On the lead-up to Wednesday, Annie rediscovers her love of cleaning. It's energizing, knowing her hard work will get an audience. She makes over her living room like a high-end gym, leaving a folded towel and a plastic water bottle on the Escadrille machine. She even moves her Zac Efron poster from her bedroom to the wall in front of the machine and puts a Post-It note on Zac labeled "#goals!".
It's even more exciting to pack a day bag – she adds her cozy robe, a butterfly clip to keep her hair off her neck, and a magazine. She finds herself waiting by the door, coat and mask on, ten minutes early, her heart beating like she's waiting for a blind date. They both agreed to be out of their respective apartments at 4:00 p.m., and out of each other's by 6. They even hid spare keys so they'd never cross in person.
At 3:59 Annie gets in her car and drives across town to Jeff's apartment. She feels cautious – nervous even! – finding the hidden key and letting herself in, but once inside she relaxes. His apartment is fancy but bland, like a nice hotel, and it's easy to pretend that no one really lives there.
Jeff has left out the bath bombs, which is important, since he didn't leave the key to his bathroom cupboard. He's also got a side table set up like a bar – Annie's not sure it's for her, but she helps herself to a finger of Scotch anyway and takes the heavy glass into the bathroom with her. The bath is spotless, the water is hot, and for the first time in a long time, Annie feels really and truly free of care.
Jeff was right – what was the risk? Annie gets dressed and puts her glass in the dishwasher. She returns home, refreshed and relaxed, the hair at the nape of her neck in curls. The swap was easy, no consequences. She never sees Jeff at all though they confirm by text that they should hang on to each other's keys – they even make tentative plans to swap again the following week.
Annie's apartment feels different, though very little has changed. The water bottle is in the recycling now. Two days later, she's sorting laundry and finds a towel. She gives it a tentative sniff to see if it's dirty – she doesn't remember using this towel – and gets a whiff of sweat and man. Instinctively she buries her nose in the towel and inhales, filling her lungs. A minute later she looks up from the towel, eyes wide and dark like a shark.
"Uh-oh," Annie says.
That first Wednesday, Jeff is in heaven. He only has eyes for the Escadrille machine, and he works hard, enjoying the punishment of his first full-body workout in weeks. He downs the water bottle in two gulps, flicks the sweat from his hair, and finally focuses on something other than the bike's screen. "Heh," he chuckles, noticing Zac Efron. As he pedals slowly, cooling down, he looks around the room, slowly becoming aware of other personal touches. It smells good in Annie's apartment, in a hard-to-place way. The dead plants are gone too – thrown out, he guesses. One philodendron remains, and it looks like it has seen things. There's a wall calendar.
Guiltily but not too guiltily, he gets off the bike and looks more closely. The beginning of the month is packed with notes and reminders. They trickle off slowly and there's two totally blank weeks until today, Wednesday, is circled, starred, and glitter-penned. "SPA DAY!"
Before leaving, he dries off with the towel she'd left hanging over a handlebar and lovingly wipes down the machine. "I hope I can see you again soon," he whispers to the Escadrille, tosses the towel in the bathroom hamper, and goes home.
He and Annie discuss swapping apartments again. Tomorrow wouldn't be too soon for Jeff. He misses exercise, God, so much. Eventually they decide same time, next Wednesday.
It's not until much later, after he's showered and eaten a light dinner of Scotch and meats, not until he's lying in bed in fact, that his eye pop open wide and he realizes Annie's naked body had been pressed against at least one surface in his home.
He forces his eyes shut and stubbornly doesn't think about that. He doesn't. He still doesn't. He definitely isn't, right now.