Heavy breathing. Skin on skin. Heat. Sweat. Urgency. Merging. Passion - clashing with confusion as Charlotte opened her eyes the next morning.

She was lying in her bed, naked - her body satisfied from the night before, her thoughts lost. No logic. She turned her head, taking in the person beside her. The black hair, already a little too long, the lean body, the tattoo stretching across his back. She traced it with her finger, feeling the warmth of his skin.

Sebastian stirred slightly, turned to her but didn't open his eyes.

She had almost screamed when she woke up and saw him lying next to her. But the images flooding her memory sent heat rushing back through her body, leaving no room for protest - at least for now. She could worry about that later.

She was a woman with needs, and after the kiss outside the saloon, there had been no chance of ignoring them any longer. The desire in Sebastian's eyes had been too obvious - just like the longing inside her to be wanted that badly.

For a moment, she had considered being rational. But to hell with it. She could be rational the next day. She had always been rational. And where had that gotten her? A life on a farm, chasing after a guy - literally, considering how much time they had spent training together - who should have ended up with his childhood sweetheart long ago. And now he finally had.

Alex had told her: Him and Haley were officially together.

Charlotte had braced herself for disappointment. But when that feeling didn't come, she had no trouble being happy for him. And maybe now Haley would finally stop avoiding her like water after a fresh perm.

She rolled her eyes as she remembered Sebastian's jealous outburst. They would have to talk about that.

Then she noticed him watching her.

She smiled. "Good morning," she whispered, stretching. "Sleep well?"

"Better than I have in a long time," he replied, returning her smile. He reached out and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "We should've done this way sooner," he said.

Charlotte laughed. "I'll be honest, I did wonder what it's like to have sex as a guy."

"With you? Incredible."

"Still - good thing we didn't. I don't think I was mentally prepared for that. And who knows? Maybe I wouldn't have been able to pull it off."

"I'm sure you would've found the right hole."

"You're disgusting."

"You're beautiful."

The seriousness in his voice almost made Charlotte blush. But instead, she raised an eyebrow. "Have you been saying that to yourself in the mirror these past few weeks, or why is your confidence suddenly through the roof?" she teased.

Sebastian just shrugged. "I just realised my life can't stay the same. I've decided I won't just accept things the way they are." He smirked. "For example, I won't accept that you're still naked - but so far away."

And with that, Charlotte let out a laugh as he pulled her into his arms - turning off her mind for another twenty minutes.

It had actually been more than twenty minutes. After their first round in the morning, they had taken a long shower together, followed by even another round. It wasn't until Sebastian's phone rang for the third time - Sam had been trying to reach him repeatedly - and Charlotte could no longer ignore the need to take care of her farm that they finally let go of each other.

When Charlotte finally stepped outside and walked onto her field, reality hit her like a bucket of ice-cold water.

She and Sebastian had had sex. Multiple times. Amazing sex, fantastic sex - sex she had needed for so long.

But not with him! Not with the guy whose body she had literally been inside, the guy she knew didn't want to stay here any longer - while she was, ultimately, tied to Pelican Town because of her farm.

And his goal was one she would never pursue. No amount of money (or sex or whatever this was) could ever make her move back to Zuzu. It wasn't just about keeping the promise she had made to herself to live her own life - moving back was one of the very few things she had completely ruled out.

She watered her tomato plants, unable to feel the usual joy at seeing that some of them were already ripe. Her thoughts kept spinning in circles, unable to find solid ground. In general, she had nothing against something casual. But not with him.

Why him, of all people?

"Why? Because he's the first guy you've opened up to. In forever," Charlotte thought to herself and scoffed. She had let him in - first emotionally, then into her panties.

And now she had to deal with the consequences, like the way her heart beat a little faster every time she thought about him. Whether it was out of excitement or frustration, she couldn't tell. But definitely out of arousal, when, in the very next moment, he stood behind her and pressed his lips to her neck.

"I have to go," he whispered into her ear, and she felt the goosebumps spread all over her body.

"All right," she tried to say as confidently as possible.

That was probably the only thing she hated more than her own stupidity for getting involved with Sebastian - the fact that, this morning, in his presence, she was struggling so hard not to act like a lovestruck schoolgirl.

"I'll hit you up," he promised, running his hand over her waist one last time.

Charlotte nodded and blinked up at him. "If not, I'll find you," she replied.

"Dude, I was worried about you! You just disappeared last night and didn't even sleep at home," Sam said, clearly frustrated.

They were sitting in Sebastian's room, Sam on the bed while Sebastian was at his PC.

He was supposed to be working, but Sam had been waiting outside his house when he got there - and he hadn't taken "I've got work to do" as an excuse to leave.

Sebastian raised an eyebrow. "All right, mom?"

"You know what I mean. I seriously wasn't sure if you just took the first bus to Zuzu."

"At that hour?"

"You know what I mean!" Sam repeated, exasperated.

Sebastian turned to him briefly. "No need to freak out. I… had an alternative sleeping arrangement." He shot his friend a wink, and Sam's eyes widened.

"Seb, please tell me you didn't stay at Abby's…"

Sebastian scoffed. "Not a chance." His mouth twisted into a smirk. "You know, I had already seen Charlotte naked so many times recently - I figured I might as well do it properly. Or rather. Her."

If Sam hadn't already swallowed his Joja Soda, he would have spat it out.

"You… what?" he stammered, immediately thinking of Penny and Maru and their concerns about Sebastian not being himself.

"It was incredible," Sebastian admitted.

But Sam kept staring at him as if he had just announced he was signing up for the next season of Zuzu's Next Top Model. Then he cleared his throat. "So, does that mean you and Charlotte are… together now?"

Sebastian burst out laughing. "What? No. No, absolutely not. It was a one-time thing. Well. Four times, if you want to be exact."

"I don't."

"Once last night, then this morning, then again in the shower…"

"Seb, I really don't want to picture this," Sam groaned, rubbing his neck.

"But if she's okay with it, then…"

"Oh, trust me, she got her fair share of enjoyment."

"That's not what I meant. I mean: if she's okay with the fact that this isn't something serious."

Sebastian shrugged. "Obviously - I'm moving to Zuzu. If she wanted something serious, she'd have to come with me."

Sam let out a dry laugh. "Yeah, sure. You're acting all cool now, but last night, you looked like you wanted to murder Alex just for talking to her." Sam studied his friend. "And now you're telling me you just wanted to hook up with her once - and that if she finds someone else next week, you won't care?"

For a brief moment, Sebastian's expression darkened. "Like I said - I won't be here anymore."

"Already next week?"

"If everything goes as planned," Sebastian said simply.

Sam groaned. "I don't know if that's such a great idea. I mean, with the whole body swap and everything - you haven't even had time to process it yet."

"Now you're starting to sound like my mom again."

"You know what I mean. I just don't want you to rush into anything."

"Sam, seriously. I appreciate your concern. But I'm not rushing anything. I've wanted to get out of here for years - and now, I finally have the chance."

He turned back to his screen. "And now, I really have to work."

Sam's eyes widened. "Are you kicking me out?" he asked, swallowing hard.

In all their years of friendship, Sebastian had never insisted he leave before. They had worked side by side plenty of times - or Sam had gamed while Sebastian worked.

But now, Sebastian just shrugged. "I've got things to do."

Sam had stared at him, speechless, for a few more seconds before leaving the room without another word. He had slammed the door shut, prompting Sebastian to just roll his eyes.

It was about time his friend finally grew up - how was he supposed to understand how much work Sebastian had if he couldn't even be bothered to get a real job? Sebastian scoffed. No wonder he wasn't getting anywhere in life when everyone around him didn't even consider making something of themselves. Growing. Evolving - Yoba beware - changing.

He opened his email account and started a new message.

He typed in his father's first name and clicked on the program's suggestion, which automatically filled in the email address in the recipient field.

"Hi Dad."

Delete.

"Hello. I finally got your letter, must have gotten stuck somewhere in the mail."

Delete.

"Hi, it's your son. I got your key."

Delete.

He groaned. This shouldn't be so difficult.

"Hi - Sebastian here. Thanks for the key - I think this qualifies as an emergency."

Send.