Josh grabbed Rachel's purse and car keys, this time opting for sensible flats instead of the death-trap heels.
He then headed out to meet her - or rather, himself. They had agreed to meet at a small coffee shop downtown, neutral territory for what was sure to be an awkward encounter.
As Josh pulled into the parking lot, he spotted his own lanky frame pacing nervously outside the cafe. It was surreal seeing himself from the outside, noticing little mannerisms he'd never been aware of before.
"This is still so weird," he muttered, climbing out of Rachel's car.
Rachel-in-Josh's-body spotted him and waved awkwardly. Josh waved back, feeling equally uncomfortable as he approached.
"Hey," Rachel said, her voice coming out in Josh's deep timbre.
"Hey, asshole," Josh replied, still not used to hearing Rachel's high pitch coming from his own mouth.
They stood there for a moment, taking in the bizarre situation. It wasn’t the first time they had come face-to-face with each other like this, but they certainly weren’t used to it.
Josh couldn't help but stare at his own body, noticing little details he'd never paid attention to before - the slight slouch in his posture, the way his hair fell across his forehead.
"So," Josh began, fidgeting with a sugar packet, "any idea how this happened?"
Rachel shook her head, "I've been wracking my brain, but I can't figure it out. The last thing I remember is our fight, then waking up in your body the next morning."
Josh nodded, sipping his coffee. It felt strange drinking it with Rachel's smaller mouth and hands. "Same here. But there has to be some explanation, right? People don't just randomly swap bodies."
"Maybe it's like in the movies," Rachel suggested, "Some kind of cosmic lesson we need to learn?"
Josh scoffed, "What, like we need to understand each other better or some crap like that?"
"I don't know!" Rachel exclaimed, frustration evident in Josh's deep voice, "But we need to figure something out. We can't stay like this forever."
They sat in silence for a moment, both lost in thought. Josh looked down at his body, imagining being Rachel forever, stuck in this endless loop.
Josh leaned back in his chair, Rachel's petite frame feeling foreign as he tried to adopt his usual slouch, "Look, maybe we're overthinking this. What if we just... tried to live each other's lives as best we can? Really immerse ourselves in being the other person? Maybe that’s the point? To keep doing this until we literally become each other, so to speak."
Rachel scoffed, running a hand through Josh's short hair, "Are you serious? You want us to just... pretend to be each other indefinitely?"
"Why not?" Josh shrugged. "It's not like we have any better ideas. And who knows, maybe if we really commit to it, whatever cosmic force did this to us will decide we've learned our lesson and switch us back."
Rachel bit her lip, a habit that looked odd on Josh's face, "I don't know... it feels like giving up."
"It's not giving up," Josh insisted, "It's... adapting. Look, we've been trying to fight this for days now. Maybe it's time we lean into it instead."
Rachel sighed, "Fine. Let's say we do this. What exactly does it entail?"
Josh leaned forward, lowering Rachel's voice to a whisper, "We live each other's lives completely. I go to your classes, hang out with your friends, do your job. You do the same with my life. We don't tell anyone what's happened. We just... keep doing it until it’s no longer and act, and we… become each other."
“So the goal would be to eventually live an entire day without thinking about the fact that we’re not the bodies we’re in?”
Josh shrugged Rachel's slender shoulders, "I don't know. But it's worth a shot, right? We can't just keep waking up like this every day without trying something new."
"Okay," Rachel agreed hesitantly.
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