Chapter 60: Body Swapped: Part - II

Ray, now in Kai's body, was looking at Kai's hands. "Now that I am in his body, I am able to tell one thing for sure," he mused to himself, "Kai is very weak." He sighed, the frailty of the body he was now inhabiting hitting him hard. "How can he sit in one place all the time? Doesn't he get bored?" he wondered internally.

As he looked around, his gaze fell on the wig lying beside him. "Should I wear it?" he wondered, but decided against it. Just then, the thought of Kai, in his body, getting into trouble made him anxious. "I hope he doesn't get into any trouble being in my body," Ray thought to himself, a sense of worry creeping into his heart.

Meanwhile, Kai, in Ray's body, found himself in a pretty awkward situation. His eyebrows were furrowed, a clear sign of his internal struggle to understand the situation. His eyes, usually calm and composed, now reflected a hint of panic and uncertainty. His lips were pressed into a thin line, indicating his discomfort with the unexpected proximity with Niatina. "Why am I getting dragged from one trouble to another?" he thought to himself, a sigh escaping his lips. He sat in a chair in front of Niatina, inside her room, with only the two of them present. But what was more awkward was that Niatina was closing in on him, almost a few inches away.

Back in time:

When Kai was walking through the hallway. Music was playing on his ears, as he was walking around singing.

"Do you know I want your love? ~

Your love was handmade for somebody like me ~

Come on now, follow my lead ~

I may be crazy, don't mind me ~

Say, Boy, let's not talk too much ~

Grab on my waist and put that body on me ~

Come on now, follow my lead ~

Come, come on now, follow my lead ~"

Just then, he mused, "Being able to walk freely without anyone's care is nice." Just as he took a turn, he bumped into Niatina. As he saw her, he thought, "Niatina? Ah, wait. How does Ray greet her?" He recalled what he had seen - most images that came to his mind were of Ray ignoring her, not even greeting her. He had a questionable face, "Do I do that?" he thought, finally deciding to act like that.

He tried to walk past her, but she spoke up. "Does it really not matter?" she asked, to which Kai, in Ray's body paused and looked back at her. "What does she mean?" he wondered, as he spoke up. "I don't know what you are talking about," he said, to which Niatina looked towards him. Her voice started to shake. Her eyes, about to tear up as she said, "You really don't care about what happened yesterday?"

She asked, to which Kai was more confused. "Ray… what did you do yesterday?" he questioned internally.

He stayed silent, his mind racing. "Back then, Ray was acting a little strange… and now this?" he wondered, when Niatina spoke up. Her voice was shaking and tears were welling up in her eyes. "Does our kiss not matter to you?" she asked.

"…Kiss?" Kai started to process what might have happened. But Niatina kept looking at him, her tears flowing down her cheeks. Kai watched her helplessly, when he sighed. "I guess I am solving this issue my way," he mused to himself, as he prepared himself in Ray's body.

He averted his eyes, not meeting Niatina's gaze directly. His cheeks slightly flushed, mimicking the blush of someone who is shy. His lips were pressed into a thin line, indicating his nervousness. However, behind this facade, his eyes showed a hint of determination and resolve, reflecting his internal thought of, "I hope Ray will understand…"

"…I was shy," he said, looking away from Niatina's eyes.

As he said so, Niatina looked up. She was surprise, as Kai started to think to himself. "The way she was crying, it definitely was her first one." He spoke up, "It was our first kiss… so, I was shy…" he said, acting shy. But internally, he was thinking, "What am I doing…"

Niatina stared at him, her eyes wide with surprise. She wiped her tears, a small smile appearing on her face. "Ray… you were shy?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper. Kai, in Ray's body, nodded, giving her a small smile. "Yes, I was," he admitted.

Niatina lowered her gaze, whispering to herself, "I thought Ray didn't like me," but Kai heard her. She then looked up and smiled at him, before throwing herself at him. Kai quickly held her, as she hugged him tightly. "I thought you still wouldn't talk to me due to what happened back in our childhood," she said, as Kai thought to himself. "A misunderstanding…?" he thought, as Niatina continued. "But… I am so happy now, Ray," she said, tears streaming down her face. Kai, in Ray's body, felt helpless.

"So, you were really shy back then?" she asked, her eyes sparkling. Kai nodded in response, his mind racing. Suddenly, Niatina started to drag him. Kai, in Ray's body, struggled to keep his balance. "Wait, where are you taking me?" he asked, as Niatina looked back and smiled at him. "Of course, to my room," she replied.

"What!?" he screamed internally. "To your room? Why?" Kai asked, his heart pounding in his chest. Taking a turn by the corner, she looked straight into his eyes, her cheeks flushed. "To practice our kiss," she said, her voice barely above a whisper.

As Kai heard her words, his mind froze. "No… no! NOO! NOOO! NOOOO!" he screamed internally, but it was too late. He was already inside her room, sitting on a chair, and Niatina was approaching him, her lips puckered for a kiss.

Now in the present:

His heart pounded in his chest, his palms were sweaty, and he could feel a lump forming in his throat. "This can't be happening," he thought, his eyes wide with fear.

Just as Niatina was about to close the distance, Kai blurted out, "Wait!" His voice echoed in the room, causing Niatina to halt in her tracks. She looked at him, surprise evident in her eyes. "Ray?" she asked, confusion lacing her voice.

Kai took a deep breath, trying to calm his racing heart. "I… I think we should talk first," he said, his voice shaky. Niatina looked at him, her expression softening. "Talk?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

"Yes," Kai nodded, "About… about us." He gestured between them, his hands trembling slightly. "We didn't properly talk before… So, I think we need to understand each other better before… before we take the next step."

Niatina stared at him for a moment before slowly nodding, a small smile appearing on her face. "Okay, Ray!" she said, her voice filled with understanding. "Let's talk."

- To be continued