You impulsively invite him in for coffee.

The drive to your place is quiet, but not awkwardly or uncomfortably so. You’re both just pleased with how things have gone, and there isn’t any reason to break the silence. Soon, he’s pulling into your driveway, and you see he’s looking at your house with an expression you just can’t quite place. “Huh, I expected an apartment or something.” It suddenly hits you that, for the very young body you’re sporting this is quite the place to live.

The home is in the suburbs of the city, and it’s fairly nice. It’s not great, it’s not fantastic, but it looks like the kind of place a person would settle down, to have kids. That was what you had in mind when you first started the mortgage, thinking of a future for you and the woman you thought you’d be spending the rest of your life with. Smiling wistfully at it, you tell Jared, “I know, it’s a bit much, but it’s mine.” You move to get out of the car and grab your new clothes, then stop. On an impulse even you don’t quite understand, you ask Jared, “Would you like to come in, look around? I can make you some coffee to at least start to pay you back for all you’ve done for me.”

You mean every word, even as sudden as the declaration is. You’ve never really liked owing people things, and after everything Jared has done, you want to pay the debt. Jared looks surprised, but he smiles and nods his head. “Sounds wonderful. I’ll help carry things in.” That’s how you and Jared end up splitting the load as you carry it all to the front door, where you fish the keys out of a pocket and open the door.

The house is dark, and it smells odd. It’s been quite a while since you were here. After all, the illness that sent you into the hospital came hard and fast. No one has been here in a long time. Jared doesn’t say a word, just following your lead as you turn on a light and set the bags down. Well, you think, at least the power is still on. You get to brewing that cup of coffee, and Jared follows you into the room. You don’t dare open the fridge. Forget mold, by now anything you left in that fridge has probably evolved human-level intelligence.

Soon, you and Jared are sitting at your dining room table, enjoying it quietly. It’s not great coffee, but it’s yours. You’ve been using the same beans for decades. Though they do taste really weird now. Apparently Katie’s taste buds will take time to get used to coffee. “So...” Jared says, looking around before settling his gaze on you. “Did you just want to give me the coffee? Or did you want to talk? I’m here if you wanted to share anything.”

That brings up a great question...why did you bring him in here? The answer is immediately obvious. You...find Jared attractive. He’s cute, he’s flirty, he’s got money. Something about being in Katie’s body has flipped your switch, so to speak, and you can’t deny you kind of want him. Do you want to just jump to that, see if he’s really that interested in you? The only thing that really gives you pause isn’t any lingering sense of manhood, but fear. What if Jared finds out who you are later? It could destroy whatever you start to build with him now. Maybe...telling him the truth now would be better.