Chapter 1

Gregory had only meant to browse.

The department store was quiet that afternoon, the soft hum of overhead lights and distant music filling the wide aisles. He walked casually past displays of neatly folded shirts and mannequins posed in seasonal fashion, not really looking for anything in particular.

That’s when it happened.

Out of nowhere, something-or someone-slammed into him from behind.

“Whoa-!”

He stumbled forward a step, heart jumping into his throat. Instinctively, he spun around.

No one.

Just open space… racks of clothing… and, several yards behind him, a security guard watching the floor with mild disinterest.

Gregory frowned.

“That’s weird…”

He turned back around-

And froze.

A man was walking away down the aisle.

Not strange on its own. But what made Gregory’s breath catch was what the man was wearing.

A purple polo shirt.

Tan slacks.

Exactly what Gregory had put on that morning.

“Hey!” he called out, confusion spiking. “Wait-!”

But the man didn’t stop. Didn’t even hesitate. He just kept walking, disappearing around the corner.

Gregory took a step after him-and immediately felt something was… off.

His balance felt different.

His stride.

Even the way his clothes rested against his body.

A strange, unfamiliar weight shifted with his movement.

“What…?”

He lifted his hands in front of him.

They weren’t his.

Smaller. Slimmer. The fingers longer, the nails neatly shaped.

A cold wave of realization began creeping up his spine.

Slowly-almost afraid to confirm it-he glanced down.

The top he was wearing dipped into a soft U-shape at the neckline.

And beneath it-

Curves.

Pronounced, unmistakable curves.

Breasts.

His breath hitched.

“No… no, that’s not-”

Before the thought could fully form, a firm hand grabbed his shoulder.

“Where are you going, ma’am?”

The voice snapped him back to reality.

He turned sharply.

It was the security guard.

Up close now, the guard’s expression was serious, eyes focused and suspicious.

Gregory blinked, still reeling. “I-what?”

“Where are you going?” the guard repeated. “You were moving pretty fast just now.”

“I wasn’t-I mean, I was just walking,” Gregory said, his voice sounding wrong to his own ears. “Someone ran into me!”