~ TRISTAN ~
...earlier that night...
Around half an hour after Brad left the hospital, there was another knock on the door. Tristan stood up and opened it, and he wasn't expecting his guest at all.
"James! What brings you here?" If he had to be 100% honest with himself, he's very happy to see James for some reason he doesn't know.
"I know you didn't go to school today so I took down some notes for you. Plus, you missed a quiz and you're going to take it tomorrow." James said as he brought out his Chemistry notes.
"I wasn't expecting this at all. Thank you." Tristan told him with a smile as he grabbed the notebook from him. He opened it to the latest entries and squinted at them.
"I don't really get any of these." Tristan told him with a chuckle.
"Do you want me to stay and teach you the topic?" James told him, and he just opened his eyes really wide.
"If you want to. I don't really want to be a bother."
"It's alright. I've got nothing that important to do, anyway." James told him, then he opened the door wider for James to come in.
"Hey James!" Millie, who was reading a book with her earphones on, said a little too enthusiastically.
"What's up, Millie?" James told her, then she shrugged her shoulders.
"Just fine, I guess. I'm coming home tonight when our brother comes and picks us up."
"That's great!"
"What brings you here?" She asked him, then it occurred to Tristan that she doesn't know about James being his study buddy.
"He's helping me catch up on school, is that okay?" Tristan asked his little sister, who nodded in reply. She continued reading her book and made her music a little louder so she won't be able to hear what they were saying.
They sat at the foot of her bed as James began explaining the mechanisms of the different reactions of aromatic compounds. Tristan seemed to get it, although for some reason, he couldn't take his eyes off of James. He didn't exactly know why, but he was positive that it wasn't because he was attracted to James - Brad had his whole heart.
When they were done, it was around 7 at night, which meant that James had to leave because it was beyond visiting hours. He waved Tristan and Millie goodbye, then he left the room.
"What?" Tristan asked Millie when he saw her looking at him with a knowing face.
"You like him, don't you?" Millie told him, then he shook his head as an initial reply.
"Don't be silly, Millie. I'm perfectly happy with my boyfriend." Tristan defended.
"I have nothing against Brad." She said as she noticed how defensive he was being. "But for the record, James is a nice guy."
"Yeah, but I'm not sure if he likes guys like me."
"So you like him?" Millie gave him a knowing smirk, then he realised that he fell for her trap.
"Whatever. Just finish your book." Tristan said as he continued eating the box of cookies that Brad gave them earlier.
He loved Brad with all of his heart. He once thought that maybe he just loved him as a best friend, but he's sure that that was not the case of their relationship at all.
He's worried about Brad, though. Ever since Tristan discovered that he was being a jerk, including to his own boyfriend, he wondered how Brad can cope up with him. He loves Brad, and if Brad's not able to cope up with him, he'll understand.
In other terms, he's ready to let go of Brad when the time comes. It will be heartbreaking, of course, but it will hopefully be for the best.
He started packing all of their things at the hospital. Millie had her final check-up, then they were allowed to go home. They paid their bills while James waited for them outside. When they got out of the house, James welcomed his little sister, who immediately ran towards him, with open arms. They shared a really sweet hug.
In that moment, Tristan realised how lucky he was. His family may not be complete, but it still felt as whole as ever. When he and James shared a hug, he already knew what to prioritise the most in his life.
He's going to let go of his bad boy persona and just live life like a normal, regular guy. No more faking, but rather more of loving. He won't be that affected if most of his friends wouldn't accept him. He's happy as long as the people he truly cared about are happy on who he really is.
He smiled to himself when he realised that he wouldn't be a whole new person if James didn't find out about his secret in the first place.
~ BRAD ~
He was pacing, running on the road towards a familiar house. He knew it well enough that he can't be wrong.
He opened the door without even knocking. He immediately went inside to see a boy whose back was facing him. Brad took little steps as he went closer to the boy.
"I can't believe it." Brad told the boy, although his subconscious was the one who said the words.
"You're the one." Brad said as he reached out for his shoulder.
"You complete me." He muttered out, then the boy faced him.
He still found Connor's alarm really annoying as he shut it off. Well, to him, every alarm was annoying.
He looked at his leg to see how it was doing, and it turns out that it's completely back to normal. He was excited for tomorrow, things were finally going to go back to normal, he'll be back in his own life, and he'll be able to see his mum, dad, Nat, Jesse, and Tristan. He really missed them all so much.
He sat down on the dining table, then Connor's mum served him his breakfast. Brad remembered Connor telling that he needed to ask permission from his family at least a day before doing something that will involve him being away for a few days, so he decided to speak up.
"Mum, there's something I want to ask you."
"Sure, hit me up."
"Well, see..." Brad started as he started thinking of a good excuse.
Your son and I switched bodies last week because your neighbour has magical powers so we're going somewhere on Saturday to turn things back to normal. Of course, he's not going to be honest with this one.
"...Kath invited me to a sleepover at her house. You know, to study, for the exams. She needs a tutor."
"So why won't she hire one?" Connor's dad asked him. Brad swallowed the lump in his throat.
"They're saving money. Plus, I need help in my studies myself."
"The only sleepover that I'll be permitting you to go to is when you're bringing home the girl of your dreams and not some boy."
"Simon, enough." Connor's mum gave him a glare, which made Connor's dad stand up from the table and leave.
"Ignore him, honey. I'm allowing you to go, just keep me updated on things, okay?" She told him, then he nodded his head in reply. He could see Lewie glare at him from his peripheral view. Instead of making himself feel more uncomfortable than ever, he continued eating his meal.
Once he was finally out of the house, he immediately walked towards Kath's house. She was on her phone, probably texting Connor or something.
"Hey." Brad chirped happily. Kath looked at him with a huge smile on her face.
"Someone seems a little bit happier than usual today."
"Is his name Brad? Because I definitely am." He said in sing-song, and Kath just laughed at him.
"What're you so excited about, anyway?"
"Uhh, tomorrow? Everything's going back to normal and I finally get to live my own life again."
"Yeah, I'm really happy for you." She said with a smile, then they started walking to school.
"I told Connor's parents that I'm going on a sleepover in your house, is that alright?"
"Yeah. I mean, I haven't really thought of something to cover for us. We'll just go with your plan."
"But, wait, aren't you magic or something? Do your parents have magical powers, too?"
"They do. That's why they're going to help us. What's your plan, by the way?"
"I told Connor's parents that we're going to have a study session and a sleepover at your house."
"That's a good one. You really are a sneaky guy, Brad." She told him, and Brad nodded his head in agreement. Kath went on her phone again, presumably to tell her parents about their plan.
"Look, Brad, I know I'm stupid for asking you this, but are you sure that this is what you really want? I know you have a great life and everything, and, I don't know, maybe a part of you doesn't really want this?"
"Are you kidding? I feel so complete! It's like I'm on a cloud all the way up to complete happiness, with nothing to stop me." Kath laughed at his remark.
"Alright, alright, no need to go poetic on me. I'm just checking, anyway. I mean, I don't want you guys to regret your decisions after."
Brad let out a small chuckle before he replied. "Come on, who wouldn't want to go back to his own life?"
"Good point." Kath told him with a smile. Brad couldn't help but think of how happy he was going to be tomorrow. It was as if nothing could bring him down.
Not even the feeling of a small needle who kept poking his heart as he walked.
~ CONNOR ~
"Tristan?" Connor asked his 'boyfriend', who seemed to be stuck staring up in space. Tristan removed his gaze from the ceiling, then he faced his boyfriend.
"Are you alright?" Connor asked him, and Tristan just shrugged. Their friends were being their usual selves, but they noticed that Tristan wasn't being himself.
"I am. It's just..." Tristan paused.
"Want to talk about it in private?" Connor asked him, then Tristan nodded his head.
They both stood up from the table, and their 'friends' didn't even notice.
They went to the nearby drab room to talk. It was a good thing that they were both alone and that no one could hear them.
"What's wrong?" Connor asked Tristan as he let out a tired huff.
"Nothing. I just--uh, I don't know how to tell our friends what happened. They would kick us out of the group."
"I don't mind as long as you're with me, babe." Tristan gave him a big smile after hearing this.
"But, seriously, if they won't accept you for who you are, then it's better not to call them your friends.
"I love you for who you are, Tristan. Seriously, I think you're the best, you know, even though you are scary sometimes." Connor told him, and Tristan just laughed at him.
"You cheeky boy."
"That you love."
"Yeah, yeah, I'm not even going to deny that." Tristan told him with a playful smirk.
"We still up for that date tonight?" Connor asked Tristan.
"I'm quite busy because I need to catch up with school stuff, is that alright?"
Connor let out a smile. Turns out that he doesn't have to force himself to go to a date with Tristan, after all. "Absolutely." He said with a smile. They shared a small kiss before they went out of the room.
"I'm going on a roadtrip this weekend. I won't be back until Sunday night." Connor said sadly with his head down. To his surprise, Tristan just gave him a smile.
"It's alright. You deserve a great weekend, anyway." Tristan told him with no hints of sarcasm. Connor smiled back then they held hands and walked along the corridor.
When they passed by Kath along the corridor, she looked like she was really impressed and was about to gag at the same time. Connor gave her a knowing smile, meaning that this would be the last time that she'll see this.
🌟🌟🌟
Merry Christmas Eve! 🎄🎅 We only have four more hours to go before Christmas! What about you?
Thank you for reading! Happy Holidays!
~ Kat and Dani :)
(Earlier this afternoon, my family went to a Christmas party, and the one who was playing the music was my friend. She played The Vamps' cover of 'We Wish You a Merry Christmas', and I was trying my best not to fangirl. My parents were laughing at me, especially when Davey's part came on. To my surprise, the other guests actually loved it! ~ K)
Published: 24/12/16
Updated: 24/02/17