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Cameron
Shirlene left about an hour ago. I’ve been listening to her tossing around in the guest room bed. I try not to think about her alone in there in Aimee’s body. I was hopeful for a second chance with Aimee, but it was really Shirlene kissing me in Aimee’s body these past weeks, not Aimee at all. Did I want Aimee again, or did I sense on some level it was Shirlene? My brain is going to explode with confusion, guilt, and anger.
To distract myself, I decide to check Arlene’s temperature again. She squirms a little but doesn’t wake up. It’s back down to ninety-eight degrees. I hold her a while longer. She’s the most precious thing in the world. I try to focus on what’s right in my life, but the loss of Aimee carves a hole in my chest. I snuggle Arlene a little closer before putting her back in her crib. She sleeps on, and I decide it’s okay to go down and get some shut-eye.
I tiptoe out into the hall and take the stairs carefully. They creak in this old house. The street light slices through the living room windows, casting a glow on Shirlene’s piano. I’m first drawn to her wedding photo with Stan. Her original body is tiny but shapely. Her wavy red hair just hits the shoulders of her white gown. Stan remarked on how beautiful his wife was.
I step back to examine Shirlene’s piano. I remember how a few months ago, when I sprained my ankle on a run, I hobbled back here and found her playing for the first time in Rain’s body. The transformation was mind-blowing—the shiny blond hair, the healthy, glowing skin, the passion with which her fingers wrung every emotion from her instrument. And Arlene was sleeping in her carrier under the piano. My heart broke open, and I never again thought about Shirlene being in Rain’s body—she was completely Shirlene.
By the time I crawl into the sofa bed in the den, I’m wide awake in more than one way. “Not now,” I grumble and roll over onto my side.
If I could love Shirlene in Rain’s body, why can’t I accept her in my Aimee’s body? Shirlene made a gorgeous tall, lean blonde. Now she’s wandering around in the middle of the night, revealing luscious curves and killer green eyes.
“Damn it. This is not helping my current condition.” Time to take a cold shower.