2. Aiyana

Chapter two

Aiyana

I just landed at PHL and picked up the keys to my rental for the week. I'm currently regretting the number of personal belongings I chose to lug around with me. I can't say I packed light despite shipping the majority of my stuff to Kat at our new apartment. I'm just in town for the week to attend a few interviews, but I have a really good feeling about one employer in particular, so I shipped all of my shit to Kat preemptively. That way, I can just cancel my flight back to our old apartment in San Diego if—no, when this new job pans out.

I've spent the last five years completing my Master of Science as a double major in biomedical engineering and chemistry and my subsequent PhD. I have all the education and tons of experience for this job, so I'm not worried about it. 1

What I am worried about though is how I'm going to manage to be around Kas for the foreseeable future.

When I met Kat in middle school and decided she was going to be stuck with me for the rest of our lives, I never expected to meet the sweet, nerdy boy next door who happened to be her twin.

Both fortunately and also unfortunately , they were always a package deal, and while Kas was a lanky teen, he was so sweet, and I was so gangly that I wasn't judging anyway. I had the biggest crush on him that I had no idea would become unmanageable as we aged, but as the years went on, he became more and more attractive.

Kat and Kas are twins, but they don't look that much alike to me. They share the same wavy, dark hair; cute, rounded nose; and full lips, but Kas has the brightest hazel eyes that lean more toward green. They're Filipino and Puerto Rican, and where Kat definitely sits somewhere in the middle, Kas absolutely has more of their mom's Filipino features. They're both gorgeous in their own right, but I could never see Kat as anything more than a sister to me. Not to say that I haven't been with several women, but I have a type, and Kat isn't it.

Once I've got all my shit loaded into the trunk, I send Kat a quick text letting her know I'm heading to the apartment. I was warned that it isn't an apartment though. Kas purchased a freaking penthouse, and I can't help but wonder if he did it for my benefit. Kat says he wanted to ensure her safety, insisted she was within walking distance to his place, and all that brotherly love crap. But it's a nice thought to consider him wanting those things for me.

I pull up in front of the massive thirty-eight-story building covered in reflective mirrors and leave the keys with the complimentary valet, handing him a few dollars for a tip. I get out and am greeted by a man who's probably in his sixties. He introduces himself as Ralph and offers to have my luggage brought up to our place.

Ralph shows me which elevator to use to access the penthouse. Luckily, the elevator is working this time. Kat texted last week when she first arrived and told me all about the catastrophe she endured her first night—delayed flight, broken elevator, walking up thirty-eight flights of stairs, door key that didn't work, and no one to set up the code for her. She said she spent the night in the hallway. Hopefully, whoever lives across the hall from us didn't catch a glimpse of that.

I take the elevator up, and when I step out, my door is already open, with a bellhop unloading my bags for me. This is some serious five-star service.

I approach the open doorway, and as I do, I hear the door across the hall pop open, and a man who looks like a literal god comes walking out. He's easily six foot six, broad-shouldered, with a head of dark-brown loose waves that any woman would kill for. He has the lightest green eyes I've ever seen, a straight nose, and a chiseled jaw. How in the hell has Kat not mentioned this man before? She must not have met him yet if she managed to skim over that fun little fact!

I pick my jaw up off the floor and finally turn to introduce myself, extending my hand to him. "Hi, I'm Aiyana. My best friend, Kat, moved in across the hall from you last week. I'm in town this week for job interviews, and then I'll be joining her. It's nice to meet you." I give him my best megawatt smile.

He shakes my hand, smiling back at me. He's got kind eyes, and good lord, his hand is big. "Hey, I'm Alessandro. I met Kat last week, actually." I think I see his cheeks turning pink as he looks down at his feet quickly before straightening and meeting my gaze again. Interesting. "If you need anything, let me know. I'm just across the hall, and Kat has my number." He smiles and starts heading off with his duffle bag in tow.

My eyes are as big as saucers; Kat has my number? She has his number, and she hasn't said anything about him? What kind of parallel universe are we living in that my best friend would leave out such important information? We'll be having a very stern chat about this soon.

I opt to send her a string of text messages about the hottie across the hall from us before I start putting my things away. My bed hasn't arrived yet, so I'll be sharing hers until it does, but I can at least get my stuff sorted while I wait to pick Kat up for the hockey game tonight.

Kas plays for the Philly Scarlets as a defenseman, and there's nothing that would make me miss it. Even if it weren't Kas playing, I've been rooting for the Scarlets since I was six years old, attending every home game with my dad. Even the ones with weird hours, my dad would take me out of school and claim we had a family emergency so I didn't miss it. We had a lot of family emergencies, apparently. Honestly, the school admin should've been concerned.

1. On My Mama – Victoria Monét