Claudio's POV
People say twins share everything.
Faces.
Birthdays.
Childhoods.
They never talk about what we don't share.
Like the way she looks at him.
Elara laughs at something Alex says, her head tilting slightly, eyes lighting up the way they always do when he enters a room. I'm sitting right there—close enough to hear her breathing—but I might as well be invisible.
I've learned how to be quiet in moments like this. Silence is easier than pretending.
Alex doesn't notice. He never does. He's too busy being Alex—too busy being the version of us that people look at first. I don't blame him. If I were Elara, I'd probably look at him too.But I'm not Elara.
And Elara doesn't look at me.
At least, not the way I want her to.
She nudges my shoulder lightly. "You're awfully quiet today, Claudio."
I glance at her, forcing a small smile. "I always am."
She rolls her eyes. "No, you're not. You're quiet with everyone else. With me, you're just… selectively mute."
That makes me laugh—an actual laugh, not the polite kind I give strangers. She notices. She always does.
See, that's the problem.
With Elara, I'm not silent.
With Elara, I'm dangerous—to myself."I was thinking," she continues, lowering her voice like it's a secret meant only for me. "Do you think Alex likes someone?"
My chest tightens, but I keep my tone playful. "What gave it away? The way he smiles like he knows something no one else does?"
She smiles back, soft and hopeful. "I think it might be Freya."
There it is.
The moment where my heart breaks quietly, without making a sound.
I nod. "Yeah. Probably."
She doesn't see the way my fingers curl into my palm. She doesn't see how practiced Iam at this—at swallowing emotions whole and pretending they were never there.
Elara talks. I listen.
That's how it's always been.
She talks about Alex—his confidence, his laugh, the way he walks into a room like it belongs to him. I already know all of this. I've known it my entire life.What she doesn't know is that I go home and write about girls who love the wrong people.
I draw faces I'm not brave enough to finish.
I create worlds where the quiet boy gets chosen.
And then I close my notebook and become invisible again.
Before she leaves, Elara turns back to me. "You're a good friend, Claudio."
Friend.
The word settles heavy in my chest.
"Yeah," I say softly. "I know."
She walks away—to him.
And I stay where I always am.The other twin.
The silent one.
The boy who loved her first—and will probably love her the longest.