by Arizona Tape
“You’re being ridiculous.”
He shook his head stubbornly. “No, I’m not. I want to marry you. I always have. Let’s get married. Yes, let’s do it. We can do it tomorrow. Or right now? Why not right now? Huh, huh? Why, why should we wait?” he stuttered, falling over his own words.
I chuckled. “Who are you trying to convince? You or me?”
“What? I’m not trying to convince anyone,” he denied, running his hands through his hair, but I could tell. I knew him.
I placed a hand on his cheek, hoping it would bring him down to earth. “For once, can you just listen to me?”
“Sorry,” he muttered.
“Let’s sit.”
“Yes, sit. We should sit. Sit, sit, sit.”
“Devon?”
“Yes?”
“I say this with love. Shut up.”
He chuckled and softly pressed his forehead against mine. “Sorry.”
“Okay, I should’ve led with this at the beginning of our conversation... But you and I are not right for each other.”
“But—
“Devon,” I scolded him, surprised as he actually stopped talking. That was new. I wondered where I got the confidence.
“I love you, I do. But I’m not in love with you.”
He tilted his head curiously. I could see confusing on his face, but surprisingly enough, no hurt. Huh. He must’ve know this already.
“And I don’t think you’re in love with me.
“But I do love you.”
“I know you do. And I do love you as well, but it’s not enough. Not for a marriage.”
“I can make it enough,” he muttered, stubbornly wiping a lock of hair from his face.
“Devon, that’s not how it works.”
He opened his mouth to protest but I held up my hand.
“Don’t. It’s okay. We’re just not right. Almost. But not quite. And it makes no sense for us to continue. Not anymore. I don’t think we should...” I spoke, testing the words falling of my tongue. “No, I don’t think we should,” I repeated, much more certain of myself than I’d been in a long time.
Devon sighed as he shook his head slightly. “How long have you been feeling like this?”
I bit my lip, not sure whether I should tell him the truth. “I think for a while now, but I only realised a couple of weeks ago what was missing. What was really missing?”
“The spark?” Devon muttered, looking guilty for admitting it out loud.
“Yes..
Devon gently touched my face and something that resembled regret, flashed through his eyes. “I know, but...”
I placed my fingers against his lips.”No buts. You’re already falling for Ayra, hard. I know you, Devon... I can tell. And I am—“
“Sian, right?”
I nodded, trying to skip over how strange it was to hear Devon talk about my blonde.
“What’s she like?”
“She’s...” I took a moment to gather my thoughts. “Gentle and calm. Like a summer breeze through a field of tulips. But she’s strong. Very strong. Actually, I think you two would get along well.”
He raised an eyebrow. “We would?”
“Yes, she’s a teacher and she likes to boss me around. But just a little,” I carefully added, unsure how much I could tell him. I never imagined I’d be discussing my love life with Devon because, well, he was my love life. I glanced at him and relief flooded over me. He didn’t look upset or hurt. No, he was chuckling. He was genuinely okay with that. Wow, that was a turn about. From insisting we should get married right now to asking about the new person in my life.
“What else?”
“Her favourite colour is blue, which is why she has a massive blue couch in her living room. She likes popcorn, just like me. And she can eat it faster than I can as well. Oh, and of course, she’s a vampire, just like Ayra.”
His eyes lit up as I mentioned Ayra and I repressed a chuckle. Wow, he looked like a puppy in love. He really had it bad. How had I not realised that? Hmmm... Maybe cause I was always thinking about Sian?
Devon smiled. “You look happy.”
“I am. I think?”
“I’m pleased for you. She sounds lovely.”
“She is,” I nodded, thoughts of my Blondie warming me up. “And from what I’ve heard, Ayra is amazing as well. Exactly your type.”
He ran his hand through his hair and I could tell, he was trying not to agree. But everything about him agreed. “I did wonder what’d gotten into you.”
“Because I was so perfect all of a sudden?”
“Well... I don’t want to offend you by saying yes... But yes?”
With a grin, I pushed against his shoulder. “Jerk.”
“Whatever.”
For a moment, we chuckled. And then we fell back in a silence. He twiddled his thumbs and I studied the corners of our bedroom. Of his bedroom. My bedroom? I wasn’t too sure, but it didn’t really matter.
“This is it for us, right?” he asked, but it wasn’t really a question. I slipped the ring I’d been wearing for a couple of months from my finger and placed it on his palm.
“Yes, this is it.”
He held up the silver band with the sapphire stone and briefly smiled. “I was right though. The colour of the gem matches your scales perfectly,” he muttered, almost sad. “I wish you could’ve seen yourself, Tate. Your dragon is beautiful.”
“You mean Ayra’s dragon,” I replied, a twang of regret shooting through me. I wasn’t meant to be a dragon after all, then. But at least, Ayra wouldn’t be an outcast. And with her being able to shift, Devon would no longer be considered one either.
“I’m sorry things didn’t work out,” he mumbled softly, his eyes finding mine. An unexpected tenderness ran through them and something inside of me stirred. But it wasn’t me. It was residue left from Ayra. It was her reacting to him. And it was so beautiful, so perfect, it almost made me ache.
I pushed up his chin and pressed my lips gently on his. One last kiss. Our goodbye kiss. “Didn’t they, though?”
“I suppose in a way, they did?”
“They did. It’s going to be alright.”
“I hope so.”
I rolled my eyes affectionately. “They will be. Now put that ring away, you dragon. And don’t you dare re-use it. Ayra wouldn’t like that very much.” I glanced at my wrist and was glad I actually found I was wearing a watch. “Don’t you have to be at work?”
Devon checked his own wrist and veered up from the bed. “I do. Damn it, I’m late.”
“Well, hurry!” I shooed him up from the bed and chased him towards our walk-in closet. “Get dressed!”
“Yes, yes, I am doing!” he called, disappearing between all his white shirts. That man really had too many white shirts. Decided to leave him to it, I moved to the living room. I wasn’t really sure what to do. Not that much time had passed and hmmm, I was still tired. Maybe I should take another nap?
“See you later!” Devon shouted, as he hopped on one foot from the bedroom to the front door. Why he didn’t just take one moment to put on his sock, I’d never understand.
“Yes, or you might see Ayra.”
His eyes lit up and I knew with every fibre of my being that we made the right decision. He wanted Ayra. And I, I wanted Sian.
“Bye, Tate!”
“Bye, Devon,” I waved, surprised at how natural it felt not to be together. The door fell in its lock and I turned my computer on. I removed the extra user I made for Ayra and just wrote a note for her. Now that Devon knew, that was a whole lot simpler.
Devon is at work, back at six.
There. If I swapped back with her, at least she knew not to worry. That would do. Now all I needed to do was wait. Wait until the universe decided I could see my one again. So I gamed my time away. I killed orcs, chatted with Lola, and I played until my eyes grew heavy and a familiar pain stabbed through my head.
But this time, I wanted it. I welcomed it.
&nb
sp; Sian... I’m on my way.
Chapter 18
My eyes fluttered open and for once, I was surprised at how smooth our exchange went. That definitely didn’t hurt as much as the last time. Nice.
Right, where did Ayra leave her body? If she left me in the middle of a park again, I’d need to have serious words with her.
Except I wouldn’t be able to talk to her.
I’d have to have serious notes with her.
And I’d needed to unlock my phone. That was definitely the first thing I’d have to do when I swapped back to my body. If I swapped back.
It was probably not likely that I’d be staying forever in my vampire skin, but hey, a girl could dream.
So, where was I?
Oh, massive blue couch. Sian’s house, it was. But hmmm... no Blondie? She must’ve been at work, teaching all her... Huh. No idea what she taught. I should ask her that later.
But damn, something smelled nice in here. I followed the scent and wound up in the small kitchen. Oooh, someone had been making chocolate chip cookies! Yum!
Enthusiastically, I grabbed one from the cooling rack. And they were still hot? Well, hello! I wouldn’t say no to that.
I took a big bite and almost immediately spat it back out. Raisins. Who the hell put raisins in a cookie? How evil! I could just cry.
“Curse you, Ayra,” I muttered, assuming she was the culprit. Although she was probably trying to be nice. But man, I did not like raisins. Maybe I should make her a list of things I did like. Like popcorn. And blood.
I rummaged through their kitchen, looking for a note and a pen. I’d make Ayra a nice list of things I liked. Oh, and maybe a list of all the things Devon enjoyed. That couldn’t hurt, right?
I turned and my eyes fell on a small envelope with my name on. Curiously, I snatched it from the counter and turned it around. Nothing else. Just my name. So it was definitely for me. Which meant I could open it, right?
The paper tore easily and I pulled a neatly folded letter from the seams.
Tate,
I realise writing a letter to you is a little strange, but I felt a proper note was in order. If you hadn’t guessed, I’m Ayra. The woman you’ve been swapping body and lives with. I hope you are well and in good health. Which, as I write it, realise makes no sense. After all, you’re in my body.
Anyway, I understand we’re in a rather unusual situation, but apparently, these are the cards we’re dealt. From what I’ve heard, you seem to be hitting it off with Sian and I hope you won’t find me presumptuous, but I assume you and Devon are over as well? I can’t imagine you having any qualms with me pursuing my own relationship with him, as I don’t object to you and Sian starting your very own adventure.
In fact, I’m rooting for you two. I believe you could make Sian very happy and I wish you all the best. Without wanting to intrude on your budding romance with her, I’d love to give you some pointers and tips that I’ve learned about her in the past years we’ve been involved.
Sian absolutely loves—
Before I could read more, I heard a key rattle in the front door. Hastily, I folded the letter back into the envelope and pushed it down in my pocket. Oh great, Ayra was actually wearing pants for once. And not jeans with faux pockets. There were actual real pockets in this pair. Nice. That was rather considerate of her.
“I’m home,” Sian called and my heart leapt up. I forced myself not to run towards the door like a little doggy, but decided to stay firmly put.
“Hello?”
“In here,” I called, my voice quivering with excitement. Any moment now, Blondie would walk into the kitchen and I’d be able to greet her. Properly greet her.
“Hi,” she smiled, dropping her purse on the counter.
“Hey,” I grinned, slipping off my chair and skipping over to her.
“Tate?”
I bit my lip and instead of replying, I snaked my arms around her waist so I could kiss her. Sian sighed and, almost instinctively, her hands curled around my back.
“Definitely Tate,” she muttered, firmly kissing me back.
“Hey, Blondie.”
“Again with the nickname, huh?” she chuckled as she twirled a strand of hair around her finger.
“That’s what I call you in my head,” I admitted, not believing how happy it made me to see her. Was that normal? Was it even possible that one single person could make you so bubbly and excited?
“Really?” Sian chuckled, the smile never leaving her lips. Her dark eyes twinkled deep blue and I just knew I’d be able to get lost in there.
“Really,” I confirmed, pressing myself up on my tippy toes so I could kiss her again.
She softly moaned into my kiss and tangled her hands in my hair. With a passion I hadn’t expected, she answered my kiss. And for a moment, for a brief moment, everything was Sian. I could smell her, I could feel her, I could breathe her, I could get lost in her. Yes, she was definitely it. The one. Any doubts I ever had about soulmates, she erased with a simple kiss. It was perfect. She was perfect.
“I’m guessing your talk with Devon went okay then,” she snickered, her eyes sparkling with an emotion that I hadn’t seen before. Something I didn’t know yet, but recognised as something I felt deep inside of me.
“Yes. We broke up.”
“You okay?”
I whimpered as she gently touched my face. “More than okay.”
“Good, I’m glad to hear.”
“You and Ayra?”
Sian kissed the tip of my nose. “All good as well. In fact, I think she’s rather excited for us.”
I pulled the letter out of my pocket and waved it in front of her face. “She is. She wrote me a letter.”
My blondie snickered, shaking her head as she rolled her eyes. “So typical. Of course, she did. Anything interesting?”
“I just read the beginning and then you came in. But she was about to expose all of your secrets,” I teased, folding the letter back open. “All of your darkest and deepest secrets.”
“What? No way! Give it,” Sian gasped, trying to snatch the letter out of my hands. As quickly as I could, I danced out of her embrace and fled toward the living room. For only having been her a couple of times, I felt oddly at home already. Yes, the blue couch was definitely growing on me.
“Tate, give it to me! Don’t you dare!”
“Tate, I realise writing a letter to you is a little strange,” I sang, reading the beginning of Ayra’s note out loud. I had no clue what was actually in the body of her letter, but I didn’t really care. Teasing Sian and seeing her laugh out loud was all I really wanted.
With a giggle, she tackled me down onto the couch and tried to press her hand over my mouth. “Be quiet, you meanie!”
I licked the palm of her hand and she quickly pulled it back. “Eww, Tate!”
Cockily, I waggled my eyebrows. “What? You don’t like my tongue?”
Sian growled softly as she crashed her lips on mine. Almost desperately, she swept her tongue over my bottom lip and happily, I granted her access. The sweet taste of honey exploded on my tongue as she claimed me and everything I had. Now that was a proper kiss.
“You’ll find that I do like your tongue,” she grinned, kissing the tip of my nose.
“You’re cute,” I admitted, admiring her features. Her dark eyes sparkled like stars in her porcelain face and I couldn’t help but wonder how one person could be so beautiful.
“You’re cute too, Tate.”
“Yes?”
She pressed her lips on mine again. “Very.”
“Not too confusing that I look like Ayra?”
“Surprisingly, no. You two are so different, even though it’s the same body, you two have a very distinct and different look.”
“We do?”
“Yes, it’s a bit like... Twins? Looks the same, but you’re not the same?”
I cringed my nose. “That’s... A good way of looking at it. What’s Ayra like?”
Sian blew out a
long breath. “Now you’re asking a good question. Uummm... She’s rather brash and impulsive, but also very warm and excitable? She loves to cook and bake, like you might’ve have noticed.”
I recalled the bizarre raisin cookies and nodded. Yes, she must like baking. What a shame she didn’t like making chocolate chip cookies, though.
“What else?”
“She’s an architect, which I assume you’re not? So if you’re caught at her work, you should probably try not to build any wonky buildings.”
“Oi! I could be an architect!”
“Are you?” she raised an eyebrow as she threw me an inquisitive look.
“No, but whatever.”
“What do you do?”
I grimaced. “I write code. I know, boring, boring.”
“No, it sounds...” Sian paused as she racked her brain for a positive adjective, but I could tell she found none.
“You can say it.”
“Okay, fine, it sounds boring.”
“It is. But I can do it from home, so that was a perk.”
“Was?”
“I haven’t had any projects in a little while.”
“Oh... Hmmm.... Is there something else you’d like to do?”
My cheeks flushed. “Yes, but it’s silly.”
“Tell me, anyway?”
“I always wanted to be a painter,” I admitted, blushing red.
“That sounds like fun!”
“Hmmmm, maybe someday. What about you, what do you teach?”
“I teach history.”
I snorted. “Is that easy for you, cause you just have to recall it?”
Sian lightly hit my arm. “Oi! How old do you think I am?”
I shrugged, looking for a little pillow I could hit her with. “I don’t know. A thousand years, or something?”
Blondie gasped and dug her fingers in my ribs. “Not at all, I’m barely over a century.”
“Hmmm.... Still, that’s a bit older than me.”
“Yes? When’s your birthday?”
“Actually, it’s in a couple of weeks. The seventh of the seventh.”
