Chapter 11 - Preparation

Victor

I woke up in Nicole’s room. What surprised me was that I woke up on my own. I wasn’t getting poked or prodded by Nicole. I wasn’t woken by any alarms.  It was nice.  I felt well rested.

I looked at the clock and saw that it was 7:00. I'm not entirely sure, but I think the alarm goes off at 7:30.

I decided to get up now before Nicole comes barging into the room. I made my way to the bathroom, sat down and peed, then turned the shower on. I took off the clothes I slept in and left them in a pile on the bathroom floor.

Once the water was warm enough I stepped into the shower. I remembered everything Nicole showed me yesterday about cleaning her body. I felt my legs and they felt they didn’t need a shave today. I washed my hair and body thoroughly. Since I didn’t have anyone watching me, I lathered up my chest and washed it as if it wasn’t anything special.

While I was standing here naked in the shower, I looked down at my breasts, I caressed the soapy skin with my finger. I don’t know how long we’re going to be in each other’s bodies, but I could totally get used to looking down at these puppies every morning.

I can’t believe any of this. I’m a woman. I’m going on a date with a guy today. And of course - none of this is actually my life. Maybe that’s why I’m not freaking out about this. It’s like I’m playing a video game.  I’m not really me, so there are no consequences.  Well, that’s not true.  I need to make sure I’m on my best behavior for Nicole’s sake.

My goal is to mend and repair her relationship with Tyler. Just like yesterday when I had to put on a show for Madison, I’m flying in blind. I have no idea what Nicole’s and Tyler’s relationship is based on. I have no idea how Nicole acts around him. I have no idea what to expect from him.

After I finished up the shower and dried off I returned to my room. I looked over Nicole’s closet. I’ve been wearing dresses the past 2 days. Nicole isn’t here, so I’m going to dress down.

Speaking of Nicole. I was getting a little worried. I picked up my phone - I mean Nicole’s phone - and texted her. “Are you ok?”

I put the phone down and went immediately to the underwear drawer. I’m going on a date later. Does the underwear need to match? I pulled out a pink and white bra and matching panties. Well they kinda matched. The bra was polka dots, and the panties were stripes. I found a gray school spirit T-shirt and pulled that on. On the floor were those shorts that Nicole didn’t like yesterday. Since I only wore them for a minute, they were still clean. I pulled those on too.

I looked in the mirror at my work. I looked casual. Yeah I suppose it looked like I could go to a beach. But I also looked like every other student going to class in late summer. These shorts are much shorter than the skirts and dresses I’ve been wearing. Wow, look at these legs. Stunning.

The phone buzzed. It was “Body Snatcher”. “I overslept again!” the message said.

I responded to Nicole. “It’s OK. I’m already showered, dressed, and was about to start on my makeup.”

“That’s great. I’ll come over after class to help you pick something out for your date.  If you need help, ask Lexi.”

What? She’s not coming over this morning? I looked at the makeup on the counter. “Well, screw this.” I said out loud.

I wanted to put my hair up and out of my neck.  I need a hair tie? I found a black elastic hair tie on her desk. I decided to just cut to the chase and ask for help. “Alexis, can you show me how to tie my hair back?”

Alexis poked her head out of her room and I saw her eyes go from my un made up head down to my bare feet. She laughed. “I like it Vic. Casual. I’ve always wondered why Nicole never dressed down. Come here.”

“Do I still look good?”

“Absolutely, Vic. Nicole has her own style. It’s OK to change it up while you both are on vacation from your body.” 

“You’re not upset we’re still pretending?”

“Oh I still am.  I don’t like you hiding this from Mads or Tyler, but I think stepping out of your comfort zones is actually doing you and Nicole some good.  I don’t know what you were like before Monday, but you seem very comfortable in your body this morning.”

I smiled at that. Alexis has a very comforting attitude about her. She puts me at ease, and makes it very easy to trust her. When’s the last time I really trusted someone? 

“But you will need to tell them eventually.  Hopefully sooner before things get too complicated.”  Smiled at me.   “OK.  Let me show you how to do this.” She took her own hair tie out of her hair and demonstrated by putting it back in. “Now you try.”

I did what she showed me and I turned around to face the mirror. It was crooked and to one side of my head.

“Keep practicing.” she said, returning to her morning routine.

I attempted 2 more times while looking at the mirror before I got it where I wanted it. 

I revisited the white board with our class schedule on it. Since we’re going to our own classes now except for the two we swapped, that means my first class is not for another two hours. I have time to kill.  I suppose I could relax have grab a casual breakfast.

“Alexis, wanna go to breakfast?” I asked.

“Sure, Vic” she said. “Give me two minutes.”

I put on a pair of socks and the cross-trainers I wore yesterday, and we walked out of the apartment, down the stairs and outside. When we got outside, it was a beautiful day. It felt great. It was still warm, but not as humid. I love these late summer days.

Alexis looked at me. “You have a smile on your face. You’re enjoying this.”

“I mean, it’s a nice day out.”

“No. You’re enjoying being Nicole. I can see it written all over your face.”

“Am not” I said, trying to keep a more Nicole-like composure.

She chucked. “OK, Vic. Keep telling yourself that.”

* * *

Nicole

It was Victor’s text that woke me up. When I realized I overslept again, I fell out of bed. I quickly texted Victor back. I told him I wasn’t coming. 

I quickly ran into the shower. This is the first time I’ve been in Victor’s shower. The walls were caked with soap scum. Yuck. Disgusting.

It took forever for the water to heat up. When I finally got into the shower the water pressure was not to my liking. I took inventory of Victor’s choice of shower products. 

One bottle of shampoo. That’s it? Where’s the conditioner? Where’s the body wash? Where’s the soap? Ug.

I washed my head with the shampoo and used the remaining soap on my hands around my body. Then I cleaned my dick. Not too long though, I didn’t want to wake him up. Thankfully last night’s action has calmed my libido down.

I grabbed a towel that was hanging up. It smelled like it hadn't been washed over a week. “Come on Victor!” I yelled.

I tied the towel around my chest and walked to Victor’s bedroom. I think Victor can use an upgrade on style. I browsed his closet. In the back I found a short sleeve button down shirt. In the drawers I found khaki shorts.

I got dressed and returned to the bathroom to see what this looked like. Wow. Victor cleans up pretty nicely.

I walked over to the fridge and realized it was still empty. I guess I need to forgo breakfast today. So I put on a pair of socks and the cross trainers and dashed out the door.

* * *

I started speed walking to the Fine Arts building.  On the way I ran into Madison.  Or rather she ran into me from behind by tugging at my sleeve.

“Victor!” she said.  “Good morning!”  She had a very cute top on.

“Good morning, Mads.” I replied.  “I love that top.”

“Oh.” she said, blushing.  “Thank you, Vic.  You’re looking spiffy today.  You got a date?”

“No date.  I just felt like looking nice today.”

“Yeah, of course.  I’m sorry for judging.  Can I walk with you?”

“Sure.” I said.

“How is your shadow program going?” she asked.

“Oh that.”  I said.  OK, Nicole, time to think on your feet.  I’m not good with that kinda thing.

“It’s going alright.”

“What’s the aim of it?  What are you looking to get out of it?  Why shadow Nicole?”

Oh no..  Madison’s asking the hard questions.  “Well… it’s part of a campus experience program.  I was to find a stranger who wasn’t in my same major, so see how the... campus experience... is different for other people.”

“Is Nicole’s experience much different than yours?”

“Oh, most definitely.”  I said confidently knowing that Victor and I are leading very different lives.  “Aside from the obvious difference with classes and majors, socially I am.. I guess a loner.”

“Yeah - I heard about that.”

“You did?”

“Yeah, Nicole told us about how you’ve been dicked over in the past.”

“She did?”  Does Madison know more of Victor's background than me?  Not cool.

“Yeah.” she said.  “Listen if you ever need a friend, or someone to talk to, let me know.”

“Thanks Mads.”

We continued walking to the Fine Arts building.  We parted ways when we both were heading to our respective classes.  Thankfully, I wasn’t late to my first class.  Business Statistics.  It still took me a few minutes to find it. Victor was the one who went to this class Monday morning. He had told me that this class was rather boring on Monday. Boy he wasn’t kidding. After the professor shut the door and started the lecture, I could feel all of the air just leave the classroom. I was hungry, I was tired, and this class was not stimulating.

* * *

The rest of the day flew by.  My theater class wasn’t nearly as anxiety inducing as Monday.  The professor did say he was glad to see me and that I didn’t drop the class.

During class he mentioned a midterm project where we should have to form groups and act out a scene from a play.  I internally groaned.   That sounds anxiety inducing, but getting over that fear is the reason I decided to take this class from Victor.

When I got home, I had to wait outside the door for Alexis to get back.  I really must copy and make a duplicate of the key I gave Victor.

“Hi Nic” she said upon seeing me.

“Hey Lexi.”

“How was your evening alone?”, she said, putting the key into the door and unlocking it.

“It was… good I suppose.  I got done what I needed to get done.”

“That’s great.” she said opening the door, and we both walked through.

“How is Victor as a roommate?”  I asked.

“He’s... “ she said.  “Kinda fun.”

“Fun?”

“Well, unpredictable.  He seems to be a nice guy, and is awkwardly trying to get by in your body.  It’s fun to watch him grow and learn.”

“Has he opened up to you?  About his past?”

“Yeah, Monday night.  He told us about his friends from high school, and the problems he had with people on campus freshman year.”

“He hasn’t told me all of that.  Well, some of it.  I know about his ex-girlfriend and ex-best friend, but he didn’t go into details with me.”

“Well, he was certainly drunk on wine when we pulled that information from him.”

“Well, at least he seems to be having more fun than I am.”

She came closer to me and put a hand on my shoulder.  “How are you doing with all of this Nicole?”

“It’s hard.”  I said.  “But I’m getting by.”

“Hang in there, girl.” she said.  “You’ll both figure this out.”

“Thanks for the vote of confidence, Lexi.  I really need it.”

“What’s your thoughts on tonight?  How are you feeling about Victor and Tyler’s date?”

“I’m worried he’s going to completely screw it up.”

“Victor or Tyler?” Lexi said smiling.

I chuckled. “Maybe both.”

* * *

Victor

After a grueling day of classes I finally returned home to Nicole and Alexis’s apartment. It was hard to pay attention in class today when I had only one thing on my mind. This evening’s date with Tyler.

I rehearsed in my head what I wanted to say to him. Excuses for why I was acting strange; conversation about Nicole’s summer; questioning him on facts I should already know; responses if he tried to make a move on me. 

All of that didn’t stop me from being nervous. I mean, I was nervous talking to Madison on Monday. But this is a whole ‘nother level. This is a date. And put aside the fact that I’m pretending to be someone else, I haven’t been on a date in years.

When I entered the apartment, Nicole and Alexis were already waiting for me. First thing I noticed is that Nicole was looking rather preppy in clothing that I only wore for Mother's Day or something special like that. She was wearing a button down shirt and khaki shorts. She looks like she just stepped off of a yacht.

“What are you wearing?” were the first words out of my mouth. Of course, I had no room to talk because she instantly did a double take on my attire.

“Well, I’m not the only one who decided to take fashion into our own hands.” she said. “How was the gym, Vicky?”

“How was the country club, Nicolas?” I responded back.

“Enough you two” Alexis chimed in. “Gosh, you fight like you’re dating.”

“OK, fine” Nicole said “Let’s get you dressed for tonight.”

“You know,” Alexis said. “You don’t have to do this. There is another way.”

“How so?” I asked, interested in this other way.  Of course, I had a hunch that I knew what she was going to say.

“You tell Tyler the truth.”

“Lexi.” Nicole said, sighing. “That’s not helpful. Vic, let's get you into something more date worthy.”

I looked at Alexis and gave her a sympathetic shrug, then followed Nicole to our bedroom. 

She browsed the closet and pulled out a pastel lavender dress.  “Try this on.” she said.

“Another dress?”  I pouted, but Nicole held firm.  I kicked off the shoes and pulled off my t-shirt and shorts. I took the dress from her and pulled it over my head. Nicole straightened out the dress as she looked me over. It covered my shoulders and the length came down to the middle of my thighs.

She then handed me a white belt. I took it and looked at the dress. “Where are the belt loops?”

“It’s for style, not function.” she said. “Just put it around your waist.”

I wrapped the belt around my midriff - higher than I would’ve if I was wearing the belt with a pair of slacks.

She next handed me a pair of white platform sandals, and I pulled my socks off and put the sandals on.

I turned to face the door mirror. I struck a pose. Nicole came from behind me and pulled the hair tie out of my hair. My hair fell down as Nicole shook it out and quickly styled it with her hands. “OK, I take it back.” I said. “This is cute.  I’ve never looked this good for a date before.”

“See.” she said. “I know what I’m doing.”

“But aren't I overdressed to go out with your boyfriend of… how many years?”

“Coming up on 3.” she said. “And aside from our fight Sunday night, we haven’t seen each other all summer. Speaking of which, since you got yourself into this mess, how do you expect to handle him? He thinks you’re me.”

“I’ve given that some thought,” I answered. “I’ll just have to tell him we need a little more time before any intimacy. He hurt us. That it’s been a long summer. Stuff like that”

“OK, Vic.” she said. “I trust you. OK, let’s do your makeup.”

She led me to the makeup counter.  It was weird walking in these heeled sandals.  My first step, I nearly twisted my ankle.  She didn’t notice however, which limited my embarrassment to only myself.

Nicole proceeded to put on foundation and concealer on my face while she narrated what she was doing. Maybe she’s hoping one day I’ll do this on my own. Next came eyeshadow and mascara. This time I actually watched intently. I noticed how she was blending the different colors. This really was no different than my paintings. I suddenly got a new appreciation for what she was doing. Nicole claimed she wasn’t an artist, but this was art for her. Suddenly I found myself brainstorming what I would do with this makeup if I had to do this myself. I saw various shades that I think would look really good. My train of thought was broken as she put lip gloss on my lips. 

I stood there at the mirror, mesmerized by the beauty I saw in my reflection. Nicole handed me a clutch.

“I put your ID and cell phone in there.” she said. “I mean... My ID and cellphone.”

I was so nervous. My heart was racing. I hoped I wasn’t sweating. Does sweat make makeup run? I gingerly walked to the kitchen with Nicole and Alexis was there. She smiled.

“I’m so nervous.” I said to Nicole and Alexis. “Why did I agree to this? I’m not in over my head am I?” I asked.

“Yes you are. But you’re doing great” Alexis said. “You’re going to knock him dead… maybe literally if he tries anything”

“Well, I don’t want him dead.” Nicole laughed.  “Make sure you don’t rough him up too much.”

“What are you going to do this evening?” I asked Nicole.

“I’m going to stay right here. Right by the phone. In case you need me.”

“Good luck.” Alexis said.

“Thanks” I responded. I started to walk to the door and suddenly lost my balance and braced myself by grabbing onto the counter.  I looked behind me to see Alexis and Nicole watching me, trying to hold back laughing.  I smiled and let out an embarrassed chuckle.  

“Don’t worry about it.” Nicole said.  “You’re doing great, girl.”

I walked to the door and stopped. I turned around. “Um… where am I going? Where does Tyler live?”

Nicole and Alexis,’s restrained laughter broke free.  I laughed with them this time.  

“Of course”  Nicole said, then gave me directions to Tyler's dorm room.

I walked out the apartment and headed to my first date with Tyler.  I was a nervous wreck.