Chapter 3: Sarah’s Advice for Lilly

Lilly sat nervously on the edge of her bed, fidgeting with the hem of her sweater. Her roommate Sarah plopped down next to her, a knowing smile on her face.

"Alright Lil, spill. What's got you all worked up this time?" Sarah asked.

Lilly took a deep breath. "It's...it's that guy in my Algebra class. The one I told you about, with the cute dimples and the amazing smile?"

Sarah nodded. "Ah yes, the elusive Aiden. What about him?"

"Well, we kinda just had this weird encounter in the hallway when we slammed into each other!” Lilly said.

“Wait, what?” Sarah questioned. Lilly explained the whole story to Sarah.

“Then Aiden said he’d be looking for me in class tomorrow. What do I do? I want so badly to talk to him, but every time I try, I just freeze up! I get all tongue-tied and awkward. I'm afraid he'll think I'm a total weirdo," Lilly lamented.

Sarah put a reassuring hand on her friend's shoulder. "Hey, don't be so hard on yourself. Talking to your crush isn't easy, especially when you're as shy as you are. But you know what they say - nothing ventured, nothing gained."

Lilly looked up nervously. "But what if he rejects me? Or laughs in my face? I don't think I could handle the embarrassment."

Sarah shook her head. "Lilly, you can't let fear hold you back. If you really like this guy, you have to put yourself out there. Trust me, the worst that can happen is he says no. And even then, at least you'll know, instead of always wondering 'what if?'"

Lilly considered this for a moment. "I guess you have a point. But what do I even say to him? I'm terrible at small talk!"

"That's where I come in," Sarah said with a wink. "Lucky for you, you have the resident expert on flirting as your roomie. Here's what you're going to do..."

Over the next half hour, Sarah walked Lilly through a foolproof plan to strike up a conversation with Aiden. By the time she was done, Lilly felt a newfound sense of confidence.

"Okay, I think I can do this," she said, determination in her voice.

Sarah grinned. "Atta girl. Now go get 'em, tiger!"

Aiden POV

As the evening progressed while back at home, Aiden found himself grappling with conflicting emotions. The connection he felt towards Lilly continued to deepen, stirring a whirlwind of feelings within him that he struggled to make sense of. Amidst the chaos of his internal turmoil, a new thought began to take root in his mind - what if Ethan met Lily? Would he too feel the same inexplicable pull towards her? Was what his mom told them true?

Determined to unravel the mystery that had consumed his thoughts, Aiden devised a plan to introduce Ethan to Lilly under the guise of a casual encounter. He knew that his twin possessed a keen intuition and an uncanny ability to read people, and he hoped that Ethan's reaction to Lilly would provide clarity on the nature of their shared attraction. Aiden brought up his idea to Ethan.

"Ethan, I need you to do something for me."

" Why do I have a feeling this is about Lilly? I have seen the turmoil in your eyes for the past few hours so I've been waiting on a request from you." Ethan said smiling at Aiden. "So what do you have planned?" Aiden began to explain what he wanted to happen tomorrow.

***

Lilly POV.

The next day, Lilly walked into her Psych class, her heart fluttering with nervous anticipation. As she scanned the room, her eyes landed on Aiden, who was already seated and chatting with his brother, who looked almost identical to him.

“I hadn't been sure but yes they are twins," Lilly murmured to herself, recognizing the resemblance immediately. “I guess I didn’t realize that before.” Taking a deep breath, she made her way over to where Aiden was sitting.

“H-hi, Aiden," she said, cursing the slight tremor in her voice.

Aiden looked up and his face lit up with a warm smile. "Lilly! I'm so glad you're here." He gestured to the guy next to him. "This is my twin brother, Ethan."

Ethan turned to Lilly, offering her a friendly nod. "Nice to meet you."

"It's nice to meet you too," Lilly replied, trying her best to sound confident.

"Please, have a seat," Aiden said, gesturing to the empty chair next to him. Lilly obliged, her heart racing as she sat down.

"So, Lilly, Aiden tells me you two have a coffee date planned," Ethan said, a mischievous glint in his eye.

Lilly felt her cheeks flush. "Y-yes, that's right. We're going to grab coffee after class today."

Ethan grinned. "Well, I'm glad because my brother has talked about you nonstop since yesterday.”

"Ethan!" Aiden exclaimed, shooting his twin a playful glare. Turning to Lilly, he said, "I apologize for my brother's big mouth. He likes to tease me."

Lilly couldn't help but giggle. "It's okay, I don't mind. I'm just...I'm really looking forward to our date."

Aiden's face lit up. "Me too."

Before Lilly could respond, the professor called the class to order and they had to turn their attention to the lecture. But throughout the entire class, Lilly found it hard to focus, her mind constantly drifting back to the handsome twin sitting next to her and the coffee date they had planned.

When the class finally ended, Aiden turned to Lilly. "So, shall we head to the cafe?"

Lilly nodded, her nerves and excitement bubbling up inside her. "Absolutely."

As they walked out of the classroom together, Lilly couldn't help but feel a sense of giddiness. This was it - her chance to really get to know Aiden.