Chapter 4 – Talk To You Later

Jennie is such a sweet little girl! She even fell asleep right away with her milk bottle cuddled in her arms. When I went back to the room, I found it empty—Lucas wasn't there.

I plopped down in the chair, right next to his open notebook. The drawing he created earlier surprised me; I didn’t expect him to be so talented! Or maybe it’s just that I’m discovering good drawing skills thanks to being in my body?

Suddenly, my phone buzzed with a new message. Wait, it was Lucas' phone, and it was from Minji!

Are they still keeping in touch? They always seem to have such a good vibe together. I can't help but wonder if Lucas still has feelings for her, which might explain why he turned me down.

The text read, "Are you okay? Jake mentioned something unusual happened to you at the rink." Well, it wasn't that strange, but it certainly wasn't Lucas who was in this body.

Just as I was about to reply, a phone call popped up on the screen—it was her! Wow, she’s really curious!

"Hello?" I answered.

“Hi! It’s me…Minji.” Why did she feel the need to introduce herself? Of course, Lucas knows who’s calling with her name right there on the screen.

“Oh, hey! What’s up?” I replied, hoping I didn’t sound too cold. She was my ex, after all.

Actually, no—I’m Lucas, but I’m not him. I’m just in Lucas’s body right now!

“Jake mentioned you seemed off during practice. Did anything happen?” Her voice sounded genuinely concerned.

“No, I’m fine, just a bit tired.”

“You know I’m always here if you want to talk,” she replied sweetly. Oh, come on! Did she really have to say that while I’m listening?

After hanging up, I felt a wave of confusing emotions wash over me. It was strange to think that I could actually feel what Lucas was feeling.

“What’s wrong?” Lucas asked, surprised by my own tone. I had almost forgotten about our body swap!

“Nothing, just curious about whether we’ll switch back to normal soon or if we’re stuck like this for a while?” Lucas stood in front of me, making me a bit nervous. I could even catch a hint of his body scent, which was oddly comforting, even though it was in my body.

"I don't know," he said, grabbing the notebook and heading to bed.

"You should really focus on training. In five days, your future is on the line!" He lay down without a care, leaving me feeling a bit frustrated.

"Oh, come on! You make it sound like you want us to be stuck this way forever. I don't want to be in this body, and by the way, it's not my life on the line, it’s yours,” I replied, crossing my arms and pouting. Just because I admired him doesn’t mean I wanted to be in his shoes!

—

As night fell, I couldn’t help but worry about my mom discovering my room was empty all day.

“Lucas, this doesn't seem right,” I said to him.

“What do you mean?” he asked.

“We should go back to my house. I mean, I’m you right now, so you should experience my home as Rae,” I suggested.

“I’m not interested in explaining anything to your mom,” Lucas replied.

“Oh really? And I’m not training for your future either! You can deal with this once we’re back to normal,” I protested.

“Fine! But remember, you have to take care of Jennie too!” Lucas exclaimed, looking a bit annoyed as he left the room with me trailing behind.

I wanted to update him on my home, reassuring him that I'd be back for Jennie.

Once we arrived at my house, I gave him a quick tour to make sure he felt comfortable, and as we stepped into the room, I felt a surge of nostalgia for my cozy bed. I practically collapsed onto it when I suddenly heard my mom call my name.

“It’s my mom!” I gasped. Before I could even get up, the door swung open, revealing her in her work uniform, looking confused.

“RAE! What happened here? And you… who are you?” she exclaimed.

“Mom.. I—”

“Yes, you there! Who are you?” She glared at me.

Oh no, this is not good!

“Rae! Explain this! Where have you been? Why are you here with a guy? What’s going on?” My mom’s questions came flying at us.

I wanted to explain, but how could I? I wasn’t really Rae! I mean, yes, I was Rae, but not in this body!

“Oh, Mom, I’m sorry! I stayed over at a friend’s to work on my art assignment, and this is Lucas, the hockey captain at my school,” Lucas jumped in, trying to help but sounding nothing like me.

“Lucas? Wait… so he’s—”

“Nice to meet you! Sorry for dropping by so late—I’ll be leaving soon,” I interrupted, clearly eager to avoid any uncomfortable conversations.

Just then, my mom’s phone rang, providing a much-needed distraction. It's a relief because it meant she had to head back to the hospital. Being a busy doctor, she rarely has time at home but always checks in on me at night.

“I’ll be back to talk—you two better explain everything!” she warned as she left the room. Once the door closed, I breathed a sigh of relief.