Jack walked up the sidewalk to his house. He knew he had to swap back with Julia, but at the same time he really wanted to delay the swap. After all, unfettered access to his crush’s body was a hard thing to concede.
Part of him didn't want it to end.
Jack followed his sister up the stairs, his heart pounding. When they entered his bedroom, he saw himself— or rather, Julia in his body— sitting on the edge of his bed. She looked up as they entered, her eyes wide with a mix of relief and anxiety.
"Finally," Julia said, Jack's voice sounding strange with her inflections. "This has been the weirdest two days of my life."
Jack nodded, feeling a pang of guilt as he remembered his earlier explorations of Julia's body. "Yeah, tell me about it."
Abby closed the door behind them and pulled the mysterious rock from her pocket. "Okay, let's try this again. Maybe if you both touch it at the same time, you'll switch back."
Jack hesitated. He glanced down at Julia's body, remembering the sensations he had experienced earlier.
"Jack?" Abby prompted, noticing his hesitation, "What's wrong?"
He shook his head, forcing himself to focus.
Jack and Julia exchanged nervous glances before reaching out to touch the stone simultaneously.
Nothing happened.
“Maybe it senses some …resistance from one of you,” Abby elbowed Jack in his ribs.
Jack felt his face flush with shame. He knew Abby was right - he was the one resisting. The guilty pleasure he'd taken in exploring Julia's body was holding him back.
"I... I don't know what you mean," he stammered, avoiding Abby's accusatory gaze.
Julia, still in Jack's body, narrowed her eyes suspiciously.
"I'm sorry, okay?!" Jack pleaded, "I've had a crush on you for so long, Julia, and now…”
“You’ve had a crush on Julia?” Abby gasped.
Julia's eyes widened in shock, her expression looking strange on Jack's face, "You... you have a crush on me?"
Jack felt his face burning with embarrassment, Julia's cheeks flushing a deep red, "I... yes. For a while now. I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said anything."
An awkward silence fell over the room. Abby looked between the two of them, clearly unsure of what to say.
Julia stood up, walking over to Jack. It was surreal, seeing his own body approach him.
Julia shook her head, a small smile forming on Jack's lips, "No, it's okay. Actually, I... I've kind of had a crush on you too."
Jack's eyes widened in surprise, "Really?"
Abby cleared her throat loudly, reminding them of her presence, "Guys, my brother and best friend falling in love is sweet and all, but can we focus on getting you back into your own bodies first?"
“I don’t know…” Julia smiled, “What if we didn’t for a while?”
Jack's eyes widened in shock at Julia's suggestion, "What do you mean?"
Julia shrugged, a mischievous glint in her eye, "Well, we've both admitted we like each other. And we're in a unique position to... understand each other better. Why not take advantage of it?"
Abby looked between them, her expression a mix of disbelief and amusement, "Are you guys serious right now?"
Jack felt a flutter of excitement in his chest - or rather, Julia's chest. The idea was tempting, to say the least. He could spend more time in Julia's body, and she in his. They could learn about each other in a way no one else ever had.
"I... I mean, if you're okay with it," Jack said hesitantly, looking at Julia.
Julia nodded, a grin spreading across Jack's face, "I'm more than okay with it. This could be... educational."
Abby threw her hands up in exasperation, "You two are unbelievable! Fine, stay switched. But don't come crying to me when things get complicated."
Jack felt a thrill of excitement course through him. He was going to stay in Julia's body, with her full permission. The possibilities seemed endless.
Comments
Post a Comment