Read Online Gemini by Penelope Ward - Free Book Online

only true mother I have ever known. I could never fathom how a mother could give up her baby as easily as my birth mother must have given me up as a newborn.             
    I decided to change the subject. “I can’t believe all these years we lived in the same city and never crossed paths,” I said.
           Cedric laughed, his eyes now turning mischievous. He looked down and shook his head. “I think that might be a relief on my end. I was a bit of a punk growing up. You wouldn’t have liked me then.”
    “Oh really?” I said.
    I just couldn’t get enough of looking at those eyes. He had a darkly impish grin on his face now.
    God, he was drop dead gorgeous.
    Then, he continued. “Seriously, looking back, I realize I was a bit of a dickhead when I was a kid, used to start fights and break windows. My friends used to joke that’s why my initials spelled cock. Cedric looked at me for a moment and then broke out in laughter as he waited for my reaction.
          I shook my head and laughed. “What, now?”
          “My middle initial is O, so Cedric and Callahan wrapped around that…you have C-O-C…cock.” He laughed.
          “Ah…makes sense.” I continued laughing, then realized something. “Wait…your middle initial is O? My middle initial is O too!”
          Cedric’s mouth dropped. “Really?”
          I nodded and grinned. “Yes…my middle name is Ophelia.”
          His eyes widened and glistened in amazement. “Allison…you’re friggin’ kidding me,” he said.
         “No, I am not…what’s wrong with Ophelia?”
              “Nothing at all. It’s absolutely beautiful…but when I tell you my middle name, well—”
          “What…Cedric tell me…what is it? Oscar? Omar? O’Shaughnessy? Obi Wan Kenobi? Tell me!” I laughed, waiting in suspense.
          Cedric put his hand on my headrest and moved in closer which startled me. I could feel his breath near my face when he said, “Allison…your middle name is Ophelia…”
          “Yes…don’t tell me your middle name is Ophelia, too?” I joked.
          Cedric shook his head. “No…not Ophelia…but—”
          “But what?”
           “You’d never guess it.”
               “Give me a hint.”
               He rubbed his chin and smiled. “Okay…it’s from Shakespeare too.”
           My jaw dropped and I did guess it. “Oh my God… Othello? You’re telling me your middle name is…Othello?”
            He nodded. “That’s exactly what I am telling you.”
           This was really bizarre and hilarious.
    “You mean to tell me we are both named after Shakespeare characters?” I stared at him in awe before thinking about it again for a few seconds. “Wait…are you shitting me?”
          Cedric burst out laughing. “It would seem that way wouldn’t it, but unfortunately, I’m not. I swear on my father’s life,” he said.
          Now, I knew he was being serious. You just don’t joke on someone’s life. “Wow,” I said.
          Cedric seemed really amused by this coincidence too. “Wow is right…you’re telling me. My father was a huge Shakespeare fan and insisted on my middle name being Othello. The Othello board game was pretty big back then too. For some reason, he thought it was the coolest name. It started as a joke, really. My mom was dead set against it and one night, they were with some friends and she lost a bet and well…there you have it…Cedric Othello Callahan.”
          “I guess maybe this is a sign we were meant to meet,” I said, immediately regretting the suggestive comment.
          Cedric smiled, his white teeth glistening. “I think so, Allison Ophelia.”