Page 24 of Exchange of Heart

‘Let’s go downstairs to look before the sun sets.’ Nora walked to the door.

I wouldn’t say no to another look down there, so I followed her out the door as she bounced down the steps while Lucky cleaned the tomato sauce with his tongue.

Nora was thorough, I’ll give her that. While I’d glanced in the exact spot of our argument, she committed every corner, groove, wall, and drain to memory.

‘It could be anywhere,’ she cried.

‘Maybe someone donated it,’ I suggested.

‘That hideous thing? I doubt it. We should check the bins.’

‘They wouldn’t have thrown it out.’

‘I would have,’ she muttered.

‘It wasn’t hideous.’ My eyes narrowed. Little did she know she was insulting my childhood.

‘I’m really sorry that you have such bad taste, but now’s not the time to reflect on that. We need to find it.’

As the pink sky darkened, I groaned at the thought of spending another day in this body. ‘It’ll be night soon; we’ll have to look for it tomorrow.’

‘We can’t, I need to go to work tomorrow. I’ve got to repair any damage you’ve caused.’ Nora darted around corners like a frantic magpie desperately searching for something shiny.

‘I don’t know how to break this to you, but tomorrow we’re taking a sick day to sort this out once and for all.’ I wiggled my finger back and forth between us.

Nora folded her arms neatly across her chest, a bouncer ready to deny my request.

‘Trust me, Nora. One day off won’t hurt.’

‘This sucks,’ she hissed.

‘Well aware,’ I hissed back as though we were a pair of snakes having a hiss-off.

At least I could slither away to my apartment for the night and avoid mirrors to pretend I wasn’t experiencing a mental breakdown.

CHAPTER EIGHT

Nora

Stepping into fresh air and sunshine at nine in the morning should be a crime, but I meandered down the path like a felon anyway. My first day off in five years caused my nerves to treat my stomach as a stress ball, and the fact that I wasn’t even really sick made me actually feel sick.

‘Let’s do this.’ Corey danced by his car, his tightened belt causing the waist of his jeans to ruffle.

‘You look like a child playing dress-up.’ I adjusted the neck of his baggy white shirt, trying not to gawk at his lack of bra.

‘I forgot to take clothes when I left your place yesterday, and you’re so little that I didn’t have anything to fit this tiny body.’

He stopped dancing when he finally looked at me. His gaze slid from my head to my toes in one swift movement, and his lips rolled into his mouth to stifle a laugh. I tugged at the biggest black shirt I’d found, trying to unsuccessfully cover my midriff. I might as well slap a sticker labelled hypocrite on my forehead considering my own ridiculous outfit.

‘I look good in that.’ He released the laugh he’d been holding.

The stretchiest pants I had to fit his waist were leggings, and the bulge at my groin looked like I’d shoved socks down my pants.

‘Should we go inside and switch clothes?’ I asked.

‘Are you kidding, you’re like a walking advertisement for me, right now.’ Corey nodded in approval.

His smile dropped when I leaned over him and insisted we change. He raised his hands in surrender before I resorted to stripping him bare in the street and sensibly followed me up the stairs to my apartment.