He looks like my past. He walks like my future. And something inside him is not right.Joshua made his way to the elevator and was already halfway through the fifth floor when he felt it. Not seen, not heard. He felt a presence like a pulse under his skin. Like a scent he hadn't smelled in years, a heartbeat that used to echo next to his in the back row of biology class, but that wasn't their first encounter; they saw each other again five years ago. He turned toward the glass corridor. And there he was, standing tall, looking cute and dreamy.It was Julian Blackwood. Well, at least... the face. The body. The smile. The soft curve of his jawline. But something in his walk felt... rehearsed, like he was practising his steps; it was just wrong. Joshua's chest tightened, just like it had in secondary school, the first time he saw Julian's smile and told himself not to fall for it. And again now, that same dangerous hope rising."It's him. It's him." Joshua's mind was filled with joy"But why now? And why... like this?" he adjusted and thought for a while. Julian, or rather the man wearing Julian, didn't even steal a glance his way. Brown adjusted the lanyard around his neck.Julian Blackwood – Creative Strategy Assistant.That was his assigned post; he was ordered to begin work immediately, and his plans were about to begin.He almost laughed reading it. A title so beneath him it felt like a joke. But this was the game now. Get in, get comfortable, dismantle everything Julian ever loved. Especially the people. He clocked the look Joshua gave him when he entered the building; it gave off this aching, nostalgic stare, like he had waited for Julian all his life. It told him everything he needed to know."You had a crush on him, didn't you? How sweet. How useful". He said with a devilish smirk on his face. Brown turned to leave as he coincidentally brushed past Brooke; he only looked into her eyes without acknowledging her, and he stepped into the open-floor office with practised ease. People introduced themselves. He played shyly. Polite. Innocent. But inside, he was making a list. Who trusts him? Who misses him? Who can he use?On the executive floor, Mr Brown Caldwell nearly dropped his phone when he caught a glimpse of a very familiar figure entering the fifth floor through the reflection of the elevator glass. His body. His face. His walk, almost, but not quite. A hallucination? A cruel trick? Then Brooke's voice floated in from behind him. "The new hire's settling in. Julian Blackwood, right? Seems nice enough." Julian (in Brown) turned slowly. His face dropped. Expression is dead and unreadable."What did you say?" "Julian. Blackwood. Jasmine brought him in herself. Crazy, right?" The world tilted. The hallway spun, he felt very dizzy, and he clutched the glass wall beside him and stared down. Brown.Brown was here. In his own body. He had returned. And now they were working under the same roof. "Even in another life, he found me!" he said, trying to maintain his balance. "What did you say, Mr Brown, and are you okay?" Brooke couldn't help but ask him instantly, I'm fine, Brooke", he concluded.Later that day, Joshua couldn't take it anymore.He waited until the break room was quiet. Julian walked down to the printer room to grab a coffee. Mr Brown had a special kind of coffee that only Brooke and Joshua served him. While pouring the coffee, he didn't realize when Joshua walked up to him and stood behind him, a voice called his name, and a smirk appeared on Julian's face."Julian?" Brown looked up, feigning surprise. "Yes?" Joshua stepped closer. "It's me, Joshua. We went to school together, remember? Year 11. You gave me your hoodie once after practice." Brown tilted his head, pretending to search his memory. "Sorry... Do... Do I know you? I don't remember much from those days." Joshua smiled faintly. "You used to write poetry in math class." Brown's expression froze for half a second, too fast for most, but Joshua caught it. "That wasn't me," Brown said smoothly. "You've got the wrong guy." And he walked away; meanwhile, deep down, he was just gathering more information to strike soon. Joshua stood frozen, heart racing.Something was wrong. That wasn't the Julian he knew."But it's his face. His mouth. His voice...' Then why does it feel like someone else is inside him?' Joshua has been having this thought about whether the people in his life are now possessed by another person. He is stuck in between, Mr Brown's unusual flirt mode and Julian's sudden backlash, even after all these years, and what happened just 5 years ago, he's not meant to forget about him easily. He still stood there thinking and brainstorming.Brown Caldwell's body sat alone in his office, but Julian's body and mind were shaking and unstable. He had spent the past few days trying to figure out the wish, the body, the lie. And now the answer had walked through the front door.His body had come home. But he wasn't in it. And truly, the man behind those eyes? Wanted to take everything back.
