Alexis returned to her condo that evening to find her sister in the kitchen cleaning.  She was dressed in a faded pair of jeans and a Justin Timberlake t-shirt.  She had a pair of Bluetooth headphones on her head and she was swaying to the beat as she wiped down the stove and countertops.

Shaking her head and giggling a bit, Alexis pulled the headphones from her sister’s head and placed them over her ears.

“What are you listening to?” Alexis asked laughing

“Alexis, don’t …” Michelle protested reaching for her headphones.

But it was too late.  Alexis’s eyes went wide as she listened to voice now playing in her ears.  It was HIS voice and as soon as the lyrics registered in her brain it was all she could do not to scream.

You played yourself

(Game over, Game)

But did you, did you think

That you could really find love

From someone else

You’re making moves

You’re gonna lose

“What in the FUCK is that?” Alexis snapped as she shoved the headphones back at her sister.

Michelle raised an eyebrow.  “Like you don’t know.”

“Enlighten me.” Alexis huffed.

“It’s *NSYNC.” Michelle replied calmly.

Alexis’s eyes darkened.  “I know that!”

“It’s from their last album; Celebrity, the one they did before their “Hiatus.”

“What’s that song called?”

Michelle had to fight her smile.  For years any mention of *NSYNC was forbidden in the Moretti house.  A rule her parents had put in place to keep Alexis and April from killing each other but Michelle had loved them in secret for years.  She hid the magazines in her dresser and the cd’s she kept hidden beneath a loose floorboard in her closet.  The VHS tapes with recorded performances she carefully labeled Dawson’s Creek and hid them behind books on her bookshelf.

Alexis noticed her sister’s expression and rolled her eyes.

“I know you like them.  I’ve known for years, and even if I didn’t, that shirt sorta gives you away, so just tell me already, what’s the song called?”

“The Game is Over.” Michelle smirked.

“Did he write it?” Alexis asked bravely.

But she already knew the answer.

Michelle nodded but didn’t speak.

“FUCK!” Alexis hissed.

“What?!” Michelle shot back.

“It’s nothing.”

Michelle made a face.  “Really?!  It’s nothing?! That’s why you’re cursing and your face looks like that.”

Alexis flopped down onto a barstool and groaned.

“Why? Why does he have to be so DAMN charming?”

Michelle tried not to smile.  “I take it things didn’t go well.”

“Ugh!! He’s just SO…”

“Charming?”

“Charming! Infuriating! Attractive!” Alexis huffed.

“That bad, huh?!” Michelle giggled.

“It’s NOT funny!”

Michelle laughed more.  “It is funny!  You’re the one that is so hell bent on hating him, but I know you.  You can’t hate him, no matter how badly you want to because you’re still in love with him.”

Alexis shot her sister a withering look.  “I’m not in love with him!”

“Yes, you are.  You have been since I was a kid.”

“I’m not in love with him!”

“Keep telling yourself that.” Michelle smirked.

Alexis felt it was time to change the subject.

“Does he write all of their songs?” Alexis asked curiously.

Michelle grinned.  “Not all of them, but a lot of them.  He and Justin Timberlake are the ones that do the majority of the writing.”

“Of course, he does.”

“You’re curious now, aren’t you?”

Alexis rolled her eyes a bit.  “Maybe a little.”

Michelle looked halfway giddy.  “Do you want to order pizza and have an *NSYNC binge session?”

“Only if there are margaritas involved.”

Michelle giggled.  “We don’t have any tequila but there is a pack of Coronas and some limes in the fridge.”

“Fine.” Alexis sighed.

Immediately Michelle made a Bee-line for her room, yelling back at her sister as she dashed down the hall.

“You order the pizza.  I’ll gather the necessary supplies.”

Alexis just smiled and shook her head.  She had the feeling that her younger sister had been planning for this moment for the past eight years.

Less than hour later the two girls were settled in the living room in front of the television, each with a plate of pizza and a Corona in front of them.

“So, what are you subjecting me to first?” Alexis smirked.

“The Disney Special, it’s what launched them in the U.S.”

Alexis found herself nodding.  She vaguely remembered JC mentioning it just before things all went south. 

“What is he wearing?” Alexis laughed as JC bounced onto the screen.

Michelle giggled.  “They’ve all had some questionable wardrobe choices over the years.”

Alexis found her eyes glued to the screen.  She couldn’t tear her eyes away from JC.  His voice, the way he bounced around on the stage, his smile.  It was drawing her in. 

She didn’t want to admit that she liked this type of music, or him, but she did.  They could definitely sing, and their harmonies were ON POINT.  Truthfully, she hadn’t heard anyone that could harmonize quite as well as they did.

“So…who is your favorite?” Alexis asked as Michelle switched the DVD’s in the player.

“You think I have a favorite?” Michelle teased.

Alexis laughed.  “Oh, I know you do.  Who is it?”

Michelle giggled.  “Well, I still see JC as an older brother…I just can’t picture him any other way.”

Alexis cracked a smile. Her reasoning made sense.

“I can see that, but you didn’t answer the question.”

Michelle blushed.  “Justin.  I’m a Justin Timberlake girl.”

Alexis laughed.  “I guess I should have figured that from your shirt.  What’s next?”

Michelle grinned.  “Well, we can do the Pay Per View special but I think the HBO Special from Madison Square Garden is better.”

“Madison Square Garden?!”

Alexis was impressed.

“Yeah! Where have you been, living under a rock?”

Alexis rolled her eyes and shook her head.  “*NSYNC was banned in the house, remember?”

Michelle made a face.  “Only because you and April couldn’t go five minutes without screaming at each other whenever they came up.”

Alexis held her hands up in surrender.  “Not my fault.”

“Not mine either, but yet I was made to suffer anyway in order to prevent World War 3.”

Alexis sighed.  She hated that Michelle had been dragged into the middle of her feud with her twin sister.

“I’m sorry.” Alexis replied.

Michelle nodded.  “I know.  I would do it all over again though.  I wasn’t a fan of the screaming.”

Alexis chuckled.  “Neither was I.”

Michelle looked to her sister.  “So…Pay Per View or HBO special, your choice?”

“You said the HBO special was better…let’s go with that.”

Alexis watched in awe as JC danced and sang on the screen in front of her.  He was an AMAZING performer and he had an INCREDIBLE voice.  His energy on stage was undeniable.  She was hooked.

“Some of these songs are really good.” Alexis said bluntly.

Michelle grinned.  “Some?”

Alexis swatted at her sister.  “Ok, ok.  They’re all good.”

Michelle snuck a look over at her sister.  Her eyes were fixated on the screen and she seemed to be tracking only JC.  Her sister was a goner and she had no idea it was happening.

“You know he has a solo album, right?”

“Who does?”

Michelle laughed.  “You know who.”

“JC?!”

“Yes JC, who did you think I meant, Lance?”

“Which one is Lance?”

Michelle nodded to the other blonde on screen.  “That’s Lance …he’s the Bass of the group.  He’s from Mississippi.”

Alexis nodded and smiled.  Apparently, she was going to get a crash course in *NSYNC from her sister.

“Who are the other two?”

Michelle grinned and nodded to the screen.  “That one is Joey Fatone and the other one is Chris Kirkpatrick.”

“Joey Fatone? Was he in a movie? He looks familiar.”

Michelle smiled bashfully.  “He was in My Big Fat Greek Wedding.”

Alexis’s jaw dropped and then she began to smile and shake her head at her sister.

“Is that why you literally DRAGGED me to that movie when it came out, because a member of *NSYNC was in it?”

Michelle blushed.  “Maybe.”

Alexis laughed.  “You are obsessed.”

“And that’s bad because why?”

“This solo album of JC’s, do you have a copy of it?” Alexis asked.

Michelle grinned.  “Why do you ask?”

Alexis rolled her eyes.  “What?! I’m curious, ok?!”

“Hmm…I wonder why that is?”

“God, you are annoying!” Alexis smirked.

“I do have a copy.  Do you want to borrow it?”

Alexis paused in thought.  Part of her desperately wanted to hear what he was capable of as a solo artist.  The other part of her was afraid to find out.

“Yeah, ok, fine.  Let me borrow it.” Alexis sighed.

Every day for the next couple of weeks Alexis was in the studio with JC working on the album, and every day she had to pretend like she wasn’t affected by him. 

Then again, he was having a hard time denying that he wasn’t affected by her.

“Do I make you nervous or something?” JC asked one afternoon between takes.

“What makes you say that?”

“You just seem so…”

Alexis raised an eyebrow.

JC smiled and shook his head.  “What I mean is…you can relax…the album sounds great.  You’re an AMAZING vocalist.”

“I can relax?! Do I not seem relaxed?”

JC chuckled.  “Not really.”

Alexis made a face.  “Well, then how do I seem?”

“The truth?”

“Sure.”

JC took a breath.  The last he thing he wanted was to offend her.

“You seem kinda uptight, like you’re holding something in.”

She had to bite her bottom lip to keep from laughing.  If he only knew.

“Uptight?! I seem uptight?!”

JC was starting to panic a bit now.  The album wasn’t done yet.  They still had to work together.  He did NOT want to make it uncomfortable.

“Look, I get it.  First album, you feel like you have a lot to prove, but trust me …you got this! Relax! Enjoy it!”

Alexis wanted to scream.  He was being charming again.  She really wanted to hate him, but she just couldn’t. 

“Do you want to go get a drink?” JC blurted out.

“With you?”

JC smiled. “That was the idea.”

“Right now?”

“Sure. Why not?  We’re basically done here.”

Alexis took a moment to respond.  She wasn’t sure going out with JC was such a good idea but in the end her curiosity won out.

“Ok.”

JC smiled and Alexis felt her knees wobble a bit.

“C’mon, I’ll drive.”

Nodding silently, Alexis grabbed her purse and started to follow him out the door.  The walked through the building to the elevators and as soon as they were in the elevator Alexis felt her breath catch in her throat.

The doors opened on a floor just before the parking garage and a large group of people surged into the compartment.

Suddenly, Alexis found herself backed into a corner with JC pushed up against her.

Her heart had started to pound in her chest and she could feel his warm breath against her face.

“You ok?” He whispered.

She nodded, unable to speak.

“Am I crushing you?” He whispered again.

Alexis shook her head this time.  She hadn’t expected that she would have quite this strong of a reaction to him being this close.

Thankfully, the elevator ride was short and soon they were walking through the car garage.  Alexis followed him until they stopped alongside a black, Mercedes convertible.

“This is your car?” Alexis asked surprised.

JC smiled bashfully.  “Yeah. Why, what do you drive?”

Alexis motioned across the row to her blue beetle.

“Cute.” He chuckled.

“It’s not cute, it’s vintage.” Alexis huffed.

“Vintage?! Ok.” JC laughed.

His laugh and the way his voice sounded when he laughed was making her crazy.

Minutes later they were pulling up to a bar in downtown Los Angeles.  It wasn’t your typical, swanky Hollywood bar but more of a dive bar, tucked away from the busy street.

They stepped inside and headed for the bar.  Alexis slid onto barstool next to JC and moments later a bartender appeared.

“What can I get for you?” the bartender asked.

“Ladies first.” JC said nodding to Alexis.

“Jack and Coke, please.” Alexis replied.

JC grinned. “Jack Daniels?! I am impressed.  I had you pegged as a fruity cocktail girl.”

Alexis laughed.  “Only if it’s a margarita.”

“Good to know.” JC chuckled.

“And for you?” the bartender asked.

“I’ll have the same.”

Minutes later the bartender reappeared with their drinks.  Alexis took a long, slow slip as she tried to steady her nerves.

“So, what’s your story?” JC asked as he took a drink from his own glass.

“My story?”

“Yeah.  Where are you from?  What got you into music?”

Alexis swallowed her drink quickly and took another long sip.  This was going to be interesting.

“Originally, I’m from Florida.  I moved out to LA with my younger sister a few years ago.”

She was trying to be as vague as possible.

“A twin sister and a younger sister, no brothers?” JC asked.

He was trying to get to know her but she was being incredibly tight lipped.

“No. Just the three of us.”

“Are you close?”

She stiffened a bit and he noticed immediately.  It was then that JC remembered the story about the song.

“Oh yeah, that’s right, sorry I asked.” JC replied quickly.

Alexis forced a smile.  “My younger sister and I are close, my twin sister and I, it depends on the day.”

JC laughed.  “Fair enough.”

There was a bit of an awkward pause.  Alexis took another sip of her drink while JC watched her carefully.  There was something about her that was mesmerizing.

What got you into music?” He continued

“I’ve always been interested in music, since I was a little kid.  I just started singing when I was really little and I never stopped.”

JC smiled, the type of smile that just made you feel warm and tingly all over.  That smile was going to be her undoing.  She knew it.

“Does that smile typically work?” Alexis smirked.

“Depends on the day.” JC teased back.

Alexis laughed at his reply.  He was flirting, or so she thought.

“You’re a flirt.” Alexis smirked.

“Only sometimes.” JC chuckled.

“Are you flirting with me Mr. Chasez?”

“I don’t know, am I Miss…what is your last name?” JC replied.

Alexis froze.  She didn’t know how she was going to get out of this one.

“You don’t know?” Alexis managed to reply.

JC smiled.  “I don’t actually.  I know you go by Danielle M., but I’ve never heard what the M stands for.”

Now she had a choice to make.  Tell the truth and pray he didn’t put the pieces together or lie and pray that the album would be finished before he figured it out.

In the end, she decided to tell the truth, then silently prayed that he didn’t figure it out.

“Moretti.” She replied quietly.

For a split second Alexis thought she saw a flicker of recognition in his eyes and her breath caught in her throat. 

That name, it sounded so similar.  Everything about her seemed eerily familiar but he couldn’t figure out why.

“I’ve heard that name before.” JC mused aloud.

“It’s a fairly common Italian name and you know a LOT of people.” Alexis said waving a hand dismissively.

He nodded and smiled.  “This is true.”

However, JC couldn’t shake the feeling that there was more to this girl than she was letting on.

“You didn’t answer my question.” Alexis said, snapping JC from his trance.

“Which was?”

“Are you flirting with me?” Alexis repeated.

JC chuckled a bit.  “It’s possible.”

Alexis laughed.  “Fair enough.”

For the next few hours they chatted while sipping on their drinks.  The discussion was casual but by the end of the evening JC was feeling even more confused by Alexis and his feelings than he had been when the night started.

The album was nearing finished and Alexis was excited.  It sounded really good and JC was an AMAZING producer.  No matter how she hated to admit it.  They chatted in between takes and bantered back and forth but Alexis always held back just a little. 

The label had approved the new song as the first single and now she was in preparation to shoot the music video.  A storyline had been sketched out, one that Alexis was completely on board with and they had hired a male model to play opposite Alexis in the video.  She was excited.

Today she was meeting with someone from the label’s wardrobe department to try on dresses for the video as well as clothes for her album photo shoot. 

Truthfully, she was a bit nervous.  Clothes had never really been her thing.  Alexis had always dressed for comfort or ease of movement, when she was dancing.  Fashion was April’s world, not hers.

Kenny arrived at the condo at precisely 8 a.m. with a Peppermint White Mocha in hand.

“For you.” He said offering Alexis the cup when she opened the door.

“Me? How did you know my drink order?” Alexis asked before taking a sip.

Kenny grinned.  “I have my ways.”

Alexis giggled.  “Well, thank you.  It’s much appreciated.”

“You ready?” Kenny asked eyeing her.

On this particular day Alexis had dressed for maximum comfort.  She was wearing a pair of blue and white Addidas tennis shoes, dark blue wind pants and a dark grey v-neck t-shirt.  Her long, dark hair was pulled back in a pony tail and there was a blue baseball cap on her head. 

“Ready as I am going to get.”

“Let’s go then.” Kenny said nodding to the door.

Moments later they were in his SUV headed down the road.

“Are you not excited about this?” Kenny asked shifting his gaze towards her.

Alexis smiled a bit and nodded.  “I am.  I’m just a bit nervous as well.  Fancy clothes aren’t really my thing.”

“A girl who doesn’t like fancy clothes?! Do those even exist?”

Alexis giggled.  “I never said I didn’t like fancy clothes.  I just prefer comfortable ones.”

“Same girl. Same.” Kenny laughed.

Once they arrived at the label offices Kenny and Alexis parted ways for a bit.  Alexis left to meet with the woman from wardrobe while Kenny went off in search of more coffee.

The wardrobe office was more like a department store fitting room.  There were racks of clothes along one wall, a pile of fabric swatches and a sewing machine on the corner of a desk and along the back wall, two, small fitting rooms.

An older woman with glasses and short, grey hair except for a purple streak in her bangs greeted Alexis at the door.

“Good morning, you must be Danielle.  I’m Karen.”

Alexis nodded and smiled politely.  “Nice to meet you.”

“I took a look at the story outline for the video and pulled a few dresses I think might go along with the concept, we can start there.”

Alexis nodded and followed Karen to one of the clothing racks. Alexis tried on several dresses, all of which were very pretty but none really seemed right for the video. 

It was frustrating to say the least.

“Hmm.” Karen wondered aloud.

“What?” Alexis asked curiously.

“Well…I have this one dress that I just got in yesterday.  I’m not familiar with the designer but one of my buyers purchased some of her designs from a boutique in New York.”

Alexis shrugged her shoulders.  “Ok.”

Moments later Alexis was standing in the dressing room looking at her reflection in the mirror.  It was a white, strapless dress.  The body of the dress was made of thin material, Organza maybe, and the skirt stopped about mid-thigh in the front.  The back and sides of the skirt were several layers of white tulle that reached just above her ankles.  It was pretty, but with an edge.  It was perfect.

Timidly, Alexis stepped out of the dressing room and waited anxiously while Karen looked her over.

“What do you think?” Karen asked.

Alexis allowed the smile to spread across her face.

“I LOVE it!”

Karen grinned. “It looks GORGEOUS on you!”

“This is the one!”

Karen nodded in agreement.  “Great.  I’ll have it cleaned and pressed and sent to over to the set that morning.  Now, about shoes.  How do you feel about combat boots?”

Alexis giggled.  “With this dress?”

Karen smiled then nodded.

“I LOVE that idea!”

“Great…what is your shoe size?”

“7.”

Karen nodded.  “Got it.  Now on to the album photo shoot.  I know you’re a jeans and T-shirt girl so I pulled some pieces from this same designer for you to try.”

Alexis took the clothes and then took the opportunity to look at them more closely.  She had to admit they were cute and definitely something she would seriously consider wearing.  The first pair of jeans was dark denim with thick white stitching and fake crystals on both front and back pockets.  The second pair of jeans were also dark denim but the white stitching was in a wave pattern and the back pockets had vines stitched on them. Of the three shirts one was a tank top, one was more of a peasant top with capped sleeves and the third was a T-shirt.  All three were very pretty and made from very soft fabric.  Alexis liked them immediately.

“Who did you say the designer was?” Alexis asked.

“Oh, it should say on the tag but I think her name is April Denise.” Karen answered.

Immediately Alexis’s face fell.  That was not the name she’d expected or wanted to hear.

Karen saw Alexis’s face and immediately wondered what she’d said wrong.

“Have you heard of her before?” Karen asked. 

Alexis forced a smile.  “Oh yes, you could definitely say that.” 

“I take it you’re not a fan of her work.” Karen added. 

“Umm…” Alexis stammered.  “It’s not quite that simple.  Let’s just say it’s not her designs I have issues with.”

Karen looked puzzled but thought it best not to push the topic. 

“Well, then why don’t you take the clothes home, try them on and if you like them then we’ll use them and if you don’t then bring them back and we will keep looking.” 

Alexis nodded.  “I guess that’s fair.”

The car ride to the studio was quiet.  For a long time, Alexis sat there staring out into nothing, completely lost in her thoughts.  Her thoughts drifted back to the clothes that were now folded in the backseat of Kenny’s SUV.  Just thinking about them angered her.  And admitting that she actually liked the clothes only made things worse.  They were beautiful clothes and definitely something she would consider wearing if only it wasn’t for the name attached to them; April Denise.  That name left a bitter taste in Alexis’s mouth.  

Like Danielle, April Denise was a persona, a name purposely chosen for its mystery and anonymity, a name chosen as a means of escape from the pain of the past that was hidden behind it.  Alexis knew this for certain.  She knew this because she’d done the same thing by choosing to use Danielle instead of Alexis in regards to her career.  And, she knew this because like it or not she and April Denise were very similar.  Similar wasn’t even the right word.  They were connected but in ways that no two other people could be.  They shared the same eyes, the same smile, the same mannerisms, the same fierce determination, the same birthday and more importantly the same last name.  April Denise was really April Denise Moretti; Alexis’s twin.  And until this very moment Alexis had very little trouble separating Alexis; the person she was, from Danielle; the person she wanted to be.  She shook her head and closed her eyes trying to force the thoughts from her mind.  For almost eight years she’d fought to keep her past from interfering with her dream and now all that hard work was being threatened by something as simple as a few pieces of fabric.  

“You ok?” JC asked later that afternoon.

Alexis seemed distant.  More so than usual. 

Alexis sighed then nodded.

“Yeah, sorry, just a lot on my mind.”

“Want to talk about it?” JC offered.

Alexis forced a smile.  “Umm…”

JC smiled back.  “I’m not trying to pry.  I just know that sometimes it helps to have someone outside the situation to talk to.”

Alexis had to fight not to choke.  JC was definitely NOT outside of the situation. 

“It’s complicated.”

“Isn’t it always?”

Alexis couldn’t help but giggle a bit.  Could she open up to him again?  She wasn’t sure, but maybe it was time to find out.

Alexis took a steadying breath then started to speak.

“My sister…my twin sister and I, we don’t exactly have the best relationship.  We had a falling out…”

“Over the guy?”

Alexis nodded.

“It was bad! Really bad! We didn’t speak to each other for months.  My parents, they banned any mention of him because of the fighting.  We still don’t talk much…only when necessary…”

Alexis paused but JC stayed quiet, just listening to her and watching the pain in her eyes. 

“My sister…she’s a clothing designer in New York.”

JC nodded.  “Both of you are artists…makes sense.”

Alexis sighed.  “I’m shooting my first music video next week, and I have a photo shoot for the album…all the clothes…are her designs.”

JC’s eyes widened a bit. “Oh!”

Then his eyes widened a bit more.

“She doesn’t know, does she?” JC asked.

Alexis shook her head.  “Nope! But I think she’s about to find out.”

“Let me guess, you like the clothes?”

“I do, but I don’t want to!” Alexis grumbled.

Alexis was still playing the events of the day over in her head when she returned home that evening.  Mumbling to herself Alexis tossed the clothes she’d been given to try onto the couch then headed for the fridge.

Moments later Michelle entered the room.  She spied the clothes on the couch and then glared at her sister’s back.

“I just got done straightening up in here.” Michelle grumbled.

Alexis giggled a bit and then started to apologize.  “I’m sorry…”

Michele gave her sister a hard look then proceeded to examine the clothes while at the same time folding them neatly.

“Likely story.  These are nice, you should take better care of them.”

Alexis rolled her eyes and made a feeble attempt to change the subject.  “They’re nothing spectacular but you’re right, technically they aren’t mine so I should take care of them.”

That wasn’t an Alexis response at all. 

“Where did you get them?” Michelle asked.

Alexis waved her hand and shrugged.  “Karen in Wardrobe gave them to me to try.”

Michelle knew that Alexis had never been much for fashion, but she wasn’t completely void of taste so there had to be more to this story.

“And have you?” 

Alexis would be lying if she said she didn’t already know where this conversation was headed.  She knew that as soon as April’s name passed her lips an argument would ensue.  There was always an argument where April was concerned.  Michelle would come to April’s defense and Alexis would get mad at Michelle and then at herself for dragging Michelle into the middle once again.  Michelle was the glue that was holding the family together.  She was the only reason Alexis and April had remained civil to one another.  Unfortunately, after five eight her ability to hold things together was beginning to fade and something kept telling her that if someone, namely Alexis or April didn’t fix things soon their family would fall apart completely.  

“Have I what?” 

Michelle sighed with frustration.  Now Alexis had resorted to playing dumb, something that she failed miserably at because she was anything but.  Which was only proof that there was definitely more to this story.  Unfortunately, if she wanted to get anything out of Alexis she was going to have to play along.  Michelle was not amused.

“Have you tried the clothes on yet?” 

“No.”

“Why not?”  Michelle shot back.

The fact that Alexis was being so tight lipped about a few articles of clothing sent warning bells off in Michelle’s head.  It didn’t matter that Michelle was quickly tiring of the cat and mouse game they were obviously playing.  She was determined to get the whole story out of her sister.

“I don’t think I like them.” 

That was a blatant lie, and Alexis silently cursed herself for lying to Michelle.  She’d never lied to Michelle before.  In truth, she liked the clothes a lot but hated the fact that April’s name was all over them.

“Well, how do you know if you haven’t even tried them on? I mean they look like they would fit.”

Alexis rolled her eyes again.  “Oh, I am sure they will fit.” 

Alexis’s voice dripped with sarcasm but Michelle pretended she didn’t notice.  

“Ok, so then what’s the problem? They totally look like something you would wear.”

“Look at the tags.” Alexis growled.

Michelle, rather than argue humored her sister and looked at the tags on the clothing that now sat in her lap.  And, as soon as she read the name on the tag Michelle knew why Alexis had such a problem with wearing the clothes.

Michelle shook her head and sighed.  This was an argument that Michelle knew she probably wouldn’t win, but like every other time they’d had this argument she had to at least try. As per usual, Michelle had become April’s voice where Alexis was concerned when in reality the two people that needed to have this conversation couldn’t even stand to be in the same room with each other for more than five minutes.

“You’re kidding me, right?  You’re basing your opinion of these clothes, and whether or not you will even try them on, on the fact that April is the designer?” 

“Yup. I sure am.” 

Michelle closed her eyes briefly and took a deep breath.  This was not going to end well.

“You do realize that is the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard!  If it was any other designer you wouldn’t have a problem but because it’s your sister, your TWIN sister I might add you have issues.”

Alexis was well aware that her reasoning was absurd but she was feeding off her pent-up anger and frustration, and she was directing it at the wrong sister.

“And so, what if I am?  This is my career, not hers and I refuse to just stand quietly while she gets what she wants, not this time!”

Michelle opened her mouth, then shut it again.  She was going to have to choose her words very carefully because it was obvious that Alexis was not thinking reasonably.

“Seriously Alexis, you are being ridiculous! This has nothing to do with the clothes or with your career and you know it.  In fact, I’ll bet that April doesn’t even know that the label has any of her designs.  I’ll bet that some buyer for the label went out and got a whole bunch of clothes from different designers and she has no idea.  But, you probably didn’t even consider that idea because you’d rather get all worked up and jump to conclusions than pick up the phone and talk to her.”

If anything, Alexis had to give her sister credit. Michelle had the uncanny ability to make Alexis think differently about the situation.  Normally, when the subject of her twin came up in a conversation Alexis was too caught up in the anger and betrayal she felt to think rationally.  And instead of telling any of the people involved how she felt when it actually mattered Alexis had closed herself off and buried those feelings, allowing them to fester and boil inside of her.  The events of the day had caused those feelings to bubble to the surface and Michelle was the only one who’d been brave enough to force Alexis to confront those feelings.

“I don’t want to talk to her.”

Michelle smirked.  She knew just as well as Alexis did that wasn’t entirely true.  Alexis had quite a few things she wanted to say to April.  She just hadn’t brought herself to say them yet.

“You could have fooled me.”

Alexis turned on her heel to leave but not before grabbing the clothes from her sister’s lap and giving her a snide reply, “I’m not having this discussion right now.  If April has anything to say to me she can pick up the phone and call me her damn self!”

“What are we three now?  You don’t like what I have to say so you’re going to stomp your feet and walk away and go pout in your room?” Michelle snapped back.

Alexis shouted back down the hall at her sister then slammed the door to her bedroom behind her.

“Something like that!”

Michelle just shook her head.  She knew that Alexis wasn’t really mad at her.  She was mad because she knew that Michelle was right and just didn’t want to admit it.  It was just one more thing that the three Moretti sisters had in common, they were all incredibly stubborn.

In her bedroom Alexis had flopped back onto her bed and was now staring blankly at the ceiling with the clothes lying next to her.  She didn’t want to admit that Michelle had been right.  She was acting very childish.  Sighing in resignation Alexis sat up on the bed and eyed the clothes next to her.  The likelihood that April had any knowledge of the fact that her designs were now in Alexis’s possession was probably very slim.  And she had to admit that designer aside she liked the clothes very much.  And, it wasn’t like anyone needed to know that she and the designer were related.  There was also a good chance that these items and the dress would be the only items designed by her sister that she’d ever have to wear. A dress, three tops and two pairs of jeans weren’t going to kill her.  Mumbling to herself Alexis stood and began to shed the clothes she was already wearing.  As she undressed, she kept telling herself that there was no harm in just trying them on and she was just going to return them the next day.  This was just to satisfy her curiosity regarding her sister and what she’d been doing since packing up and moving to New York.

First, she pulled on a pair of the jeans and found herself fighting the urge to cry when she looked at herself in the mirror.  The jeans fit perfectly, in fact, they were better than perfect.  They fit like a glove.  They hugged her body in all the right places but were loose enough to allow her to breathe and move.  She tried the second pair of jeans and they fit just as well as the first.  She wanted to scream.  She’d wanted so badly for the clothes to not fit, at least then she would have a valid reason for hating them.  But she didn’t hate them, she couldn’t, they were perfect.  All three tops fit perfectly as well.  The peasant top was very flattering, and very pretty and the color brought out the green in her eyes.  The tank top had bits of glitter and crystals that sparkled when they caught the light.  The T-shirt was made from the most comfortable material to ever touch her skin and it was her favorite color; purple.  Of course, they would fit, and of course she would love them because that was just her luck today.

Grumbling, Alexis changed back into her own clothes, folded the other clothes neatly then placed them on the bed.  She was going to have to give in on this one and she knew it.  Sighing in defeat she pulled her hair back into a loose pony tail, gave herself one last look in the mirror to make sure her own clothes were on straight then started down the hallway towards the living room.

She knew Michelle would still be there, because well, she was Michelle.  She’d always been the one to wait patiently for others to figure out what she’d known all along.

“So, they fit, didn’t they?” Michelle asked.

Michelle was still sitting on the couch, precisely where Alexis had left her.  She hadn’t turned around but she knew Alexis was there.  She’d heard Alexis coming down the hall.  And, to be honest she already knew Alexis’s answer but it was fun to watch her squirm a bit.

Alexis let out an exasperated sigh.  “You know they did.”

At this Michelle giggled a bit.  “Yes, I did.  But, then again, I think you did too.”

Alexis huffed a little then flopped down on the couch next to her sister. “Probably.”

A sly smile crept across Michelle’s face.  She was enjoying this just a little too much.

“I bet you liked the clothes too.”

Alexis grumbled loudly. “Yes!”

“So once again, I was right?”

Alexis glared at her sister.  She was milking this for all it was worth and it irritated Alexis just a little bit more.

“You’re enjoying this aren’t you?” 

Michelle grinned.  “Just a bit.”

Alexis smiled and shook her head.  “I thought so, and to answer your question, yes, I like the clothes even though I don’t want to.”

Michelle nodded.  “I know you don’t want to and although I don’t agree with your reasons, I get that accepting anything to do with April is hard for you.” 

Alexis forced a smile and nodded.  “That’s an understatement.” 

Michelle could tell that they’d reached the point in this conversation where Alexis had reached her breaking point and there was no sense in pushing her further.  One battle for the day was enough.