Boyfriend

Boyfriend
by Erick Stratton

I don't know what Josh expected, but he sure as hell didn't expect to see me sitting on his bed when he walked into his bedroom that night. He looked as good as ever. He was just coming back from work, so he was still wearing the green polo and khakis that were required at the sub shop. He seemed a little tired, his hair was kind of messed up, but he still looked good. He looked good all the time, no matter what. That was one of the reasons why I loved him so much; that was why I had to do what I was about to do that night.

“What are you doing here, Andrew?” he asked me flatly, “I told you I'm done talking to you. Get out.”

“Josh, baby,” I told him, getting up from the bed and approaching him, “You know I still love you. Why can't we just get back together?”

I reached for his hand, he recoiled away.

“You need to fuckin' stop this shit,” he told me, “You know that I'm with Scott now. We've been together for almost a year. You and me can't get back together.”

“But if Scott wasn't in the picture --”

“Scott is in the picture, and I love him. And you and me will never get back together. Now get the fuck out.”

“You love him?”

“That's what I said.”

“And do you think he'll be in your life for a long time?” I asked.

“I would really like that,” he responded.

“Fine,” I said, grabbing my coat off of the bed, “That's all I needed to know.”

I kissed Josh on the cheek, he pushed me away, and I let myself out. It had been just like all of the other meetings I'd had with him since we'd broken up a year ago.

I loved Josh so much. I mean, more than anybody could understand. Josh was my soulmate, the one guy I was meant to be with for the rest of my life. When we broke up, it tore me apart. When he started dating Scott a few weeks afterwards, I thought that I couldn't go on living. It had been my one goal to get back together with him, to make him see that we belong together – but all he could see was Scott. And when I realized that, then I was finally able to make some plans to get back into Josh's life.

I got into my car, threw my coat into the back seat, and waited. It was just a little bit after 9:30. Scott would be coming back from his job around 10:00. They had been living together for the last couple of months. I hated that, but then it also made it easier to follow them both – since they were always around each other.

It was important for me to see how they acted when they were together, even if I just got quick glimpses of them coming in with the groceries or heading out for an afternoon together at the beach. And then there had been the nights like this where I just sat outside in my car and looked up into their apartment to see if I could observe anything through the living room window.

I watched Scott at his job. He worked at the Best Buy down on Jefferson, so it was easy to hide behind the rows of computers and observe him as he went about his work. He was a good-looking guy. Very “All-American”, I guess. Blond hair, blue eyes. Probably about 6'3”, if I had calculated it right. He looked kind of athletic, or at least like he took care of his body. I wouldn't say that he was Abercrombie material or anything, but he was a good looking guy. All that mattered, really, was that he was the one who was with Josh when it should have been me.

I looked down at my watch. It was a little bit after 10:00. I became more alert, watching for the headlights of Scott's car to pull into the parking lot. I couldn't mess this up, I couldn't let him get into the apartment tonight. I had to catch him in the parking lot, and then I had to make things quick. I went over the plan in my head. I'd been going over it for the last week, but now was the time to see if it would really work.

Finally, I saw his car. He parked in his usual spot, he stepped out of his car, and he made his way towards the stairs up to the apartment. I quickly made sure I had everything that I needed, got out of my car, and ran up behind him.

He turned around, with a flash of fear in his eyes – but when he recognized that it was me, he just pushed me away. Apparently Scott thought that I was “creepy”, or at least that's what I had heard. He didn't like the way I hung around Josh all the time. He was always telling Josh that he should get a restraining order against me or something. But Josh still loved me, I knew it, and that's why he would never do anything like that.

“Dude, what the fuck are you doing, stalking us now?”

“Actually, Scott,” I told him, “Yes, I am stalking you. And I have been for a while.”

I looked up at him, noticing how much taller he was than me. At 5'6”, anybody over six feet tall seemed like a giant to me. He could have taken me out so effortlessly at any time if he wanted to. That's usually why I stayed away from him.

“What the fuck? Does Josh know you're here?”

“Yeah. I was just up there.”

“I'm calling the police, dude,” he said. He reached into his pocket, presumably for a cell phone, “You are so fucking creepy.”

With confidence, I stopped him from reaching into his pocket. I grabbed his wrist firmly. I knew there was probably going to be a little bit of a struggle – at least for a couple of seconds, anyway.

I felt it instantly, and by the look on his face, he felt it too. It was a cold shock, something that I hadn't expected. I almost let go of his wrist, but knew that I had to hold on. He fell back against the railing of the stairs. I kept holding onto him. It was so cold. Just coldness throughout my entire body.

He tried to pull away from me, but he was weaker now – or was I just stronger? My arms were certainly looking thicker, my hand looked bigger holding his shrinking wrist. It was working. It was definitely working. I think he knew what was going on, but just logically couldn't make it make sense. He kept trying to break free, thinking that would stop it from happening, but I held strong.

I watched his eyes become dull and brown, his blond hair become brown and shaggy. It was then that I realized I was looking down at him. I felt like a giant. He was shivering, or trembling – I don't know which – as his body deflated, losing any athletic trait that it used to have. He looked so small now, his face seemed so much more feminine as it took on more and more of my qualities. Josh always told me that he preferred men who were more masculine. More masculine like Scott. More masculine like the man I was about to become.

The last thing that swapped were our clothes, so that I was suddenly in Scott's Best Buy uniform, and he was wearing my beat-up jeans and T-shirt. I was him, and he was me – in every single way now. Finally.

I let go of him, and let him fall back against the stairs. He looked exhausted and weak in my body. I, on the other hand, felt amazing, and I knew that I looked exactly like Josh wanted me to now. I stood up tall and proud, stretching out my new limbs. I couldn't wait for Josh to see me like this.

Suddenly, Scott got himself up and rushed at me. He was no match for me now. He hit me like a brick wall. He came back at me again, pounding his frail little arms at my now powerful chest.

“What the fuck did you do to us!? What the fuck did you do!?” he kept saying. Had my voice really sounded that girly?

“I don't know what you're talking about, Andrew,” I told him, “Now why don't you just get out of here before I call the police?”

I used the threat that he had used on me so many times, and it infuriated him. He started to cry. I'm sure he felt hopeless, and he should have.

Then, Josh came out of the apartment, wrapped in a robe. He looked so good.

“Andrew! What the fuck are you doing!?” he addressed Scott. I smiled. He couldn't tell the difference.

“I'm not Andrew!” Scott said, practically on the verge of tears, “I'm Scott! It's me, Scott! I'm your fucking boyfriend, would I lie to you!?”

Josh turned to me. I tried to appear completely clueless.

“Scott?” he asked me, “Are you okay?”

He came over and wrapped his arm around my waist. It felt so good. He loved me again.

“Yeah, baby,” I told him, pulling him a little bit closer, “I'm fine. Can we just go inside?”

“Yeah, baby,” he said, “Go ahead, I'm gonna talk to Andrew for a second.”

“Okay,” I said, and I gave him a kiss. I felt electric inside. He had no idea what was going on. He thought I was Scott. And why wouldn't he have? I turned away, and started up the stairs, smiling broadly now that my back was turned.

“Andrew,” I heard Josh say to my old body, “I'm really starting to worry about you. I'm with Scott now, and I'm happier than I've ever been. You know that I'm sorry things didn't work out between us, but you've got to move on, man. I mean it, I'll call the cops if shit like this happens again. Okay?”

Scott bawled in his new body. He must have felt hopeless.

“Josh, baby?” I turned around at the top of the stairs, “Are you coming in?”

“Yeah, Scott. I'm coming in,” he smiled up at me.

And the real Scott was left crying on the sidewalk, trapped in my body and trapped in my life as he watched me step effortlessly into his.