“It can get kind of crowded, you know? Two souls instead of one. The bigger the soul, the more painful it is.”
“Does it hurt now?”
“Not much. This guy’s not too bright.”
“You are so going to owe me for keeping all this to myself.”
“That’s why I’m here,” he explained. “I know you’re getting ready to tell your Target you aren’t gay. You shouldn’t do that.”
“What? Why?” Telling the Target I was gay was exactly what I needed to do.
“I’ve been watching her like you said. Turns out she just went through a bad breakup. I heard her telling her friend she didn’t want to date anyone.”
Great. Could this job get any worse?
“So if you stay gay, you won’t be a threat, you know? She won’t have to worry about you hitting on her all the time.”
“We could be friends?” I said, trying to work it out in my mind. I was so used to dating the Targets I never really tried to be their friend.
“Exactly. Her very gay, nonthreatening, and unavailable friend.”
It wasn’t a bad idea. I was already unenthusiastic about trying to romance her anyway. At least this way I would only have to pretend to like her as a friend.
“Are you sure about this?” I asked.
He made a face like he was uncomfortable and shifted. “Yeah, I’m sure.” He shifted again. “Oh, and I heard her making plans today for some fundraiser. The person who was helping her put it together bailed. You should offer to help.”
I liked it. “Okay, I will. Thanks, man.”
“Sure thing. Now I gotta get out of here, drop this body. He’s starting to get annoyed.”
“Where are you going to do that?” I asked, still amazed he could take over someone’s body.
“Probably outside behind the building. If he doesn’t come back to refill your water anytime soon, it’s because he’s still waking up.”
“You mean that puts them to sleep?”
“Yeah, kind of. It wears off fast though.”
I glanced toward the door. I needed to get back out there. “I’ll talk to you later,” I said as he pushed the trashcan away from the door.
We both exited the bathroom, him going in one direction and me in the other. I wasn’t looking forward to sitting around with wet pants the rest of the night, but I couldn’t leave. I had too much to accomplish. My plans had changed. I was no longer going to try and date the Target. Instead, I was going to be the fun, gay friend who offers to help organize fundraisers.
This might actually work out better than I originally hoped.
Frankie and Rosalyn were laughing when I rejoined them at the table. “Ladies, sorry about that.”
“You look like you peed yourself,” Frankie said.
“My sister, the joker,” I said, trying to sound affectionate, and pulled on a strand of her hair. She looked at me like I lost my mind.
Maybe I had.
“So what did you want to tell me before?” the Target said.
For once I was thankful Frankie didn’t do what I told her to do.
I put my hand under the table on her thigh and squeezed. “Actually, I should be the one to tell you. After all, I was the one embarrassed.”
