I suppose it all began with a daydream. Mandy was new to our office and had been given the desk next to mine. I always found it difficult to talk to girls, and even more difficult to talk to pretty girls. Just passing the time of day with Mandy was nigh on impossible, she was that beautiful. Anyway; the daydream. I was stood here waiting for the tube when I had it, my mind wandering to Mandy. We had actually exchanged more than automatic greetings that day, she had asked me for some help regarding a piece of paperwork. Although it was just work talk it was an improvement on 'good morning' and I relished the chance of a conversation with her, even if I couldn't say what I wanted to say. That was what the daydream was really about; it had made me think. There was nothing sexual involved, such as what she looked like naked, that one I usually saved until I was at home. It was simply musing about asking her out for a drink, something I knew I'd never be able to do.
I smiled to myself and opened my eyes.
"Hello Dave. I don't remember seeing you smile like that before." It was Mandy, standing next to me on the tube platform with a wry grin on her face.
"M...M...Mandy. W...What are you d...doing here?" I managed to say.
Her grin widened into a smile.
"Catching the tube silly, what else do you do at a tube station?"
I went a bright red.
"S...sorry. S...stupid question." I was really flustered now.
"Are you always so suave around women?" Mandy laughed, taking pity on my woeful attempts at conversation. I was about to try and make a witty retort when I dropped my briefcase that I had been nervously fiddling with. As I quickly bent to retrieve it so did Mandy. Our heads met with a thud.
"Ow! That hurt." I said, looking back up and seeing......my own face wearing a puzzled expression!
"What the hell just happened?" The other me said.
Only one thing occurred to me.
"Mandy? Is that you in my body?"
"I think so."
"Then that must mean..."
"You are in mine. This is surreal, it can't be happening."
"But it is. What can we do?"
There was a pause, then the Mandy-me suggested.
"We could try banging our heads together again."
"Worth a shot I suppose. When you're ready?"
Mandy nodded my head. We pressed our foreheads against one another, pulled back a little and then smacked into each other.
"Oww!"
"Damn!"
We looked at each other.
"Didn't work did it?" I said.
"No. Try again, but harder?"
"Okay."
SMACK!
"Good grief that hurt." She said. "Anything?"
"Well, I've got a splitting headache now, but other than that..." I shrugged.
"No point in me asking for a date now then." Mandy grinned. Briefly I wondered if I looked like that when I used that face to grin.
"That's a very boyish thing to say." I accused instead.
"Well, I am a boy at the moment." She laughed.
"Well, I wouldn't say something like that to a pretty girl." I muttered, forgetting that I was the pretty girl just now. Then suddenly the same thought appeared to occur to both of us. "You'll see my..." I said, my eyes closing.
"And you'll see..." Mandy said, her hand going to her/my mouth.
"I think we'd better stay together. Who lives closest, me or you?"
"Fifth stop down the line." Mandy said.
"Mine is the sixth. So we'll get off for your place and then have another think. How does that sound?"
"First sensible suggestion I've heard from MY mouth." Mandy smiled. I was sure she was making better use of my face than I ever did.
The tube train arrived, giving me a surprise when a blast of air lifted my/Mandy's skirt. Luckily I had my hands down already. Mandy silently nodded her thanks. She led me onto the train, grasping my hand amidst the crush of people. We couldn't afford to lose each other, both having the keys to one flat and the knowledge of the other flats location.
We must have looked like a pair of apprehensive lovers, the way we clung to each others hand as we left the station. Mandy said her flat was only a short distance away, but even that brief walk was giving me problems.
"How do you manage walk in these high-heels?"
"Those? Those aren't high." She smiled. "It's just practice. Relax, that body knows what it's doing. Try taking shorter steps."
Grumpily I did as she suggested. It was a little easier.
"This skirt keeps blowing open."
"That's the long strides you still keep taking."
"And these tights..."
"Are you going to criticise my entire outfit?"
"Sorry." I said shamefacedly. "I'm just not used to girl's clothes."
"Do you think it's any easier for me?"
"Well, you have probably worn jeans or slacks at some point."
"But not boxers."
"How did you know about them?"
"I peeked." She grinned.
"MANDY!"
"Oh come on, face up to it. Sometime soon we are both going to have to get undressed and then we'll see...well, everything."
I sighed.
"I suppose I knew that, but I didn't want to think about it. It's embarrassing."
"Why? Got yesterdays boxers on?"
"NO!! And why are you teasing me so much?"
"Must be because I'm the boy." She gave me another one of those grins that I wanted to try when I got my body back. "Anyway, here we are." She indicated a front door. Inside was a flight of stairs up to another front door.
It was not a huge flat, but it was a reasonable size, certainly larger than mine.
"Nice." I said. "Do you think it would be big enough for the two of us, at least in the short term?"
"Why?" She asked suspiciously.
"Because I get the feeling that we both want to keep an eye on what the other is up too with our bodies."
"Sounds sensible enough I suppose." She said.
"Plus, I don't know about you, but I'm definitely going to need some help."
"With what?"
"Girl things. Make-up for a start; your body can't go to work looking like some clown is trying out a new face. Same with your clothes; I don't know what goes with what. And how do you put a bra on? I've taken one or two off, but..."
"I see what you mean. How do you go to the lavatory standing up?"
"Well, it's not actually compulsory." I smiled. "Just quicker and easier."
"Oh!" She went red.
"Are we agreed then? We base ourselves here and help each other as best we can? Hopefully we can switch back somehow, but until then we try not to mess up each others life?"
"Yes. That seems to be a plan, for now."
"Then we'll need to pop down to my place to get you enough clothes until the weekend at least."
"Good idea." She wandered off into the kitchen. "I'm hungry. Do you want a sandwich?"
"I wouldn't mind. What I'd like most is to get out of these damn shoes and tights and this skirt."
"There's a pair of jeans on the chair in the bedroom." She called out. "Some socks in the top drawer, and trainers in the bottom of the wardrobe."
"Thanks." I said, slipping off the shoes before I went into the bedroom. Here I was confronted by a world I'd barely glimpsed; a woman's boudoir. I took off the skirt and folded it up; it seemed the right thing to do. The tights followed, but other than untangling them I couldn't work out what to do with them. The other clothes were exactly where Mandy had said. I put them on, thankful for her tidy mind, trying to remember if my flat was anywhere near presentable. In comparison to here, it probably wasn't, I decided. I picked up the tights and walked back out of the bedroom. "Where should I put these?" I asked Mandy, who was carrying a plate with some sandwiches on.
"Did you ladder them?"
"Err, I don't think so. I didn't check."
"Drop them in the laundry basket for now. I'll have a proper look later. Have a sandwich." She offered them to me. I took one, taking a big bite out of it. Mandy nibbled more daintily at hers. I looked at the two of us and couldn't help smiling at the way we were doing everything back to front. "What are you grinning at?" She asked.
"Just the way we're eating. You taking little bites and me huge ones. The wrong way round for the bodies we have."
She stopped for a moment, looking at the sandwich in her hand.
"Old habits I suppose." She shrugged.
We finished our snack and prepared for the visit to my flat.
"How are we getting there?" Mandy asked.
"I'm not sure which way would be quickest. My place is a bus ride away from the tube station. Perhaps we could get a taxi?"
"Might be expensive." She cautioned. "The tube and bus might be better."
"Why not? It'll give me a bit more practice walking like a girl at any rate."
"Short strides, remember?"
"I'll try, I promise. Come on then, before I change my mind."
My flat wasn't in quite the state I thought, but it still looked messy compared to Mandy's. I went and found my suitcase and threw some clothes into it.
"Fold them properly!" Mandy snapped. "I've got to wear those."
"Sorry." I apologised.
"What else do we need from here?"
"I could use my laptop. And we need my shaver and toothbrush."
"And some clean boxers." Mandy grinned. "Why the shaver? I've got a razor for my legs and under my arms."
"Those are specifically for those areas. I don't think you can shave my face with your leg razor."
"I could have you grow a beard."
"I had a beard, but it grows straggly. Clean shaven looks better."
"You know best." She shrugged.
"Not always, but in this case I think so." I smirked. "Anyway, if I'm going to have to shave your legs, you can at least shave my face."
"Good point." She giggled. "Got everything?"
"There might be some stuff in the fridge we can use. It's better than letting it go off anyway."
"I'll find a carrier."
We walked back to the bus stop. Mandy had the case; I had the laptop and the carrier.
"You're getting the hang of swinging your hips." Mandy said.
"I'm not overdoing it am I? I wouldn't want to ruin your image any more than being seen with me will do."
"What do you mean?"
"Come on Mandy. Everyone at work knows I'm a hopeless dork when it comes to women."
"Maybe the guys think that, but from what I've heard from the other girls, most of them think you're cute."
"They do? You mean all I had to do was ask them out?"
