The Wrong Brother

Chapter 1 - Like science camp?

Almost 2 months later

I ring the bell and adjust my dress as I wait for someone to answer the door. I take a deep breath, trying to ease the nervousness that invades my whole body.

My hands are sweaty and it feels like my heart is going to jump out of my chest.

I want Dylan to be the one who opens the door for me so badly, because I can't wait to see him and I can't wait for him to see the new me.

Yeah, my plan of improving myself over the summer worked out perfectly. My cousin and I got to spend a lot of time together, so I used all of her expertise to buy some different clothes than I'd normally wear, not to mention the make-up.

I realized that I've been using the wrong shade of concealer, and that's probably why I looked like a tired panda more often than not.

My brown hair is just a bit lighter and shorter, falling over my shoulders and the make-up I finally learned how to apply is highlighting my face and my also brown eyes in a way that I feel the most confident I've ever felt.

I look down at my new dress and smile. It's nice, but not too sophisticated for the occasion, you know, just a friend visiting and my converse is gone for now. I'll still wear it because I love it way too much, but I won't wear it all the time.

Once the door is finally opened, my smile immediately fades as I come face to face with the one person I wasn't in a rush to see, for no reason in particular.

Bennett stays frozen in place, his eyes focused on me, while he holds the door half open for a few moments. His face doesn't give away any expression - what a shocker - until he finally breaks the silence.

"What are you doing here?"

What a way to be nice. Almost two months without seeing me and that's what he says. Not even a 'hey, good to see you, how was your summer?'

"Well, hello to you too. I'm back from Florida and I thought of stopping by to say hi to your parents." I smile innocently as I wait for him to let me in.

"Dylan is not home." He turns around and goes deeper inside the house, not giving me a chance to say that I'm not here to see Dylan.

Not that I could actually say that, because well, that's pretty much true. That's exactly why I'm here, although I do miss his parents too.

"So, how was your summer?" I decide to change the topic as I follow him, making myself comfortable on the couch.

I feel too much at home here to care about the glare he gave me when I removed my cute flats, jumped on the couch and pulled my legs up, being careful with the dress not to show anything I shouldn't, of course.

"It was good." Talkative as always, I see.

"Just good? How was the trip to the cabin?" I try again and he shakes his head.

"I didn't go there. I was at a camp." He crosses his arms in front of his body as he leans on the doorframe, his tall figure now seeming a tiny bit more relaxed than moments ago.

"Camp? Like science camp?" I joke and snort a small laugh, but he's looking at me seriously.

"Exactly a science camp."

"Oh, you're serious." I immediately stop laughing. I didn't mean to mock him, so I hope he's not offended or anything.

He sighs and passes his hands through his hair, just like Dylan does. You can definitely see the resemblance in both of them when he does that.

I can't help but notice his arms once they are crossed again and I take a minute to analyze him. His stare is as intense as always, his hair is a bit longer and his body is somehow different. He has changed a lot over summer.