As you press him, Paul hesitates and stumbles to find the proper words.
"I… I don’t know how to call it. You don’t realize it?"
He makes huge gestures of his hands, as if he wanted to show you his whole person. You squint a little. "Did you switch bodies with someone? I would known. I mean, I remember you being your former self."
"No! No, it’s not that, it’s more like some kind of overall appearance or sense of trendiness, or I don’t know how to put it. It’s like I’ve been enlightened or something."
And so are you. What he says makes complete sense. As he says it, you realize that he hasn’t changed physically, but his stubble is trimmed, his hair is styled and his clothes somehow seem more recent and chosen with more attention. That’s probably what gave you the impression Paul looked radiant this morning, especially if you compare to your own drowsiness.
"I see! Although it does look real good on you, that’s a weird thing to wish to trade, isn’t it? Have you noticed what’s the extra change yet?"
Paul gives you the stink eye for a moment before he brings back you plate, filled with pancaked. When he comes back with his, he sits and clears his throat before answering you.
"Well, actually, that’s the extra stuff."
You reply, impressed :
"Seems like a win-win situation for you, then but…"
"Yeah, well. You remember that Travis guy?"
At first you don’t, then Paul insists and you finally remember that guy that hit on you on your first actual date with Paul, a month ago. For some reason, it seemed like you had kept in touch, even though you still barely consider him an acquaintance.
"Isn’t he going out with that friend of yours, now?"
"Mariann, yeah… But he stood her up for tonight."
Paul shows you his phone, which he probably muted, as you see messages appearing without any alert.
"Ok, but how is it even related", you ask, "we barely know them. It’s his problem if he couldn’t tell her he wasn’t interested in women when she asked him out."
"Because I did this. I swapped Travis’ partner with mine", Paul layed out, very plainly. He looked like he was gonna melt on his chair, like overheated red wax. Despite you had to admit that he looked kind of cute, when he was embarassed like this, you also felt hurt, and you interrogated him with cold anger in your voice.
"You mean that yesterday, we were only friends? And I had another boyfriend."
"Yes, but I wasn’t gay, also. But the cop…"
It was like tiny windows were opening in your mind, enabling you to see furtive elements of your past superimposed with your new life. Although you remembered enjoying this new life, you could not have any way to compare how much you enjoyed your former life.
"So, instead of telling me your plan and discussing it together, you sneaked behind my back. After all these years, you couldn’t trust me enough to talk to me?"
"Well, stay calm, buddy. We did discuss about it, and you said you didn’t want to cheat on Travis. And you didn’t."
"So you had told me you would switch partners with him?" you ask doubtfully.
"No", your boyfriend admits plainly. "I got the idea as I woke up and didn’t think of it twice. I was overenthusiastic. Then I started receiving messages from Travis who told me how he felt bad but couldn’t lie to Mariann anymore, and then from Mariann crying her soul out. If I would’ve know this could also be a super-efficient way to lose you, I wouldn’t have done it, trust me."
"No one’s losing no one, yet. Except that massage I offered you. You caught me off guard is all, and I’m confused. »
After silence sat for a bit, Paul timidly took your hands in one of his. "I’m sorry, [your name], I really am", he said, as his other hand took something from the pocket of his pants and put it in front of you. He then joined both hands with yours. "I’d understand if you’d want to swap back to being with Travis. It was selfish of me, I should’ve thought of you more."
"And risk losing your funtoy for a smaller model?" you ask him with a forgiving wink. Although Paul doesn’t seem to appreciate the joke – you remember he’s always been self-conscious that other men would like him for his cock and not himself – he finally sighs. "I deserved this one, but don’t make it an habit."
"Or else?" You challenge him.
"Or else I’ll take a vow of chastity!" He menaces you, and you dramatically fall back on your chair. Your hands free, you take back the ring, put it on and then declare, while poking the table with all five of your fingers.
"Let’s say I don’t want to lose this here. I still feel a bit bad for them, you know. Maybe we could make Travis straight, or I don’t know."
"Or swap Mariann’s gender with some random dude?" Paul suggests with an expression that clearly indicates his lack of faith in the quality of this idea. Actually, he doesn’t seem to care much as to what happens to Travis and Mariann. Probably in parts because he still sees Travis like a rival and, in part, because you barely know them. If you were true to yourself, you would have to tell yourself that you don’t give a damn to what happens to them either.
"Or I could get my revenge on you!", you say playfully. Truly, you could punish him, but you could also improve him, or decide for a change on yourself.