Page 77 of Exchange of Heart

‘I’d be more assertive, like you.’

‘You mean arrogant?’ I teased.

Nora tilted her chin back and laughed, a little glimpse of the old her coming back.

‘You’re not arrogant. I was being harsh. If I’d spoken up, maybe I would have gotten that promotion after all. Being a people-pleaser has gotten me nowhere.’

I shook my head with a response I’d never been more sure about in my life. ‘You never would have gotten that promotion, no matter what.’

Nora snatched her hand from my leg, leaving a cold empty space behind. I grabbed her hand before she could abandon the couch.

‘I mean it as a compliment. Mark chose Freddie because he wanted a mini him, which you’re obviously not. You’re too good for him. You’ve got drive and enthusiasm. You’re a team player, a dreamer, a goal kicker.’

‘Another compliment from Corey Flemmington. Who would have thought moments like this would be in my future?’ Nora slid her hand from mine and twisted her fingers together until they cracked.

My hand cupped hers, and every nerve in my body froze, waiting to see what I’d do next. ‘Stop, you’ll break my fingers.’

Nora shifted her gaze to my mouth. ‘Then you should stop biting that lip.’

She pulled one hand from mine and brushed her fingers across my lips with a tenderness that jump-started my nerves. Close enough to feel the warmth of her breath, her head tilted in a way I’d seen her do time and time again. Despite staring at what was essentially my face in front of me, I could only recognise Nora’s soul. Her gaze lingered on my lips, so I leaned closer. The rise and fall of her chest increased, and she glanced to my eyes. My fingers grazed her cheek, lingering and soaking in the intimacy.

When her eyes closed, I leaned forward until my lips brushed against hers. My chest tightened at the thrill, and goosebumps raced down my arms, but without being able to see her Nora traits, our kiss confused me. Her lips were large, and the stubble on her chin grazed mine. Nora was in my mind, but the touch of our kiss was dead grass in a forest. Misplaced, jumbled, a serial killer in a romance novel. I was kissing myself, and not even Nora’s soul could remove that reality.

I pulled back as she opened her eyes, creases lining her forehead. She shook her head and avoided my gaze.

‘Sorry,’ she whispered.

‘Don’t apologise, we got caught up. That’s all.’ I wished that was all.

I’d wanted that kiss more than I could ever explain to her, but in these bodies, it wasn’t right. I turned away, tormented by the evidence in front of me that Nora wasn’t her.

‘It’s a shame the kiss didn’t switch us back.’ She tried to lighten the mood.

‘You don’t think we need to, you know…’ I glanced between our groins.

‘No!’ Nora jumped to her feet. ‘God, I hope not. I couldn’t, and, anyway, if it didn’t work, then what? Do we give up? Do we live out our lives in each other’s bodies? Does it mean I’d be part of the LGBT community? I’ve probably missed some, I can never remember all the letters of the acronym. I can barely remember the extra ‘r’ in February. But I can’t be part of their community if I can’t spell the acronym correctly, can I? I should have shown more support during Pride Month. Hung a flag from my balcony or something. Maybe I could—’

‘Nora.’ I climbed to my feet to meet her eyes. ‘Would you chill out for a second?’

I grabbed her hands as she took a deep breath. I wouldn’t crush her dreams yet, but I needed to come to terms with reality. Switching back wasn’t going to happen. At least, not any time soon, which was a hell of a lot more depressing now that I realised I could have something really special with her. I’d never shared so much of my life with someone, and Nora had taken it all in her stride. Literally. Walking through my life and accepting that this was me.

I swallowed the lump in my throat. ‘It’s going to be fine. Either the umbrella is going to show up again, or it’s got nothing to do with it, and we’ll wake in our own bodies at some point. I don’t know how it works or why, I only know it’s going to be okay.’

What I really meant was, as long as we’re together it’s going to be okay.

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

Nora

Monday evening arrived with a hint of déjà vu in the air now that we’d bumbled our way through impersonating each other for almost an entire week. We climbed out of Corey’s car in the parking lot with a confusing mix of excitement and exhaustion. Spending most of the day pretending to be someone I wasn’t was like having a hole in my body that continually leaked energy.

‘I can’t wait to sit in the seat I wanted all year.’ Positive thoughts like these were the only thing pulling me through.

Corey’s jaw tensed. ‘I feel kinda bad, you know?’

My chest ached. ‘It’s fine, Corey. Really. It’s just a seat.’

A seat I no longer cared about. Not now that I cared more about the person who occupied it. I’d been wrong, which wasn’t easy to admit, but there was more to Corey than that small glimpse I’d received before shoving him into a box and taping the lid shut.