Chapter 22

I was so eager to see Kaylee again that I couldn't hide my excitement throughout last night or all of this morning. Even Kristy asked me about it.

“Wow, you’re in a good mood today,” she noticed before Lit class.

“I dunno,” I lied. “I guess I’m really excited for the weekend.”

“Me too,” she smiled, believing I was talking about her.

Even though I don’t expect to be Daniel this weekend, I’m still expected to act as if I will be and therefore need to plan a date. I haven’t done anything yet, so that means I better get to planning something so the next Daniel can execute it.

I glanced over at Jasmine. She was wearing a cute floral dress with leggings, and was checking out her makeup in a compact mirror. Part of me was envious of how she looked. I hadn’t been a woman in a week, and I was excited that my punishment would soon be over. I could be her or Morgan, but honestly I was most looking forward to being Sydney so I could see Kaylee again.

Kristy and I chatted a little more before class started. It sounded like she was interested in something more interactive than dinner. Perhaps a hike. Perhaps an arcade. I took some notes in my Lit notebook and focused the rest of my attention on the lecture.

After my classes, when I got back to my dorm, I had an unexpected visitor. Gabriel was standing outside the entrance, waiting for me.

“Gabriel,” I said, surprised. “What are you doing here?”

“Congrats, D,” he said. “Your punishment week is over.”

“Thank God,” I sighed with relief. It was awkward with us both standing there. Daniel and Gabriel never interacted outside of Guild meetings at the library. We looked like quite the odd couple, with the tall muscular football player and the short nerdy bookworm.

He smiled back in an expression I was familiar with.

“You want my body. Or my car?” I surmised.

“Both, actually,” he replied eagerly. He then nodded in a direction away from potential passers-by. We started walking around the outside of my dorm. “Actually, I realized I haven’t been you yet. I’ve never been Daniel.”

“Oh,” I replied. “You’re J, right?”

“That’s me.”

“You haven’t been me? Really?”

“Really. Everyone else got a turn. I was planning on being you this past week. But then… you know.”

“Yeah, I know. Sure. You can be Daniel. But don’t you have a game tomorrow?”

“I do. But I’ve been doing some self-reflection, and I kinda want to use the downtime to think. Football lends zero time to really think.”

“OK, but I don’t know about me being Gabriel. I haven’t practiced for the game tomorrow.” Besides, being Gabriel would allow me no time to hang out with Kaylee. Although, I’d love to see her face if I showed up as a football player.

“Well, you don’t have to stay as Gabriel,” he replied. “You can swap with someone else in an hour. Someone with a better handle on the playbook.”

“I suppose so.” My first thought of course was Sydney. I wonder if R is up for being Gabriel.

“What do you have going on this weekend?” he asked.

“Well, I have nothing concrete planned yet, but I think Kristy wants to hang out.”

“That’s awesome,” he said. “I like Kristy. Do you have any ideas?”

“Nope,” I replied. “I was going to plan something when I got home. She wants to do something more interactive than just dinner.”

“No problem. Leave it to J! I’ll woo her off her feet!”

I chuckled, “Great, thanks J.”

He dug into his cargo pants pocket and pulled out the stone.

I grabbed his hand, and five seconds later I was towering over my former body.

Daniel slapped my shoulder. He winced, with a pained look on his face as if he had slapped a brick building. “Good luck, bro.” He left the stone in my hand. “I imagine you’re going to want to hold onto that. Hey - don’t forget you have practice this evening.”

“Thanks,” I replied as I watched Daniel walk back towards his dorm’s entrance, shaking his throbbing hand.

I walked towards my own dorm so I can figure out where I need to be, or at least find someone to swap with.

* * *

“I don’t really feel like playing football this weekend,” was Sydney’s text response.

I was devastated. I wanted to swap with Sydney and hang out with Kaylee. I didn’t want to be stuck as Gabriel this weekend.

“Find someone else to swap with me, then we’ll talk,” she directed. So hope wasn’t lost.

I asked Antonio and Morgan as well, with similar results. The problem with being Gabriel was that it was a huge commitment, and nobody felt prepared for it. Maybe I should’ve said ‘no’ too.

Jasmine was my last attempt. I assumed Jasmine was still G, so I’d be asking her to swap back into her original body. I texted her, “Hey Jasmine, it’s D, I was wondering if you wanted to be Gabriel for this weekend.”

It took a while, but she responded. “I kinda don’t want to, but I can swap if no one else is willing.” She must’ve read my mind.

“I already asked everyone else,” I responded.

“OK,” was her response. “Come on over with the stone.”

* * *

I walked to Jasmine and Morgan’s apartment where Jasmine let me in.

“How long?” she asked, skipping over normal greetings.

“At least through Saturday night,” I replied.

She sighed. “The game. Of course. OK, time to be Gabriel again.”

“Sucker!” Morgan laughed from her bedroom.

We both glanced down the hall.

“I asked her first.” I explained.

“I know,” Jasmine chuckled. “OK, let's get this over with.”

I found it odd that G was treating going back to Gabriel like I treated going back to Daniel. I held out the stone, she held my hand and we swapped five seconds later.

I took a welcome breath. Odd. Being Jasmine felt more like a homecoming than being Daniel.

“OK, since you’re Jasmine now,” Gabriel announced, “you have a date tonight with Lauren.”

“What?” I asked. Shit. It never occurred to me to ask what I’d be doing if I swapped with her.

“Yeah, she’s coming over. I got James to cater.”

“I got James to cater,” Morgan’s voice echoed from her bedroom.

“That’s cool,” I replied. Part of me was excited about eating a James meal. The other part was disappointed that while I dodged one date with Kristy, I got myself into another one with Lauren. “Is this like a… date, date?”

“I’m treating it as such,” he replied. “We’ve been seeing a lot of each other lately. I really want to take things to the next level if she’s willing.”

I nodded.

“So why did you want to swap?”

“J just swapped with me, and I don’t know the playbook,” I responded. That much was true.

He laughed. “D. I don’t know the playbook either.”

“But… you’re G, right?”

“Aside from resets, I haven’t been in my original body all semester.”

I cocked my head. This confirmed my suspicions about swapping back into your original body. Apparently nobody wanted to. No matter how attractive or popular they were. Or maybe the grass was always greener in someone else’s life? “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t worry about it,” he replied. “Odds are many of the plays are reused from last year. I’ll get a quick refresher before practice.”

“OK,” I replied.

He looked at his phone. “Practice in an hour?”

“Yeah,” I replied.

“Then I should get going. Have fun tonight, Jaz.”

“Bye, Gabe. Good luck tomorrow.”

I plopped myself onto the couch, and then Morgan came out of her bedroom.

“So what is so important that you text everyone in the Guild to swap?” she asked.

“I just wasn’t ready for tomorrow’s game.”

That answer seemed good enough for her, so she returned to her room.

I considered asking Sydney to swap now that I was Jasmine, but I didn't feel a pressing need. Kaylee knows I swap bodies, so showing up as someone besides Sydney or Daniel should be fine. I could be Jasmine for another few hours, and maybe swap into Sydney later before my date with Lauren. I wonder if Kaylee has a preference. She obviously likes Sydney, and we hit it off again when I was Kaylee and she was Sydney. I’ll have to ask.

I got Kaylee’s number from Sydney and texted her. “Hey, this is D. Did you want to hang out this afternoon?”

“I’d love to,” she responded. “Want to meet at the bookstore? At two?”

I grinned with anticipation. I wonder what Kaylee will think of me as Jasmine. It was almost time to go. Now I just needed to grab my…

Oh, no. I don’t have a car.

I hung my head in defeat. Why does this have to be so difficult? Now I know why Daniel was recruited into the Guild.

I could swap with Sydney or back to Daniel again. But I don't have that kind of time anymore. Plus, I don’t want to be Daniel again so soon. 

As I was sitting there pouting I realized something. Kaylee has a car.

“Could you pick me up?” I texted back. “The body I’m in today doesn’t have a car.”

“Sure! Text me the address.”

Wow, telling the truth was easy when the other person believed you. I responded with the address of my apartment, then went to the mirror to make sure I looked good. I was still wearing the floral dress and leggings I wore to class today. I tossed my hair and touched up my lip gloss. Say what you want, but G keeps Jasmine very well put together. I grabbed my coat and purse and stood outside of the apartment waiting for my ride.

* * *

I hadn’t seen Kaylee’s car, so I wasn’t sure what to keep a lookout for.

After about ten minutes of waiting, a red sedan pulled up beside me. Kaylee rolled down the window and gave me a curious, embarrassed look. “Umm… D?”

“That’s me!” I replied. 

“Good,” she said with a sigh of relief. “I don’t usually drive around parking lots looking to pick up strangers.”

She unlocked the doors and I walked around to the passenger side and got into the car.

Her eyes slowly checked me out from head to toe and I noticed a slight smile creep onto her face. “So, um, who are you today?”

“I’m Jasmine,” I replied.

“It’s nice to meet you, Jasmine.” She pulled out of my apartment’s parking lot and started to drive.

“So tell me about yourself, Jasmine,” Kaylee asked.

“Well, I’m a bioengineering major,” I replied.

“Really? Wow, what does that do?”

“Well, the original Jasmine was interested in working on MRI machines.”

“I wouldn’t have expected that.”

“It’s got very hard courses. I barely understand it.”

She nodded and gave me a sideways glance before focusing back on the road again. “You’re so pretty. You look like a popular cheerleader I remember from high school.”

“Is that a good thing or a bad thing?”

“Neither, I suppose. But she was attractive and got all of the guys.”

“Well, Jasmine was homeschooled and was sheltered by a smothering mother. I’ll bet she would’ve loved to have that experience.”

“That sucks. I can relate to being smothered though.”

I nodded. Whenever we brought up her family, Kaylee seemed to go back into her shell. We rode in silence for a minute. “So, what’s at the bookstore today?”

“Coffee,” she replied. “And I thought maybe we could find another book.”

“Another body-swap fantasy?”

“Maybe,” she said nervously. I noticed she was holding something back. But then she timidly suggested, “Or perhaps a lesbian romance?”

“That could be fun,” I smirked. I grabbed and squeezed her free hand.

Her gaze didn’t turn away from the road, but I saw her smile.

She parked and we walked into the bookstore holding hands.

“People are looking at us,” Kaylee nervously observed. 

“They see two cute girls holding hands,” I replied. “They’re just jealous.” I flipped my long black hair around to show off.

We got into the coffee line. Kaylee ordered a matcha latte and I ordered a caffè americano.

“No matcha for you?” Kaylee asked with a raised eyebrow.

“No, actually,” I responded. “That’s a Sydney favorite. Apparently when body-swapping, we don’t bring our taste buds with us.”

“Oh, how interesting,” she replied. “What’s Jasmine's favorite, then?”

“I really don't know,” I replied. “Jasmine isn’t much of a coffee drinker.” 

We got our drinks and walked towards the books.

I took a sip and shuddered. It was much bolder than I remembered. “Maybe I should’ve gotten a medium roast.”

“Do you think she’s a tea drinker?”

I cleared my throat from the coffee. “Actually, now that I think about it, she might abstain from all caffeinated drinks.”

“Sounds like Jasmine might like a… jasmine milk tea,” Kaylee giggled. “Maybe you should try one next time.”

"Ha. Ha" I smiled. Pun aside, I was wondering if she’s hinting that she’d prefer to see Jasmine again or Sydney.

We made casual conversation as we strolled through the bookstore. We didn’t really talk about what book we were looking for. I think we just enjoyed each other’s company.

Eventually, we found ourselves in the far corner of the bookstore, away from most of the patrons.

“This is crazy,” she said.

“What is?”

“Us. I mean, I’ve never dated a girl. And you’re not the same girl I saw last week. Or the guy I kissed yesterday. I’m not sure how to process this.”

“Well, I’m the same person inside if that makes you feel any better.”

“It does, actually,” Kaylee nodded. “Hey, turn the corner,” she directed suddenly.

As I turned the corner, she grabbed my hand, and slammed me against one of the stacks of books. Her mouth attacked my own with such ferocity that I was instantly out of breath. 

I wrapped my arms around her waist and let her kiss me. I was turned on, and wanted her to take me right here in the bookstore. Of course, then I remembered where we were.

My eyes nervously shifted around to make sure no one was watching.

She pulled back from her kiss and grinned, her face flushed. 

“What happened to being nervous and unsure?” I said, out of breath.

“You reminded me you’re the same person, and… I've wanted to do that since last night.”

“Me too.” 

She stood up straight and recomposed herself. “Sorry. I got carried away. It’s not every day you can live out the fantasies you read about.”

“It's OK,” I said, giggling. “It was welcome.” I stood there gushing. The concern I had last night about her avoiding my kiss disappeared. R must’ve been right. K just didn’t want to kiss herself.

“I can’t believe I just made out with a girl I picked up on the side of the road,” she said, giggling.

I giggled with her.

“Oh - I forgot to ask. Sorry,” Kaylee apologized, turning red. “Are you - is Jasmine - single?”

“Yeah - I’m single,” I replied, nervously playing with the hem of my dress.

“It’s a shame I have to work tonight.” She bit her lips. She left the words unspoken. I understood. 

I wanted to spend more time with her, too. That also meant that there was no rush to switch out of Jasmine tonight, but also that I was on the hook for that date with Lauren. “Maybe it's for the best,” I replied. “Jasmine’s single at the moment, but has a complicated relationship with her best friend. I’m meeting her tonight.”

“Wow, way to make me jealous,” Kaylee replied.

“I’m sorry. I know this whole situation is complicated.”

“No,” Kaylee said, putting her finger on my lips. “Don't apologize. This is the most excitement I’ve experienced in a long time.” 

I nodded. I was worried initially. At least verbally she appeared to be OK with it. I do think at some point, however, I should stop swapping and provide some stability for our relationship to grow. “Hey, Kaylee?”

“Hey, Jasmine.”

“I was wondering. Knowing it’s me inside, do you prefer Jasmine or Sydney?”

She looked at me with a concerned grin. “I like you. I like D.”

“I’m serious. If I can control who I show up as.”

“Weren’t you the one telling me yesterday not to change who I was?”

“Yeah- and I meant it. It’s just that I’m not sure how the Guild is going to react to me telling them I’m dating someone. If I use precedent as a guide, they’ll say you’re dating a body, not a soul. And if that happens, I want to be that body.”

“I get it. I guess I kinda have more of a crush on Sydney.” She held up her hands defensively. “Don't get me wrong. Jasmine is hot! But Sydney is… I dunno. She’s cute. In a ‘I just want to cuddle with you’ kinda way. Someone I could just be with. Besides, you said Jasmine’s relationships are complicated.”

“Then I’ll attempt to be Sydney next time we meet.”

“Tomorrow?”

“Tomorrow.”

We eventually found a steamy lesbian romance to read for Book Club. We paid, finished our drinks, and she dropped me back home with a promise to see each other again tomorrow.

* * *

The rest of the afternoon Morgan and I cleaned our apartment to get ready for Lauren. About 15 minutes before she was due to arrive, James came over, carrying bags of freshly-prepared food.

“Sorry I’m late,” James apologized, starting to set up.

“You’re still early,” I replied. “Lauren’s not due for a little bit.”

“I wanted more time to set up,” he explained.

“Thank you for doing this, James,” I said. “I want everything to go just right tonight.”

“Girl, no problem. You know I have a soft spot for making meals for friends.”

“And I called in a favor,” Morgan added. “I hope Lauren appreciates what I did for you two.”

“Pssh,” James said, dismissively. “Don’t listen to her. She’s being overly dramatic. I would’ve said yes if you asked too.”

“Anyway,” Morgan announced. “Everything is cleaned and set up. I need to bolt before Lauren sees me.”

I sighed. “I really hope one day we all can be friends.”

“Me too,” Morgan agreed. “But it won’t be anytime soon.”

I smiled forlornly.

Morgan gave me a hug. “You got this. Besides, Lauren canceled on me Monday. She said she wasn’t feeling up to it. That’s gotta mean something, right?”

“Maybe.”

Morgan left the apartment, and I assisted James in setting out the meals along the countertops.

When we were done, it was James’s turn to leave. He hugged me. “Good luck, Jaz.”

“Thanks for everything, James.”

“And if it doesn’t go well,” he smirked, giving me a wink, “you can always swap with Antonio and I’ll make it up to you.”

I giggled. “Thanks, James. I’ll keep that in mind.” I most certainly won’t be taking him up on that offer.

James left, and five minutes later Lauren was at the door.

I welcomed her into my apartment. 

Her jaw dropped at the fancy candlelight dinner we had set up. The lights were dimmed, the place settings were arranged, and the aroma of fine food filled the air.

“Wow, Jaz!” she exclaimed as she took everything in. “When you said come over for dinner ,I had expected you were ordering pizza.”

“You’re my best friend,” I said. “And I wanted to make sure you know that - despite how busy I get and despite which other friends I hang out with. You’re my constant. My BFF.”

Lauren hugged me. “I feel the same way.” She let go of me and looked at the food. “You didn’t make all this, did you?”

“Oh, hell no,” I laughed. “I have a friend, James, a culinary major, who loves to cook for us.”

“Wow,” she exclaimed. “It looks professional.”

“Let’s dig in. James will kill me if I let everything get cold before we eat it.”

We both loaded our plates with the food at the counter, then walked to the table where I pulled out a chair for her. 

“Why, thank you, madame,” she said, giggling at the formality.

I took my own seat and we started eating. 

“So, I have some more Ella gossip,” Lauren announced between bites.

“Oh, really?” I asked. “Dish, girl.” I found it interesting that Lauren has started to willingly share details about her sorority sister with me.

“She quit the dance team.”

“Maybe she wasn’t very good.” I kinda regret not seeing A2 attempting dance routines.

“Um, she was the captain.”

“Oh, right.”

“I swear, something is up with her.”

“Well, you know her better than I do.”

“Maybe she’s on drugs.”

“Anything is possible. I wonder what her grades look like.”

Lauren thought of something and gasped. “What if she’s pregnant?”

I weighed what I knew. “Well, that’s not out of the realm of possibilities.” Aiden and Ella have been fucking like rabbits. And it's possible A2 could have forgotten to take birth control. Hell, I would’ve forgotten if it wasn’t part of every Guild girls’ rules. But it’s only been a few weeks since Halloween, and I didn’t know much about how these things work.

Lauren sighed. “I know she’s OK.”

“You care about her,” I stated.

“She’s my big sis. She brought me into the sorority. She was there for me when…” She let the silence hang in the air.

I decided to finish the sentence. “...when I was preoccupied with Morgan and my other friends.”

She nodded.

“Well, I’m here now. And hopefully whatever is going on with Ella will be resolved soon.”

I smiled. She smiled, and we continued eating.

“This is delicious,” she gushed. “Compliments to the chef.”

“I’ll let him know.”

There was more silence as we ate.

Lauren looked up at me with concern on her face. She put her fork down and wiped her face with a napkin. “I know what you’re trying to do,” Lauren finally said.

“What am I trying to do?” I asked, playing dumb.

“These last few times we’ve hung out…” she murmured, “they’ve felt like… dates.”

“Am I being too weird or awkward?” I asked.

“No,” she said timidly. “It’s just tha—”

“I can back off. I can give you space. I just want you to know how much you mean to me. And to apologize for my behavior this past year.”

“No,” she replied. “I’ve enjoyed it all. I’m just afraid of… ruining our friendship.”

I nodded. We were dancing around what we were leaving unsaid. She’s all but acknowledging I want to date her. “Me too. I certainly don’t want to push you to do anything you don’t want to do.” 

She grabbed my hand across the table. She peered into my eyes. She was shaking. “Jaz,” she said nervously.

“Lauren,” I whispered back.

“I… I do have feelings for you. But I have no idea what that means. And on top of potentially ruining our friendship, what does dating you mean for me? Am I gay?”

“Do you have to figure that out to date me?” If there was anything I learned in my time in the guild it’s that labels are just words.

She contemplated that. “I suppose not.”

I gave her a reassuring smile to let her know it was all right. “I’ve learned that labels aren't as important as we make them out to be. Do what you want. Be what you want. Don’t treat labels like a box that confines you.”  

“That’s easier said than done. There was this time in middle school. I mean - I was only like twelve. I had this crush on a classmate. I tried getting close to her. Once she figured out I liked her, she… called me names. Really nasty names.”

“Lauren,” I said. “That’s awful. But you both were twelve. Kids at that age suck.”

“I know. But it’s stuck with me since then.”

“It’s OK to be yourself. Especially with me.”

Lauren was starting to tear up. “There were times I hated myself for having crushes on girls. F-For having a crush on you.” She turned away to try to hide the tears. “I’m in love with you so much it hurts.” She got up and ran into the bathroom.

“Wait!” I gasped. In an instant it felt like everything changed. As good as it felt to hear those words, I was suddenly struck by a ton of guilt. This shouldn't be me sitting here. It should be J. I stole this moment from her because of how badly I wanted to get out of Daniel. Maybe I should try to get out of this situation. Lauren needs the real Jasmine, not me.

I sat down at the door of the bathroom. “It’s OK, Lauren, I’m not going anywhere. I promise.” I started texting Daniel to come here immediately to swap with me. “Lauren is confessing her love for me - for Jasmine. She’s crying. I think you should be here instead of me,” I texted.

“I’m afraid I’ve ruined everything,” Lauren cried from behind the door.

“You haven’t ruined anything.” I said to the door. “You know my history. You know about my mom. You know what it was like for me to be a lesbian teen in a homophobic household. I’m here for you.”

There were a few more minutes of silence before there was a light knock at the door, and I immediately stood up. “I’ll be right back.” I walked to the door and slipped outside my apartment.

I expected Daniel - who I assume to be J - to be standing there. But it was Gabriel, who I assumed to be G.

“Where’s J?” I asked.

Gabriel looked down at his feet and fidgeted. “J told me what’s up and to come over.”

“I don’t get it.” Why would G come instead of J?

“D, can you keep a secret?”

“Sure, of course.”

“J and I are going to permanently swap.”

I stood there speechless. Another couple is going to permanently swap?

“I plan on being Jasmine for the long term. So J said it should be me with Lauren.”

“I don’t know what to say.” 

“Say you won't tell A or M. R we can trust.”

“G, I promise our secret is safe with me,” I assured him.

I still had the stone in my hand and held my palm out.

Gabriel took my hand and we swapped.

When I was Gabriel again, I saw Jasmine close her eyes and exhale. Maybe I had noticed it in the past. Maybe I didn’t want to see it, but Jasmine glowed as if the world was perfect for her. She looked at me and smiled. A small tear fell from her eye.

“Thank you, D,” she said, hugging me.

“What should I do about this weekend?” I asked.

“Give me a few hours,” she said. “Then come back over and I can take Gabe back for the game.”

I nodded. “Sounds like a plan.” I smiled back at her. “You better get back in there,” I told her. “Lauren needs you.”

Jasmine gratefully stepped back into her apartment, leaving me outside, wondering what I should do for the next few hours.

* * *

It was around 11 at night when Jasmine finally came knocking on my door. Derek was asleep, so I crawled out of my bed, put on a T-shirt, fished the stone out of the cargo pants that were on the floor, and walked into the dorm hallway.

“How’d it go?” I asked groggily.

“It was touch and go for a little bit,” she said. “When she was done crying, I told her it’s going to be OK. We agreed to try it out. Dating, I mean. She’s still iffy about her sexuality, but I told her it didn’t matter to me, and I’ll be there regardless if she decided it wasn’t working.”

“That’s great,” I replied.

Jasmine grinned bashfully. “And then we made out for a few hours.”

“I was wondering what kept you,” I chuckled.

She grabbed my hands and gushed excitedly, “D, I have a girlfriend.”

“That’s awesome.  You make this sound like you have never have - which I find hard to believe.”

“Football is life,” she responded. “The quarterback gets the girls. I get the quarterback’s girlfriend's best friend for a prom date.”

“I should break the news to Morgan.” I chuckled.

“No need. She already texted me that Lauren messaged her to tell her their arrangement was off.”

“Good for you,” I said with a smile.

She smiled back and wiped a tear off her face. “I love her, D.”

“I can tell. Is she why you want to be Jasmine permanently?”

“No!” She was quick to shoot down. “She’s the cherry on top. I was going to do this even if Lauren never came around.”

“Sounds.. lonely.”

“Listen, I’m not sure if I’m transgender or not, but… I’m something. I was coasting as a guy. Doing football because I was expected to. Being good at it trapped me. I just want to be Jasmine.”

“I feel bad for swapping then.”

“Don’t be. We’re friends. Being Gabe doesn’t give me massive dysphoria. And I’m willing to help you out.”

I held out the stone, and five seconds later I was Jasmine again. I could feel the irritation around my eyes from tears I hadn’t cried. I could also feel that my lips were puffy from an intense makeout session. “I owe you.” I said.

“No - I owe you,” Gabriel chuckled. “Good night, and thank you for that. It meant the world to me.”

“Good night...” I started, looking at the football player in front of me, “Jasmine.”

His face lit up at being called his someday real name. He looked down the hallway to make sure nobody was around, then closed his door.

I’m not much of a romantic, but I do appreciate a good love story. It felt like I just participated in one.

There was also something else I was feeling.  Something in G’s story that felt familiar. Something I’ve been stuffing that back into its box every time it comes up.  Maybe it’s time to talk to someone about it.  If anything, I now know I can talk to G and J about it.