Page 137 of Full Body Hit, Part 1

Auston felt the air rush into his lungs, his head, a gasp filling his mouth. His heart jump-started, an electric shock making it pound so hard it was cracking through his ribs.

What…what the—

The person in the kitchen turned, and the illusions cracked.

It wasn’t Charlie. It was Chase, wearing the exact sweater Auston had sent Charlie a little less than a month ago.

It was a soft, lilac thing with a drooping neck and sleeves that clinched at the wrists. Charlie would always pull the sleeves down, though, covering his hands, only the tips of his fingers peeking through.

Just like Chase was doing.

Obviously, there was more than one version of that sweater. Chase, now that Auston was thinking about it, would be about the same size. Or exactly the same size, really.

The same shape, too. The same colouring to his skin.

But that was a coincidence. It didn’t mean…

“Uhm…are you okay?”

Auston’s whole body flinched, hip twinging as he took a step back. His eyes focused, taking in Chase’s slanted eyebrows, his pinched mouth. “Yeah. Sorry. Spaced out.”

He unstuck himself enough to move forward even though his muscles were straining to run away as though he were stepping closer to a spectre, a ghost that had come to haunt him.

Chase’s eyes followed him. Auston tried to turn his gaze, but he couldn’t.

The sweater gaped slightly at the neck, a sliver of collarbone showing.

God, it was so familiar. Hadn’t he seen that neck thrown back as Charlie begged to come?

Auston walked right to the sink and stood there, pretending to wash his hands.

This was…this was just a coincidence. Chase and Charlie were different people. They looked alike, had gotten their hands on the same sweater—that didn’t mean anything.

Auston breathed. Of course this wasn’t Charlie. The universe couldn’t be that cruel.

He managed to put something together for breakfast, hands shaking with the residue of adrenaline. It was a relief when Chase retreated to his room, quiet and subdued.

Auston practically collapsed onto one of the stools. That had been so stupid. There was no way…

He should probably sit with this crazy theory for a while, but he was going to fucking die if he didn’t hear Charlie’s voice.

Charlie and Chase were different people.

He stared at his phone. Picked it up. In a low voice, he sent Charlie a voice memo.

“Hey. You wanna talk today?”

He got a message back.

“Now?”

That got Auston’s blood rushing again. He’d expected Charlie to say no, or to suggest a later time. He wasn’t ready yet.

Although…ready for what? It was just Charlie.

It was just Charlie.

Auston went to his room, closing the door behind him before calling.