Page 66 of In His Skates

“Tell me about it,” I say. “I still need to change, though. I can’t just walk out of here wearing my uniform and skates.”

“I’ll grab your things, and you can change in the restroom,” Simon suggests.

“Thanks.”

Keanu and I watch Simon disappear down the hallway, and now I’m too aware that this is the morning after, and I don’t know how to behave around him.

“What were the extenuating circumstances Simon was talking about?” Keanu asks.

He is curious about that after all. “Uh… I think you should ask your friend that.”

Keanu narrows his eyes. “Why? Does it have anything to do with him?”

I push my hair back. “You’re not going to drop it, are you?”

“No. You have to understand, Simon has a secret that he hasn’t told me yet, even though I’ve known for a long time. Do the extenuating circumstances have anything to do with that?”

“You’re fishing.”

“I bet it has to do with his secret.” He rubs his jaw, and then his eyes widen as if he realized something. “Wait. Did he finally come out? Was that why you felt the need to tell him you weren’t me?”

My jaw drops. “I can’t believe you got to that conclusion so fast.”

He shrugs. “What can I say? I’m an intuitive guy.”

“I’ll say. You never cease to surprise me, Key.”

His mouth splits into a wide grin. It’s funny how I don’t even register that it’s my face I’m staring at anymore. “I bet you were real surprised last night.”

I’m on fire. Face. Body. Everything. Why did he have to mention what happened last night?

He laughs. “God. Your face is so red. I can’t believe I can still make you blush after all we did.”

I look away. “Shut up.”

Mercifully, Simon returns with Keanu’s duffel bag in hand. I was about to erupt in flames.

Iarrive home first, and I’m on pins and needles, nervous about being alone with Keanu. A serious conversation is due, but I’m not sure what to say to him. The most important thing is to figure out if we can only return to our bodies if we’re having sex. But the second part, and the one I’m mostly obsessing about, is whether there’ll be a future for us when we fix this mess. Right now, we have no choice but to stick together.

I’m pacing in my living room when I get a text from Mia. My stomach drops through the earth. With everything that’s been going on, I completely forgot about her, her engagement, and the fact that I’m dating her brother and didn’t bother to tell her. Obviously, I couldn’t call her while in Keanu’s body, and a text felt too cold.

MIA: Hey, can we talk?

Ugh. What do I do? She knows I read her message, so I have to reply. But I can’t call her now. If I ask Keanu to call his sister and pretend he’s me, it defeats the purpose of this conversation. I want to fucking cry.

When the front door opens and Keanu walks through, my heart skips a beat. My anxiety over Mia takes a back seat. It’s crazy how fast my body forgets everything just because of his presence. But I quickly take note of his ashen face and how he’s holding his middle with his arm.

“What’s wrong?” I ask.

“I don’t know. I’m not feeling well.” He ambles toward the couch and flops onto it, covering his face with his arm.

“I need more information than that.”

“I’m in terrible pain here.” He presses his palm below his belly button.

“Shit!” I grab my phone and check the dates.

“What? Do you know what’s wrong with me?”