Vice Versa

Michelle was worried. That was certain to say. She couldn’t understand how Brian’s mood had fluctuated from ecstatic to melancholy in so little time. Brian had been behaving so strangely, and just this morning, he was just as normal as before the whole memory wiping fiasco. She knew there was something more to it. She only wished that Brian was more honest with her. Michelle glanced to the living room.

Brian was sitting on the couch, staring blankly in space. Zacky was doing the same. They seemed like they were doing some kind of male bonding thing, Michelle wasn’t too sure. But she could pick up that there was something seriously wrong. Alice was absent; she had walked out, mumbling something about needing time to herself and fresh air. Michelle tiptoed towards to the two lamenting men on the couch. She faced them. Dolefully, Zacky looked up.

“What’s wrong?” Michelle questioned. She could see how Brian’s thin lips slightly turned down from the corners. It made his lips look thinner than usual. He looked older, staring intently at the ground. She moved her gaze from Brian to Zacky. Zacky’s eyes were much duller than the shining jade he usually possessed.

“I don’t know if you would understand.” The green eyed man sighs.

“I can try. Brian?” he redirected his attention to Michelle’s call. Michelle gasped. “You look almost as bad since Jimmy died.”

“That… don’t bring that up again.” Brian sharply hissed, speaking for the first time.

“Is that because of Jimmy?”

“I thought I told you-“

“Being snippy with me won’t help the issue!” She had lost her patience. Zacky stared at the married couple, his eyes flicking to each person as they spoke. He slowly sidled out from the room, feeling awkward. It wasn’t any of his business anymore. He decided to go out for a smoke. Meanwhile, the beginnings of an argument had sparked between Michelle and Brian.

“Have you even bothered to feel how I’m feeling? I lost my best friend twice – “ the final word slipped out unintended, making Michelle startle.

“Twice? What is this?”

“It’s… never mind. That doesn’t matter. Look-“

“I want you to be honest with me. This is what I asked for all of these days and you never had responded. How can we actually… live as a couple if you haven’t been honest with me?” Michelle had gotten the last word. Her head was pounding with fury. She couldn’t take it anymore so she stormed out of the room.

Now, Brian was standing there, feeling like a truck had run over him. He realised, at this moment, that the lies he and Alice had passed out for the past couple of weeks had caught up with him. It was now an enormous jumble of things. Nothing made sense to anyone else who wasn’t in on the body swap, and he hadn’t even considered the aftermath that would ensue after this. He actually wished that he was in Alice’s body, so Jimmy would stay a bit longer. He didn’t care that things would go wrong, but he didn’t think that it would be as bad as this. Being in Alice’s body was becoming a distant holiday memory to him that he ultimately missed.

“What happened, exactly?” Alice’s voice wafted from the front door. Brian jumped, caught unawares. Alice had walked in and overheard the whole exchange.

“I don’t know…” he swayed from his spot. So many things had happened at once and it was talking its toll on the man.

“It caught up to us, didn’t it?”

“Yeah, I guess.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Wasn’t entirely your fault.”

“Look, Brian. I think we should explain all of this to Michelle. I mean, the lies don’t work anymore…” Alice suggested, tentatively shrugging her shoulders.

“But she’s not the kind of woman who would belie-“ Alice cut Brian off by pressing Jimmy’s goodbye letter to his hand.

“This will help. You also have Zacky. Now go.” After her words, he stared down to the letter in his hand. He wanted to fix things with Michelle. Even though Alice basically ruined it for him. That was until he realised he had ruined Alice’s life along the way as well. He gave a long slow exhale before retracing Michelle’s footsteps where she had stormed out from the room earlier. His heart was thumping on anxiety on how Michelle would take this. He turned around a corner in through the doorframe of the bedroom he shared with his wife.

He could see her sitting on the bed, eerily still. The sound of her sniffles was the only signs of life she held. Hearing her cry gave him a pang on his chest. He hated seeing her cry. Michelle wasn’t a woman who cried all the time, so this was something different. He silently footed into his bedroom.

“Michelle?” he called out quietly. She flinched at his voice before turning around to face him.

“What do you want?” She glared at him. Brian wasn’t fully certain on what to say, so he decided to hand her the letter. She eyed it for a second then she plucked it from his offered hand. She read it, her face becoming more and more confused. Rustling the paper back to the bed sheet, she glanced back up to Brian, a perplexed frown on her features.

“When was it?” she asked.

“Last night, the date is on it.” Brian pointed at the top of the letter.

“But- but Jimmy is dead… it’s… it looks like his handwriting.”

“You know the cat? Alice’s cat?”

“Yeah?”

“There is a reason why he is called Tholomew. The whole thing that Alice said about the body swapping is true. The letter is proof.” He mumbled. “Zacky knows too.”

“So the whole bullshit ‘my cousin from Italy’ thing wasn’t actually true?”

“No.” he looked away, trying to escape Michelle’s burning stare.

“I never believed that story.” She snorted.

“Baby, I’m sorry. I didn’t know if you would believe me, and when I tried to tell you on that barbeque night, you didn’t.”

“So, that was you?”

“Yeah.”

“Is this because for the past few weeks, you - Alice avoided from being with me?”

“Yeah.”

“I can’t believe this…” she stood up from the bed and paced across the room. She rubbed her face.

“I probably shouldn’t have lied to you, but-“

“But I wouldn’t believe you. Yeah.” She cut him off. Brian sat on the bed, replacing the spot she vacated. He twiddled his thumbs.

“So, do you believe me this time?”

“The letter… how was he?”

“He was great. The same.” He dolefully stared at the woman standing in front of him. “So, you now know.” He sighed and stood up, setting to leaving the room before Michelle grabbed his hand, halting him.

“I’m sorry.” She said.

Brian held both of her hands before he shook his head “I’m sorry too.” They stood in silence, basking in the peace they now shared. Michelle looked up to him, searching his eyes with a questioning sheen in her eyes.

“Is this you or Alice?”

“It’s me. Totally me.” He confirmed before whispering in her ear, furthering his truth. She smirked from whatever he said to her. They kissed, all made up.