Twice The Trouble

Chapter 60: Doubts

Bryce ordered a cheeseburger, a strawberry milkshake, and french fries. I couldn't decide what to get, especially since I wasn't sure what kind of oil they used in the deep fryer. Proper exercise and dieting because I was a part-time model was difficult, and sometimes I just wanted to give up the whole thing--but I enjoyed it. Besides, the income was great and added to my savings.

Eventually, I ended up ordering a plate of brown rice, fried fish, deviled eggs, and a diet coke.

Having no choice since our wrists were chained together, Bryce and I slid into one red booth.

"What do you think about the place?" asked the brown-haired male as he began to eat his food.

My sky blue eyes glanced at him for a moment. "It's neat. It's kind of different."

Bryce nodded his head before he briefly pointed at my plate of lunch. "Aren't you hungry?"

"No," I curtly answered him, maintaining a straight face as I looked down at my meal.

"You're lying."

I raised my brow at him. "Excuse me?"

"I heard your stomach growl again a few minutes ago. Do you want to order more stuff?"

"Who said I was lying? I'm fine with this," I told him, annoyance seeping into my voice.

A smirk appeared on Bryce's full lips. "You're a good actress, I'll give you that. But you can't put up your barrier forever. It's only a matter of time before your schemes are unfolded."

I gritted my teeth as I sent him a withering glare. "Why are you so bothered with my lunch?"

"You're a model. I get that you have some regimen," he told me. "But your order is lame."

"Well, not all of us get to enjoy life like you do," I fired at him. I then started to devour my food.

Bryce smirked at me again. "You think my life is candy and sweets?"

"I didn't say that--" I put my spoon down.

"But you were thinking it," he cut me off.

"I wasn't," I replied honestly. The conversation stopped there, and we spent a few minutes in silence as we continued to consume our lunch.

Lifting my chin to look at Bryce, my lips parted to open up another topic but I was interrupted by a family of four people walking through the glass doors of the diner. The small group consisted of a mom, a dad, and two little girls of about ten years old. They were all wearing civilian clothes.

I inhaled sharply, then exhaled. My shoulders sagged as I wistfully but discreetly watched the family of four settle into a four-seat table with their trays of junk food in their hands.

"Penny for your thoughts?"

My sky blue eyes flickered to Bryce's poker expression. I lowered my gaze to both his hands.

"Where is it?" I asked him in a casual tone.

His forehead creased in bafflement. "What?"

"My penny," I specified rather impatiently. "The one for my thoughts, you imbecile."

He stared at me for a while. "You've got to be kidding," he muttered while he reached inside his pants pocket for a coin, which he then handed over to me.

My grin faded as soon as it came. I examined the coin between my fingers as I spoke.

"This is going to sound personal, but it's not like you'll care." I gave a dismal sigh. "Sophia and I are orphans. Our biological parents died soon after we were born. We were adopted by Mama May and Papa Ben when they found out we were homeless. They had been close friends with our real parents and they took us in without hesitation.. my sister and I only found out when we became high school juniors. Inevitably, we were devastated for several weeks. But we coped. I coped with dating around while Sophia drowned herself in books. Once or twice a month, she and I would visit their graves together. Other times.. we go separately. It still hurts, though."