To Vincent’s surprise, Ian kept his word and allowed Josh to come back and watch over him. As evil as Ian could be, he could be kind if he decided to. Since Ian gave him the phone and let Josh come back, Vincent found himself lowering his guard around Ian. Truthfully, Ian could treat him worse, but he lived in a beautiful villa with a luxurious library, great food, and a guard to protect him. He supposed that things could be worse.

So, Vincent leaned into the privileges, even calling Ian throughout the day to ask him questions about something he read. He couldn’t get enough of using his phone and experimenting with all of its features. However, if he was being honest, he mostly kept calling because he liked hearing Ian’s voice on the other end.

Maybe he was just used to hearing it so much, so it felt weird not to hear it. It was hard to put any meaning to his thoughts and desires. Perhaps, wires were being crossed. All that Vincent knew to do was to ride this wave and not get on Ian’s bad side. He had seen what would happen if he did that.

So, he adopted a new routine to make the days easier. He made sure that he had time to himself, but he also allowed some time to be spent with Ian. He didn’t like the time that he had spent so isolated from him. In the morning, they had breakfast together. Then, Ian went to work, while Vincent read in the library or watched documentaries until Ian got home. They ate dinner, recalling their days to each other. It felt strangely… domestic.

“Send this back. He likes them scrambled,” Ian told one of the servants at breakfast one morning. He handed Vincent’s plate of eggs back.

Vincent lifted his eyebrows in surprise. For as long as he could remember, he had been given eggs made sunny side up, which was apparently how Eton liked them. It seemed like Ian was making more of an effort to get to know him instead of treating him like he was Eton. It was surprising, but it was also refreshing to not be treated like another person.

“Thank you,” he replied.

“I pay attention,” Ian said from across the table. “Scrambled eggs. Well done steak. Black coffee.”

Vincent found himself smiling a little to himself. Ian had been paying attention. Slowly, he had been able to implement his own lifestyle instead of adopting Eton’s. He convinced Ian to let him get new clothes because Eton’s were far from modest. He just didn’t feel comfortable in those clothes. Ian understood and obliged.

“What are you going to be up to today? Reading in the library again?” Ian asked with a light smile.

“I do like that library,” Vincent said. He felt safe in there, surrounded by answers and information. He liked being in a church too, but the answers weren’t so straightforward there.

“My great grandfather, George Quentin, built that library. He was also a lover of books. Over the years, we've all been influenced by him. I used to read in there a lot with my father when I was younger,” Ian told him.

Vincent’s eyes widened slightly in surprise. He didn’t expect Ian to be much of a reader.

“Well, I was actually wondering if I could go somewhere today. There’s a parish I found on Google that’s not too far away from the villa,” he replied with a hopeful look on his face. He knew that it was a big thing to ask, but he really wanted to go. Maybe being in a holy, familiar place could help straighten out his thoughts.

“What parish?” Ian asked, placing his fork down.

“St. Patrick’s,” Vincent replied.

Ian stared at Vincent for a few seconds, thinking to himself. When Vincent thought that he was going to deny him, Ian waved Josh over.

“Take him to the parish today. Keep a close eye on him,” he told Josh.

An uncontrollable smile broke across Vincent’s face. Finally, he could go to a church. He desperately needed to confess his sins, to seek guidance.

“Thank you,” he said, starting to stand up to go.

“You have to eat first. Please,” Ian told him, putting his hand up to stop Vincent.

Vincent nodded and sat back down. If Ian kept loosening up his grip, Vincent would happily agree to eating and chatting with him. When his scrambled eggs were served, he ate breakfast, trying not to inhale it.

Ian left for work after he finished up, brushing his hand along Vincent’s back as he passed by him.

Vincent held in a shudder, swallowing hard as he turned to watch Ian leave. He needed some clarity about his feelings toward Ian. He constantly felt himself toeing a line that he knew that he wasn’t supposed to cross.

***

The moment that Vincent stepped foot in the church, the weight on his shoulders seemed to double. He heard Josh trail him as he strode between the rows of pews, his heart pounding heavily. His steps were slow, cautious, like he was waiting for someone to jump out and scold him for his sinful thoughts and actions.

That didn’t happen, though.

“Wait out here,” Vincent told Josh as he stopped outside of the confessional. He needed to speak with the priest alone, and he didn’t want anyone but the priest and God to hear his confessions.

Josh glanced around, checking out the area before nodding.

Vincent drew in a breath before walking into his side of the booth, drawing back the red curtain and sitting on the bench inside. He glanced to his right, only seeing the latticed opening and not the priest waiting on the other side. It was now or never. He made the sign of the cross before speaking.

“Bless me, Father, I have sinned. It’s been… quite a while since my last confession,” Vincent said, stumbling over his words slightly. His perception of time was a bit off due to the whole switching bodies situation. “I’ve had strange desires toward… a man. I’m so scared that God will turn his back on me for giving into my desires.”

The priest was silent for a moment.

“Why do you believe these desires are strange? God created everything around you and inside of you, including these desires and thoughts. God has given you freewill to explore things that are new to you,” the priest replied.

Vincent parted his lips to argue, but his words died in his throat. What the priest said was true, but Vincent wasn’t used to being comforted when it came to committing sins. He was used to being scolded and warned of God’s wrath.

“Being with another man is a sin, though,” Vincent said.

“Who are we to judge? God loves everyone regardless of sin. He has blessed you with life, and it seems like you’re on a path to self-discovery. Don’t run from the path ahead. Embrace it. Find yourself,” the priest encouraged him.

It felt like Vincent could actually breathe. The weight on his shoulders lifted as acceptance washed over him. He expected to be judged, but all he felt was encouragement to explore what he was feeling instead of fearing them.

“These feelings make me want more. I’ve done things with Ian… things that feel right and wrong. I can’t tell,” Vincent admitted.

“Instead of trying to figure out if these things are right or wrong, just experience them. Pay attention to how you feel instead of how you think you’re supposed to feel,” the priest suggested.

Vincent was speechless for a moment. He felt so relieved, so heard. Finally, he felt like he had guidance instead of feeling so lost and confused. Instead of going against the wave, he was going to ride it.

“Thank you. I feel a lot better,” he said.

“You shouldn’t feel bad. No matter what, you are loved,” the priest said.

Vincent smiled lightly to himself and nodded. He seemed to forget that through all of his fear of damnation.

“I’ve never encountered a priest like you. It must be the times,” Vincent murmured. “Have you been a priest for a long time?”

“Yes, quite a while. Have you been to this church before?” the priest asked.

“No, it’s my first time here,” Vincent said.

“Welcome. I’m Father Leery,” the priest introduced himself.

Vincent started to introduce himself as Vincent, but he paused, his mind being torn away by something else.

“Did you say Leery?” he asked. He had a friend in his past life called Michael Leery who was also a priest. It had to be a coincidence, but he needed to make sure.

“Yes.”

“Could I see you? I think I know the Leery family,” Vincent asked.

“Of course,” the priest said. There was some shuffling as he exited the confessional.

Vincent left his side and completely stopped in place at the familiar sight of a broad, straight nose and dark hair. This Father Leery looked so much like the Father Leery of his time. He looked so much like his friend, Michael. 

“Are you related to Michael Leery by any chance?” Vincent asked.

Father Leery perked up.

“There was a Michael Leery in my family! He’s my grand uncle. Everyone says I take after him,” he said.

Vincent grinned, feeling disbelief that he was seeing his friend’s future family. It was surreal. If Father Leery was Michael’s grand nephew, then Michael’s sister, Susan, was the grandmother. She was ten in 1935, so she was around 97 now. Could she still be alive?

“Do you have a grandmother named Susan? Is she alive?” Vincent asked Father Leery.

Father Leery gave Vincent a surprised look.

“Oh, yes. You seem to know about my family. How’d you know about her?” he asked.

Vincent’s blood ran cold at first. He didn’t exactly know how to answer that. He couldn’t say that he was transported from 1935 into another man’s body in the present. That sounded completely insane, even if that was his reality.

“I just… let's just say I happen to know about them.” Vincent replied with a weak shrug.

“Oh, well, she’s alive,” Father Leery said, moving on with a smile.

Vincent couldn’t hide his glee. She was actually alive! She was a piece of his actual life that was here. Maybe he could see her, but would that mess things up? The path ahead seemed like a minefield, but he was still encouraged to walk it. There was no going back. He would come up with a way to see her.

After thanking the priest, Vincent had Josh take him back to the villa. It was time for him to follow the priest’s advice. It made him nervous, but part of him was excited too. He had been fighting these odd feelings for so long. The thought of just giving into them made his heart race. He needed to take a step forward.

Once he got back to the villa, Vincent ventured into the kitchen and told the chef that he would prepare dinner tonight. He certainly wasn’t as good as the chef, but he knew how to prepare some dishes. He had Google on his phone to help as well.

“What is Ian’s favorite thing to eat?” Vincent asked Josh as he walked around the kitchen, peering into the fridge and pantry to see what he could work with.

“I believe he likes pasta,” Josh replied, watching Vincent from the door of the kitchen.

“Pasta. I can do pasta,” Vincent murmured to himself, deciding on fettuccine alfredo. That was easy enough. He got to work, cooking the pasta, making the sauce from scratch, and baking some garlic bread. He went the full length, setting the table, dressing in a nice button down, and pouring them wine.

Now, all he had to do was wait. Ian was due any moment now. He waited at the dining table, tapping his foot under the table impatiently. Five minutes went by. Then ten. Twenty. Before he knew it, an hour had passed and two glasses of wine had been drunk until Ian finally walked through the door and into the dining room.

“Where were you?” Vincent asked as he stood from the table, looking hurt and upset. He stumbled slightly, his head feeling a bit woozy from the wine. He worked so hard on dinner to surprise Ian. Now, everything was cold.

“What’s going on?” Ian replied, looking at the table full of food with a confused look.

“I made you dinner,” Vincent said, gesturing to the pasta.

“Really?” Ian asked with an awed look on his face. He walked over to Vincent, reaching out to take his hand. “You did all of this for me?”

Vincent looked down at their joined hands, feeling his heart jolt. There were those feelings again.

Heat. Tension. Desire.