If I Were Her

Chapter 2

Iris wandered the hallway, her fingers brushing along the textured wallpaper, lingering over family photos she hadn’t seen in years. One caught her eye—a snapshot of her and Ava at the amusement park, faces flushed from the rides, hands sticky with cotton candy, grins frozen in time. She paused, swallowing a lump in her throat. It was her face, and Ava’s, but both felt like strangers now, echoes of a life she hadn’t lived for seven long years.

Ava leaned against the fridge, arms crossed, watching her with a faintly guarded expression. Not unfriendly, not hostile—but Iris sensed a fragile edge, a subtle territoriality. “Careful,” Ava said, her tone casual, “you might break the place. Seven years away, and suddenly you’re like… a whirlwind.”

Iris offered a small, polite smile. “I’m just… trying to remember it,” she said softly, her voice barely more than a whisper.

Suddenly, footsteps echoed through the front hall confident, easy, and familiar, but completely foreign to Iris. A voice called out, warm and casual, “Hey! You here?”

Before she could react, a tall figure appeared, moving with the kind of relaxed confidence that made the air feel charged. Broad shoulders, a crooked smile, dark hair falling just slightly over his eyes, a casual lean that suggested he owned the place—or at least thought he did. He stepped close, and before Iris could step back, a firm but familiar hand rested on her shoulder.

Iris froze, her heart racing. The gesture was intimate, easy—clearly meant for someone else. She turned slightly, confused and startled.

Ava’s voice cut through the room like a whip. “Ethan! What are you doing?”

The man stiffened, eyes widening. His smile faltered. He turned slowly, scanning the room—and then froze again, realization dawning.

“She’s… Iris,” Ava said flatly, arms crossed, her tone sharp enough to sting.

Iris’s cheeks burned. She wanted to shrink into the wall, to disappear. The stranger’s gaze flicked to her, apologetic, hesitant. He held up his hands slightly, a silent “sorry” that somehow made things worse.

Ava stepped closer, protective and annoyed, but there was also something fragile in her posture—subtle insecurity that hadn’t existed seven years ago. “You didn’t tell him you had a twin?” Iris coughed out

The man ran a hand through his hair, clearly flustered. “I… I honestly didn’t know,” he said, voice uneven, eyes darting between the sisters.

Iris tried to offer a small, reassured smile. “It’s okay,” she murmured, though her heart still thudded in her chest. She had stepped into a world that had moved on without her, and every casual gesture here reminded her of it.

The tension lingered for a moment before the man, still awkward, tried to break it. “So… uh, you’re here for a while right?”

Iris nodded. “Yeah, a few months at least then I meant to decide if I stay here forever or if I go back to L.A”

Ava’s brow arched, the edge of defensiveness in her voice. “Yup, indulge my sister..”

The man nodded slowly, clearly impressed. “Wow LA? That’s amazing..”

Iris felt a faint warmth at his words, but it mingled uneasily with the awkwardness of the encounter. She was still learning how to belong here again, still learning the rhythm of a family that had existed without her.

Their mother entered the room then, bright and cheerful, sensing an opportunity to shift the energy. “Iris, dear, it would be wonderful if you started school here,” she said, her voice full of gentle encouragement. “You’ll be close to home, catch up with old friends, and continue your volunteer work. It would make me so happy to see you settle in.”

Ava’s gaze flicked between the man and Iris, tight-lipped, hinting at the small pang of jealousy that always came when she felt her place threatened.

The man finally spoke, giving a tentative, friendly smile. “Sounds exciting. You’re going to make an impact, for sure.”

Ava grabbed his arm, murmuring something quick and pointed, tugging him away down the hall. Their voices faded, muffled, leaving Iris standing in the kitchen, cheeks still warm from the encounter.

She let out a slow breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding. The room was quiet again, and she moved toward her old bedroom, glancing at the door that had once been hers. Memories, laughter, secrets—years of absence and now a chance to reclaim a place in this world.

Her phone buzzed in her pocket. A message from her foster mom appeared:

How’s it going, sweetheart? Thinking of you. Text me if you need anything.

Iris sank onto the edge of her bed, staring at the screen. She typed, paused, deleted. She was back in a life that had continued without her, and yet she had her own path—volunteering, reconnecting, and soon, school. Maybe she could find a way to belong again.

Outside, the sun cast golden light across the yard. Iris closed her eyes briefly, letting herself breathe, letting herself hope. There was still uncertainty, still tension, but there was also the quiet, steady possibility of home.

____________

Ava leaned against the door down the hallway, arms crossed, her eyes following him as he walked too slowly to where she stood. His gaze flicked nervously toward Iris, then quickly away, like he didn’t know where to look.

“Seriously?” she hissed under her breath as he let out an awkward laugh. “You didn’t even notice she’s… you know, not me?”

He scratched the back of his neck, eyes wide. “I—I swear, I didn’t know. I thought…” His voice trailed off.

“You thought what? That I was just… I don’t even look like that, we don’t even smell the same ughhhh” Ava snapped, though the edge in her tone softened immediately. She hated the bite of her own words. She didn’t want to sound cruel, but… she felt squeezed out, irrelevant.

He took a step closer, hands raised in surrender. “No! I didn’t mean—look, it was an honest mistake. I wasn’t… I wasn’t thinking.”

Ava let out a frustrated sigh, running a hand through her hair. “It’s just… I don’t know. She’s been gone seven years. And now she’s back, and everyone… acting all like she’s the golden child and life wasn’t going on without her. And I—” She stopped, glaring at the floor, ashamed of the tiny sting of jealousy she couldn’t quite hide.

He gave her a small, patient smile. “Ava… I like you. You’re the one I’m… I mean, I’m with you. You know that, right?”

She bit her lip, heart thudding in a mix of relief and lingering insecurity. “I know,” she muttered, but the words didn’t quite chase away the tension in her chest.

He nodded, stepping back slightly. “Okay. Good. We’ll figure this out.”

Ava watched him walk back toward the living room, feeling a knot of both annoyance and relief. She wasn’t proud of the jealousy that had bubbled up so fast, but… she couldn’t help it. This was her life, her home, her family, her boyfriend. And suddenly, someone else was in the picture.