Crystal POV
'Honestly, can this day get any weirder?' I thought, watching my doppelganger enjoy her iced frappuccino in front of me.
From morning til now, a series of unusual events have taken place, leading me up to this strange discovery. First of all, I rarely wore a grey hoodie and black leggings out of the house, but thanks to a red sock in my wash, I had no other outfit choices. On top of that, on the way to visit my friend in the hospital, I realized I bought nothing to give her, no flowers, no "Get well soon" card, nothing. So after hunting through a few stores, I discerned that the majority of Japan wasn't well right now since the only cards left were 'Happy Aniversary,' 'Happy Birthday,' and 'It's a Boy/Girl' cards. The plan was simple, grab everything quickly and hop back into the car but instead, I almost clocked a creep for interfering with me because he mistook me for my long lost twin. MY TWIN...I just had to repeat that one for my own sanity.
It was strange at first, but the more I looked at her, the easier it was to swallow my new 'normal', that being Layla Kato. She was pretty much my same height, same build, and of course, my same face. Even though these things tied us together, I could tell we were quite different. As we spoke in this quiet cafe, the more our differences showed. She had something I haven't had for years. Hope, I could see it as it sparkled in her eyes. Layla was bubbly, asking most of the questions and frequently making jokes to lighten the mood. She fidgeted a lot in her seat and tried not to stare as we spoke, unlike me. I couldn't help staring, I was fascinated, noting our subtle distinctions. Layla seemed overly polite, occasionally saying sorry even though she didn't do anything wrong, I figured it was a nervous tick, she probably picked up the habit from being mistreated or bullied when she was younger. I had worked hard to break that nasty habit myself, so I understood. She seemed like a pretty happy-go-lucky person, which was a complete contrast to me. I wouldn't say I was a pessimist. I tried to find the good amidst the bad, but I had rarely found things that convinced me to become a full-blown optimist. I wondered what made her so prone to smile so freely. Was she as happy as she seemed? 'I guess I'll find out in time.' I thought finally taking my gaze off of her.
Crystal: "So." I said pausing. "You don't think we need a DNA test, do you?" I said, assuming the answer.
Layla: "I mean, if I can be honest, I don't see the family relation." Layla joked. "Yeah, there are one or two similarities but other than that." She said sarcastically.
We laughed for a bit before settling down.
Layla: "I really can't believe I have a sister. I've always wanted a sibling." She smiled sweetly before her expression changed solemn. "You know what I find strange, though." She paused. "Why didn't my parents adopt you as well? I'm sure if they knew I had a sister, they would have taken you too." She seemed bothered.
Crystal: "Maybe they just wanted one child. That happens sometimes. Siblings usually get split in the foster system that way." I said, sure that was the reason.
Layla: "I doubt it. That's not the type of people my parents were." She said, still concerned.
Crystal: "Were?" I asked, wondering why she would refer to them in the past tense.
Layla: "Yeah, they passed." She said quickly.
Crystal: "I'm sorry to hear that." I said.
Layla: "It's alright. It's been a few years now." She said. Her joyful demeanor faded.
It saddened me to hear that she had lost her parents. I couldn't imagine what it was like to lose someone you'd known for your whole life. I had experienced losing a loved one before, but no one as close as parents or blood relatives.
Things got quiet. Layla seemed to have gotten lost in wondering why the parents she loved didn't adopt me as well. I could see it was bothering her, so I decided to brainstorm some possible explanations as to why they didn't. I hoped it would help her find some peace of mind.
Crystal: "Hey, um. Did your parents make your adoption day, your birthday?" I said after thinking of a few possible reasons.
Layla: "Yeah, they did. Why?" She asked.
Crystal: "I don't know. Maybe one of us was adopted before the other. My birthday is April 5th, yours?" I asked.
Layla: "My birthday is on June 9th. She answered. Oh my goodness, that's it!" She exclaimed. "It makes sense now. They couldn't adopt you because you weren't there."
Crystal: "See, case closed." I smiled, hoping this gave her assurance in the kind of people her parents were.
I could tell Layla was satisfied by our discovery because her happiness return, and so did her fidgeting.
Although I was in foster care many times, and I never found parents to call my own, I was happy to know at least Layla had parents who she knew deep down were good people. It partially restored hope for humanity in my eyes, but that was short-lived when I remembered the creep that I almost floored in the store was in the cafe with us. Even though he was Layla's friend, it was strange that he kept his identity unknown, and his staring was bothering me. Unable to take the constant staring, I brought it up to Layla.
Crystal: "I was trying to play it cool, but I can't take it anymore. What is the deal with your friend? Why is he just staring? He is freaking me out now," I said, straightforward.
Layla: "Oh, he's harmless. Trust me." She said before gesturing him over to us.
He took her invitation and walked over.
Layla: "Hey, um, you are freaking my sister out. Maybe you could tone it down a bit?" She asked.
Takanori: "I guess." He said, taking off his hat.
Layla: "Woah, wait, I meant your staring. You don't have to take off your things?" She said, trying to stop him.
Takanori: "It's ok. I've thought about it. She's your sibling, after all. I'm sure she can keep a secret. Plus, there is barely anyone in here." He said, taking off his disguise. "I'm sorry if I creeped you out, it's hard to move around the city without this on." He said, looking directly at me. "Hi, I'm Takanori, it's nice to meet you," he said, introducing himself.
Like a kick to the chest, the oxygen escaped my lungs, leaving me breathless. Mentally trying to grasp reality while simultaneously attempting to reign in all the emotions that threatened me in this situation, I paused for a while before it all clicked. I scoffed to myself before shaking my head in disbelief. I continued to chuckle to myself as I played with the ceramic handle of my cup of hot coffee.
Crystal: "Wow, I feel so stupid right now." I paused, feeling slow. "I should have known this was a dream. As if I could ever have a twin in real life." I said, feeling duped.
Layla: "Crystal, this isn't a dream." Layla said, trying to convince me.
Crystal: "Sure. If this isn't a dream, then why is HE here?" I said, gesturing to Takanori, who was standing next to me. "Why are you here?" I asked him directly. "God, what a weird dream?" I said, annoyed.
Running his hand through his hair, he took a deep breath before turning all of his attention to me.
Takanori: "What do I have to do to convince you this isn't a dream?" Takanori asked, smiling.
Crystal: "There is absolutely nothing you could ever say that would ever convince me that this isn't a dream." I said, brushing off the notion.
'Great! Another stress dream. Why is it that whenever I'm having a stressful week, you flood my subconscious? Just when I think I'm over it, you show up to confuse me. Every time Takanori? Can't you just let me breathe for once?' I thought, looking at the bane of my existence. 'Why do you have to be so handsome. You make it hard for me to kick you out of my mind,' I thought, frustrated. 'Now that I'm thinking about it, what's the rush? It's just a dream, after all. Why not have some fun?' I thought, weighing my options.
Crystal: "Well. I guess since this is a dream, I see no harm." I said, making up my mind.
Layla: "No harm in what?" Layla questioned.
Not giving it a second thought, I yanked Takanori's shirt, pulling him down to me before kissing him. I passionately kissed the lips that fooled me years ago. I was shocked by my mind's accuracy. His lips felt exactly how I remembered them. Soft and unforgettable. Bringing our kissing to an end, I releasing Takanori from my grip and refocused on stirring my coffee, cooling it down.
Layla stared at me, speechless like I just shot someone in front of her, and Takanori stood with his hands on his hip, slightly panting and also speechless. They stayed like this a bit before Takanori broke the silence.
Takanori: "Can we keep her?" He asked, looking to Layla, sounding rather cheerful.
I chuckled to myself.
Crystal: "If only." I scoffed, before picking up my mug by the base instead of the handle. "Ouch," I exclaimed, putting the cup down, saving the remains of my singed fingertips. "Oh, that hurt," I said, then paused. "That hurt me," I said, coming to an upsetting realization. "Oh shit, I'm not dreaming, am I?" I said, mortified.
Layla: "Nope, you're not," Layla said, wearing a horrified expression.
Takanori: "Oh, come on, Layla. Let her keep dreaming. I was enjoying myself." Takanori smiled.
Like karma had my number on speed dial, conveniently Layla's phone rang, prompting her to excuse herself from the table, leaving me and my living nightmare alone together.
Crystal: "Damn it." I cussed under my breath.
Just my luck.