Page 70 of In His Skates
Our gazes lock, and while I’m staring into my own eyes, some crazy feeling flutters low in my belly, and my heart beats faster. I close my eyes before the weirdness of this situation does my head in. There’s a soft brush of lips against mine. Leigh is kissing me, and in an instant, I’m back in my body. She gasps, making me pull back. I snap back into her body just as fast. Fuck me.
“I can’t believe this,” she murmurs.
“It seems we’re only able to return to our bodies if we’re making out.”
“We must be missing something to make the switch stick.”
“Yes, but I can’t think of anything. Can you?”
She sighs, pushing her hair back. “Maybe we’re too close to the situation and can’t see what’s right in front of our eyes.”
“What do you suggest we do, then?”
She looks at me. “Maybe we should ask for our friends’ help.”
I grimace, really hating the idea of sharing more with them. “I don’t know…”
“We’re running out of options, Key.”
Man, she’s right. I don’t know what else to do. We can’t spend the rest of our lives in bed fucking so we can be in our bodies.
“Fine. You can tell Simon he can come over.”
She nods. “I’ll call Bobbi too.”
We’ve been sitting in Leigh’s living room for an hour with Bobbi and Simon, and so far, no one has come up with any brilliant ideas to undo this curse. I haven’t contributed much, to be honest. Being Leigh while her hormones are making me depressed as fuck isn’t helping.
Simon keeps glancing at me, and I wonder if he’s still weirded out about me being stuck in Leigh’s body. When Bobbi receives a call that he prefers to take by the pool, and Leigh heads to the bathroom, leaving me alone with Simon, the tension in the room increases.
He stands up and begins to pace in front of me. “Did Leigh tell you what prompted her to spill the beans?”
“She was vague about it. But I guessed.”
He freezes for a second, then whirls around. “You guessed?”
I nod. “Simon. You’re my best friend. I know you.”
His Adam’s apple bobs up and down, and his face turns paler than usual. “You knew I’m gay?”
“Yes.”
He runs a hand through his dark hair. “God, I had no idea I was obvious.”
“You’re not obvious, but I hang out with you all the time.”
“And you didn’t care?”
“Why would I care? It makes no difference to me.”
He sits on the couch again. “There’s still so much stigma in sports, though. How many professional hockey players do you know who are out?”
“Honestly, I don’t know. Maybe I should have said something to you, gave you hints that I knew. I’m sorry you felt like you couldn’t trust me.”
The pitiful expression on his face makes me feel even worse. “It wasn’t a matter of trust. I kept the secret for so long because of my own insecurities. I came out to my parents when I was a teen, and that was not well received.”
“Fuck, Simon. I’m so sorry.”
He laughs without humor, resting his elbows on his knees and letting his head fall between his shoulders. “My father left the room without saying a word, and my mother tried to convince me I was confused. A few days later, he told me I should keep my mouth shut about it if I had any hope of becoming a professional hockey player. My relationship with him became cold and distant. I knew then he no longer viewed me as his son. I hated him for it, but I hated myself more. He only attends my games to keep up appearances we have the perfect family.”
