Chris' transition back to his old life hadn't been easy. After only a week in Oak Grove, he'd become accustomed to a slower, more relaxed way of life. Though he didn't know many people in the small town, it hadn't taken him long to recognize the familiar cast of characters on Main Street. His days had been filled with the company of his family or the friendly human interaction of working in the grocery store.

        After all that, he found city life more alienating than ever. He had to retrain himself not to make eye contact with people; he had to stop holding every door open. Spending his days in his dark cubicle, in front of a computer screen, was making him feel unfulfilled and isolated.

        There were also some lingering physical annoyances. Chris did not enjoy going to a barbershop with his feminine hairstyle. He had to endure the stares and snickers as he sat in the barber's chair. His shapely new eyebrows were a similar problem. With the loss of Jim and Dilip, Chris was being given an increasing amount of coding to do at work, further limiting his face time with other human beings. Still, he was sure that people were staring at his sculpted eyebrows. He feared that the delicate arches had a softening effect on his entire face, though he wasn't sure if that wasn't just paranoia. It took almost two weeks for his eyebrows to show any significant regrowth.

        His legs were an issue as well. After nearly a month had passed, his legs and face were still silky smooth. He didn't know how long the effects of Steph's waxing would last, but he was embarrassed to show his legs in public. He refrained from wearing shorts, even in private.

        Then there was Steph. Chris found himself thinking of her all the time. When he thought about his trip to the salon, all he could see was Steph. He pictured Steph's breasts dangling in front of him as she worked on his hair. He could see her eyes, and those kissable lips. He also focused on the shape of her ass as she bent over to get brushes and scissors out of the drawers. He relished the tingles he felt on his scalp when Steph's fingers ran through his hair.

        Of course his actual salon experience had been a whirlwind of physical pain and indignity. He had been poked, waxed, and plucked. He had been trapped in Steph's salon chair, dreading that she would see through his disguise.

        Yet all these painful sticky details fell away in Chris' lustful recollections. He had seen these images so many times in his mind, he'd almost convinced himself that Christopher Chase was the person in Steph's chair that day.

        But it wasn't just Steph's bodily charms that had bewitched him. Though his time with Steph had been short, she'd left quite an impression. Steph had an unstoppable, plucky charm. Even the simplest turn of phrase turned into witty, verbal acrobatics as it left her lips. She made you laugh, and feel at ease instantly. It was as though she was the hostess at the best party you'd ever been to, and there was no need to mingle, because you were dying to hang on her every word.

        Chris wished that there was some way he could go back in time and arrange things such that Steph had never met Christina Chase. But, there was no way he could do it. As much as he didn't want to, he had to accept that Steph would likely never get to meet Christopher.

        Chris had intended to let his life return to normal, even if that mean letting his experience as Christina Chase fade away. Nina, however, prevented that from coming to pass.

        It happened on an ordinary night; Chris came home from yet another long day at work. The stress of covering for Jim and Dilip's absense was beginning to grind him down. Being crammed into an overcrowded train with no air conditioning on the ride home didn't make it any better. He felt tired and rattled at the same time, and his feelings of loneliness had only been amplified by returning to an empty apartment every night. All he wanted to do was to go to bed, but the phone rang. It was Nina, the one person in the world who was always thrilled to spend time with Chris.

        At first Chris felt awkward speaking with his younger cousin on the phone, but those feelings quickly faded away. Nina wasn't like anyone else that he knew. When she asked how he felt, she actually meant it, and she wanted to know the answer. They spoke on the phone for hours until her mother forced her to go to bed. After the conversation was over, somehow the day didn't feel quite so long. It was as though talking with Nina put things into perspective; the troubles at work were just that- at work.

        As Chris got ready for bed, he couldn't remember the last time he'd had a conversation with anyone for that long. He and Nina hadn't talked about anything in particular, just the little things. Nina went on about the boy she had a crush on. Chris talked about how much he hated the feeling when he was sitting between two people on the train and how uncomfortable it felt to constantly have his shoulders in contact with those of two strangers. More importantly, Chris was able to confess to his younger cousin that he'd developed a doomed infatuation with someone in Oak Grove, a person who Chris allowed Nina to believe was a boy.

        Mostly, they told each other how they felt. Chris had never had a conversation like that before in his life, and he was unaccustomed to the liberated feeling he experienced afterwards.

        But it wasn't just that night; Nina called every night that week. It seemed that Chris and his younger cousin never grew tired of speaking with each other. It got to the point where Chris looked forward to talking with Nina all through the day. It was strange to have something to look forward to. It made everything feel a little easier.

        That Sunday, Chris was surprised again when his aunt and uncle called. Misha was concerned about his well being; what he was eating and how he was feeling. She had given him a ton of recipes over the phone. When Chris protested that he wasn't a very good cook, Misha vowed to teach him when he came to visit. Alek was overly concerned with his safety. He didn't like the fact that Chris worked long hours in the "dangerous city" and spent so much time riding on trains with strangers. Now that Chris was a boy again, his uncle's concern felt out of place; it was almost insulting. Still, Chris knew the man had good intentions.

        Though it was awkward at first, Chris allowed himself to be Christina Chase for that phone call. Somehow that made him appreciate his aunt's advice and his uncle's overprotective attitude.

        As the days slipped by, Chris found that he was rushing home for his nightly phone call with Nina. With each conversation, the two of them became more comfortable with each other. It seemed that nothing was off limits, and Nina talked about all the things that were important to a teenaged girl who was in her final year of junior high school. Chris listened to her talk about clothes, makeup, music, school, and, of course, boys. None of these topics made Chris uncomfortable. On the contrary, Chris felt such a connection to Nina that he actually cared about all of these things simply because they were important to her. The only problem was that Nina was increasingly asking for Chris' opinions and advice.

        Keeping up with Nina had become a major undertaking. Like most things, it started out small at first. On the way home from the office one night, Chris stopped at the magazine stand and bought the latest issue of YM Magazine. He also bought three computer magazines, a copy of Maxim, one magazine about cars, and a copy of Jet. It was his hope to bury the girls' magazine in a fury of masculine reading, or at least confuse the hell out of the cashier. On the way home that night, he shoved the issue of YM inside his copy of PC Magazine and forced himself to study every article, every advertisement, and every single image. Nina needed someone who could understand her, and Chris was determined to learn about everything that was important to the girl.

        What started with one magazine grew into nearly a daily affair on the train ride home. Chris found himself reading a different girls' magazine every night. He'd almost considered getting a subscription if he could have survived the humiliation of having the forbidden periodicals delivered to his home address. Soon he was reading the same things as Nina, even listening to the same music. It was uncomfortable at first, but doing these things made him feel more involved in his cousin's life, and they only grew closer as a result.

        Keeping in touch with the Levchenkos had suddenly become a fixture in Chris' life. He spoke to Nina nearly every night. His aunt and uncle made a point of calling every Sunday to check in. Though Andrei never actually called himself, he frequently piggybacked on his parent's weekly call.

        Chris found Andrei unbearably erratic on the telephone. Some nights he would go on about his projects in the barn and other nights he couldn't seem to talk about anything. Chris tried to get information about Steph out of him, but being oblivious as usual, he had nothing to offer. Steph could have flashed him every day, Chris thought, and Andrei wouldn't have noticed. Chris was beginning to resent the fact that Andrei could have Steph any time he wanted. Luckily for Chris, Andrei barely knew the girl was alive.

        Though Chris was slowly becoming comfortable talking with his family, he still felt annoyed that Alek treated him like a helpless little girl. Alek was right about one thing, however. Chris was definitely working too much and getting home too late. He'd been given loads of new work and no raise to show for it. Mr. Patel hadn't even reimbursed him for the hotel room in Ardmore that he never had a chance to use. No matter how hard he tried, Chris ended up staying longer, and getting more behind. He'd finally been given a key to the office, but he was using it to come into work on weekends, His conversations with Nina and the others were all he had to look forward to on most days. That had become Chris' daily grind- Get up, go to work, get home, never once spending time in the sunlight. The good nights where when Nina called.

        Then that had been ended by their last conversation.

        It was a late night like any other. Chris stared out of the widow of the train as it pulled into his station. It became clear to Chris that the company had no intention of replacing either Jim or Dilip. This either meant that everyone else had effectively picked up the slack, or that the company was in financial trouble. Chris knew that he was constantly behind, so he feared the latter. He didn't know how secure his job was, but he did know that the economy had been a wreck since before he'd finished high school. He doubted he could get another job, especially without a college degree.

        He pushed these thoughts out of his head as he got into his car. He was going to call Nina tonight. She was hung up on some high school boy. She would talk to Chris about her teenage fantasies and complain about her parents forbidding her to date. Chris in turn would have the opportunity to pine for Steph. Though he never mentioned her by name, and he always spoke as though he was interested in a man, just talking about it made it easier for him to deal with his unrequited love.

        Chris arrived home and climbed the six flights of stairs to his apartment. No sooner than he'd taken off his coat, he felt the rumble of his cell phone in his back pocket. He checked the number and saw that it was Nina.

        "Nina," Chris grinned, "I was just about to call you."

        "You're not busy are you?"

        "No I just got home. Besides, you know I'm never too busy for you."

        "You just got home, now?" Nina asked.

        "Yeah, well I was working late and I missed the earlier train. I had to stand at the station for an hour or so."

        "I don't know how you do that. It sounds scary."

        "There are some strange looking people," Chris admitted, "But it's safe. There's usually a cop there every night. So what's going on? Did David ask you out yet?"

        "I wish," Nina complained. "He still hasn't even noticed me."

        "Don't worry, he will," Chris consoled.

        "I didn't call to talk about David," Nina said in a slightly more serious tone.

        "What is it? Is anything wrong?"

        "No, there's nothing wrong, it's just that school is out in two weeks. I'm graduating from junior high."

        "Wow," Chris said, "That's a pretty big deal. Are you excited?"

        "Yeah I guess so. Anyway, the thing is, I would really like it if you came to graduation."

        Chris paused for a moment. All the time that he'd been talking to Nina and the rest of his family, they'd never mentioned any specific date for him to visit. They'd only spoken of some vague time in the future. Talking on the phone was one thing, but Chris wasn't sure he had the nerve to be Christina Chase again.

        "Christina? Are you still there?" Nina asked.

        Chris realized that he'd been lost in thought and quickly recovered, "Yeah, I think my cell phone lost the signal there for a minute."

        "Do you think you can come?"

        "Nina," Chris said, trying to let the girl down easily, "I dunno if I can do it. Things are really crazy at work right now ..."

        "I miss you. I haven't seen you in forever, and I really want you to come."

        "I miss you too Nina ..." Chris was torn. He'd missed Nina so much since he'd left Oak Grove. Even though they spent most of their time talking about boys and clothes, he really felt close to the girl. To Chris, Nina wasn't just his cousin, she was his best friend. He was certain Nina felt the same way. "Nina, I can't promise that I can make it. Let me see what I can do with my schedule. If there's any way it can work, I'll be there."

        "I hope you can make it," she beamed, "It'll be so much fun- I'll be done with school, so we can stay up late, and hang out all day."

        Nina and Chris talked until it was past Nina's bedtime. He didn't want to get her in trouble so he had to cut their conversation short.

        Chris wasn't sure that he wanted to be a girl again. No, he was positively certain he didn't want to be a girl. The problem was Nina. Chris realized just how important graduation was to his cousin. Perhaps, Chris reasoned, he could survive a short trip- just long enough to see Nina graduate, and maybe long enough to enjoy some of Misha's cooking. Maybe, he could even see Steph...

        Chris thought about visiting his family the next day at work. The more he thought about it, the less crazy it felt. It wouldn't have to be out of control like the last time he went. He figured that he could just pretend to be a girl for one weekend. How hard could it be? After a few days of fantasizing about returning to Oak Grove, Chris worked up the courage to ask Mr. Patel for some vacation time. It was difficult talking Mr. Patel into letting Chris have some time off, but he conceded one day. It seemed that Mr. Patel was always in a bad mood lately. Chris knew that he wasn't the source of Mr. Patel's frustration, but Chris found it was best not to aggrrivate the man. One day was hardly a vacation, but a long weekend was all Chris needed to make it to Nina's graduation.

        When Chris spoke with his aunt on the phone that Sunday, he told her to expect him the next weekend. Alek insisted that Chris take the bus to Dover, forbidding him to drive all the way to Oak Grove alone. Chris was getting a bit frustrated by Alek's attitude, but he was right this time. Chris could take the bus that left Thursday night and arrive in Dover on Friday morning. All that was left now was to find Christina Chase.

 

        Chris struggled with his workload, but he managed to get home early on Wednesday night. Tomorrow was going to be about timing. He had to get home from work, transform into Christina, and then get to the bus depot. Tonight was his dry run. Chris laid out his girl clothes on the bed and stared at them: his long skirt, light green top, his waist cincher, panties, and bra. It was strange to look at his girl clothes again, and just the thought of wearing them made his heart race.

        Taking a deep breath, Chris stripped off all of his clothes, went into the bathroom and studied himself in the mirror. The hair on his face and legs had begun to grow back, though it was very fine. Chris shaved what hair was on his cheeks and decided that his legs could be fixed by a pair of stockings.

        Back In the bedroom he clapped his hands together three times to psych himself out, repeating, "You have to do this for Nina. You have to do this for Nina. You have to do this for Nina." Chris pulled the panties up his legs and put on the bra. He'd forgotten just how much smoother women's undergarments were. He tucked himself between his legs and put the bust enhancers into the bra's cups. It was weird to be back in girls' underwear. When he pulled the waist cincher around his back and hooked it into place, he was taken aback by how painful it was. When he had worn the device for a week straight in Oak Grove, his body had adjusted to its pressures. Putting it on after not having worn it for so long was an exercise in hurt. He slipped into the skirt and pulled the top over his head. Checking In the mirror in the bathroom, he saw Christopher Chase standing in Christina's clothes. Not there yet, he thought.

        Chris grabbed his makeup from the bedroom and returned to the bathroom. He did his best to fix his hair; he'd let it grow longer, but it still wasn't as long as when he'd been Christina. Staring at his blonde hair, he was unhappy with the job he'd done. No matter how he brushed it, it didn't look like a girl's hairstyle. How the hell had it been so easy before? Thinking back to his visit, he realized that it was Nina who had done his hair. After that, Steph had expertly styled it. When it came right down to it, Chris didn't have any idea how to style hair.

        No matter, he'd have to make up the difference with cosmetics. He started applying makeup, but he was out of practice. He was able to mimic what Nina and Steph had done in Oak Grove when it was fresh in his mind, but now he was utterly inept. He tried for hours, to no avail. There was no doubt that he was a boy wearing girls' clothes. His hair was a mess, and he looked more like a rodeo clown than a girl. How on Earth did he ever think I could pull this off, he wondered. He wasn't sure how he'd even survived it the first time. He didn't want to let Nina down, but there was no way he could face his family looking like this.

        Chris sat on his bed and called Nina. Misha answered and the woman could tell there was something wrong by the sound of her niece's voice. She put Nina on the line, and Chris struggled for the courage to speak.

        "Hi Christina! I can't wait to see you on Friday." Nina was ecstatic.

        "Nina ..." Chris felt as though he was going to throw up as he spoke the words, "I don't think I can make it."

        There was a silence, then Nina said, "But you promised."

        "Nina sweetheart," Chris explained, "I know I promised, but ... something came up at work ... and they need me all weekend ..." It was killing Chris to lie to his cousin. He wanted so much to go to her graduation, but there was no way it could happen.

        "I guess I understand," she sighed.

        Tears formed in Chris' eyes at the sound of Nina's voice. He could tell that she was crying too. Chris wanted to crawl into a deep, dark hole and never come out.

        "Christina ... I have to finish my homework."

        Chris knew that Nina was making an excuse. Nina always had her work done by this time of night, and there was no way she had anything substantial this close to graduation. "Wait," Chris begged, "I can't make it this time, but how about I come up for the Fourth of July? I can ask for time off right now, and we can spend the whole time together."

        "Really?" Nina asked. She still sounded devastated, but her voice took on a ring of hope. "You really mean that?"

        "Nina, I promise. I will work it out no matter what it takes." Nina was silent. Chris needed her to know he meant what he said. "I promise." Chris repeated with determination.

        Nina cleared her nose and whispered, "Okay."

        "Nina, I love you so much. I know I can't be there tomorrow, but I want you to know how proud I am of you."

        "Okay," Nina repeated. "I really should go. I'll talk to you later?"

        "Okay Nina."

        Chris snapped his cell phone shut and sat on his bed wondering how he could live up to his new promise. He went to his computer and pulled up his calendar. He had a little more than a month to find Christina Chase. He wasn't sure how he was going to do it, but there was no way he would ever let Nina down again.

---

Edited into coherence by Holly H. Hart.
Hope you enjoyed it. If you liked it or hated it, please leave a tasty comment.
Krunch Away!