"You lied to me."
Noll blinked at his form in the mirror. Tee shirts just didn't look right on him the way they did on Gene, who was pouting in a faded Coca-Cola shirt. He adjusted his own plain black tee but the distinct rumpled look his brother embodied was something that couldn't be copied. "I did not."
"You told me you were working late."
Maybe a different shirt would work. "I was."
"But you were really asking someone out." Gene huffed, adding, "And now you're going on a date."
They met eyes in the mirror. Gene had the kind of pinch to his eyebrows that one might have found on a distressed toddler who didn't understand why the dreary twin was the one with plans on a Saturday.
"I am." Noll turned to the closet. Would a button up really be too much?
"What's her name?"
"Mai," he said. There was a flash of recognition in Gene's eyes. Of course he would remember the name of the girl he got his coffee from every morning.
Noll pulled on the sleeve of a black sweater. "Do you think this would be too hot?"
Gene fell back on the bed. "I can't believe you're going on a date while I have to entertain Luella's book club."
"I forgot that was tonight. Tell Ms. Greene I say hello." Noll smirked. It felt tight and artificial.
Gene cringed. "If she tries to get me out with her daughter again, I am going to scream."
"That would make things interesting." Noll spotted a dark blue blazer in the back of the closet. It was formal but had a kind of worn look about it that leaned toward casual. He remembered wearing it to a seminar the year before where he'd purposed a new method of information acquisition. Ever since then, it seemed to carry a sense of good luck.
The only thing was, it was Gene's.
"Do you mind if I borrow this?"
Gene took one look at the shirt and gestured to the ceiling. He said, "Yeah, yeah, whatever."
Noll pulled the shirt on. Well, it was better than anything else he was bound to find. He pocketed his phone and ran a hand through his hair. A strange jitter took root in his knees every time he thought of her. He sat on the edge of the bed, forcing Gene to move his leg of risk being sat on.
"Hey," he mumbled, sitting up. "Wow, you look sick."
Noll tried to still his shaking hands. Nervousness wasn't something he was accustomed to. "I'm fine."
"You're not, but you will be." Gene bumped his shoulder. "It's just a movie, right?"
"And dinner." Noll's voice cracked. It would have been funny if the look on his face wasn't so pitiful. Gene tapped his brother's knee with his palm, trying to ease the tension that threatened to choke them both. Noll hadn't lost control in a long time, but he certainly did look close to it now.
"You'll be fine."
"Do you…" the words stuck in his throat. Noll's phone chimed. "Never mind. I have to go."
Gene watched him go with a fixed smile.