The clock on the wall read 7:00 p.m., and the darkness of the coming night was already pressing against the window.
Janice was reviewing her notes and study materials for the exam they had in two days. Behind her, Janine was deftly touching up her makeup with her feet while studying her reflection in the vanity mirror.
“Could you help me organize my notes?” Janice protested. “After all, it was your idea to invite Asher over to study.”
“That’s precisely why I want to look nice for him,” Janine replied. “I would have preferred to go out to eat, but I knew you wouldn’t accept any dates with Asher unless they involved studying.”
“The exam is in two days. I’m just being responsible,” Janice said, annoyed.
“Well, Asher was worried about the exam too. If I had asked him out, he might not have accepted.”
“That shows he at least seems to care about his future,” Janice replied.
The twins arranged the room by setting up two low tables facing each other so they could sit between them and work at the same time. They added soft cushions and heated water for coffee.
Janice was putting her books and notes on the table when the doorbell suddenly rang.
“That must be Asher!” Janine said, seizing control of their legs and dashing toward the door. Janice barely managed to set down the last book before being dragged along by her twin.
“Janine! Stop!” Janice cried just before they reached the door. She took control of their body and opened it.
Standing before them was Asher, simply dressed and carrying his notes and books. He looked a little nervous in front of the twins, though he tried to keep a calm smile.
“Hi, girls. Thanks for inviting me to study.”
“No problem,” Janice replied, somewhat curtly. “I appreciate your punctuality and—”
She didn’t get to finish, because Janine spun their shared body around to face Asher. “Thank you for coming! Come in, make yourself comfortable.”
Asher stepped inside a bit timidly. He didn’t quite know how to navigate Janine’s obvious excitement and Janice’s equally obvious boredom.
While he set down his books, the twins went to the kitchen to get the coffee.
“Don’t start with the flirting,” Janice said sharply. “This is a study date.”
“We can study and still be nice,” Janine replied.
“Nice? I think the word you were going for is flirty,” Janice said.
“Hey, I promise to study, but you have to promise not to be the same bitter person you always are.”
“B-bitter?” Janice asked, stunned. Janine didn’t answer. She took advantage of Janice’s shock to take control of their arms, pick up the coffee tray, and head into the living room.
The three of them began studying, sharing the notes and books they had on hand.
“Your notes are really good,” Janice said, surprised. “So organized and clear.”
“Thanks. Though if you’d seen my notes from last year, I think you’d have a different opinion,” Asher replied, a bit sheepishly.
“Were they bad?” Janine asked, smiling flirtatiously at him.
“No… well, yes, they were terrible. I wasn’t doing badly in school, but I was just an average student. This year, I’m determined to be the best I can be. I want to apply for a scholarship, so I’m giving it my all.”
“That’s a very responsible attitude,” Janice said, almost as if she were offering a rare compliment.
“But I hope you’re still having some fun!” Janine added.
“Yeah, though I don’t go out much. My friends aren’t on the same wavelength as me. But I do make time for video games, watching shows… you know, simple things.”
“And your girlfriend?” Janine asked bluntly. Janice nearly broke the tip of her pencil at the surprise question.
“I don’t have a girlfriend. I was in a relationship last year, but now I’m single,” Asher replied, his cheeks reddening slightly at the twin’s directness.
“That’s good to know,” Janine said with a wink. Asher swallowed. He was trying to concentrate, but it was a little difficult with the beautiful twin openly flirting.
“Well, I’m not closed off to a relationship, but my main focus right now is improving my grades so I can get into university.”
“Which university do you want to go to?” Janine asked. “Maybe it’s the same one my sister and I go to.”
“It’s going to be hard to get into a good university if you spend more time talking than studying,” Janice scolded her twin. Janine rolled her eyes and picked up her pencil again with her feet.
“I was deciding between St. Aldwyn, Fairmont, and the one in Port Solei,” Asher replied.
“I’ve heard Crestfield is a good university,” Janice said, joining the conversation.
“Yeah, but their scholarships are harder to get. Plus, the ones I mentioned have more interesting professors. I’ve been researching the majors I’m interested in and looking into their technology departments.”
“Really?” Janice asked, turning their shared body toward Asher so abruptly that Janine was left staring at the wall before she could react. “What did you find out?”
“Well, for certain engineering majors, St. Aldwyn and Fairmont have better labs and postgraduate opportunities, but Port Solei has better professors, and they cover broader topics because of the mutant situation. Look, here’s what I’ve found.” Asher pulled out a notebook full of notes, which Janice began leafing through with enthusiasm.
“This is great. You can tell you put a lot of effort into it.”
“Well, I just really want all my hard work to be worth it, that’s all.”
“Hey, don’t downplay it,” Janice said, smiling at Asher for the first time. “Having a clear goal and fighting for it is truly commendable… I’d even say attractive.”
Janine’s eyes widened at her twin’s last sentence. In a flash, she shot to her feet, causing Janice to drop Asher’s notebook onto the table.
“I’m sorry, I think we need to use the bathroom.” And with that, she made their legs walk backward, carrying them out of the room under Asher’s startled gaze.
Once inside the bathroom, Janice closed the door, flustered. “Can you tell me what happened back there? You know you can’t use that excuse when we share a bladder.”
“I’d like to know what happened back there, too,” Janine demanded, annoyed. “ ‘…I’d even say attractive.’ Were you flirting with him?”
“No. I mean, I just complimented him,” Janice tried to explain.
“Like you said, we share a body, and I can tell when things get a little… warm. I really thought you didn’t like boys.”
“Okay, look, I like guys with a plan and clear goals. Most guys our age don’t have either. But Ash has both, which makes him kind of… interesting.”
“Did you just call him Ash?” Janine pointed out.
Janice’s cheeks flushed. “I don’t see what the problem is. You wanted me to give him a chance, and now that I find him interesting, you’re upset.”
“I wanted you to give him a chance so maybe he could be my boyfriend—not so you could try to take him away from me.”
“Sis, I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but WE SHARE THE SAME DAMN BODY. If he’s going to be our boyfriend, he’d better be our boyfriend.”
Janine fell silent for a few seconds, analyzing the situation. “Okay, I think I could live with that. On one condition.”
“What condition?” Janice asked.
“That he loves me more,” Janine replied.
“We can’t control that,” Janice exclaimed. “Besides, objectively speaking, we only met him a couple of days ago. We don’t even know if he wants a relationship with us. It’s best not to assume anything. We need to get to know him better before we decide he could be a good boyfriend.”
“I think you’re right. We should figure it out little by little,” Janine reflected.
“Come on, let’s go back to the living room.”
When the twins returned, they found Asher deep in thought, working on some exercises. He looked up and smiled warmly.
“Hey, girls, I figured out how to solve that tough problem. You just had to follow the method.”
“Great! That helps a lot,” Janice said, smiling. Janine, for her part, simply stared at him before asking bluntly, “Asher, what do you think of us? Do you think we’re cute?”
Asher turned as red as a tomato. Janice felt their shared cheeks burn at her sister’s question.
“Well, the truth is, you two are obviously… quite special.”
“We know that, silly,” said Janine. “Our mutation is rare, but I wanted to know if you find us attractive.”
“Janine, what are you doing?” Janice whispered as quietly as she could.
“I… if I’m being completely objective, you are two of the most beautiful girls I’ve ever met. I hope that’s not too forward.”
“Not at all,” Janine said with a huge grin. “We just hope we can keep studying together for the other exams.”
“Yes, of course, I’d love that,” Asher said enthusiastically.
Janice sighed, feeling both more relaxed and strangely happy. She took control of their legs and stood up. “How about a short break to grab a bite to eat?”
“Sounds good to me,” Asher said.
“Perfect, let us two sisters whip something up for you.”
“I wouldn’t want to be a bother,” Asher said.
“Don’t worry, you’re our guest,” Janine added.
As they opened the refrigerator and started preparing snacks, the two sisters murmured ideas back and forth, plotting ways to get closer to Asher.
And for the first time in a long time, they both seemed to completely agree.