Delaneigh Hylander and the Petersen Twin Brother (Only Question: Which One???)

An excerpt from current WIP novel, "Confessions of a Church Girl"

The Petersens and our family were the only ones who stayed behind after all our guests had left, including Gemma. I didn’t want to go back home because Gemma and I would pick up on a conversation about Jason and how my interaction with Hans Petersen was just an “easy distraction” to get over the break-up. The last thing I really wanted to do was have a discussion about Jason, or Gemma’s opinion on how any guy at all—especially Hans—could possibly be an “easy distraction” when I was ready to move on from Jason—dead-ass ready.

I didn’t consider my interaction with Hans to be “distracting.” I thought it was perfect enough to forget about Jason for as long as I could. I hugged Mom, Dad, and Kristina goodbye, telling them I planned to meet up with some friends for a little gathering at one of the nearby restaurants and Gemma was okay with it.

Hugging Mom, I said, “I’ll see you at home, and I won’t be out for too long.”

“No worries, sweetheart. I trust you to be on your best behavior and for Gemma to hold you accountable.” She gave me a kiss on the forehead. “Love you, and talk to you soon.”

“Love you too,” I said, then she left with Dad and Kristina.

After they left, I messaged Gemma, telling her about my plans to stay behind at the lounge bar and get “a little wasted.” She immediately messaged back, afraid thinking that I shouldn’t be alone. I reassured her, sending her an LOL message that I wouldn’t do anything dumb or crazy.

Her reply: You better NOT, Lanie!!!

A promise I wasn’t sure if I could keep.

The bartender—an attractive blonde woman, approximately in her early 30s, named Cara—smiled as she gave me the menu. “What can I treat you with tonight, Miss?”

“Just a drink,” I replied. “Not really in the mood for food. I’m a little stuffed from the engagement party we had not too long ago for my sister and her new boyfriend.”

“Congratulations to your family. So, what drink would you like?”

For a minute, I looked over at the Drinks section before making my choice. “How about The Wallace Martini?”

“Sounds great. Coming right up.” She took the menu from me and began preparing my drink.

At that moment, I saw Guess Who coming in—the handsome, wealthy Hans Petersen.

Or at least I thought it was?

“Hi there, handsome.” I waved to him as he sat on the stool next to me.

“Nice seeing you again, Delaneigh.” I swear to God, the way he said my name!

“I’d ask which twin you are, but I know I can easily tell you guys apart!” I giggled, taking a sip of my martini the moment Cara handed it to me. “Not a single freckle on your nose, so you must be Hans. Right?”

He chuckled, about to reply, when Cara gave him a menu. “Drinks or food as well?”

“Just drinks for now,” he replied. “Not in the mood for food, either.”

He ordered the Gin & Tonic, and Cara prepared it for him. “Here you go.” She smiled at him.

“So, how’s your night going so far?” I asked him.

He shrugged modestly. “It’s… Something. Just a little exhausted from this engagement party, that’s for sure!”

“Yeah, same here.” I giggled again, taking another large sip of my drink. “Celebrating my sister, the Oh So Little Miss Perfect Kristina.” Unable to control my giggling, I gulped down the rest of my martini and asked Cara to give me another round.

He glanced at me suspiciously. “Are you sure that’s such a great idea?”

“What?” I shrugged. “Gotta learn to live a little, why don’t’cha!”

He rolled his eyes, then sighed. “Yeah, I suppose there’s no arguing with that logic.” After a moment of silence as he gulped down his gin and tonic, he asked, “So, why do you consider Kristina to be such a Little Miss Perfect?”

“Because she just is! Her skin is much lighter than mine, she has the most beautiful blue eyes, she’s a successful lawyer—paralegal, same difference. Everything about her is so flawless. She’s taller than me—I think she’s 5’8 or something… Yeah, I don’t know.” I took a long sip of my martini; damn, it’s so good. I might need another round for the evening. “I’m just plain old Delaneigh, still struggling to find my place in the world while Krissy’s already got her whole life mapped out. Getting married soon and having a thousand blue-eyed babies.”

He gulped down the rest of his drink and asked Cara for another round. It’s a competition now, a drinking game. “Me too, buddy.” I chuckled.

“So, you often feel like you’re in your sister’s shadow?” he asked.

“Feel? I know I’m in her shadow! That’s the absolute truth. I’ll never be as good enough as her.”

“Good enough at what?”

“Adulting. Life in general. I’ll be honest with you, Hans. At the engagement party, I lied to you when I said I was 28 and a full-time staff writer at the Times. I’m really not.”

He raised his eyebrows, about to interject, before I continued. “I’m really 23. I took a gap year after high school to work a variety of odd jobs, trying to figure out my way in life, then I later enrolled at Boston U, where I’m a junior now. I’m studying Journalism, so I’m just an intern at the Times right now. That’s me, Delaneigh Hylander—just an intern at one of the most popular media companies in all of New York City. Not a full-time employee like Krissy is.” I said Kristina’s name with a condescending tone.

He gave me a baffled look. “Okay? There’s nothing wrong with being an intern,” he said slowly, “or a 23-year-old. You’re still young; you’ll have it all figured out soon, if not right now. My brother and I are 35, and life sure seems to have passed us by in an instant to the point where we’re practically ‘middle-aged’, by society’s standards. Too old to start a family or have a baby at this age, for a man or a woman.”

“I don’t think you’re old.” I giggled, giving him a playful punch on the arm. “You’re still young. Screw society’s old-school views on men and women!”

“Screw that, too.” He raised his glass, and I mine as we shared a toast, then gulped down our drinks, asking Cara for yet another round that we weren’t sure might be our last. I gave her kudos for her patience with us trying to drink our way into oblivion for the evening.

After Cara treated us to another round of drinks, the Petersen brother asked me, “So, why are you really staying behind at this bar tonight? Not to sound like a cliché, but what’s a beautiful woman like you doing here all by yourself… Before I came along?” He winked flirtatiously.

A nice compliment from an older man.

“You really think I’m beautiful?” I couldn’t stop myself from blushing so much.

He grinned, widely enough to admire his beautiful teeth. “You didn’t answer my question, Delaneigh.”

I loved hearing my name come out of his mouth. “Was I supposed to?”

“The mysterious type. I like that!”

I giggled. “You’re the mysterious one, Petersen! You haven’t given me a real reason as to why you’re all by yourself tonight.”

He took a small breath. “Okay, how about…” Just then, he hiccupped. “Damn. Must be from all that gin and tonic, huh?”

“Oh, no, is someone getting drunk on me?” I said jokingly, and we laughed.

Cara gave us both an amused look. “You’re both drunk at the same time.” She was friendly. “Maybe some water can help you cool down?”

“No, thanks, Cara,” I said. “I think we can get along pretty well without water for now.”

“Not a problem.” She nodded with understanding. “Just in case things become a little more…” She paused, as if trying to come up with a more polite word. “Hectic between you two, I’ll have one of the hotel staff book a room for you two to sleep this off, if you’re planning to stay here the whole night. My shift doesn’t end until midnight, so if you’re both still here by then and you have no plans to go home, staying here in one of these rooms might be good for you. Is that a deal?”

Hans and I only laughed in response, clearly drunk.

“Okay, I’ll take that as a yes,” Cara muttered as she tended to three other customers who arrived at the same time.

“What’s so funny?” he asked me.

“You are!” I put my hand on his hair, caressing it. “Damn, your hair is so smooth… And so red! How do you take care of it?”

“Thanks… And I could say the same for you?”

I scoffed. “I’ve got the same type of hair as Kristina. Only she’s more gorgeous than me.”

“I’m sure you’re just as beautiful, Delaneigh.”

I laughed, a little louder this time. “Say my name again.”

“Dee-lay-nee.” He emphasized each syllable perfectly.

“Louder. I want the whole world to know how you say my name.”

The three male customers gave us awkward glances, then moved a couple seats down from us. We’re being that rowdy, huh? At least Cara did her best to control us.

But apparently, not enough. Cara—as patient and understanding she’d been with us—drew a line at around 10:00 or so, when she asked the bouncer to escort Hans and me out. The bouncer then took us to the hotel receptionist, who’d booked a room for us until 9:00 in the morning—a one-bedroom queen suite. Another hotel staff member escorted us to our room’s floor because we’re too drunk to make it on our own.

Hans thanked the staff member for taking us to our room and opening the door for us, and the room was a sight to behold—a large, neatly made queen-sized bed for two, consisting of four pillows and a rose-pink blanket covering at the bottom. A little white vase of fresh flowers sat on the nightstand. Across the bedroom was another room consisting of a large gray couch with two navy-blue cushions, a small glass coffee table with a tiny flower vase on top underneath a wooden ceiling fan.

It seemed like a cozy enough place for us, just for one night. By tomorrow, this awkward drunken encounter would become a distant memory. Had I really made a fool of myself in public at a hotel bar with the twin brother of my sister’s fiancé?

He sighed as he sat on one side of the bed, taking off his shoes. “So, you think you’ll need some water?”

“Not sure, what about you?” I giggled, glancing out the window.

“I think it’s best that we sleep it off for a few hours until our check-out time. Nine, they said, so we have to make sure we don’t cause anymore trouble.”

Boy, I sure was in a giggly mood tonight, huh? “Cause trouble? Me?” I gasped with exaggerated surprise. “I’ve always been the Good Girl, but thank God I’m letting loose for tonight with you…” I sat next to him, moving a little closer than comfort, my arms wrapped around him. “Hans Petersen,” I whispered.

He cleared his throat. “So, yeah… Let’s play a game, shall we? Truth and Dare.”

I laughed, leaning in closer to him than ever. “You’re serious, aren’t you?”

“I wouldn’t joke about that. Wanna start us off?”

“Totally.” I volunteered. “Dare.”

He rolled his eyes. “What have you got in mind?”

“I dare you to show yourself naked to me.”

“Delaneigh!” He shook his head, a little disgusted.

“Why not?” I grinned. “Okay, sorry… Naked was the wrong word. Try shirtless.”

“Oh, you’re testing me now, huh?” he said playfully.

“Take off your shirt now, handsome. Or should I say, Hans-some?” Emphasizing Hans.

“Oh, I’m not really…” He shook his head.

“You are so boring, you know that?” I whined, sounding like a little girl. “Bo-ring!”

“Delaneigh, I…” He paused, as if trying to choose his words more carefully, then without a word, began taking off his tuxedo until he was only in his boxers. It gave me the chance to ogle his white, slightly hairy abs—along with that attractive tattoo imprint on his right arm of ‘85, giving away his age of 35.

I never saw a guy’s abs before, not even Jason’s. We’d never had sex before; as a girl of devout faith, I had no choice but to save myself for marriage. Thank God Jason wasn’t the marrying type.

“Delaneigh, I’m not really who you think I am,” he said.

“Shh, don’t say another word.” I began undressing, taking off my floral dress after all this time, leaving me only in my black bra and underwear. “Get a load of this,” I said to him, seductively twirling my hair.

“You’re drunk.” He shook his head. “I can’t do this. We’re not even supposed to be here tonight.”

I gently pushed him onto the pillows. “Hans Petersen, you’ve gotta learn to live a little, why don’t’cha.” I giggled, then pressed my body against his, my long, wavy black hair on his chest. Damn, he’s so tall, but he and his brother were definitely six-footers. “Let me sleep on you tonight. It’s the least we can do.”

“Delaneigh…” He whispered.

“If we were to do this, then one of us has gotta get up and turn the lights off so we don’t look at each other while we’re doing it. Right?” I giggled.

“You do it, Delaneigh. I’m exhausted tonight.”

I sighed, getting off him on the bed. “Suit yourself, Hans. Bo-ring with a capital B!” I shook my head as I went to turn off all the lights, including the lamp on the nightstand.

When the whole room was dark—with the exception of our phones’ screen lights—I laid back on the bed, this time next to him on my left. For some reason, I wanted to know what it felt like to just kiss him on the lips. A spontaneous thing. I didn’t know what had been in the martini I had tonight, but one thing for sure—I’m in a spontaneous mood.

My lips touched his, and they felt like heaven. I know, wrong choice of words, right? He didn’t even resist. He moved closer to me, his hand behind my long dark hair, and we kissed for what seemed an eternity. Something about him expressed protectiveness, or some vulnerability, as if he’d been through a traumatic moment in his life. A man as wealthy and glamorous as him, I couldn’t imagine him having gone through such trauma. But I felt comfortable with him, and he made me feel great about myself.

Unlike Jason…

Sometime during the night, I glanced at the digital alarm clock on the nightstand—a little after 3:30AM. Had we really been gone for that long?

Damn. Mom and the others must be absolutely worried about me.

I got my phone, saw more than a dozen calls and messages from not only Mom, but also from Dad, Kristina, and Gemma. Kristina sent me about twenty messages, one of which asked about Robert’s whereabouts.

Wait… Why’s she asking me about Robert? Where could he have possibly gone?

Hans’ phone started blowing up with calls and messages, too, but he’s such a sound sleeper to answer. I got up from my side of the bed to get his phone on the nightstand, opened it up…

Saw dozens of messages from Kristina.

Kristina: ROBERT, WHERE THE HELL R U???!!!!

I practically dropped the phone.

Robert?!

I was here with Robert Petersen—my sister’s fiancé—THE WHOLE DAMN TIME?!

I picked up the phone and rubbed my eyes, re-reading Kristina’s messages. ROBERT. Clear and simple.

I’d slept with Robert Petersen…

NOT Hans.

Slapping myself in the head, I wondered how I could’ve made such a mistake. How did I not take a closer look at his face to see that he had freckles?

It’s very simple—Freckles = Robert.

No Freckles = Hans.

I shone my phone’s screen light in his sleeping face, revealing freckles around his nose. Yes, he was indeed Robert.

And I just had a drunken one-night stand with him.

Replaying our encounter last night, I found it a little weird that he’d shown up to the bar by himself. At the engagement party, Hans and I had briefly joked that the best way to tell them apart was to note that Robert’s “hand in hand” with Kristina, and Hans was alone and single.

But then, I talked about how I was really an intern at the New York Times. Which meant I actually shared this information with Robert, not Hans. Hans was the one who I’d lied to at the engagement party, saying that I’m a full-time writer for the Times and 28 years old. That explained why Robert took it so well. Had I told Hans the truth, I’m sure he would’ve been a little pissed that I embellished the truth, so to say.

Another thing… Why did he say he was “exhausted” from the party? Were he and Kristina really having issues in their relationship, based on what I’ve heard? Did he come to the bar just to give himself some space from her?

The biggest, million-dollar question of all—why the frick didn’t he try to tell me he was ROBERT PETERSEN, for crying out loud?!

I needed to get the hell outta here. I couldn’t stay here and be with him.

This was wrong, very wrong. It wasn’t even supposed to happen at all!

Damn, what have I done now?!