The Other Side of Me – Part 25
by Lily Rasputin

“No,” I said, trying to inject nonchalance into my voice. “I didn’t forget. Uh, the time just sort of got away from me.”

There was a pause from Sam’s end, just long enough for me to wonder if she was mad that “I” had apparently forgotten we were supposed to get together today. If she was, I’d just have to find some way to put out that fire as well. After all, it wasn’t as if I could tell her that it wasn’t really me she’d made plans with.

“Okay,” she said, her voice still as smooth as before. “Well, do you think you’re going to be much longer? Should we just cancel?”

“Cancel?” I wasn’t even sure what we were supposed to be doing, how could I know if canceling was the right move or not?

Katie’s eyes widened and she sat up, shaking her head wildly back and forth. She pointed at the phone and mouthed “Do not cancel.”

“Yeah. I mean, if you’re busy we can just hang out another time.” Now there was an apparently note of disappointment in her voice. “No biggie.”

Katie gave me an extremely pointed look and pointed at the phone again. I responded with a nod and turned my attention back to the girl on the phone.

“I don’t want to cancel,” I told Sam. “I do want to see you. I promise, things just got away from me.” I locked eyes with my sister. “I unexpectedly needed to make a trip to my parents’ and got pulled into a serious discussion with my mom.”

All of which was the truth. From a certain point of view.

“Cool,” Sam said, sounding pleased. “So … think you’ll be here in an hour? More than? Less?”

Okay. That helped clear up part of the problem. Since now I didn’t have to ask where we were supposed to meet for the date that Charlene had planned but which I was going to have to attend. I was going to meet Sam at her place.

A place I had no clue how to find.

“Less?” I responded, wincing at my questioning tone. “Just need to finish up here and get ready.”

She paused again. “Get ready?”

I nodded, spurned on by Katie’s nod of positive reinforcement. “Uh, for our date? I’m still wearing what I threw on this morning. I figured I’d get changed.”

Katie gave me a double thumbs-up.

There was another brief pause from Samantha’s end of the connection.

“I didn’t realize you had to wear a specific ensemble to study Chemistry, Charlie. If you’re taking suggestions, I’m a big fan of you in jeans. I like the way your butt looks in them.” She let out a little throaty laugh that made me to feel both embarrassed and aroused.

“Oh, right,” I said, giving Katie a look and getting a shrug back from her. “Jeans it is. I’ll see you in about an hour.” Hanging up the phone, I flopped back on the bed. “Apparently Charlene made a study date with Samantha.”

“Hopefully, it will turn into more than just a study session,” Katie said, wagging her eyebrows at me. “You should get to do it at least once more as a guy before you head back to get your cherry popped.”

“What?” I said, sitting back up.

She bounced off the bed and quickly rushed to the door. As soon as her hand hit the knob, she looked back at me. “I mean, if Mikey makes your knees weak with a kiss of his lips, think about what he can do with other parts of his anatomy.”

Katie let out a cackling giggle and fled the room, making it to the bathroom down the hall before I could get off the bed and catch her.
I sighed and knocked on the door. “If I’m not the one who comes back from this date, remember what I told you. Believe in yourself as much as I believe in you.”

She opened the door a crack and peeked out. Her smile was a tiny bit sad. “I hope it is you, Charlie. If Charlene never came back, I wouldn’t be the least bit upset.” She shrugged one shoulder. “But I’ll understand if it’s not you the next time. Have fun with Sam.”

Mom was standing by the door waiting, as I headed to leave.

“I overheard something about a date. With Samantha?” She frowned and shook her head. “Charlie, I’m not sure that’s a great idea. What with is going on with you and Charlene, do you think it’s wise to be with someone who doesn’t know. What if you and she swap while you’re with Samantha?”

“Mom, it’ll be okay. We’ve been doing this for a few days now, I think we’ve both learned to roll with the shifts.” While Charlene might have acted in manners atypical from me, it didn’t seem like she wasn’t able to bluff her way through a sudden change in situations.

Mom didn’t seem convinced. “What if you and Samantha are, uh, occupied and a swap happens? I’m not sure she’s going to be happy to find herself in a compromising position with another girl. I mean, how would you like it if you blinked, and some guy was kissing and touching you?”

I couldn’t help the amused laugh that came out of my mouth. Shaking my head, I grabbed the bag of clothes Charlene had brought with her and winked at my confused parent.

“Considering that we’re both bi, and she’s already enjoyed Sam’s company as me, I think that there wouldn’t be too much protesting from either of us.” I leaned in and gave her a kiss on the cheek. “If I don’t see you again for a while, I love you. And Dad.”

As I stepped out onto the porch, she followed behind me and smiled. “I wondered if you would ever realize that aspect of yourself, Charlie. My biggest fear was that you never would.”

I paused, looking at her with a mouth partially open in surprise. “Wait. Are you saying you knew I was bi?” I shook my head. “Am I the only one who didn’t know that about myself?”

She smiled at me and shook her head. “I’m your mother, Charlie. It’s my job to know my children. Even those parts of themselves they don’t want to accept.”

I moved in and kissed her cheek again. “I’m accepting a whole lot of new things lately, Mom. Not all of them are bad. Love you.”

“I love you, too, Charlie.”

After climbing into the Jeep, I sat there for a moment, trying to figure out where Sam had said she lived. There was a comment she had made while we were having lunch once, that she loved not being in the dorms, and that her new bedroom overlooked the park.

“I guess I could drive around the apartment complexes until I spotted her car.”

Sighing, I glanced across the street to Jackson’s house. While I felt guilty about not checking in on him, I didn’t want to pop in just for a few moments. Our friendship had definitely become strained since his experiment threw my life in disarray, and Charlene had turned out to be a certified nutjob.

Still … if anyone could figure out where Samantha Thomas lived, it was a super-genius.

Pulling my phone out of my pocket, I called him. The phone rang twice before being answered.

“Yes?” Jackson said with a note of disdain.

“Chill, dude. It’s me.”

“How can I be certain of that? Would you be willing to be injected with a truth serum to verify that you are Charles and not Charlene?”

I looked from the house to the phone, gaping. “Seriously?”

“Yes, I’m serious,” he said with a sniff. “After what happened the last time I let that body into my lab, I’m not taking chances.”

“Well, you’ll have to come up with something other than that truth serum. Unless you’ve revised the formula. I’m not going to risk walking around for two days, sounding like I’m huffing helium.”

“Charles?”

“That’s what I said. It’s me. Mega Bitch is back home for the moment, and I hope she’s having a grand time dealing with the fallout from some of her bullshit.”

He laughed. “Maybe it’ll straighten her out. Give me a second to deactivate the security protocols and you can come in.”

I frowned. “I can’t, man. I’m already late for a date with Samantha that Charlene set up, and I don’t want to be in any more trouble than I probably already am. I just called to see if you could do me a favor.”

“Understandable. The last thing you probably need on top of everything else is a pissed off redheaded soccer player. Unless you can time it so that her anger coincides with Charlene’s return. Let her deal with one of your messes for a change.”

“That wouldn’t be fair to Sam. Even if she did kick Charlene’s ass.”

“Good point. Plus, you’re too damned nice for something that mean. What’s the favor?”

“I’m supposed to get with Sam and study. Problem is, I’ve never been to Sam’s apartment, though I’m sure Charlene has. Which means I can’t just call her and ask for directions to a place I should know how to get to. Do you think you could use that awesome computer of yours to find out?”

“Are you sure being swapped into and out of the body of a hot girl isn’t messing with your brain, Chuck?” He laughed again. “If Charlene’s been to Sam’s place, it’s likely the history of the trip is in your phone’s GPS. Just look for a recent trip to a destination you don’t recognize. Chances are, that’s her apartment.”

I reached up and smacked myself in the forehead. I knew as soon as Jackson suggested using the GPS, I should have thought of it for myself. Hadn’t I just sleuthed the location of my phone, Charlene’s phone, using something similar?

“Thanks, dude.”

“No problem. It’s the least I can do since … you know.” The regret in his voice was clear. This wasn’t the first experiment of his to have effects upon me. But it was likely the one that might never get fixed.

“It’s okay, Jack,” I said, feeling myself smile a little. “No matter what happens in the end, I’m not blaming you.”

* * * * * * * * * * *

Samantha’s place, as it turned out, was only a couple of blocks from the parking lot where I, as Charlene, had to park for school. It wasn’t until I was actually standing at the heavy-duty security door before I realized that no amount of GPS trickery in the world would tell me which apartment was hers.

The intercom panel next to the door had twelve buttons labeled with suite numbers, rather than the occupants’ names. Probably for safety reasons. So, with no clues to help me decipher the correct one, I decided to try them all. Putting on a big, friendly smile, I pressed the topmost button as I looked into the miniature camera in the center of the device.

“What?” A gruff-sounding male voice asked after a second.

“Sorry, dude. Wrong button. My bad.”

“Stupid fucker,” came the angry response, followed by the sound of disconnection.

I shook my head and glared at the camera. I doubted the douchebag would have an asshat if Charlene had been the one standing here. I briefly wondered if this clown had a doppelgänger that I could kick in the nuts with a pointed heel the next time I swapped back.

Even though I knew for a fact that alternate personalities weren’t always identical, I got the feeling that this guy was a total jerk in any dimension.

It took five more wrong tries before Sam’s voice finally drifted out from the tiny speaker.

“Took you long enough to get here, darling,” she said as the door before me buzzed loudly and unlocked. “Come on up.”

I jogged up the stairs to the second floor, exiting onto a short hallway that led me down to a door marked 202. Running my hand through my hair, I reached out and lightly knocked. I hoped Sam wouldn’t be too mad that I was late.

The door opened and the pretty redhead posed in the doorway. She wore a light lavender V-neck cardigan sweater and a faded denim skirt. Simultaneously, I noticed that the sweater was thin enough to reveal that she wasn’t wearing a bra under it and that the color really set off her hair and complexion.

“You gonna stand there in the hall and drool all afternoon?” she asked with a playful smile as she stepped back to allow me entrance.

I laughed as I crossed the threshold and unslung my backpack from my shoulder. “No. I prefer to do all my drooling in private. Not that anyone would blame me if I did just stand there slobbering. You look freaking amazing.” I gestured at the sweater. “That color is phenom for your skin tone.”

One of her brows slid up into an amused arch as her lips twisted into a tiny smirk. “Really? That’s probably the first time a guy has made that comment on it. They usually just appreciate the fact that it shows off my tits.”

A wave a heat exploded across my face. Shrugging, I turned and opened my bag. “Well, I’m not afraid to get in touch with my feminine side,” I mumbled. “Every now and then.” Pulling out my Chem book, I turned back to her. “Are we really studying? Or am I just here for you to tease and abuse.”

Laughing, Sam walked over to me, slipped her arms around my neck, and peered up at me with a slightly mischievous smirk. “Yes.” Then she leaned in and pressed her lips against mine. They were soft, wet, and had just a hint of cherry to them. Lip gloss. Probably the same brand as Charlene.

The front of my jeans grew tighter as I put my own arms around her waist and leaned into the kiss. For a few seconds, I was able to enjoy being Charles again, without worrying about what sort of shenanigans Charlene was getting into. It was just me and Samantha.

When we finally decided to resume breathing, my mouth came off of hers with a wistful little sigh. She grinned and shook her head as she brushed her fingers along my jaw and slowly let her arms drop from around my neck.

“How do you do that?” She asked, turning around and walking to the small, round table near the kitchen. On it was a textbook similar to mine, along with an open laptop, and a notebook full of diagrams and formulas.

“Do what?” I asked as I followed her, dropping into the seat next to hers.

“Change up your kisses. I mean, don’t get me wrong, Charlie. Every time you kiss me, it makes my toes curl and leaves me wanting to just tackle you and have my way with you. I just never met anyone who had two distinct styles of kissing.” She laughed and picked up a yellow pencil, twirling it around between two fingers. “It’s almost like being kissed by two different people.”

I forced myself to smile and shrugged. “Maybe I’m possessed. Sometimes it’s me kissing you, sometimes it’s the demon inhabiting my body.”

She rolled her eyes. “If that’s the case, we’ll send your demon out for a pizza later.” She tapped the open page in front of her. “Right now, we learn.”

For the next couple of hours, Samantha and I sat at the table and focused on our schoolwork.

We started with Chemistry, since we shared that particular class in this universe. Then I dove into Trig while she focused on Sociology. When I made an off-handed comment about culture and identity being possibly fluid as gender, she shot me a surprised look, then laughed.

“Hopefully, your open-mindedness is genuine and not just a ploy to get into my panties.” She stuck her tongue out at me. “Not that they would fit you anyway.”

How I managed to avoid making a “you’d be shocked” comment was beyond me. Instead, I merely shrugged one shoulder. “I’m a very open-minded type of person.”

In addition to knocking out a couple of days’ worth of schooling, pizza was ordered and eaten, and flirty comments over melted cheese were made. Afterwards, we decided to move from the table to the sofa, lounging comfortably in our own corners with books in our laps and our legs casually entwined.

There were several long periods where we didn’t even speak, though we constantly touched and caressed and flashed smiles at each other. It wasn’t until I closed my book and turned my attention back to her that I noticed the comfort we seemed to have together. Before, our dates were hasty lunches between classes and the occasional meetup on the weekends. Never had we just “hung out” together.

At first, I told myself that we hadn’t gotten closer because of our hectic schedules. Between my running and her soccer practices, along with all our schoolwork, it seemed the wrong time to think of getting into a serious romantic relationship. Now, sitting here watching as Sam chewed on her thumbnail while staring intensely at the book in her hands, I felt something stir within me.

I wanted this to be more than just hanging out with someone you occasionally had sex with. I wanted to be able to just be around with someone and not feel the overwhelming need to talk or do anything in particular besides bask in their presence.

The previous evening came rushing back to me. While there had been plenty of talking and carnival activities to keep us entertained, there had also been more than a few moments of comfortable silence. Several time over the course of the evening, I had glanced over to see Mike staring at me with a weirdly relaxed expression on his face.

Much like the one I was sure I was wearing now.

Sam lifted her gaze and gave me an amused smirk. “You’re doing it again,” she said, closing the book. Turning slightly so that she almost completely faced me, she smiled. “Care to share?”

My cheeks warmed and I managed a small laugh. “I was just taking a moment to appreciate the moment.” I gestured in the air around us. “Appreciate this.”

Sam glanced around, then back to me. “My apartment? You’re appreciating my apartment.”

“Well, mostly just the living room,” I said with a shrug and a smirk. “Oh, and the part of the kitchen I can see. Both very nice and welcoming.”

She let out an amused giggle, shook her head, and then let her face drop into something less flirty and more seductive.

“If you think those are nice and welcoming, I wonder what your assessment would be of my bedroom?”

Before I could come up with a witty response, she was crawling across the sofa and pressing herself down on top of me, her mouth hungrily seeking mine. The books in which we’d so recently been engrossed fell to the carpeted floor with a pair of thuds.

Two sets of tongues, lips, hands, and fingers played and explored for several minutes. Finally, Sam stood up and started walking away from the sofa. I quickly sat up, wondering if I’d done something wrong.

However, when she stopped and looked back at me while still wearing that smile, I understood where she was going. Where we were going.
The bedroom was smaller than I expected, but the bed was soft and the light coming in through the closed blinds provided enough illumination that I could see every bit of Samantha as we helped each other peel off our clothes.

This was the first time I’d seen her completely naked since the lab accident, and I couldn’t completely shut down the comparisons and contrasts between the sporty redhead’s body and my other one.

Both of us had well-defined legs with shapely calves, though I thought my thighs were a bit thicker. My arms were slightly more toned, but I figured that was due to the lack of back-handsprings Samantha had to do on the soccer field. And, of course, she had me beat by at least a cup size in the chest.

Now that I knew firsthand how sensitive nipples could be, especially when fully erect, I made sure to give Sam’s the utmost care and attention with my fingers and tongue. She purred playfully and reached down to massage and stroke my own engorged body part.

In reciprocation, my hand went down between her legs, seeking out the center of her arousal. Using what I’d gleaned from recent explorations of my own female anatomy, I slipped one, then two, fingers inside of her, gliding through the slickened folds down to just the second knuckle. Then I began to tease and stroke and caress with alternating amounts of pressure and rhythm.

Sam groaned and sighed, losing interest in pleasuring me as she gave herself over to my ministrations. More than once, she commented her amazement at how much improved my bedroom skills had become, causing me to feel a little pang of jealousy when I understood that she was talking about Charlene and not me.

This time, however, I focused solely on make sure Samantha reached optimum satisfaction. After bringing her to the edge and backing off a few times, she grabbed my hair with one hand and growled at me with frustration and need. Smiling, I changed tactics, and it wasn’t long after that the woman next to me closed her eyes, scrunched up her face, arched her back, and let out a resoundingly loud moan of release.

Part of me wondered if my face made a similar expression during my orgasm.

The rest of our lovemaking was slower and more reciprocal. There were a few times, where I wondered if I would suddenly be yanked away in the middle of my own climax, as seemed to be par for the course. This time, though, the universe decided to throw me a bone and let me enjoy all of Samantha’s extensive talents.

We made love until almost midnight before our bodies finally gave out and she passionately kissed me one last time before rolling over and spooning her back against me. I lay there for a while in the darkened room next to her, feeling the cooling down of our sweat-soaked bodies and listening the soft, almost-snore coming from between Sam’s slightly parted lips.

After all that I’d dealt with over the past five days, it was nice to just relax and spend time with someone I liked. Someone with whom I could be me. Where I didn’t have to pretend to be in control of someone else’s life, rushing constantly to put out fires I had no hand in creating.

As sleep finally started to overtake me, two final thoughts drifted through my head.

The first was that I wanted this feeling to become a regular part of my life. To have someone to share myself with, spend time with, and curl up next to throughout the night.

The second thought was that I wasn’t a hundred percent sure that I wanted that with Samantha ... or as Charles.