Body Switches

by Barbara G. Tarn

Kyle finished his coffee and rose. He put the mug in the kitchenette, then headed for the stairs without looking at her. Okay, maybe she'd been a little too blunt. They were strangers, after all.

  Snorting, she headed for the bathroom.

  When she came out, dressed although it was early, Kyle was ready to leave.

  "Kyle, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to insult any of your sexualities," Pat said. "Have a nice day. Maybe I can fix us some dinner tonight?"

  "That would be great, since none of us likes to cook," Kyle replied. "That's why we like to eat out, but not more than twice a week. It's Rohit's turn, so he'll be grateful."

  "Is he awake or not?"

  "Yes, but he's too lazy to get out of bed. He goes to the gym on Tuesdays, and he always gets up at the last minute. Have a nice day."

  Kyle left and Pat looked up the stairs. Babs's door was still closed. Maybe she didn't get up until later either.

  Pat pursed her lips, then climbed the stairs, unbuttoning her shirt as she went. The night before Babs had grumpily given her one of her unused bras, so Pat made sure it lifted the new body's small breasts.

  She stopped at the room's door to check her cleavage, then entered and closed it behind her.

  Rohit was in bed, half-asleep, with his PJ bottoms on. She startled him with a caress.

  "Babs, what...?"

  She used his confusion to close his mouth with hers. He tasted good. He felt good against her – inside her. What a gorgeous young man! The only way to get him out of her system was to have him.

  He didn't protest and was obviously used to women. They didn't speak, just gave vent to a sudden passion, then lay side by side until Rohit's alarm clock started chiming.

  "Oh, shit! The gym!"

  Muttering in Hindi, Rohit jumped out of bed and rushed to the bathroom. Pat chuckled and gathered her clothes, very happy with herself.

  4.

  Babs felt sleep evade her, but remained still. She couldn't tell from the sounds around her what time it was. She could tell easily when she lived in a condo in Rome, but here it was different. She hadn't gotten used to the new surroundings and her flatmates weren't really noisy if she kept her room door closed. Okay, sometimes she heard their bed moving rhythmically on her ceiling, but not today.

  She hugged her pillow with a sigh. Maybe she should just get out of bed and start writing. She opened her eyes and checked the time. Um. Maybe she could stay in bed a little longer and entertain herself with another hot story of male lovers she'd never write.

  But like every morning her body reminded her she needed to pee and the bathroom mirror reminded her she wasn't in her body. So she went back to bed, but didn't close her eyes again.

  She took her journal and started writing down how she felt. Her body was just her means to exist on that plane, and she often thought she still needed to get used to it. She didn't hate it, but she didn't love it either, since it was often source of discomfort.

  Still, she'd grown fond of what she had, and even if she wasn't someone who constantly checked herself in the mirror, she didn't want to keep someone else's body and face. Her tits looked bigger lately, but she still didn't need a bra to stay up – unlike Pat. Not that she was going to wear a bra just because she was in another body. Her sense of fashion hadn't changed. She wanted comfy clothes and bras weren't comfy as far as she was concerned. Probably because she wasn't used to them, but whatever.

  When she'd sold her house and her battered eighteen-year-old car to move to Oregon, leaving her family and few friends behind, she'd made sure her aging parents had internet access and learned how to use Skype. In Rome she'd kept the webcam off, but now it was on – to allow her to show them she was doing just fine on the other side of the world.

  They'd be shocked to see another face on their laptop. She couldn't explain to her loved ones left in Italy or to the new friends on the Oregon Coast how that happened.

  But hey, I'm a fiction writer she wrote. I'm going to undo this.

  She closed the notebook and lay down again, closing her eyes. She visualized her body and wished to go back there. Didn't work.

  Okay, witch's work. A spell. What is she like? I think she's young, more a fairy than an old crone. No, no wings. Just a fairy in human form. And she can do what she wants. Even switch people bodies at will.

  "Will you stop that?"

  Startled, Babs opened her eyes and saw a young woman with long brown hair glaring at her with her baby blues. She looked like a Seventies gypsy – Babs's favorite fancy dress for Carnevale when she was a teen – and had her arms folded on her chest.

  "Don't tell me." Babs slowly smiled. "You did it."

  "Yes," the young woman answered reluctantly. A fairy in human form all right.

  Babs chuckled, congratulating herself for her still wild imagination. "So you are...?"

  "Samantha. Some people call me witch, some think of me as a fortune teller, but nobody ever thought of me as a fairy in human form."

  She was obviously pouting, unhappy that Babs had discovered her.

  "Well, faeries don't always do good," Babs said, amused. "And since you read minds, you must know I do believe in faeries."

  "Yeah." More frowning on Samantha's part. "You seem to know a lot about me."

  "Honey, I'm a fiction writer. I like to make up stuff. And I was thinking of writing a body switch myself. but I wasn't sure how I could make it happen. I guess the modern witch solution is quite an interesting idea."

  "You want to go back to your body?" Samantha asked, her hands on her hips and her chin rising in challenge.

  "Of course," Babs answered, puzzled.

  "Then you better not write that body switch," Samantha retorted. "Rohit and Kyle don't want you to. And I don't want you to either, so you won't."

  Babs raised her eyebrows. "Or?"

  "I'll switch you again – permanently – with somebody else. How would that sit with your parents? And everybody else?"

  Damn, she really reads thoughts. Or over my shoulder without me noticing. She glanced at the journal on the bed table.

  Samantha grinned and waggled her eyebrows to confirm her thought.

  "Fine," she muttered. "No body switch. I'll keep my contemporary stories strictly non-fantasy, okay?"

  "Good." Samantha nodded once, satisfied. "Now, for the fantasy part..."

  "What?" Babs protested. "Now I can't even write what I want? I might as well go back to that boring day job and die of lassitude!"

  "You can write what you want," Samantha said. "Just add a disclaimer. Silvery Earth is not as you paint it."

  Babs gasped. So her secondary world actually existed? Was it anything like she'd imagined in her tweens?

  She was so engrossed in Samantha's words, she barely noticed the noise from upstairs. For once she was more interested in what was happening in her room than wishing she could sneak upstairs and observe Kyle and Rohit through their keyhole.

  "Okay, I will put that disclaimer on my books," she said finally with a sigh. "Although with fifty plus titles out on many retailers... Can I just put a disclaimer on the dedicated page of Unicorn Books?"

  Samantha pondered. Babs heard someone fret in the kitchenette and checked the time. Must be Rohit heading for the gym.

  "Okay, on the web page is fine," Samantha said at last.

  The front door banged closed.

  "So, are you going to give me back my body?" Babs asked, hopeful.

  Samantha seemed to listen, then briefly closed her eyes.

  "Just checking where your body is." She grinned.

  "Is she still sleeping?" Babs asked. "I don't think she believes in faeries."

  "No, but that's another reason why she deserved a lesson. She's awake, on the couch. Ready?"

  "When you are." Babs nodded eagerly.

  Samantha snapped her fingers.

  Babs felt dizzy and closed her eyes, then found herself on the couch still open as double bed and heard a scream coming from her room.

  She chuckled
and met with Pat in the kitchenette. The other woman looked aghast.

  "What?" she asked, amused. "You have your body back and there's still plenty of time until your meeting!"

  Pat was panting in shock. "M-more coffee, please?"

  "Sure." Babs still hated American coffee, but she didn't use her moka pot very often either. "Would you like some Italian coffee?" she offered. Drat, Pat had put on the bra. She unbuckled it under her shirt – she'd get rid of it later.

  Gulping, Pat nodded. She was slowly regaining control.

  "What happened?" Pat asked at last. "How did we..."

  "I conjured the person responsible – she's a very nice person with real magic powers – and talked her into switching us back," Babs explained. She considered taking the credit, but decided against it. Samantha could switch her again.

  "I saw someone in your bedroom, she winked and vanished," Pat said, still obviously upset. So that was the reason for her scream.

  "That was Samantha," Babs replied. "Did you see both guys leave?"

  "Yes, they're both gone," Pat answered, averting her eyes.

  "Would you like to shower first?" Babs suggested. She was already dressed, but not really in her most comfy clothes. She better change as soon as possible. "Or you can use their bathroom, since they're gone."

  "Coffee first. Can't think right now."

  Don't tell me! What an adventure!

  Luckily the moka pot started bubbling, and soon the coffee was ready. Pat absentmindedly added some cold American coffee to her mug and Babs inwardly sighed. She missed the Italian cappuccino. Maybe it was time to visit and reassure her parents that everything was fine on her side of the world...

  ***

  Rohit stayed out as long as he could, but eventually he had to go home after the gym and a few errands. Hopefully the woman in Babs's body would be gone for her meeting when he got back.

  He was very conflicted about what had happened that morning. He'd completely forgotten Babs wasn't in her body and really enjoyed having her in his bed. Then he realized his mistake while working out and wished he could bury himself – he'd broken their pact! But then, it had been Babs's body jumping in his bed while he wasn't completely awake... Guilt gnawed at him, as he wondered what to do.

  He entered the house with caution, worried he'd find his morning lover still there.

  "Hello?" His voice came out strangled. It was almost lunch time and he heard moving in the kitchenette.

  Babs looked out and his heart missed a beat.

  "Oh, hey, Rohit. You're late. Have you eaten?"

  "Uh... no." He dropped his gym bag and joined her, a little puzzled. She sounded normal again – with one of her self-made T-shirts and a long gown – so maybe they had switched back and the other woman was gone. "You... uh... switched back?"

  "Yes!" She beamed. "I found a way! The bitch is off to her stupid meeting and we're finally rid of her!"

  Relief flooded him and his stomach relaxed immediately.

  "Good." He grinned. "So what did you prepare for lunch?"

  "Um... salad?"

  "Why don't you ever make pasta?"

  "Because I'm not a pasta gal, and you know it!"

  "Chee!" He rolled his eyes. "Pat was a better cook!"

  "Oh, so you want her back?" she teased.

  "No!" His heart slammed in his chest again. "I'm glad she's gone!"

  "I can make you a sandwich if the salad is not enough," she offered.

  As he bickered with her, Rohit was happy his flatmate was back – crazy as before.

  They sat on the couch after lunch, but Rohit didn't grab his laptop. He curled up next to Babs and watched her checking her email, thinking back to that morning again. It had been months since they'd moved in together, and she seemed more relaxed than she used to be.

  Still, probably not enough to jump into his bed first thing in the morning. She wasn't a morning person at all, and that should have alerted him to the fact that it wasn't her. But he wasn't fully awake and hadn't had sex with a woman in over a year – maybe a part of him had missed it. He liked Babs, but had never really considered her as bed partner until now, both because he loved Kyle and because they'd made a pact of no sex with her.

  He put one arm around her shoulder.

  "Babs?"

  "Mm?"

  "Why did we decide you were off limits?"

  She stared at him, puzzled.

  "Because you and Kyle are a couple? And I'm not interested?"

  "You said you need to get used to people. Did you get used to us?"

  "Yes, why?"

  "Don't you ever wish for something more – with any of us?"

  "Uh... no." She shook her head, frowning and turning off her laptop. "I like to watch gorgeous young men, but I'm not really interested in touching them."

  "Why not?" He squeezed her shoulder and felt her stiffen.

  She glared at him. "Because I'm not interested in sex, Rohit. I hate kisses, and I loathe that intimacy. Cuddles are fine, so friendship is good. Everything else... no thank you."

  Rohit took his arm off her shoulder and hid his hands between his legs. He'd never met a woman who didn't want him, and that had been refreshing at first. But after that morning's taste, he was hooked. Except it wasn't really her who had come to his bed, just her body.

  "Don't you love Kyle anymore?" she asked, worried.

  "I do! I love you both," he replied. "For different reasons."

  "And I love you both, for different reasons, none of which includes the physical part."

  "You're missing something here."

  "So they tell me. But I'm not really in experimenting mode anymore. I'm almost fifty and I'm finally happy with myself. Why should I force myself to do something I don't feel like doing?"

  "Theek hai." Rohit wobbled his head, unconvinced. "And if I ask you to write my biography?" he asked, staring hopeful at her. "What kind of payment would you require from me?"

  She chuckled. "I thought you didn't want to have your biography written!"

  "No, but if the payment is fine with both of us..."

  "Mm..." She pondered. "I think a kiss would be a fair payment."

  "I thought you didn't like kisses," he objected.

  "I don't. Not French-kisses. But I'm told it's not easy to kiss well."

  "And what makes you think I can kiss so well that you're willing to give me a chance?" he insisted, puzzled. He'd never understand her, and not only because they came from different countries and different cultures. Not to mention that she was a woman, and he had a hard time understanding women in general – but she was even worse than the others.

  "Just because you never won an MTV Movie Award for Best Kiss doesn't mean you can't kiss on the big screen," she told him with a chiding look on her face. "So I'll give you a chance to make me change my mind about kissing."

  "So it's a deal?"

  "Yep, that's my price."

  "A kiss? That's it?" he protested. "You're selling yourself for a pittance!"

  "Because you're a friend." She patted his leg with a grin. "Dost. Dosti. Whatever." Her attempts with Hindi were still pitiful. Maybe he could give her real lessons. Except he didn't know where to start from. And if payment was just a kiss... why bother anyway?

  He grabbed her hand and held it. "I'm glad to be your friend," he whispered. He smiled weakly and gave up. There was obviously no way she'd ever see him as anything more than that.

  5.

  Pat was glad to be back in her body. It gave her the confidence to conduct the meeting even better than the previous one. Of course she'd have to come up with an explanation for the people who had seen her with Babs's face, but the second meeting went so much better, that she decided she could just drop out of the first business transaction with no collateral damage.

  She sat in Kyle's car and the thought of Rohit struck her. She'd had great sex with him that morning, and then she'd watched one of his movies with Babs before the meeting. He was gorgeous, a great dancer and a
very sweet young man. She wanted to kiss the scars on his wrists for the rest of her life – make him forget that bitch who had dumped him, breaking his heart.

  What am I thinking, he's barely forty and I'm fifty-six! But she couldn't get him out of her head. She took her phone and called her secretary.

  "Angie, I'm taking the rest of the week off. Cancel all my appointments. See you on Monday."

  She hung up on her "Yes, ma'am." She used her i-Pad to change her flight and then switched on the engine and drove back to Rohit's. When she rang the bell, Babs opened the door and stared at her, surprised.

  "When do you need to be at the airport? Because Kyle isn't here, and I don't think I can drive you..."

  "I've taken the rest of the week off, I need a break after this adventure," Pat said. "Is your couch still available for a couple more nights?"

  "Sure." Babs let her in.

  Pat found Rohit on the couch with his laptop. He also stared at her, a little wary. She dropped her pouch and sat next to him.

  "What are you writing?"

  "My India stories. It's episodes of things I've seen growing up there," he answered.

  Babs went back to her room and Pat offered him her best smile.

  "Rohit, are you aware I switched back to my body?"

  "Yes, Babs told me. If I'm not half-asleep, I can tell the difference."

  "Does that mean this morning you hoped – thought you were making love to Babs?"

  He blushed and averted his eyes.

  "I don't know. I mean, I love Kyle, but sometimes I wouldn't mind to have something more from her. But she's asexual, so I have to be content with cuddles. I've come to consider her an elder sister."

  Pat scoffed. What a waste of good material. The woman was really dumb.

  "I don't see you as a younger brother," she told him. "And I'm not a virgin either."

  "I could tell." He flashed a smile at her. "That's why I'm so confused. It was her body, but it wasn't her. I don't know what to make of it."

  "Did you enjoy it?"

  "Yes."

  "Would you do it again? With the real me?"

  He sighed and averted his eyes. He saved the file and closed the laptop, put it on a little table that had worked as bed table for her and rubbed his hands on his sweatpants.

  "No," he said at last. "I shouldn't have done it in the first place." He looked at her. "You see, in India the man needs to be older for the perfect relationship. That's why I forced myself to see her as an elder sister. I know in the west it's different, but for me... especially if you're looking for a serious relationship, it's just no."