The Body Swap (Completed ✔️)

16 // "I Haven't Had Pork In About Two Months!"

          

16.

Opening the eyes, Blessing gazes around this familiar yet alien room and blows out a low long sigh. Turning on the side, Blessing gazes at Nathan's walls of family and friend photos and looks intensely at a picture of him and his family. Just at that moment, Nathan's phone pings and he finds that it's a message from Nathan's mother worried about his mental well-being. There's even a threat of them flying from their holiday to make sure that he's supposedly okay. Blessing doesn't reply.

Sitting up on the bed, Blessing closes the eyes and feels the heart beating steadily and loudly and wonders what is happening beyond the four walls. Swinging the legs over the bed, Blessing slips on Nathan's slippers and wanders out of the room, feeling a tightness in the chest at seeing Nathan's friends, especially Sam. After the altercation with herself, Blessing resolves to have a conversation with Sam about Lana and find out some more information. She was in the advantageous point of hearing the other side of the fucked up story.

Gingerly, she opens the door into the kitchen but finds that there's no one there. Not even an inkling of someone being in the kitchen, no crumbs on the kitchen counter, no smell of bacon or eggs in the air. Shuffling towards the window, Blessing peers out and realises how loud the silence is. There are no cars despite it being in the early morning, no passers-by's, no dog walkers, no runners, no students laughing and smiling. There's that all too familiar panic swelling in the stomach and Blessing rushes out of the kitchen, out of the apartment and into the hallway to find her own little body running towards her.

Panting hard, Blessing's small face gazes up at her and she sees a faint dark bruise on one of the eyes and under the chin. A twinge of guilt and shame slams into the core but Blessing shakes the head and feels clear headed once more,

"It's happening again. I also saw the dark shadows," Nathan states in a low despairing whisper. Blessing is not too sure whether the low scared tone is because of the altercation from yesterday, whether he's in pain or freaking out over the empty atmosphere surrounding both of them,

"We need to do something about this seriously! Come on," Blessing states heading towards her own apartment. Once situated comfortably on both of Blessing's bed, they gaze at one another, Blessing gazing at the visible bruises appearing on her arm, Nathan scrutinising how Blessing must be feeling about herself. Nathan purposefully wore clothes that would reveal the damage of what she'd done. He hopes that she's feeling reproach and remorse for her actions; in fact, Nathan is feeling smug about the bruises, wearing the badge of pain with pride.

Getting off the bed, Nathan opens the drawer and pulls out various sheets of paper from the research he has done. He can already tell that Blessing has done barely any research and there's confirmation from the way his own green eyes widen in bewilderment. He removes one of the sheets of paper, believing it to be the most credible and slowly explains the instructions to Blessing. Listening attentively but sceptically, Blessing stays on her bed with the legs crossed, impatient and eager to return to her body,

"That's the problem, you're not believing this would actually work," Nathan huffs irate,

"I am trying but it's kind of hard to believe all this nonsense," Blessing waves the hands in the air,

"Well something obviously happened when our bodies were switched. This obviously means something Blessing, for god's sake do you know how many Black Lives Matter videos I've seen. How many women I've listened to yelling at the screen about the patriarchy. Mate, I even know about the struggles of trannies!" Nathan yells, waving the hands in the air animatedly,

"You're not supposed to use that fucking word!" Blessing howls back throwing the arms in the air,

"And clearly you've done absolutely fucking nothing and that's why it's not working at all!" Nathan spits back. Dropping the mouth wide open, Blessing gapes at Nathan astounded at his ignorance and pessimism,

"Mate, I haven't had pork in about two months and not mention the amount of stress your parents are giving me about Ramadan. Not to mention the amount of videos I have watched about the discrimination and stigmatisation of Muslims around the world. I've researched shit about Eid ul Fitr and Eid ul Adha and I even went out of my way to buy you a new bloody prayer mat!" Blessing screeches back removing herself from the bed. As she starts towards Nathan, he moves back instinctively fearing his own self,

"You pronounced Eid ul Fitr wrong," Nathan retorts back quietly. Picking up the sheet of paper which he'd dropped, he waves it with an air of superiority. Again, Nathan repeats the steps once more and they begin performing the ritual which seemed more like an intense yoga session rather than a pagan ceremony. Afterwards, Blessing opens the eyes one by one but nothing seems to have happened apart from the fact that outside's deafening noise returns. 

They both run to the window and find that the darkness has returned as well as the numerous cars on the road and the students littering the pavement, coming back from their lectures or heading down to the pub.

"Well we know something happened," Nathan whispers to himself. Sighing heavily and wearily, Blessing states that she's going back to the apartment and hopefully more developments will happen in the course of the night. She even checks Nathan's phone and a good 9 hours has passed from their yoga trance. The heart begins beating quickly as Blessing realises that they may be a chance of returning to one another's bodies. With a wide smile, Blessing leaves her own apartment and bounds down the hallway to Nathan's, hope swelling in the bones.

Nathan himself gazes down at the phone and finds that Lana has invited him to the local pub on campus. Pursing the lips, Nathan showers and brushes the hair before putting on some shorts and a crop top on. Something he always saw Blessing wearing when the sun went down regardless of the weather outside. Putting on the bomber jacket to fight the slight chill in the summer air, relief washes over Nathan as he passes familiar student's faces as he leaves the apartment blocks.

He still notices the whispers and the stares directed at him but he puts on the earphones and listens to music to distract himself from the growing paranoia. Nevertheless, he knows this is all self-inflicted and something new and extravagant will grab the campus's attention. A loud raucous laughter bursts out over his music behind him and he turns around curiously only to find those boys behind her with their dark hoodies and Adidas tracksuits.

The heart skips a beat and Nathan quickens his small steps but the laughter grows much louder. In an attempt to seem unfazed, Nathan pauses the music but leaves the earphones in and straightens the shoulders. A dimly lit pathway is up ahead and Nathan knows this pathway like the back of his hand but in the darkness and with the boys seeming to get closer and louder, Nathan is terrified and wants to get beyond it where he knows the pub will be.

Darkness quickly surrounds him and the voices become louder and more intimidating causing him to get hot and take off the jacket. A wolf whistle and laughter erupts from the boys behind causing Nathan to regret removing the jacket but he can't put it back on. He'll be conceding defeat and he's not a loser. Accidently dropping the shoulder bag in his fluster, Nathan stops to pick it up but as he lifts his head, he realises he's facing a handsome yet mischievous grin and he feels the heart explode.

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