Gaele: So how was the beach? I'm sorry I wasn't able to reply to you then. I was kind of busy this past weekend too.

Ten2: it was fun, i guess. it'd have been better if we were able to stay longer to enjoy the place more, but uni was waiting for us. i just can't wait for the christmas break so i can have more time to go out. bro it's cool, no need to apologize. not like i'd be able to properly chat with you then. i told you the wifi in that place was shit. but busy eh? school stuff or just got some dates?

Gaele: Ah, that reminds me, December's coming in a few days, and your birthday is in a week. The third day, right? Just want to wish you a happy birthday in advance. University stuff is a given, but that's not what got me preoccupied during my time off. Date? Haha, sure things. Date with my friends. In case you don't know, I have friends too.

Ten2: thank you! you remembered? oh i guess that's coz we have the same birth month right? when's yours again? December 21? I never said you dont have any friends. in fact I think you have lots, you're a sweet talker after all. hmm i just thought you finally found someone

Checking the first few sentences that he typed, a frown crosses Poll's face. His eyes focus particularly on the date as a sense of familiarity rushes through him. It feels like someone he knows has a similar birthday, but he can't quite remember who it is. He then raises his head and looks around his mini studio, as if the stuff in the room will give him a clue.

His works are all over the area. Landscape paintings, anime drawings and a few pencil portraits of his favorite personalities. Most of the finished ones are neatly framed and hanging on the wall. And there are some, especially those he'd quickly sketched on a piece of bond paper, which he'd randomly stuck in any available space with masking tape.

A stool and an easel, with a work-in-progress painting of the flower garden on a canvas, are standing in the northwest corner of the room, a few feet away from a large awning window. Next to his drafting table, there is a long desk where he sets most of his art materials. Pencils, pens, brushes and other drawing tools are uncoordinatedly placed in different ice cream tubs that he designed and recycled as organizers—not that his workspace is anywhere near organized.

Poll notices the box of colored pencils and tubes of acrylic paint that are scattered on the long table, and makes a mental reminder to put them back in the drawer. That is, if he doesn't forget later.

It goes without saying that his studio is not exactly the tidiest place there is, but it doesn't bother him at all. If anything, he finds it comfortable to create his pieces in this kind of environment.

While most people can't work in a space where things are all over the place, as though their productivity is being impeded by the mess around them, the opposite is true for Poll. Seeing the clutter in his studio can always bring out his creative muse and help it flow well. This room gives the impression of carefreeness, thus making him feel more liberated to do anything with his craft.

It's one of the things that he has in contrast with his twin sister.

Turning back in front of him, Poll sees the blank vellum board and a few pencils on his drafting table. The picture that he has yet to sketch on the paper brings the image of a certain someone's place to his mind.

That's another person who is unlike him when it comes to tidiness.

Even his study table is too orderly. Eujae's workspace is completely different from mine.

The male twin blinks at the thought of the man.

Eujae. That's right. It's him.

Poll looks back at the phone in his hand, just to realize that he has not sent his reply to Gaele yet. Moving his right thumb, he quickly taps the mini paper plane icon on his screen before he switches to his social media account.

Now, he finally understands why Gaele's birthday rings a bell. Eujae's birthday is also a few days before Christmas, but Poll can't recall the precise date because, needless to say, he has never greeted him and he never saw any reason to keep it in his mind.

He remembers one detail about that specific occasion, though. It's the fact that Eujae was usually out of town during his birthday, and Poll heard from their friends that it was because the man spent his special day with his parents.

That makes a lot of sense, Poll thinks, recalling what Eujae told him about his parents' touring theater.

Eujae will most likely pay them a visit this year as well, and Poll can't help but wonder about the guy's parents' jobs. He is curious about the type of story they normally show the audience.

In his almost twenty-one years, Poll has only seen role plays presented in schools, but not those done by theater professionals. What he would not give to witness one of those performances one day.

As the male twin goes back to the matter at hand and checks Eujae's social media profile, it comes to his attention that the guy did not write any information about himself in his bio. Instead, there's only that single cited line.

'Never assume unless otherwise stated.'

While it sounds like a simple sentence with a straightforward meaning, Poll assumes that it has something to do with business courses since he often hears Tem say something like this too.

Going by the few things he has on his profile, it appears that Eujae is not keen on sharing a lot of things about himself publicly. He is not the sort to be big on using social media. Poll should have realized it when he was browsing Eujae's posts a while ago, looking for his solo photos, and saw that there were barely any of them.

Accepting the fact that he will not be able to verify Eujae's exact birthdate by lurking on his socials, Poll opens the vCard that the man provided him after he requested—demanded—his contact details. As expected, there is no other information in Eujae's virtual contact file apart from his phone number and email address.

Poll clicks on the number, which directs him to his messenger.

While he is composing a text message for Eujae, Gaele's reply arrives.

It doesn't take him a whole minute to type the quick question he has for Eujae.

Poll: hey when's your birthday?

After hitting the send button, he shifts to the gaming app and opens his online friend's message.

Gaele: Uh-huh, it's on December 21. I'm glad you also remembered. And I told you before, didn't I? I only sweet talk to the people I like, which include my family and close friends. I finally found someone, huh? Well, maybe I did. Maybe I didn't.

Immediately after reading Gaele's text, Poll also receives Eujae's reply.

Eujae: 21st of December. And you're asking, why? Are you planning to give me a present then?

Poll scowls at his phone upon learning that Gaele and Eujae were born on the same day. It is not like two people sharing the same birthday is uncommon, but there is something about the timing of this coincidence that he finds strange.

Trying not to make a big deal out of it, he chooses to give Eujae a reply first since it is quicker to do so.

Poll: of course not! stop being cocksure and assuming things! isn't it a thing about you, business students, not to assume unless it's said?

Truthfully, Eujae is not dead wrong in his assumption. Poll does intend to give him something. However, instead of a birthday present, it is an apology and thank-you gift in one. Of course, for the life of him, he's not going to let him know that. It will remain a secret, at least until Poll gives it to him.

The male twin groans, just imagining Eujae's reaction when the moment comes. He is going to be smug, for sure, especially since Poll made a firm denial of it.

His thoughts are interrupted as a new message appears on his phone's screen.

Eujae: Oh, is that something I shouldn't be asking? Are you planning a surprise for me, Apollo? And how do you even know that basic accounting principle? You stalked my profile, didn't you?

Poll's immediate reaction is to deny it and claim that he heard the statement from his twin sister, but manages to hold back after noticing a pattern in their interaction.

A trap. Poll recognizes that the man is baiting him to be teased again so chooses to leave him on read for now. There's no need for them to text a lot. They see each other on campus almost every day anyway.

Returning to the game chat, the odd feeling he began to experience after discovering that Gaele and Eujae have similar birthdays resurfaces at once. In addition, it's now tinged with intrigue as he rereads the last part of his online friend's most recent response.

When he said he thought Gaele had finally found someone, he was not entirely serious about it. He just wanted to try teasing his friend, and he expected him to give a negative answer rather than something cryptic.

With a lot of concerns about his internet friend popping into his head, Poll decides to test the waters.

Ten2: eh, but that sounds like you really did start dating someone. you did, didn't you? btw, there's something i wanna ask you. it's okay if you dont answer though. so we're in the same year in college, right? i dont think we've ever told each other about the courses we're taking. i'm a BFA student, majoring in studio arts. how 'bout you? it's okay if you're not comfortable telling me though, i suddenly got curious but you're not obligated to answer it

Poll puts his phone down on his drafting table before standing up and walking to the long desk to pick up a ruler and a mechanical pen from his handcrafted stationery holder. As he goes back to his drawing table, he peeks at his phone to check whether Gaele has replied, but there has been no response.

Bending his knees, he perches with both feet up on the swivel chair. He lays the mechanical pencil on the table and switches it to the lightest grade of graphite pencil. With the ruler, he begins mapping faint grid lines on a legal size vellum board.

He has drawn only four horizontal lines on the paper when he glimpses the flicker of his phone screen, making him pause on his task. Setting aside his sketch materials, Poll reaches for his phone and opens the message.

The answers to the questions are quite what he guessed he would get from his online friend.

Gaele: I kind of have a hunch that you're an art student since you told me before that you like to draw, right? Mine's not that interesting. And about dating someone... I wonder about that.

Not a confirmation. Not a denial. Not even a direct answer. There is no mistaking that these are not the subjects that Gaele is thrilled to talk about.

"At least not to me," Poll mutters. Resigned, he sighs as he gets the hint that he can't ask any further. He may be eager to learn more about his online friend, but he knows better than to pry into things that people would rather keep private.

Anyway, there is no sense as to why he's suddenly trying to connect Eujae to Gaele just because he finds a few similarities between them. Maybe it's because at one point he wished those two were the same person that he started to overthink and pick on the information that would relate them to each other, even though those resemblances are trivial and not unusual.

He supposes he has just been focusing on what he wants to see instead of looking at the whole picture. It is not like he knows either of them well enough to conclude that they are very much alike. Besides, there was even a time when he believed those two were completely different from each other.

His gaze shifts to the wall clock in between his two biggest portrait paintings in the room. One is of his parents' wedding and the other is of him with Tem when they were two-year-olds.

Seeing the time, Poll lets out another sigh before he goes back to chatting with Gaele.

Ten2: okay i wont ask you anymore, mr. enigma. :P anyway, i want to talk to you more, but as much as i want to, i dont have enough time right now, so i have to log out for now. im sorry >.<

Gaele: Hey, you're not upset with me because I didn't answer your questions, are you?

Ten2: no, no, of course not! there's just something important i need to do. i have to finish a project as soon as possible. i also wanna let you know that with other things like university stuff, i may not be able to talk to you much for a few days. i'm not upset, jeez, dont worry i completely understand.

Gaele: Alright, but I just want to make it clear that it's not like I don't want to tell you anything, Ten-Ten. There are just some things that I can't tell you for now, but I promise that when the right time comes, I'll tell you everything. Anyway, is that a school project that you need to do?

Ten2: youre being too serious again, but ok. and it's an art project yes, but no, it's not for school. i'll talk to you late, k?

Gaele: Sure. Take your time. I'll be waiting.

After he logs out of the game app, Poll puts down his phone and picks up his ruler and pencil again. Feeling motivated, he resumes setting reference lines on the paper. His brows furrow in concentration as the tip of the pencil glides against the smooth surface of the vellum board.

Focus is what he needs at the moment, and he can't afford to waste time thinking about unnecessary things. His and Tem's birthday is approaching in less than a week. It is vital for him to finish this drawing before that.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

When the right time comes, I'll tell you everything.

And he certainly will. Not only because it is a promise, but also because there is no other way to go around this situation but to reveal the whole truth.

He will tell him everything, but he knows that when the day comes, he will be leveling with Apollo instead of Ten-Ten.

Replaying their online conversations in his head, Eujae wonders if Poll is starting to get suspicious about Gaele. His questions earlier didn't sound like casual inquiries at all. There was no doubt that the male twin was testing something, making an attempt to peel off some parts of Gaele's mask to see if he would be able to see the real face behind it.

He was able to dodge the questions, but now he is not sure if it was the right thing to do. Based on how easily Poll dropped the subject, it is hard to tell whether he was able to convince him to forget about it or if he just made him more skeptical.

Honestly, it is not like he wants to keep hiding the truth from Poll. Even he feels bad every time he has to lie to him. Still and all, he doesn't know how to approach this issue. He has no idea where to begin or what words to say.

It is ironic that for someone who has been called a smooth talker by those close to him, he often finds himself at a loss for words when it counts the most.

But who can blame him? Every time he considers the likely outcome of coming clean to Poll, he can't help but feel terrified.

He has never been scared of the possibility of being turned away by the person he likes before. Not even when he used to date. This is something foreign to him, which is perhaps why he is clueless about what to do.

Eujae heaves a sigh and opens the search engine on his phone, deciding that now is not the time to brood about such matters. He can mull over it all he wants later.

For the time being, he has to look for a simple birthday cake recipe and a nearby gift shop that sells anime plush toys.