Happenstance - Part Three free porn video

Happenstance - Part Three By: Light Clark Synopsis: Now that she has put Reggie behind her, Rhea faces the life that was left to her, trying to pick up the pieces of her shattered self and put them together into new, cohesive whole. Chapter 11 "Get up, Rhea." The words weren't from George, badgering me into activity. My roommate wasn't even home at that moment. No, those words were mine and said only to me as I lay on my bed facing my first day as an official woman. Not surprisingly, I didn't find myself all that commanding. After all, I knew what I was going through. I knew that the order had no threat or willpower behind it. I knew that there was nothing that I could do that would really matter. In spite of all that knowledge, I sat up anyway. Reggie might've moped around and spent his days in sorrow, but he was gone. Rhea was the only person here, and she had nothing to complain about. Her life was exactly the same as it had been since the day it had started. No, if anything, it had improved, however marginally. It was still shit, but what else was new. Thrusting myself from the bed, I went about my usual routine, turning on my computer then grabbing some clothes before heading to the bathroom for a shower. While the water heated up, I checked my weight on the scale that I'd bought. I was down another pound from the last time I'd looked. That was good, but I still had a bit to go. "Ten more pounds maybe?" I guessed as I looked in the mirror, judging by the change in my dimensions compared to the weight I had lost. My hips were notably less wide, and my stomach on its way to being, well not tiny, but trim. Even my boobs had shrunk a little, although, I supposed that was, actually, sort of a bad thing. "Yeah, that or fifteen," I muttered, although, I still set my mental goal for the easier of the two estimates. I could always reassess if I ever reached it. Getting in the shower, I went through the task of cleaning myself, absently thinking about how terrified I'd been of it my first time as a woman. Now, it felt mostly normal. I had even started to sort of enjoy my showers again, soaking in them rather than fleeing the water like I was being chased by some horror movie villain. Enjoyable or not, I didn't linger too long. After all, there was still a day to get to, even if I would have rathered just lay in bed. Hair, clothes, and then back to my room to grab my glasses and sit down at the desk. Except, I didn't sit down at the desk. I just stood behind the chair, running a hand along the top, lost in thought. Did I really want to just sit there like always, pretending through another day? "I think I'll go for a walk," I mumbled, scooping up keys and phone before turning away. I couldn't say that there were any good reasons to do that instead of just going about my usual routine. The most poignant was that I just wanted something different, anything that could distinguish my new life from my old one. Plus, I could use the time to think about the coming day, and it might even help with the whole losing weight goal. Out of the apartment I went, then started off down the road. I figured that I would just go a few blocks then come back. Compared to my recent weekends, that should be easy enough to not even work up a sweat. As I drifted along in the world, my mind drifted along as well. At one point, I was just working through a code problem that I knew waited for me when I got back. At another, I considered whether I should start shaving my legs or even wearing makeup like most real girls did. Then, I was off to some video game, and after that to what George and me should do for our weekend exercise. Before long, I found myself at the corner that I'd planned to turn around at. Stopping, I glanced back toward home, toward friendship, toward a strange bewildering life. Turning the other way, I saw a wide world and a path that I could just keep walking down as if I could possibly escape. I couldn't say there was no doubt, no moment where I felt like giving up was the easier path, but I turned back toward home quickly enough. Then, it was back to walking, back to thinking about all the little plans and worries of my life. Truthfully, nothing all that meaningful happened between leaving the front door and coming back through it, but as I stepped back into the apartment, I felt much more comfortable there. When, I walked back to my room and sat in my chair to begin my work day, I did so with some semblance of agency rather than just some empty effort to keep George from worrying. As I worked, I even looked forward to the night ahead, my friend's return, the games we'd play, and a tasty supper. I still wouldn't have said that it was a great life, but it was the only one I had, and damned if I wasn't going to actually try to live it. *********************************************** *********************************************** "Hey," I greeted brightly as I met George out in the hall like I often did when he returned from work. Rather than just rush by to his room like usual to get changed, my friend actually drifted to a stop at the sight of me. As he did, his face twisted with apprehension. "Hey ... how, uhm, how are you doing today?" "Good," I answered, and it wasn't even really a lie. Maybe compared to my old life that wouldn't have been true, but compared to my current, I was good, maybe even the best I'd been since that day at the mall. "How about you? They run you ragged again?" "Actually ... no, not really," George answered, seeming momentarily bemused by my answer before getting into his own. "It was one of those rare blissful days without any major disasters to deal with. There were just a few minor ones that weren't too hard to clean up." "That's good, then you'll have plenty of energy for tonight," I surmised, glad to hear that nothing major stood in the way. That remark had my friend furrowing his brow in confusion. "Tonight? Is something happening tonight?" "Yep," I confirmed with a smile. "I'm feeling lucky, so I thought it'd be fun if we went a few rounds, see if I can't come out on top for once." "That so?" George questioned, raising a brow curiously before finally shrugging. "Well, you know the rules. I don't enter the ring without some fight money on the line. What are you wagering?" "How about the usual?" I suggested. My friend nodded. "Sure, I always welcome having fewer dishes to do. I've gotta get changed and make dinner first, though, so-" "I already ordered us some pizza for dinner," I headed off his plans. Chuckling, George's lips curled into a grin. "You were that certain that I would agree to your terms, eh?" "Let's just say I wasn't going to let you refuse," I answered with a wicked little smirk. "That so?" my friend mused, laughing again. With a shake of his head, he waved toward the living room even as he turned toward his own. "Well, whatever. I'm gonna go get changed. I'll meet ya in there." "Works for me," I agreed, turning to go set up the console and find a spot on the couch. As I did, I called back over my shoulder, "But if you take too long, I'm going to make you forfeit a round!" "Sure, go ahead!" George shot back. "Even with a mulligan, you still won't win!" *********************************************** *********************************************** "Just a second!" George called out at the sound of the doorbell without so much as missing a frame of the battle before him. On the other end of the couch, I was just as focused, no, more so. After all, the bell hadn't even registered in my thoughts until the big guy had commented about it. I was too intent on the game for such distractions. "And ... scooped!" my friend counted down his second, just before his character dashed forward to grab mine. As deep as my concentration was, I still managed to get caught off guard by the move, leaving me to just watch as my character got slammed into the ground to end the round. Victory secured, George dropped his controller on the table in front of him to spring up and start toward the door. "Coming!" "Damn it!" I cursed under my breath at the defeat, slouching back against the couch. Had I pulled out that last round, I would've ended up ahead in the count. A large part of that would've been because George took it easy on me in the early rounds, but I would've taken it. Instead, though, we'd ended up tied, which was never satisfying. "Want to go one more before we eat?!" "And let the pizza get cold?! Not a chance!" my friend called back just before he pulled open the door to greet the delivery guy. "Hey, man. Sorry for the wait." Shrugging, I tossed my controller onto the table as well. I could always badger the big guy into one last round once the meal was over. Besides, he was right. Only fools let pizza get cold when they have a chance to eat it all hot and melty. A few seconds later, I heard the door close just before George swept back into the room with pizza in hand. "Mmm, smells extra delicious tonight, doesn't it." "It would smell even better if we had a clear winner," I joked, pretending to be annoyed by the refusal of another round. Chuckling, my friend set the box on the coffee table, scooting the controllers out of the way. Once it was handle, he turned back to the kitchen. "Whatever, you want anything to drink?" "Just some water," I answered, having cut back on soda in my efforts to get in shape. "Right away," George agreed without missing a step. As he left, I leaned forward, opening the pizza box. A few wisps of steam rushed out just as the glorious food was revealed. With them, came the full effect of the smell, every bit as delicious as my roommate had claimed. Eager to taste the repast that made it, I reached forward. "Don't you dare touch that before I get us plates!" George's voice, reproving and stern, caught me in the middle of the act. Growling in frustration, I retracted my hand and flopped back against the couch. "Hurry up then!" "I am hurrying!" my friend retorted. A couple seconds later, he proved that correct, returning with some plates, and a couple of glasses of ice water which he set on the table beside the box. "See, I'm already here." "Too slow," I grumbled, darting forward to snatch one of the plates and a slice of pizza. Mmm, delicious. Rolling his eyes, George leaned in behind me, grabbing his own food and his first bite. "Ahh ... that hits the spot." For a few moments, the two of us just ate, savoring the first few tastes. Only then did the need for any further distraction arise, taking form by my say, "So, there's something I wanted to ask you." "Oh?" my friend acknowledged in surprise. "It something bad?" I shrugged uncertainly. "I don't know, maybe." Leaning forward seriously, George nodded. "Alright ask away." "How long do I need to wait?" I inquired before quickly adding. "Y'know, before I can show people I knew before." "Hmm ... good question," my roommate mumbled, leaning back thoughtfully as he chewed on a bite. I could tell the moment that he had an answer because he swallowed. "I think, ideally, we'd like to wait a year." "A year?" I blurted in shock. Nodding, George furrowed his brow. "Yeah, but that's not going to be feasible. Your job might be understanding, but they aren't going to let you just not come in for important meetings and reviews and stuff." "Yeah," I confirmed, having been about to mention something similar. "I guess that leaves the answer as, we wait as long as we can," my friend declared. "It's not a great plan, but the more time passes, the less people will doubt the possibility of what happened." While not exactly happy with the answer, I could understand the logic, so I didn't argue. It could be a very big problem if anyone doubted the lie I had to tell. After all, the truth was utterly unbelievable. Besides, it wasn't as if I was desperate for companionship or anything. I had George to help keep me sane. Friends could wait. "Who did you want to tell anyway?" George asked. Pulled from my thoughts, I shrugged. "Nobody in particular. I was just thinking it might be fun to call Beth and Andy for some D&D. If Carl still can't make it, we can just start new characters." "Ah, well, I think D&D is gonna have to wait, sorry," my friend apologized. "Unless you want to try Nate's group again." I quickly shook my head. "No, not after what happened. Maybe if they were long time friends, but with acquaintances like that, it would be too hard to put behind us." "Yeah, probably," George agreed with the assessment. "What about trying to find a different group? Find a pick up group at the store, maybe? I think they even run like a game day on saturdays." That suggestion was a difficult one. On one hand, it filled me with unease, dealing with a bunch of random nerds as a girl. On the other hand, I knew that I was going to have to get used to that sort of thing eventually. That latter hand seemed awfully week, though. "Personally, I'd rather just wait until we can hang out with the gang," my friend remarked. Glad to have that opinion to agree with, I smiled and nodded. "Yeah, me too. The two of us can just find other stuff to do till then." George smiled right back at me. "Definitely." *********************************************** *********************************************** Staring at the coffee table, I fought with myself over whether or not to eat more pizza. There was plenty left, even though, before all this mess George and I could easily finish one between the two of us. I knew it would be tasty, too, as well as prolong the meal a little longer. The problem was that I knew I wasn't hungry anymore. There was nothing to sate by eating more except my own gluttony. As such, I didn't lean in for another price. Instead, I layed back, slouching into the couch, resolving to be satisfied with what I'd eaten. "Guess we've got leftovers tonight," I remarked, glancing to the side where George sat. Oddly, I found my friend already looking my way, a slight smile on his face as he nodded. "Yeah, so it would seem. No big deal, leftover pizza is still great." "Very true," I concurred. "I'll probably eat it up later tonight in fact. Unless you want to stake some claim on it?" "No, go ahead," George told me, waving off the offer. "I don't know when I'd get a chance to eat it." "Damn, I was hoping you'd want it, so I could eat it all anyway and piss you off," I joked, pretending to be disappointed. Chuckling, my friend shoved himself from his seat to start cleaning up. "Well, sorry to disappoint you." "You should be," I huffed, keeping up the charade for another moment before laughing myself. A second later, I asked, "So, dinner's done. You have to flee to your room to do some boring work or you got some time tonight to hang out?" "Hmm," George hummed as he stacked up the box, plates, and cups to carry them into the kitchen. "I do have some work to do, but it shouldn't take too long, so I suppose I can hang for a bit. Have something in mind?" "I was thinking a tie breaker," I suggested, pointing toward the TV. "We could even raise the stakes for this part." In the kitchen, my friend shook his head. "Nah, I like the tie. Keeps things in suspense until the next bout." That reasoning had me rolling my eyes. "It's not like we've got an audience to captivate here, G-man. We need to crown a champion already!" "Well, we're not gonna do it tonight," George refused outright. "Not that the title is really in question. I've won like twenty-nine of the last thirty times we've fought." "But tonight I'm feeling lucky!" I declared, falling back on my earlier claim. "All the more reason to not do it," my friend retorted. "Gotta ice ya before the final deciding match." Sighing, I flopped my head back against the couch. "Ugh, fine. What do you want to do then?" "Hmm, good question," George hummed as he finished up in the kitchen and walked back to the couch. The entire way, he didn't say another word, nor did he speak once he'd plopped onto the couch again. He just sat there rubbing his chin. "Well?" I prompted impatiently. "You going to suggest something or just waste all our time stroking yourself like some prurient pubescent." Dropping his hand, my friend tossed a glare my way. "I'm thinking, you demanding debutante." "And I'm telling you to just pick something already, you pedantic pedagogue!" I shot back. "Actually, pedagogues are already pedantic by definition," George corrected haughtily. "They're also teachers, and the only schooling I offer is when you challenge me to fight nights." "Just pick something!" I yelled, rather than try to come up with a more cerebral retort. Chuckling, my roommate raised his hands in defeat. "Alright, alright, you were looking to play some D&D, right?" "Yeah," I confirmed. "But I thought we agreed it would be better to not just grab some random group." "We did, but there's another option," George noted. "We could play just the two of us. You could start off alone and build a party out of NPCs." Furrowing my brow, I mulled over the suggestion. "I've never done that before." "And what? You think you can't?" my friend questioned antagonistically. "No!" I denied immediately. "I'm just not sure if it'll be any fun, especially since last time you were the DM, you murdered the whole party in the first dungeon." "You're the ones that weren't checking for traps," George pointed out, diverting the blame. "Who puts a trap that can do more damage than anyone has health in the first dungeon!" I growled. "It was even AoE, so it got us all in one go!" Acting completely innocent, my friend just shrugged. "Well, whatever, that's my suggestion. Take it or leave it." Sighing, I slouched wearily. "Fine ... we'll play just the two of us, but I get to be something cool, like a dragon or something." "Sure, why not?" George agreed without a hint of argument. "Won't make you any harder to ki-I mean, to write a campaign for." My eyes narrowed at the obviously intentional slip. "You try to pull some shenanigans, and I'll make you pay for it. You know I can." "Don't worry," my friend assured me. "I'll play straight up." "You'd better," I remarked cautiously before rising from my seat. "I'll go print off a sheet to get started then." *********************************************** *********************************************** Chapter 12 The satisfying pop of a racquetball getting hit echoed in the room as my hand swept across. The little thing shot away, hitting the wall. By that point, I could already hear the squeak of shoes on the floor as George started to move to receive. He proved a little overeager, though, stumbling slightly on his take off. That lost step was all it took, allowing the ball to skirt past him a few inches out of the reach of his futile attempt at a swing. "Game!" I declared grandly, throwing my hands up in victory as the ball hit the floor a second time to score me the final point I needed. Folded over and panting for breath, my friend just lifted his head enough to look my way and nod. "Nice shot." "All my shots are," I answered arrogantly, letting my hands fall back to my sides. I resisted the urge to double over like my roommate had, though, in spite being quite winded myself. "We out of time or going one more?" As the only one of us wearing a watch, George flipped his hand up to check. "Looks like out of time ... thankfully." "What? Afraid I'd kick your ass again?" I question, still lording over my triumph. "More like afraid I'll pass out," my friend replied as he took a deep breath and pushed himself upright again. "It's going to be tough enough just walking to the car." Twirling my racquet, I smirked. "That's the problem with being so ginormous. Gotta lug yourself around all over the place." "Well, unless I luck into finding a mall genie like you, I think I'm pretty stuck with being huge," George remarked as he started toward the door. "Now, come on, I don't have the energy to stand here while you gloat." "Alright, I guess I can always gloat on the way," I conceded, falling into step with the guy. As we left the court, though, a different worry popped into mind. "Actually, can you return this for me?" I asked, offering my racquet to the man. "I need to take a leak." "Sure," my friend responded, taking the item without argument. "Meet ya at the car?" "Works for me," I agreed before turning toward the restrooms. Along the way, I tugged out my ponytail, grown loose from all the exercise, and quickly redid it. I was so used to it, I didn't even consider it a nuisance anymore. It was just a fact of living with long hair, a situation that I had no plans to change. Like the hair, going to bathroom had once been a worry that plagued my mind. Being in the women's room had made me feel nervous and out of place, and having to sit to pee had been a nuisance. Now, I swept into the room like a carefree breeze, and went about my business with the same easy routine that I had as a man. I supposed that a person could get used to just about anything if they did it enough. As I was coming out of the stall, though, I ran into something that I still had not gotten used to. There was a blonde girl loitering at the counter, fixing her makeup. When I approached she used the mirror to glance my way and smile. Instantly, I felt uneasy. Guys never did stuff like that; never loitered at all. They got in and they got out, usually with as little eye contact and talking as possible. There was an unspoken understanding that it was an awkward situation and everyone should just avoid it. Not girls, though, they didn't have the same perspective at all. Forcing a smile back at the girl, I stepped up the sink to get my job done. First, I'd wash my hands, then I'd splash some water on my face to cool down and clear the sweat from my work out. Then, I could just turn and go. I got about half way there, water pooled and ready to toss, when my efforts were ruined. "I like your hair," the other woman remarked. "Uhm ... thanks," I answered awkwardly, splashing the water on my face in the hopes of being able to turn and go before any more was said. "I wish mine was that long," the woman continued, reaching up to twirl one of her short locks. "I just never can manage it, though. Bleaching makes it so brittle, and trying to get past that awkward mid-length is just so ... bleh." "Yeah ..." I agreed without any understanding. My hair had never been in between. One day it was short, the next long. I'd never bleached it or dyed it or anything like that either. All I could do was just assume the woman knew what she was talking about. Unfortunately, my limited responses and obvious awkwardness didn't get through to the other girl as she kept right on blabbing. "But, better short hair than my real hair color. It's this awful, drab brown. Not like yours. What kind of conditioner do you use to get it to shine like that, anyway?" "Uhm ..." I mumbled having no idea how to answer. I hadn't even considered that I should be using different hair products. As such, I was still using the same cheap, guy shampoo as I used to. " ... sorry, but I'm kinda in a hurry." "Oh, okay," the blonde chirped brightly, seemingly unbothered by my weak excuse. "Bye." "Bye," I offered back before quickly turning to hurry out, lest the woman find a way to drag me back into conversation. Sighing in relief as the bathroom door closed behind me, I shook my head and kept right on going. George was probably already waiting for me at the car, after all. The whole way there, though, I thought about the exchange in the bathroom, wondering if time would make me get used to that sort of thing, too. *********************************************** *********************************************** "So what's for dinner tonight?" I asked as I came out of the bathroom, fully dressed but still towling my hair dry after my shower. Sprawled on the couch, George managed a weak shrug. "No idea. I haven't even thought about it." "Well, you'd better start, cause it's about time to get cooking," I pointed out, walking over to sit on the other end of the sofa. "You know, you could always cook for once," my friend retorted. "It's not like you don't know how." "Sure, I could, but I'm lazy," I replied with a mischievous grin. "Besides, I'm the one that won. Loser should have to cook." Chuckling, George tossed a confident smirk my way. "I don't think that's a precedent you want to set, Rey. I've won more times than I've lost." I shrugged off the worry. "Whatever, I'm still too lazy to do it, and since you're too tired, why don't we just order something?" That suggestion earned an unwelcome look from my friend. "Nah, I'm sick of everything that delivers here." "Go out somewhere then?" I suggested, preferring that to having to suffer through the chore of cooking. "Or did I run you so ragged that you can't even manage to get off your butt anymore." Rather than play along my remarks, George focused on the suggestion, humming thoughtfully. "Hmm ... yeah, that'll work. Where you wanna go?" "I don't know," I muttered with a shrug. "How about O'Malley's? I could go for a steak right about now." "Sounds good to me, especially the fact that they have beer," my roommate agreed, wincing as he started to sit himself up. "I could really use a beer." Chuckling, I popped up from my seat only to wince as well. I might've had it a bit easier than my friend, but that didn't mean I wasn't still sore from the work out. "Guess I should go grab my keys then." "No hurry," George replied, waving me off. "I still gotta get a shower and get changed. Be ready in twenty or so?" "Just yell at me when you get out of the shower," I told him, starting off toward my room. "I'm gonna play some games till then." Shoving himself to his feet, my friend nodded. "Will do." *********************************************** *********************************************** "So, think you might be up for something once we get back?" I asked as the car came to a stop at the restaurant, allowing me to pop open my seatbelt and slide out. "Maybe, why?" George inquired, getting out a moment after me. "Have something you want to do?" "Yep," I confirmed, starting toward the building. "I wanna continue that solo campaign we started the other night." Smirking, my friend raised an intrigued eyebrow. "Oh? Enjoyed it that much, did you?" "Hell no!" I spat dismissively. "I'm just still pissed that I had to run from those damn dragon hunters and leave all my riches behind. I want my hoard back, damn it!" "I don't see why you're so upset," George remarked, smirking wickedly. "It's not like you were rolling in riches or-" "Yes, I was!" I retorted pointedly. "Literally, in fact." "Well, yes, I suppose you were," my friend conceded with a chuckle. "But by dragon standards you were pretty poor. After all, you're only barely an adult." Scoffing, I waved off that argument. "Pfft, Vesriandrixalia, may be young, but that's not going to stop her from frying those fools for daring to tangle with a red dragon." That claim twisted George's lips into a grin. "It did last time." "No, it didn't!" I blurted defensively. "They had potions of fire protection then, but potions don't last forever!" "Right, right," my roommate conceded patronizingly as he reached the door and pulled it open. "Regardless, I don't think I'm going to be up for more of that tonight. It's been a long day. Why don't we save it for tomorrow." "Fine," I conceded in disappointment as I slipped through the door to grab the second one of the entryway. "How about a movie tonight then?" Stepping by me into the restaurant proper, my friend nodded. "Sure, that'll w-" "George Bakal?" a new voice, male and vaguely familiar, interrupted. That name pulled both our attentions away from our conversation and off to the side. The restaurant was a little crowded, so there were a few people waiting for tables. One of them was the speaker, whose face was much easier for me to recognize than his voice. After all, I didn't know that many men with red hair, although, I hadn't seen this particular one since college. That one trait was still enough to jog my memory about him, a guy named Daniel Sayer. "Daniel!" George blurted in surprise, apparently having also placed the man. "What a surprise! I haven't seen you since before we went to law school. How have you been?" "Good, good," Daniel replied, nodding in time with the words. "I got engaged actually," he said, turning toward the man standing next to him. He was a tall, handsome, dark-haired man with a erudite quality to his features. "This is my fiance, Matt." "Really?!" my friend gasped in surprise. I was more than a little taken aback as well. It had been a few years, but the Daniel I remembered was straight, and kind of a ladies man at that. At no point had he given any indication that he was gay or even bi. Having him announce a man as his fiance was certainly out of left field. "Yep, I know what you're thinking, 'but I don't remember him being gay', and I didn't think I was either," the red haired guy replied. "It wasn't until law school that I ended up giving it the old college try and never did go back." "Amazing," George replied, extending a hand first to Matt then Daniel. "Well, it's a pleasure to meet you, Matt, and congratulations to you both." "LIkewise," the dark haired man responded politely, as he took the offered hand. "Thanks," Daniel replied when it was his turn to shake. "Can't tell you how lucky I am to have him." "Oh stop it, Danny," Matt chastised, speaking in a more stereotypical manner complete with effeminate hand wave. Chuckling, the redhead's attention shifted toward me. "And apparently some congratulations are in order for you as well for having this lovely lady at your side this evening," he commented as he extended a hand toward me. "Daniel Sayer, college friend of this man right here, and his buddy Reggie, too, for that matter." With his hand still offered to me, he glanced over at George. "Where is the little guy anyway? You two used to be inseparable." In the wake of that question, there was a moment of uncertainty. George looked at me, clearly wondering what I wanted to do. I had no idea, though. Who plans to run into some estranged friend from years ago at a restaurant? Should I lie? Daniel clearly thought I was with George. Should I go with the truth, or at least, the truth that I planned to tell people? I was supposed to wait as long as I could, but that was with people that had seen me recently. That wasn't true of this guy. "Right here, Daniel," I gave my answer at the end of that moment, a slight nervous quiver creeping into my voice. There was no gasp or laughter or any other significant reaction from the redhead. He just blinked at me with a confused look on his face. "What?" "It's me, Dan, Reggie," I clarified, pointing toward myself. "Although, I'm going by Rhea these days." Another blink slipped by before what I'd said finally hit home for Daniel, leaving him wide-eyed but able to speak. "Wow ... that's uhm ... you look great. I never would've guessed." "Thanks," I replied, unsure of how I should feel about the man's reaction. "I got pretty lucky." "I'll say," Daniel complimented as he looked me over. When his eyes went back up to mine, they were joined by a grin. "So, does this mean you two finally realized your love for one another and got together?" It took a great deal of effort to suppress a wince when I heard that supposition. Instead, I forced a strained smile onto my face. "No, we're just friends." "That and roommates," George added. "Just like back in college, huh?" the redhead remarked with a shrug. "Well, whatever works for ya. Still-" "Sayer, party of two," the hostess's voice called out interrupting the conversation. Daniel glanced over that way in annoyance. "Damn, I guess that means it's time to part ways." "Or, we could go tell them to make it for four instead," Matt offered pleasantly. Daniel gave his fiance an uncertain look. "You sure? I don't want you to have to sit there odd man out while we reminisce." "I don't mind," Matt assured him. "In fact, I think this'll be a good chance for me to hear a few nice stories about your wild hetero days. I've always wondered about that." "Alright," the redhead agreed with a chuckle before turning toward George and I. "What do you say, you two? Share a meal?" As with the last question, my roommate glanced toward me, making it clear that it was my choice. If it was going to be too awkward, I could bail. I could even just signal that to him, and he'd probably take the blame for me. I'd never get used to dealing with people as Rhea if I always ran away, though. Plus, this was as good of a trial run as I was likely to get. "Sounds good to me," I agreed, keeping my hesitance off my face and out of my voice. "It'll be nice to catch up." "Great," the redhead replied, turning away. "I'll just go let them know then." *********************************************** *********************************************** "Whelp, it was great seeing you two again," Daniel remarked as the four of us funneled out of the restaurant into the parking lot. "We should do this again, sometime, and maybe not wait another half decade on it." "Sure thing, Dan," George replied, reaching out to shake the man's hand. "Nice to have you around again." After the shake, Daniel turned to me to add, "And you, little lady, don't get too much prettier or Matt'll start worrying about me going back to women." "Please, like I'd ever have to worry about that," Matt dismissed, even as he slid an arm around his fiance. "No one's going to treat you as good as me." "Really? Because I remember when that busty secretary started at my firm and you were practically hy-" the redhead started to tease the other man. A firm jab in the ribs put a quick end to that, though. "Story time's over, sweetheart," Matt pointed out, his tone a bit icy. "Finish saying goodbye before you say anything too embarrassing." Chuckling, Daniel turned back to George and I, dipping his head slightly. "Goodbye, my friends. Until next time!" "Until next time," my roommate and I said in unison. With that said, the group of four split, each headed in opposite directions to get to their cars. I waited a couple of steps before letting out a weary sigh. It wasn't that the evening had been abysmal or anything, but it had been exhausting. Daniel was a curious and chatty person, so he'd spent a good chunk of the meal pestering me for details about my switch in gender. In turn, I'd had to come up with answers, many of which I hadn't even considered before that evening. I seemed to do alright as neither the redhead or his fiance commented about any oddities in my answers. Even so, it had been nerve wracking for me, and I was glad to have it behind me. "You did good," George remarked in response to my heavy sigh. "Thanks," I muttered, wiping at my face as if to clear away my fatigue. "Think I'm going to get that many questions every time?" "Probably," my friend admitted as we reached the car. "Although, Daniel's a bit chattier and more brazen than most people, so maybe like only ninety percent as many." Groaning at that still exhausting estimate, I pulled open the door and dropped onto my seat. "I need to like print up a pamphlet or something, 'Everything you need to know about Reggie's sex change'." I remarked, swiping my hands across in front of me grandly. As soon as that gesture was done, I flopped back in the seat to let out another sigh and shake my head. "Probably wouldn't even stop the questions." Chuckling, George slid into his seat as well, getting ready to start the car. "Probably not, but it's not that bad really. You only have to do it once per group of friends that you tell. With new people, you can just say you're Rhea, and no one will ever think to question it." "Yeah ..." I mumbled. The big guy was probably right. Throughout dinner, Daniel had repeatedly remarked about how thoroughly female I looked and how he never would've guessed that I used to be a guy. That was no surprise, really. After all, I'd been magically transformed, so there wasn't some lingering male attribute around, outside of my mannerisms. Female nerds often acted manly enough that even those weren't cause to question anything. "Something wrong?" my friend asked, offering me a concerned glance. Looking up from my thoughts, I smiled and shook my head. "Nope, just tired from all the worrying." "I know what you mean," George replied as he started the car. "It was good to see him again, but I forgot how much he talked. Felt like I was being buffeted by an endless torrent of words." Chuckling, I nodded in agreement. "Yeah, he's definitely a chatterbox. Good guy. Fiance seemed nice, too, when he got a word in edgewise, anyway." "Yeah, we may just have to take them up on that offer to hang out," my roommate remarked. "We are sort of short on friends to interact with at the moment." "True, but you know what else is fun?" I questioned. "Staying home, so I can burninate myself some fucking dragon hunters." *********************************************** *********************************************** Chapter 13 "Mmm, feels nice. Kinda chilly, though," I mused as I ran one hand along my calf. For my entire adult life, that actually would've meant rubbing leg hair, but not anymore. That day, I'd decided to try shaving my legs. After all, that was just something that girls did. In total, the task hadn't been all that bad. I hadn't performed perfectly on my first try, but it wasn't that difficult. It took a little longer than shaving my face had, though. That was probably my biggest complaint with it. However, it looked, and apparently even felt, a lot better, so I figured that I'd stick with it for now. "Not sure I can say the same about this skirt, though," I muttered, glancing down at the garment around my hips. It had been a big day for experiments, the results of a fairly annoying shopping trip. The skirt was one of the items that I'd picked up at the time, partially on a whim, and partially for another reason. Summer was waning, meaning my warm days were limited. At the moment, though, my female wardrobe contained nothing heavier than shorts. Even if it had more than that, I had developed another problem. Losing weight had done a lot to change my sizes, and now, a lot of what I had bought back when I'd first been changed was getting quite loose. Picking up the skirt had been an excuse to check just how big of a difference it had made. The answer was quite a lot. "Not looking forward to having to go out again," I grumbled over the inevitable chore. I did not enjoy shopping, especially not clothes shopping. Even the affirmation that came from fitting into smaller clothes, and looking better in them, did not change that simple fact. In fact, it wasn't even close to enough to offset that massive negative that was having to deal with the girls section. There were so many styles, ninety percent of which either looked awful on their own or on me. When I did find something, it would often still not fit right or my sizes would only be available in the wrong color, or all sorts of other things. It was awful. Sighing, I shifted position, scooting my legs out from under me on the chair, so that I could get to work. I'd already missed most of the afternoon, picking up the various female items that I'd wanted to try, shaving cream, razor, new shampoo, the dreaded skirt, even a scrunchie which had turned out to look pretty good on me, in my opinion. All that wasted time meant that I had a lot of work to catch up on for the day. I was almost glad for that fact, though. After all the girliness, it was a welcome distraction. As welcome as my job was, it felt like I'd barely gotten started before I heard the sound of the door and George's return home. When I glanced at the time in surprise, though, it was in fact that late. There was still a ton of work left to do, but I supposed that it could wait for the evening. Distracted by the odd day, I was a little slower than usual to get to the door, just barely spotting George as he vanished into his room. Not seeing him didn't stop me from talking, though. "Hey, how was work?" "Same old same old," my roommate called out from within his room. "So I should prep the phone to order in because you're too frazzled to cook?" I joked lightly. "Not that ... bad ..." George started to say as he came out of his room only to sort of trail off when he saw me. Stopping, he stared at me, blinking in surprise. Confused by the way my friend was acting, I furrowed my brow. "What?" "Nothing," my friend blurted, shaking himself free of his momentary stupor. "No, tell me," I insisted, wondering what could have caused the reaction. "I was just surprised to see you in a skirt," George remarked. "I didn't even know you owned one." Suddenly self-conscious, I quickly looked down at the garment that I had totally forgotten to change out of. "Oh ... yeah, I, uh, actually just bought it today. Saw it while I was out getting some things and thought I'd give it a try." "Well, it looks nice," my roommate complimented. "Yeah, but it feels kind of weird, and it doesn't have any pockets," I remarked, tugging on the item in question. "Plus, it makes me have to keep my legs together all the time." "Yeah, they never did seem all that practical," George concurred with a chuckle. "Gonna give up on them then?" I shrugged. "I don't know. Probably. Maybe keep a few around for special occasions or something?" "Like what? A hot date?" my friend asked lightly. "Yeah ... maybe ..." I mumbled absently. With all the other girl stuff to worry about, I hadn't really thought about dating. Obviously, being on the other side of the fence was going to change that a lot, even if I still dated girls. Thinking back to the dinner with Daniel and his fiance, that didn't seem as certain as I would've liked either. "Something wrong?" George inquired, looking a touch concerned by my sudden distance. Shaking my head, I looked up and smiled, pushing the unsettling train of thought clear out of my head. "Nope, just a little frazzled today. Too much girly shit." "Well, maybe I can help with that," my friend offered. "I'm feeling up to running some D&D tonight. Sound good to you?" That certainly did sound good to me, but for once, I was the one that had work that really needed to be done. "Sorry, but I'm actually running a little behind today." "Oh, come on," George pressed. "You're really gonna turn down some dragon time to catch up on work? Just take a personal day tomorrow or something. Your boss probably expects you to take a few anyway, since you're supposed to be mid transition right now." "Hmm, good point," I remarked at the clever suggestion before shrugging. "Works for me. Let's do it." *********************************************** *********************************************** "Alright, so maybe trying to go after those hunters so soon was a bad plan," I remarked as I stared down at my character sheet in search of an answer I knew wasn't there. Even though I had managed to catch only a portion of the original group of hunters, the situation was looking grim, outnumbered, bleeding life, and largely out of my more powerful attack options. "You could always try running away again," George suggested with his lips curled in a wicked grin. Clearly, he was enjoying my failure. "It will probably be even easier this time, since you're outside and in the air already, so you can just fly away." Glaring at the man, I let out a frustrated growl. "Fine! I'll run away again, you sadistic bastard." "I think it's more that you're masochistic, trying to go after people that literally hunt your kind for a living without any prep work," my friend retorted pointedly. "At the very least, it was really greedy of you." "Bah!" I huffed dismissively. "Dragons are supposed to be greedy!" "They're also supposed to be intelligent," George jibed. "Maybe you should try using a little bit of that sometime." The comment earned my roommate another glare, but beaten as I was, I didn't really have much room to argue. As much as it galled me, it was pretty obvious that he was right. I was going to have to come up with other tactics. "Just tell me what happens when I fly away, already," I muttered, folding my arms angrily. A few dice rolls later, I found myself at a very precarious amount of life as George dictated the new situation. "You manage to limp your way over a few hills until you find a small forest that might provide a good hiding place." "Alright, I'll set down there, shapeshift into an elf, then find whatever I can for shelter while I recuperate," I declared. "The best you can find is a big tree to sit under," my friend told me. I shrugged. "Then a big tree will just have to do." Nodding, George made a few notes before speaking. "Alright, give me a little bit to set up the next part." "Sure," I agreed, sliding off the couch. "I'm gonna get a drink. You want anything?" "Water, please," my roommate answered absently without interrupting his work. With just a simple nod, I walked off to get the two beverages. It was an easy enough task, just a couple of glasses of ice water to prepare before going right back into the living room. The delivery, though, brought me next to George's seat, the computer chair that he'd brought from his room so he could sit opposite my spot on the couch. Taking my time with the glass, I glanced at the notebook the big guy was writing in. "No peeking!"my friend chastised, twisting the papers out of the way before I could see anything that was written there. Rolling my eyes, I set down my friend's drink and turned to go back to my seat. "Whatever, I'm going to find out what I'm up against in a couple minutes anyway." "I know, it's absurd that you can't even wait that long," George retorted glibly even while already back to working on his notes. "No, it's absurd that I told you I was going after them at the end of the last session, and you made sure I couldn't beat them, then somehow still needed time to set up the next part," I shot back. "What did you think I was going to do, fight to the death?" My friend just shrugged. "You were stupid enough to fight 'em to begin with, so why not?" "You'd like to blame it on that, but I don't think so," I countered, wagging a finger at the man. "No, I think you're up to something. Some tricky idea lodged itself into your head, and I'm the one that's gonna have to suffer it." "I'm the DM, Rey. It's my job to come up with tricky ideas for you to suffer," George pointed out matter-of-factly. "No, you're supposed to come up with fun ideas, you asshole!" I exclaimed. Finally, my roommate looked up from his work, although, just enough so that he could smirk at me. "Tricky is fun." "For you!" I blurted accusingly. "Exactly," George concurred, going right back to his notes. Rolling my eyes, I growled in frustration. "Can you at least give me some sort of hint so I can start planning?" "Nope," came the man's simple reply. "Can you-" I started another question. "This is only going to take longer if you keep pestering me," George cautioned before I could finish. "Fine!" I huffed, slouching down in my seat and folding my arms. Of course, it wasn't that I was really mad or anything. I was just eager and there was little else to do to pass the time. Besides, ragging on my friend was fun. Fun ... it had been a while since I'd really had any of that. It wasn't that I couldn't tell that some activities were enjoyable and some weren't. The former had just been lacking ... something. My interest, I supposed. Now, though, I actually did care about things and enjoy them. It wasn't just D&D either. I liked going out every Saturday to exercise. I liked playing games on my computer. No longer did I greet every morning with dread. It was nice. Smiling softly, I glanced over at George, still hard at work on the game's next scene. He'd been hard at work for a long time, though, dragging me along for weeks and weeks. I don't know what I would've done without him. No, I did know, and I wouldn't have been alive to reach a day where I felt like I could keep going on my own. Not that I would have to do that. He'd still be there for me in case I needed him. "Alright," my friend finally declared looking up from his notes. "I think I've got the next bit ready to go." "Great," I said, sitting up and leaning forward. As I did, I felt an urge to speak, to announce my gratitude, but it would just be too embarrassing to just come out and say. Instead, I added, "Let's get this thing going then." "Let's," George agreed, scooting forward as well as he gathered himself for the coming scene. A moment later, he was in storyteller mode, leveling a focused look my way. "Before the break, you had just found a big tree to rest under, but you barely have time to sit down and start tending to your wounds when you hear the sound of hooves echoing through the trees." "What?! There's no way they already caught up to me!" I protested. My roommate shrugged. "Who said it was the hunters? I just said hooves." "Ah, a third party, eh?" I mused, folding my arms thoughtfully. A moment later, I tilted my head disinterestedly. "Well, I'm disguised, so I guess I just sit there and wait. If it's something evil, I can just transform and intimidate it. If its something good, they'll just see an elf." "So you're plan is to sit and wait?" George questioned, making it sound like I was making a stupid decision. My eyes narrowed at the insinuation. "Yeah. Gotta problem with that?" "Nope," my friend answered before delving right into the results of my choice, "The sound draws closer until, finally, you catch a glimpse of movement through the brush. There, men on horseback ride toward you, their gait easy and relaxed. They are, however, almost entirely armed, several of which in plate mail. At their lead are a trio of what appear to be local lords from their fine clothes. Judging by their crossbows, it seems likely that they are out on a hunt or just returning from one." Listening carefully, I rubbed my chin while I spent a moment in thought. "Well, I'm too hurt to risk trying to just transform and eat them, so I guess I ignore them." "Alright," George acknowledged. "It would seem they were not willing to do the same as you, however. The moment they spot you, attention shifts your way as the lead of the three nobles calls out to you with a simple greeting." "Ugh ... damn humans wasting my time," I grumbled at the turn of events. "I'll just keep ignoring him. Maybe, he'll get the hint." My roommate smirked. "Nope, that seems to only drive his interest in you right up until a sudden realization had him blurting out, "Gods! She's hurt!" as he hops off his mount to run over to you." "Great, I already regret not trying to burn this fool," I muttered, shaking my head. "I'll try to wave him off and say I'm fine." "As you might expect, he is not so easily deterred, continuing to rush to your side," George informed me. "Everytime you try to insist you're alright, he insists you need help, even going so far as to call over the other two lords as well as what appears to be a clergyman to heal you." "Alright, fine, whatever. I'll let him help," I huffed in annoyance. "Just means less time sitting around waiting to heal." Nodding, my friend continued on. "The cleric comes over to heal you, a task that proves quite arduous for him. He even comments about how grevious your wounds must be to demand so much of his god's favor." Chuckling at the issue, I shrugged helplessly. "That's dragon vitality for you. Lotta hit points." "I assume you don't actually say that to him," George surmised in response. "Of course not," I confirmed even as I grinned at the idea of actually declaring my character's dragon nature like that. "I'll just spout off some lies, say something about having been waylaid on the road by bandits that I managed to kill but not without taking many blows." That answer curled my friend's lips into a grin. "When the lord hears how you received your injuries, he starts apologizing profusely, insisting that you return to his castle with him, so that you can recuperate. It doesn't seem like he'll take no for an answer on this." "So, that's you're scheme, huh," I muttered, narrowing my eyes suspiciously. "Planning to get me all tangled up with this useless country lord, doing whatever piddling little quests he needs done." Still grinning, George shrugged. "Maybe. Won't know unless you go with him." "Hmm ..." I hummed, continuing to peer at my roommate. "Alright ... you win this time, DM, but don't think I'm just going to go along with this all willy-nilly. If he doesn't prove useful quick, I'm just going to transform and eat him, then take whatever treasure he has and burn his lands to ash." "Of course, you will," my roommate replied, his tone vaguely patronizing. That gave me the feeling that I was going to be stuck with this lordling for quite some time. "By the way, the lord introduces himself as Atoli Bravus." Taking a couple of moments, I reconsidered my decision, wondering if I shouldn't just fry the lot of them and fly off. It would probably be stupidly easy, but it wouldn't help the whole revenge against the hunters I had planned. Eventually, I resolved to stick to my course of action and answered with, "I'll tell him my name is Vesri, I guess." *********************************************** *********************************************** Chapter 14 "This is really more confusing than enlightening," I muttered as I clicked through one picture after another. Currently, my computer screen showed a series of women, typically in little to no clothing. Months ago, it would've been a display that I'd have found quite interesting, leading to a pretty quick feeling of arousal. Now, though ... well, it wasn't quite the same. That result would've been befuddling enough, but I had done a similar test with pictures of men just before to a similar end. There had been no particular stirring at the sight. There had been a slight awkwardness drawn from a conditioned response in my head that said I was doing something I shouldn't be, but that was it. As far as I could tell at the moment, I wasn't straight or gay. "Very confusing," I repeated my earlier sentiment, looking down at myself. My own body didn't seem any more arousing to look at than any of the ones on the computer screen had been, but that wasn't a surprise. I was less attractive than them and had seen my female form plenty of times over the months that I'd possessed it. Thinking about it, an idea caught in my head. I had seen it, but I had not tried anything more with it. Driven by curiosity, I reached up to cup my boobs, giving them a gentle, test squeeze. While they felt nice enough, soft and pliable without being too mushy, it wasn't like they provided some rush of titillating pleasure at the touch. "Maybe that girl screwed something up," I wondered at my predicament. That didn't seem too likely, though. Every other aspect of my altered body had been completely normal and functional. I had stupid girly hormones running through my veins. I had periods. I'd even had unwanted pudge to lose, and then lost it. That said, I wasn't sure what other explanation there could be for my seeming lack of interest. Maybe some psychological thing? I'd heard that could keep a guy from getting it up, so maybe it could do something similar to a girl, whatever the equivalent might be? I had been through a lot, so I supposed that was possible. "Rey, time go! You ready?!" George announced through the door. Even though the man couldn't see me, I still quickly jerked my hands away from my chest like I'd been caught fondling myself. "J-Just a minute! I gotta change and I'll be good to go!" "Alright, I'll be in the living room!" came my friend's reply, followed by his footsteps moving away. Letting out a sigh over all the awkwardness and confusion, I shoved that all out of my mind and hopped up from my seat. After all, the whole sexual orientation thing wasn't the only thing I'd planned to try that day. The other lay in my dresser, though, so that was where I went. A quick change of clothes later, I stood there, looking down at myself while I got increasingly nervous. The cause lay in my choice of attire for that saturday's outing. Lost weight and seasonal changes had finally forced me to the store to buy new clothes, but I had decided to try a different style from what I'd worn over the past few months. After all, I'd always prefered girls that put at least a little effort into looking nice, so I felt it was only fair to hold myself to that same standard now that I was one. While that was a rather fair sentiment, embarrassment had mostly won over conviction the last few times that I'd considered trying some of my new attire. I wasn't going to let it win this time, though. I'd worked hard to lose weight, but I'd never look like I had if I kept dressing in dumpy, oversized crap. "You can do this," I told myself, grabbing a fleece jacket for while I was outside. I left it unzipped, though, forcing myself to not cave to the urge to cover my top. Then, I took one last look down at myself while I gathered my courage. In my opinion, what I saw was nothing to be ashamed about. There were still a few pounds I wouldn't mind losing, but I thought I looked pretty good. Of course, my hips were still a touch wide, and my waist wasn't some tiny, model-like thing with defined abs. The former were narrow enough now to actually make their swell appealing, though. The latter was thin enough to give me some curve to my figure while being at least mostly flat. Up above, my boobs were a little smaller, but still fairly large, enough to serve as a good balance for my hips. I'd even added a little more curve to my butt thanks to some muscle development. Altogether, I thought I managed to look pretty good in the thin, snug tank top and clingy yoga pants that were my new workout clothes. "It's go time," I psyched myself up, turning to the door and rushing right out into the hall before I could lose my nerve. Then, a quick turn took me to the living room. "Sorry, I took so long." Looking up from whatever idle thoughts had preoccupied his wait, George started to reply with, "That's al ..." and just trailed off as his eyes widened. After that, he was just staring at me. Suddenly, I found myself fighting the urge to just run back to my room and change. I managed to resist that, but not the desire to fold my jacket over me and cross my arms. "So ... uhm ... time to go, right?" "Right ..." my roommate mumbled distractedly before finally shaking his head. That cleared away the daze, allowing him to meet my gaze with eyes that were neither too wide nor unblinking. "Let's go." With that simple command he popped up from his seat on the couch and took off, seemingly in quite a hurry to get to the door. Because of that, the man was already several strides ahead of me before I finally got myself moving. Even then, I didn't do so with the same eager pace that he had. I was just too self-conscious about my attire, at that point, and unfortunately, it was too late to change. Different paces couldn't change the fact that the two of us had the same destination, however. Soon enough, we were both sitting in the car with only the radio to fill the silence that hung between. George focused on driving while I sat huddled in the passenger seat, trying to ignore the awkward situation. That just wasn't possible. There was nothing to distract me, so I just sat there in discomfort, a feeling that only grew every time I saw a flicker of movement in the corner of my eye from my friend glancing over at me. "I, uh, I have some plans for the next thing in D&D," George broke the deadlock about as smoothly as sandpaper. "Alright, but are you actually going to be up to playing tonight or will you be too tuckered out, you big baby?" I teased, but it just didn't come out right, sounding all forced and not at all funny. My roommate managed a little smirk. "I think I'll be fine. You're the one that always gets wrecked when we go rock climbing." "Yeah, cause I've got weak little girly arms," I retorted defensively, loosening up a little. "You also weigh like half of what I do, if that," came George's counter, getting us almost to normal sounding ragging on each other. "But your weight is mostly useful. I've got useless pounds like boobs and shit," I responded only to immediately realize that I'd messed up. Mention of my chest prompted a quick but obvious glance from George toward that area. Slight as it was, that was enough to remind me all over again of the snug, feminine attire that currently showed off my body rather than hid it like I was used to. Then, we both looked away from each other, falling back into the same awkward silence as before. Unlike the last time, George did not speak up to break it. No, we both just sat there as time ticked by. Thirty seconds, a minute, two, each moment that passed seemed to make the next one worse. "Can we just turn around?" I finally blurted. "We'll be a few minutes off the usual schedule, but I have to change. I look ridiculous in this." "What?!" my friend gasped in surprise. "No, you don't!" "Yes, I do!" I insisted. "I mean, I know I'm not a skinny little twig like a lot of the girls down there, but I thought I didn't look that bad. Clearly, I was wrong, though, so let's just go back. I'll change, and we can go about this like usual." "Just hang on a second, alright?" George asked. I furrowed my brow in confusion. "For what? You to sneak a few extra glances at me?" Even in the middle of driving, the man turned just long enough to level a serious and earnest look at my eyes. "Just give me a moment, alright?" "Fine," I muttered, slouching in my seat. It was more than a moment before George said anything else. He had to turn into a parking lot and find a spot. Only once the car was not just stopped, but completely off, did he turn to me. "You don't look bad, Rey," my friend told me. "Not at all." "Yes, I do," I countered. "Just look at how you reacted when you first saw me. I might as well have been wearing a clown suit!" "That, uhm ... that ..." George stammered, averting his gaze from me. "That wasn't because you looked bad or ridiculous or stupid or anything else like that." "Then what was it?!" I demanded. Looking out the windshield, the big guy wrung his hands on the steering wheel. "Look, uhm ... it was just ... unexpected, you dressed like that, looking so ..." "So what?" I pressed for more. "Womanly? I guess ..." George answered, scrunching his face up with uncertainty. "I mean, you always wear baggy clothes and joke about how fat you are, then all of a sudden ... whew. It was just not what I was used to." Surprised by the answer, I leaned back, eyeing the man in confusion. "Wait ... so the wide-eyed staring was because you thought I was ..." I never finished that sentence, but my friend still nodded. "Cute ... yeah. Very cute, actuall