep breath, Monique continued, "I'll call you later, babe. I just want to see if I can help with the accident." Her natural inclination to assist in such situations compelled her.

"Okay. Be careful," Joshua said. "Call me if there's a problem," he added.

She nodded, even though he couldn't see her. "Okay. I love you," she said.

Without waiting for Joshua's response, she ended the call and removed her Bluetooth headset from her ear. She pulled over to the side of the road and turned off the engine. In haste, she exited the car to assist the man involved in the accident, who was still trying to stand up. He seemed to be in pain, a detail not lost on Monique. As she approached, she immediately placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder. He froze momentarily as her touch made contact.

"Are you okay?" she asked, her tone filled with concern. Though he wore a helmet, he looked up at her face with dark eyes fixed on her. "Are you alright?" she repeated the question when he didn't respond immediately. She couldn't help but feel a bit nervous, fearing that he might be seriously injured since he hadn't answered.

"I'm okay," he replied in a deep voice, relieving Monique with his assurance.

She glanced down at his arm and gasped upon spotting a sizable gash with blood seeping out. "No, you're not okay," she stated, her brows knitting in concern. Annoyance crept in as well; 'if he truly was okay, he wouldn't have a bleeding wound. Sometimes, men could be so stubborn, refusing to admit they were hurt, which didn't in any way diminish their masculinity.' She took a deep breath and gently placed her hand on his waist, noticing his momentary freeze but paying it little mind. In that moment, her sole focus was on providing first aid for the gash on his arm.

"We need to treat your wounds to prevent infection," she said with a stern tone, not waiting for his response. She guided one of his hands to rest on her shoulder and helped him to her car. Opening the back seat, she assisted him in sitting down. "Stay here. I'll get something from my car. I'll be right back," she assured him before hurrying to the driver's seat of her car to retrieve her first aid kit. Upon her return, she noticed him struggling to remove his helmet, wincing from the pain in his arm. Her eyes widened when she finally caught sight of his face as he removed the helmet.

Initially, she had mistaken him for Joshua because the man standing before her bore a striking resemblance to her boyfriend. If not for the stubble around his jawline, she could have easily mistaken him for him. Her boyfriend maintained a neat appearance and disliked any trace of stubble on his face.

Then it clicked; Joshua had mentioned that his twin brother, Jacob, had come to town. The man before her had to be Jacob. Monique's gaze left him only when she saw him examining his injured arm, a reminder that she needed to attend to that wound.

She let out a deep breath, retrieved her first aid kit, and placed it on her thigh before opening it. With utmost care, she extracted the necessary supplies for cleaning the wound.

"Does it hurt?" she asked as she gently dabbed the alcohol-soaked cotton ball onto his wound.

"No," he replied in a deep baritone voice.

Monique looked up at him and was surprised to find him gazing intently at her. She unconsciously bit her lower lip, which was a mistake as his gaze shifted to her lips. Quickly stopping herself, she averted her eyes from him and concentrated on tending to his wounds. She still felt the warmth of his gaze but tried to ignore it, feeling a sense of awkwardness from his intense stare. She considered addressing it but decided against it, allowing him to continue looking at her while she focused on applying first aid to his arm. Whenever she sensed him wincing in pain, she paused in her ministrations and sometimes blew gently on the wound to alleviate the sting. Before long, she finished treating his injuries.

"I'm done," she announced as she lightly patted the gauze she had placed on his wound. Glancing up at him, she noticed a peculiar expression on his face when he smiled back, but she couldn't quite decipher its meaning, so she let it go. "Be careful while driving next time to avoid accidents. Safety first; you don't want to get hurt again," she advised, a habit she had with Joshua whenever he was driving.

He nodded in response. "Thanks," he replied, his voice resonating deeply.

She couldn't help but study his face once more. He really resembled Joshua. At that moment, she briefly considered introducing herself as Joshua's girlfriend to him but chose to remain silent. ‘Joshua could handle the introductions himself.’ She thought to herself.

He stood up, picked up his helmet, and placed it on his head. Then he mounted his motorcycle. Before starting the bike, he looked at her one last time. She raised a hand to wave goodbye, and he nodded before revving up the motorcycle. A beep of the horn signaled his departure, and she watched his figure retreat until he disappeared from her view.

When he was completely out of sight, she got into her car and drove away, contemplating what to do now that her evening plans had been canceled.