by Arizona Tape
“Sorry to disappoint, but I look exactly like this.”
“You do?”
“Yes, but I have blue eyes.”
“Oh... Blue is my favourite colour.”
I glanced at the couch. “Is that why you have this big blue beast in the middle of your living room?”
Sian scratched her neck and hid a smile behind her hand. “I like it, don’t tease.”
“Sorry. And the couch is comfy, at least.” I grinned as I poked the blue couch. “It’s a nice couch, yes.”
Sian returned my grin and shook her head in amusement. “It’s strange, I’m not going to lie.”
I tilted my head and examined the mysterious glint in her eyes. “What is?”
“You... Looking like Ayra, dressed like Ayra. But not being Ayra.”
A fist squeezed my heart a little. “Sorry to disappoint?”
Sian’s face fell as she took my hands in hers. “Oh no, you misunderstood. It’s not a disappointment at all.”
“It’s not?” I asked, refusing to meet her eyes.
“No, on the contrary.”
“But aren’t you in love with Ayra?” I questioned, a rock falling on my stomach. I didn’t want to ask this question, but I had to. I needed to know where I stood. Even if that meant knowing where I didn’t stand. My relationship with Devon might’ve been rocky, but that didn’t mean that Ayra and Sian’s was the same.
“I... do love her.”
As if punched in the stomach, I winced. Damn it. I shouldn’t have asked.
“I’m not going to lie... Ayra and I... I thought we would go the distance. Our relationship wasn’t perfect, but it wasn’t bad either. And at times, I wondered.”
“You wondered?” A glimmer of hope lit up the darkened coals in my stomach.
“Yes... I wondered if there was something missing. I just didn’t know what it was. I always figured it was something about me?” Sian admitted, staring at her lap as her cheeks blushed. “I’m not sure why I’m telling you this. I never told Ayra about any of this. I didn’t want to hurt her? But maybe we should’ve talked about it. In hindsight, we would’ve realised the same thing, probably?”
I swallowed a big lump in my throat. With all the courage I could muster, I pushed Blondie’s chin up so she’d look into my eyes. “And what would you have realised?” I whispered, not exactly sure when I got so bold. Maybe she brought it out in me with her uncut honesty.
“That we weren’t right for each other? That we were almost there? And that our relationship was just shy of enough.”
“I’m sorry to hear,” I muttered, not sure if I should be comforting her, or letting her be, or what not. What was the etiquette regarding your body double’s girlfriend?
Sian stifled a sob from her throat and wiped her hair from her face. “Don’t be. It was a great relationship.”
I bit my lip again, my stomach clenching from her words. Just the idea of Sian being happy with almost-me was a feeling I didn’t particularly like. No, it made me nauseous.
Wait...
“It was a great relationship?” I repeated, mentally crossing my fingers. Was? Past tense?
“Yes. We... We broke up last night.”
“You did?” I asked, my voice raised slightly in excitement. Damn it, Tate. Being happy someone broke up with their long-term partner was never tasteful, in any kind of etiquette.
“Well, Ayra broke up with me.”
“Huh? She did?” That didn’t seem right. Why would Ayra ever leave this beautiful blonde? Even if their relationship was a bit rocky, leaving Sian seemed like the stupidest thing anyone could do. “Wait, if you two broke up... Why am I here? I mean, not me ‘me’. My... Our... This body?”
This time, Sian bit her lip as she averted her eyes. “It was late and...”
“And?”
She plucked at a loose thread on the hem of her shirt. “And I was hoping you’d show up.”
Aww, that was so cute. How utterly adorable. But that meant...
“Wait... If Ayra broke up with you and was okay to swap... Does that mean?”
“Yes, I suspect there’s a similar situation happening on the other side,” Blondie nodded.
“Huh... I had not considered that at all...” I muttered, feeling stupid for not figuring that one out. If I was falling head over heels for Sian, it made sense that Ayra was the same with Devon. At least, that explained why she was so willing to play house with him. It wasn’t exactly to help me out, just her acting on her natural instincts. Like I had. And Sian seemed to have figured it out, but would Devon have? He wasn’t very great at picking up on small hints... Or big hints. In fact, him missing that a different person took over my body, would be exactly like him.
“Devon is probably clueless,” I sighed, already dreading the future conversation. That was not going to be a fun night.
“If he feels like I do, he might not be,” Sian carefully suggested, tenderly swiping her fingers over my cheek.
My mouth went dry as I melted under her touch. “He’s pretty thick.”
Sian chuckled softly, her eyes lighting up with blue sparkles. “Ayra is pretty brusk. And not very subtle at all. I doubt he won’t notice the difference.”
“Are we not alike then?”
“Hmmm, yes and no?”
I snorted. “Those are indeed the two answers.”
Sian flicked my nose playfully. “Oi, let me explain, you smarty pants.”
“Yes, yes. You sound like a teacher.”
This time, Blondie laughed out loud. “Actually, I am a teacher.”
“You are?” A teacher? Really? Oh right, I already figured that out awhile ago. Her being at school. Stupid, Tate. Forgetting where your girlfriend works.
No! Not girlfriend! Ayra’s girlfriend. Well, no longer Ayra’s girlfriend... So there was no need to keep up any pretences. But she wasn’t mine either. No, even in this body, I was still me. Tate Orrin, engaged and bound to marry Devon. Who was quite possibly now flirting with Ayra, pretending to be me. So now there were two me’s. A real me in a wrong body, and a wrong me in my own body. And both Sian and Devon were talking to me. Although Devon didn’t know that he wasn’t actually talking to me. Or that the person who put a spring in his step wasn’t me either. But Ayra.
Fuck, this situation was complicated.
“You okay there? You seem like you’re breaking your head over something,” Sian asked gently, twirling a strand of my hair around her finger.
“Just thinking... You and Ayra are broken up, right?”
“Yes.”
“Okay... But Devon and I aren’t.”
“Ah...”
Oh no, that came out wrong. “No, I mean... If I knew you and Ayra were talking about this, I might’ve told him. I mean. I want to tell him. I think. But...”
“You’re scared of how he’ll react?”
I bit my lip and nodded. “Yes... He loves me.”
“I see...”
“Or at least... He loves the person he thinks I could be? He wants a more adventurous me. And he wants kids. So bad. But I’m nowhere near ready and...” I clamped my hands over my mouth. What was it with me and my blabbermouth? And to Sian, nonetheless. I didn’t even know this person, and yet, she made me feel so at ease. Was that normal?
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to sprout that all on you,” I apologised, my cheeks flushing as I realise I’d gone on a ramble.
“That’s okay, you can tell me things.”
“I barely know you,” I whispered. I knew it was the truth, but it didn’t feel right. I didn’t want her to be a stranger.
“We can change that. What would you like to know about me?”
“Ummm...” Was it really that easy? People just told you things about themselves?
“Do you think that if you tickled a turtle on its belly, it would laugh?”
What. The. Fuck. What kind of question was that? Who even asked those kinds of things? What was wrong with me?!
Sian lau
ghed out loud, shaking her head in amusement. “Okay, not the kind of question I expected. But no, I don’t think a turtle would feel it.”
Embarrassed, I stared at my hands. Kill me now. If I could just swap back to my own body right now, that would be absolutely perfect.
“Anything a little more... Personal you would like to know?”
“Umm... I don’t know?”
“You’re not very good at asking questions, are you?” Sian smiled, but I could tell from her voice it wasn’t meant as an insult.
“Not really, no.”
“Okay, then. Let’s see. My name is Sian and I’m an only child. I’m a teacher and my favourite colour is blue. I like to sing and dance in the rain. My favourite season is winter and I believe in love at first sight.”
My cheeks heat up under her intense gaze and I couldn’t but chew on my lip.
“What about you, Tate?”
Shit, what was there to tell about me?
“Ummm, okay... I’m Tate, I’m almost twenty-five, and I have a little brother, Evan. He’s almost ten, but he’s really smart. And he’s very talented. He already had a tail before he was five and—”
“I’m sorry, a tail?”
“Oh, right... So, I’m kind of a water dragon?”
Sian’s mouth fell open. “You are?”
“Yesss...” Oops, maybe I shouldn’t have said that? What was a vampire’s policy on dragons? “Does that bother you?”
“What? Oh no, not at all. It just never crossed my mind that you weren’t a vampire as well. So, a dragon shifter?”
“More or less. I can’t really shift,” I admitted.
“But so no drinking blood?”
I shook my head. “Nope, no blood. We do have a strange fondness for salted water.”
Sian smiled, her face softening. “That’s good. Ayra would like that.”
“Ayra doesn’t like blood, right?”
“No. I always found that strange.”
“A lot about this situation is strange,” I snorted, pointing at myself.
“That’s true. So what kind of things do you like?”
“Oh, ummm... I like gaming? Ummm... Growing bonsai trees, reading comic books, I do like rain as well, but I tend to avoid it.”
The beautiful blonde frowned. “Why?”
“Oh, cause I can’t really shift? But being around water makes me feel strange. I really don’t want to burst into a full-blown dragon in the middle of the street. I don’t think that would be very convenient.”
She hid a chuckle behind her hand, but I could tell from the blue flecks dancing in her eyes that she was amused. “Go on.”
“My favourite colour is turquoise, I dislike spicy food, and I don’t care what anyone says, but Mr. Thundergod is just a stuck up twat.”
“Mr. Thundergod?” Sian laughed, shaking her head in amusement.
“Yeah, that’s what I call Thor...”
“So you haven’t seen the latest movie?”
“Oh, I want to. But De—... I haven’t had the chance yet,” I carefully changed my sentence, not wanting to bring up Devon. Somehow, that seemed really distasteful.
“It’s actually playing tonight... We could go see it? I mean, if you’re still around...?”
“I’d like that? But I’m not really sure how the swaps happen, to be honest.”
“You’ve been here for a while now, haven’t you?”
I tried to check my watch and once again, glanced at my bare wrist. Damn it. I should really get a watch for Ayra’s body. This was getting annoying.
“I’d like to try?”
Sian perked up, a new glint dancing in her eyes. “Like a date?”
Her words simultaneously set my stomach on fire as they gave me a cold shower. “No, not a date... Not until I’ve talked to Devon,” I mumbled, regret washing over me. Damn it, if only I talked to Devon about this. Then maybe, I could’ve gone on a proper date with Sian. Or I wouldn’t have to see the disappointment on her face.
“Sorry...”
She cleared her throat, waving away my apology. “No, it’s fine. I’m sorry, I jumped the gun.”
“But it can be like... A friend thing?” I proposed, the words bitter on my tongue.
“Yes, sure... A friend thing.”
Sian turned her face away from me and got up from the couch. “A friend thing,” she muttered under her breath. So soft, I probably wasn’t meant to hear it. But I did. And the strain in her voice twisted my stomach in all kinds of knots.
How was I screwing this up so badly? Damn it, I needed to talk to Devon. It couldn’t wait after all. But this really wasn’t an over-the-phone conversation. This was a face-to-face talk. And right now, I had no idea when I’d be seeing him face-to-face again.
I chewed on my lip, holding back the whimper threatening to escape. Who would’ve thought I’d ever wish to be back in my dragonless body?
Chapter 13
I happily breathed out the cold air and clung to Sian’s arm. I figured that couldn’t hurt. I would’ve done that with Lola too. It was just a friendly thing. As long as nothing else happened between us, it was fine. Right?
“Are you okay there? Not too cold, not too warm?”
I shook my head, pressing myself just a tad harder into her. “No, I’m perfect.”
“Good,” she whispered, a smile playing around her lips. Even though I didn’t know her very well yet, I was sure a million things were running through her head. And I liked it. She was mysterious, but also welcoming and open. Approachable. That was the word.
“So you’re sure Ayra wouldn’t mind?”
Sian grinned. “I’m sure Ayra doesn’t mind you taking out her body to watch a movie.”
I hid my face against her arm and chuckled nervously. Now that I was aware that Ayra was aware of me being in her body, it felt weird. Especially if I was doing Tate things with it.
“It’s still her body, I don’t want to do anything she wouldn’t approve it.”
“You’re not doing anything dangerous that could hurt her, like rock climbing or parachute jumping. It’s just a walk through the town and a movie. And popcorn, hopefully.”
“Popcorn?” I perked up, licking my lips. I loved popcorn.
“Yes, and besides. I’m with you. Ayra trusts me. That’s why she stayed with me as well. So I could spend time with you.”
My cheeks reddened. “Ooh, so you talked about that, huh?”
“We did, yes. Does that freak you out?”
“Hmmm...” I hummed, mauling it over. Did it freak me out that Ayra and Sian discussed where to leave Ayra’s body so Sian could spend time with me?
Oddly enough, it didn’t. It probably should, but I just found it thoughtful. How weird.
“Hmm?”
“No, it doesn’t freak me out. It makes me feel a little more at ease. And I’m glad Ayra trusts me with her body? Although that does sound strange.”
Sian grinned as she trailed her fingers over the wall on her other side. “Well, you’re trusting Ayra with your body as well, right?”
I frowned. “I guess so?”
“Oops.” Narrowly, I avoided a dried curd of dog poop and almost ran into a pole.
“Maybe Ayra shouldn’t have trusted you with her body after all,” Sian teased, her eyes flickering blue as she watched me and my clumsy ass. So it wasn’t my body being clumsy, it was me. That was good to know.
“We’re here.”
“Ooh, cosy,” I hummed, surprised to find a very small and old-fashioned movie theatre. I expected her to pick something flashy, like Devon, but this was rather intimate. Maybe she liked old things.
Ooh, hang on.
Maybe she was old.
I glanced at my blonde and tried to gauge her age. Did vampires have a longer lifespan as well? Did they age slower? When were they mature? Oh, how often did they need to drink blood? What happened if they didn’t? And where could I find it?
Hmm... I didn’t really know anything about vampires.
Which was a bit inconvenient, since I was one. Well, I wasn’t a vampire. Ayra was. And I was just borrowing her vampire body.
“Two tickets, please.” Sian smiled, flashing a smile, and her fangs, at the man in the booth. Worried, I clung to her. What if he noticed? Would he be freaked out? Would he call the cops? Oh no, would we go to supernatural jail for exposing ourselves?
But then the man flashed her the same toothy grin and pushed two paper tickets at us. “Here you go, Sian.”
Ooh, so she knew him. And he was clearly a vampire too. Okay then. Oof. No jail time for us then. Although I could imagine worse things to do then be locked up with Sian. Although... Technically, I wouldn’t be the one in jail. Ayra would. And then when we swapped, it would be me.
How confusing.
I really needed to figure out how often these swaps happened and why. I didn’t like not knowing and having to rely on guesswork.
Yes, tomorrow, I’d draw a timeline and try and map out the swaps. Maybe I could even predict when the next one would happen. Because I really didn’t want to swap back to my body during my date with Sian.
No, not my date!
Hang-out. I didn’t want to swap back during my hang-out with Sian.
And Ayra would probably be disappointed to find herself in the movie theatre, watching a film that she apparently didn’t like. Or at least, that was what Sian told me.
Actually, she seemed quite pleased to be here with me. At least, I hoped so.
“How much do I owe you?” I asked Sian, before realised that was a ridiculous question. This was Ayra’s money, not mine. I couldn’t exactly spend it on something that wasn’t for her.
“It’s on me,” Sian waved away my debate, smiling at the man behind the popcorn booth. She held up two fingers and pointed at the biggest bag.
Yum. That was a lot of popcorn.
“You ready to watch your Mr. Thundergod?” she teased, nudging at the massive poster on the wall displaying a set of abs.
“Yes, but only so I can prove you wrong. He’s not the greatest character in the universe.”
“If you’re not a little in love with him after the movie, I will eat my hat.”
“You don’t have a hat.”
“My metaphorical hat, Tate.”