To where I work. She can waste time there.

You crane your neck and work a smile. It felt kind of robotic, but you felt better. You grabbed your car keys and left your apartment. Ysabel lived in a shady part of town, but the people that lived in the complex didn’t seem too bad. They greeted you friendly enough, and an old lady tried to convince you that you needed to drink more tea. But you weren’t going to do that.

You got in your car and started to go to where you (the REAL you) worked. In the parking lot, you drove past your Emily’s car. She was working today. Perhaps you could use Ysabel to prop yourself and convince Emily that her boyfriend was an asshole? Sure. That’ll work.

You parked right next to a strangely familiar car-

“That’s Klaus’s car!” You beamed happily and then looked around. No one saw you, thankfully. “Ugh, Ysabel, you ditz! You can’t burst out like that anymore-”

Did I always act like this when I was alone? Whether you did or didn’t, didn’t change anything. As long as the world didn’t blow up as soon as you saw yourself, it made little to no difference at all.

Inside the store, you walked around a bit. You rarely came here on your days off, so it was kind of odd to be here. Especially with short-shorts on. A few people were staring at you— coworkers even. You felt weird.

Ysabel didn’t want anything. As in. Literally anything. She was so set on her path that nothing caught her eyes. You groaned and then leaned against one of the shelves. “God damnit.”

There was a small laugh beside you. Its owner was one you were very familiar with. The laughter was chased with a question. “Aaare you doing OK? Can I help you find something?”

You looked up. Those eyes! That hair! The signature smile! It was Emily! You straighten your back and work a laugh, which was followed by another one from Emily. The tension that was there was broken swiftly.

Ysabel was quick to reply. She was a natural talker. It left you, the real you, on standby. “I just caught this old dude staring at my legs. I swear, I can’t wear a dang thing without someone looking at me!”

Emily smiled awkwardly but then agreed. Telling you a few stories of her own, even the ones from around the store; some of which came from you…

The conversation melted into a 15-minute long discussion of shoes, skirts, and blouses. Why were you here again? You don’t know. But all you DO know is that Emily has no idea how to be a minimalist. All those colors? All those different brands? What happened to muted colors and making sure everything worked with your entire wardrobe? Ugh! Emily, what the hell?!

Despite your inner turmoil, you had to admit that Emily was rocking that solid-colored shirt and those skinny jeans. Your eyes drifted and focused on her makeup. Light, conservative, yet multicolored, and tasteful. It was no wonder Klaus liked— “oh, shit…” you muttered.

Emily knitted her brows. “What?”

“I just remembered something,” you said. “I was…supposed to see Klaus today, and I got carried away. Do- do you know him?”

Before Emily could answer, someone else suddenly popped out. It was your friend, Liam. “He’s working extra hard today.”

Your eyes met instantly when you turned, and a rush of heat washed over your face. It was Liam, your best friend. He smiled and said “hello” to you.

For some reason, you felt your heart flutter when Liam introduced himself to you. Your voice came out high-pitched, and your knees bent. “Heyy, Liam! It’s been like, ever since I’ve last seen you!”

His smile went crooked, and his hands went to his retail scanner and box cutter. “I saw you last week when you visited Klaus with lunch.”

“I- I mean like, talked and hung out, right?” Your heart felt like it was going a mile a minute. “We should hang out sometime. Like catch up and whateva.”

Unlike Emily, Ysabel’s tactic to break the tension was to invite or offer something. You couldn’t even resist the urge! You turned around and noticed Emily had left. SHIT…

Liam laughed under his breath and looked away. “I’m not sure if my girlfriend would like me going out with another girl…”

“As friends,” you chased with. “I mean, the three of us. Me, you, and Klaus have known each other since we were little kids. I don’t want anything to change that.”

You knew you were lying. Ysabel wanted much more than that, but you were talking too quickly for you to think of the right words to say. “When’s your lunch? I can take us out!”

“In about 2 hours but—“

“I live near the store! Trust me, it’d be nothing to drop by to hang out with you~” you smiled for him to do the same.

“I’ll text you about 20 minutes before I go then. I better not be an excuse to avoid something.”

You giggled and stepped forward. “Liam, I’d never use you as an excuse for anything. Shoot me a text. Just so you don’t think you’re using ME, I’ll let you know whether or not I’m still up for it.”

Liam smiled. He looked so handsome and relaxed in Ysabel’s eyes. You could feel the butterflies fluttering in her stomach as she stared at him. “You won’t stress me out if you can’t make it. Good seeing you!”

You struck a pose and winked at him. “Likewise. Make sure Klaus does his job, mkay?”

He stretched. “You do it. He’s back by his department. He’s super dialed in on his workload today, so you might have to act like a guest.”

“I’ll get his attention…” you say, going through the usual path which led to your workstation.

As soon as you dipped out of Liam’s vision - you exhaled and then covered your face. It felt like you were rushing your words, and you winked at him. WINKED AT HIM. You groaned and hugged onto yourself as the feeling of insecurity ran through you. You were so distracted by yourself that you nearly missed your station.

“Klaus!” You shouted at yourself. When you walked over, you couldn’t help but notice that you looked pretty good, probably because you were using Ysabel’s eyes. However, unlike Liam, you didn’t give your cousin butterflies.

“How’s it going?” Klaus said, perky and upbeat as he used his “guest service” voice. “Need help finding anything?”

You crossed your arms and puckered your lips. “You know who you’re talking to, brain. Come on!”

A left escaped Klaus’s mouth. His dead eyes looked as bad as you felt before leaving the apartment. Did anyone else notice that? A laugh started but only took a second for it to vanish. “Did you talk to Emily?”

“I did,” you stammered. “She doesn’t even know me, so we just ended up talking about clothes…”

Now there was a cold frown keeping Klaus’s dead eyes company. “You're going to mess this up.”

“Shut up,” you sighed, not having any energy to fight it. “I’m gonna try to do the best while I’m in this body.”

“Mhm,” the voice that left the body that was supposedly yours sounded so…different? “Well, until things are worked out, I’m gonna do what I think is best for US.”

“Such as?” You shifted your hip and rolled your wrist.

“Organizing. Cleaning. And tidying. Just like that book you started to read suggested.” Klaus replied smugly.

“Oh whatever,” you exhaled. “I’m going home. We’re— I’m having lunch with Liam, by the way. You want to come?”

Klaus shook his head. “I made lunch and packed it today. You two have fun.”

You start to walk away, but when your name (Ysabel) is called, you turn around and stare into the eyes that used to be yours. “Careful what you do, by the way. You might be feeling your host's feelings. Combine the host with the guest, and things might get a little…out of hand.”

“What do you mean?”

“Ysabel has a crush on Liam. WE have a close relationship with him. But, that could be a recipe for…something unattended.”

You both stared at each other for a few seconds. “Crazy talk. I’m leaving.” That is all you could manage. In reality, you wanted to hear a bit more of that comment, but you were already on the move again. When you return home, you sit on your bed and sigh. You had about an hour and half before Liam would call you.