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“You’ve forgotten!” I declared in delight. “Now I can feel vindicated that I didn’t remember you at first.”

“Hey now, forgetting a thing is in no way the same as forgetting an entire person.”

“It’s not my fault you transformed from a very pretty little caterpillar into an unrecognisably beautiful butterfly over the space of the last two decades. And besides, I never forgot you as a person. My brain simply refused to connect that my gorgeous new hotel manager was also my Erin from the past.”

“A caterpillar!” she exclaimed, aghast, though I could see the grin tugging at the corners of her mouth.

“A very pretty caterpillar, one I had many lewd and inappropriate thoughts about while in the privacy of my teenage bedroom.”

“Tristan,” she released her laughter. “That is … Okay, jog my memory. What’s with the airplane?”

“I threw one at your desk during art class to ask you to a party at my house. I remember being so hopeful that you’d say yes, and I can’t believe you’ve forgotten,” I said, feigning insult.

“It was twenty years ago!”

“Yes, but it was me. The love of your life, so I thought those small details would stay with you.”

Suddenly, she went very still, her eyelids fluttering as though she was having a mini panic attack. It took me far too long to understand her reaction. I’d just referred to myself as the love of her life. I was teasing, of course, because we hadn’t made those declarations yet. But I did love her. I’d known it for a while. I just assumed she was on the same page, but perhaps I was getting ahead of myself. It was a thing I did. A speaking before thinking problem, and from the startled look on her face, I’d well and truly put my foot in it.

Well, crap.

I cleared my throat. “So, you’re free for dinner tonight? I wasn’t sure if you might be going to visit your sister or—”

“Yes, I’m free. Please tell your parents I’m looking forward to it.” I noticed the paper airplane I’d carefully folded was now a crumpled ball in her hand. I moved to step towards her, but she backed up to the door. “Right, well, I better be getting back. Lots to do.”

Before I could stop her, she was gone. I let out a heavy sigh, silently berating myself for speaking so openly. That was the thing. Erin made me so relaxed, so calm and carefree, that I rarely needed to censor myself around her. Only in this instance, my mouth could’ve done with a little censoring.

Maybe she’d pretend I never said it. She was very forgiving like that.

Not that loving her was something that required forgiveness, but revealing it only five weeks into our relationship was a bit … love bomb-y, maybe? I wasn’t sure. I needed advice, so like always, I picked up the phone and called my twin.

“Hey, Tristan, how’s everything?” Nuala greeted. I could tell that she’d just gotten home because Honey and Bunny were meowing like crazy in the background, the way they did when she’d been out all day and they’d missed her.

“I think I fucked up with Erin.”

I heard her concerned intake of breath. “What happened?”

I gave her a basic run down of the last few minutes, and she let out an empathetic sigh. “Oh, Tristan, you and that big, impulsive mouth of yours.”

“Do you think I’ve ruined it? Everything’s been going so amazingly. It was only a matter of time before I did something like this.”

“You haven’t ruined it. Calm down. I’ve seen you and Erin together a few times now, remember?” she said, and I found myself nodding even though she couldn’t see me. We’d had lunch with Nuala last week, not to mention she’d been by the hotel a couple times. She and Erin seemed to get along, which was a relief. I’d even noticed them standing in reception one time, speaking quietly, their heads close, like they were discussing something personal. I suspected it was something to do with my sister because Erin had appeared to be comforting her. I’d been meaning to ask her about it but kept forgetting. Anyway, if it was important enough, Nuala would tell me.

“That woman loves you, Tristan. She might not be ready to say it yet, but it’s clear as day from an outside observer that she feels it. She probably just freaked because she didn’t expect you to say it like that. And then she left because she needed a moment to sort through her feelings.”

“You think she’s in love with me?” My chest constricted, pushing out all the air. It was right then that I realised how much I wanted to be loved. Past girlfriends had told me they loved me, but over time, I’d discovered they were just words. That they loved how I looked, my money or my career, but not me.

With Erin, I felt like it wouldn’t matter if I was penniless and scraping to get by, she’d still want me just the same.

“Yes, I do. You’re very lucky to have someone who feels that way for you, Tris. I’m glad you found her.” There was a sadness in her voice when she said it. Nuala had been in a few relationships over the years, but they were normally short lived. She’d never found the man to sweep her off her feet, the one she wanted to commit to, and I always told her that was better than settling for someone she didn’t feel strongly about.

“You’ll find someone, too,” I said gently and heard her give a watery little laugh.

“I’m not too sure about that, but even if I don’t, I have a good life. There are worse fates out there than not finding love, you know.”

“That’s true. And at least you have the most amazing twin brother in the world, so you’re doing better than most.”

Her laugh this time was a little less sad. “And modest, too.” There was a short pause before she added, “You are pretty great, though. Will I see you at Mam and Dad’s tonight?”