Collide Into You: A Romantic Gender Swap Love Story by Kelly Washington Page A
Authors: Kelly Washington
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deal with them than Zoe. That must be why I’m somewhat pleased to see him.
Dillan
I MAKE THE INTRODUCTIONS . “S TACEY , this is my new roommate, Keira, my best friend’s little sister. Keira, this is my date, Stacey.”
Our two seats are right next to Keira’s, so I place Stacey next to her, and I sit on the other side of Stacey. I’m not trying to avoid Keira, but I figure it’s best for everyone if the ladies sit next to each other. That way, neither thinks I’m doing anything fishy, like having sex with both. Not that Keira doesn’t already know I’m with Stacey, but I don’t want Stacey thinking the same.
But as wishes come true, both end up ignoring me and talking to each other all night.
After the initial hi-how-are-you-I’m-great-thanks-for-asking-how-are-you-doing is done and out of the way, Stacey gets right down to the very thing she wants to know.
“Tanner is your brother’s boyfriend, right?”
“Yeah,” Keira answers proudly. I know that she loves Tanner. “They’ve officially been together for two years, but it’s been longer than that.” Keira does finger quotes around the word officially .
Wait, what? No, she’s got it wrong. Tanner and Jon got together at the VonSault Rock Fest two summers ago. What else don’t I know about?
“That’s so sexy,” Stacey says. “I mean, I know Jon’s your brother, so you don’t think it’s sexy. But a man in love is something to behold. A man in love has his act together and he doesn’t have to prove himself to anyone around him.”
Keira has an odd look on her face, like maybe she can’t believe she’s enjoying her conversation with Stacey. Or maybe it’s Stacey’s profound view on the state of men in love.
“All I know is that Jon’s never been happier than when he’s with Tanner. It’s not lost on either that they’ll have a tough road ahead of them.”
I lean forward. “Because of their sexual orientation?”
Both women glare at me as if they suddenly realized I was a Yeti wearing a kid’s party hat.
“No,” Keira says. “Because Jon’s in the military and away from home a lot, and with Tanner in the majors, he’s gone half the year with training and away games.”
“I’ve seen it work,” Stacey adds. “My dad met my mom before he was drafted during the Vietnam War. He proposed, Mom said yes, and he went off to war, she enrolled in college and then a foreign exchange program. They were separated for seven years before they saw one another again. Since that date, they’ve never been apart for more than a day.”
“That’s an amazing example of devotion,” Keira says.
“Well,” Stacey says with a small chuckle, “they hate each other now. After fifty years, they pretty much can’t stand the sight of one another, but they don’t know how to operate without the other. My folks are highly co-dependent. It’s a fascinating case study. In fact, my brother went into psychology in order to study my parents and couples like them, and to learn why they usually stay together. Some of his papers for the Veterans Affairs have been published in Psychology Now . Perhaps you’ve heard of him; his name is Dr. Bergdorf Stacey.”
Keira shakes her head, but I already know what her next question is.
“So Stacey is your last name? What’s your first name?”
“Don’t laugh, okay?” Stacey says. She pulls her long blonde hair to one side and runs her fingers through the bottom half in a brushing manner. “It’s Bernadine. Berg is my twin. I think, to overcome the horrible joint nickname of BernaDorfy in our youth, we excelled at everything we tried. Sports, academics, public speaking, foreign languages, everything. I was a member of every club possible in high school and college. So was Berg.”
A few minutes later, the game starts.
We cheer as loud as possible when Tanner runs out of the dugout. Stacey and Keira talk throughout the game, but I only catch parts and pieces of the conversation.
For
Dillan
I MAKE THE INTRODUCTIONS . “S TACEY , this is my new roommate, Keira, my best friend’s little sister. Keira, this is my date, Stacey.”
Our two seats are right next to Keira’s, so I place Stacey next to her, and I sit on the other side of Stacey. I’m not trying to avoid Keira, but I figure it’s best for everyone if the ladies sit next to each other. That way, neither thinks I’m doing anything fishy, like having sex with both. Not that Keira doesn’t already know I’m with Stacey, but I don’t want Stacey thinking the same.
But as wishes come true, both end up ignoring me and talking to each other all night.
After the initial hi-how-are-you-I’m-great-thanks-for-asking-how-are-you-doing is done and out of the way, Stacey gets right down to the very thing she wants to know.
“Tanner is your brother’s boyfriend, right?”
“Yeah,” Keira answers proudly. I know that she loves Tanner. “They’ve officially been together for two years, but it’s been longer than that.” Keira does finger quotes around the word officially .
Wait, what? No, she’s got it wrong. Tanner and Jon got together at the VonSault Rock Fest two summers ago. What else don’t I know about?
“That’s so sexy,” Stacey says. “I mean, I know Jon’s your brother, so you don’t think it’s sexy. But a man in love is something to behold. A man in love has his act together and he doesn’t have to prove himself to anyone around him.”
Keira has an odd look on her face, like maybe she can’t believe she’s enjoying her conversation with Stacey. Or maybe it’s Stacey’s profound view on the state of men in love.
“All I know is that Jon’s never been happier than when he’s with Tanner. It’s not lost on either that they’ll have a tough road ahead of them.”
I lean forward. “Because of their sexual orientation?”
Both women glare at me as if they suddenly realized I was a Yeti wearing a kid’s party hat.
“No,” Keira says. “Because Jon’s in the military and away from home a lot, and with Tanner in the majors, he’s gone half the year with training and away games.”
“I’ve seen it work,” Stacey adds. “My dad met my mom before he was drafted during the Vietnam War. He proposed, Mom said yes, and he went off to war, she enrolled in college and then a foreign exchange program. They were separated for seven years before they saw one another again. Since that date, they’ve never been apart for more than a day.”
“That’s an amazing example of devotion,” Keira says.
“Well,” Stacey says with a small chuckle, “they hate each other now. After fifty years, they pretty much can’t stand the sight of one another, but they don’t know how to operate without the other. My folks are highly co-dependent. It’s a fascinating case study. In fact, my brother went into psychology in order to study my parents and couples like them, and to learn why they usually stay together. Some of his papers for the Veterans Affairs have been published in Psychology Now . Perhaps you’ve heard of him; his name is Dr. Bergdorf Stacey.”
Keira shakes her head, but I already know what her next question is.
“So Stacey is your last name? What’s your first name?”
“Don’t laugh, okay?” Stacey says. She pulls her long blonde hair to one side and runs her fingers through the bottom half in a brushing manner. “It’s Bernadine. Berg is my twin. I think, to overcome the horrible joint nickname of BernaDorfy in our youth, we excelled at everything we tried. Sports, academics, public speaking, foreign languages, everything. I was a member of every club possible in high school and college. So was Berg.”
A few minutes later, the game starts.
We cheer as loud as possible when Tanner runs out of the dugout. Stacey and Keira talk throughout the game, but I only catch parts and pieces of the conversation.
For
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