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Chapter 16

Jenna's POV

The house was dark when I unlocked the door, the hallway quiet except for the soft hum of the fridge. I moved carefully up the stairs, not wanting to wake Mom or Dad... but mostly because I was nervous.

I didn't say it out loud, not even to myself, but:

I missed Jaden.

Even though he was in my body.

Even though today had been absolute chaos.

I cracked my bedroom door open slowly.

The faint glow of Makayla's phone lit the room from across the bed, and that was all I needed to see:

Jaden and Makayla were asleep.

Together.

Very close.

Makayla's arm was loosely over him again, their legs tangled under the blanket, the kind of cozy unconscious closeness girls ended up in without even thinking about it. Jaden was on his side facing her, his face relaxed, breathing slow, a strand of my hair falling across his cheek.

And for the first time—

I wasn't jealous.
I wasn't upset.
I just... laughed softly.

He looked like he'd survived a hurricane of panic and then face-planted into sleep.

"Poor guy," I whispered.

I pulled out my phone and quietly snapped a picture — not to tease him meanly, but because the moment was priceless. He'd freak out when he saw it. I already knew it.

I backed out, closed the door gently, and tip-toed down the stairs and out of the house.

I let myself in through the side door. His room smelled like laundry detergent, cologne, and whatever boy-room scent I couldn't name.

Now that I was back in his body, my whole energy shifted.

The weird heaviness in my chest eased. The tension in my shoulders dropped. I stretched my arms with a groan.

I was me again... at least on the inside.

And for the first time all day, I did normal guy things:

* collapsed onto his bed without even turning the light on
* kicked off his shoes lazily
* cracked his knuckles (I hated it but he always did it)
* scrolled on his phone for like ten minutes
* drank straight from the water bottle on his nightstand
* tossed and turned until I found the position his body liked

I finally fell asleep hugging his pillow tightly.

And I whispered into the dark:

"Good job surviving, dummy."

Jaden's POV

I woke up slow.

The sunlight came in sideways through Jenna's curtains. The room smelled like lavender lotion and warm blankets. For a second I didn't know where I was.

Then I felt it:

Makayla's arm still around me.

I froze.

We were still close. Same position. Her forehead almost touching mine. Her breath warm against my cheek. Totally normal for two girls sleeping... but NOT normal for a guy trapped in a girl's body.

Okay. Don't move. Don't panic. Don't—

Makayla shifted slightly, her arm tightening for a second like she was hugging a pillow.