Jordan and Hunter meet again after 4 years. One of them is now very different.
I promise I didn't mean for it to happen. Before Jordan called me out of the blue yesterday, I hadn't thought about him in nearly four years.
When I knew him in college, he was my best friend's slightly overweight roommate that was a bit too pretty for his own good. Logan and I had tried our very best to get him to cut that long brown hair to no success at all.
The hair paired with the pudge that he carried in all the wrong places made him look too much like a girl from the back. From the front too if I was being honest. We'd make fun of him every chance we got but he'd always just laughed along. Other than that, he was a pretty chill guy so it was fine.
When we graduated, I moved back home and I never thought about him again. So imagine my surprise when my phone rang with an unknown number and Jordan's unique voice was on the other end.
"Hey, am I through to Hunter?"
"Jordan, hey, been a while huh?" I'd tried to hide my confusion about why he was calling me.
"You remember me?"
"Of course I do, what's up?"
"Listen, uh, I need a huge favor"
"Yeah shoot" I tried sounding as casual as I could.
"I need a place to crash for a couple days" he said over the phone.
"I mean, I would but I moved back home after college so I'm not..."
"Yeah Logan told me. I'm in your city" I'd heard him say but it took me a while to process what it actually meant "I got a job there... It's complicated"
"Umm... I.." I was at a loss for words. Hadn't spoken to this guy in years and here he was asking to stay with me.
"It'll only be a couple days I promise"
"Jordan, you know I would but my place is just one bedroom..."
"The couch is fine..." he jumped in. "I promise I'll be out of your way"
I struggled to think of another excuse before stopping myself. There was no need to be a dick. It was only a couple days, I could do the guy a solid.
"Alright but I gotta warn you, my couch sucks"
He laughed. More like giggled.
"It's okay, can you just text me the address?"
"Sure"
That's how it happened, before I knew what was happening, Jordan was wheeling two boxes into my living room.
At first I hadn't recognized him. The hair was still there only a lot longer than before which he shamelessly wore in a ponytail. His face had seen some changes too but I couldn't put a finger on what exactly. The biggest change by far was his body. Jordan had lost a lot of weight since college but for some reason, it hadn't helped him look more like a man like Logan and I hoped. In fact, it seemed to have had the opposite effect.
"Hunter, oh my God hi, it's been so long" Jordan came in for a hug without warning and it wasn't even that pat on the back kind either.
"Yeah it has" I caught a whiff of his sweet smelling perfume and backed away.
"You look good" he commented which made me chuckle nervously. I'm sure I did look good. I'd been in the gym every week for the last six months.
"I work out" I smiled "You look different"
"Yeah I figured it was time to get in shape, you know?"
"Yeah I can dig it"
"Nice place" Jordan walked passed me turning his attention to my apartment.
My eyes widened when I realised just how much pudge he'd managed to retain on his butt when he'd lost it everywhere else.
"Yeah make yourself at home" I replied recovering quickly.
He wasted no time jumping into my couch before wincing in pain. He must have hit one of the sharp wooden edges.
"Sorry, I've been meaning to get a new couch. It was left over by the former tenants"
"It's okay, I'll manage. It's just for a few days right?"
"Yeah..." I kinda felt bad as I watched him adjust in the chair. I shouldn't have had an issue with it since I warned him over the phone but I did. I'd passed out on that couch many times and I remembered how sore I felt everytime.
"I gotta get back to work so just make yourself comfortable" I informed him while walking towards my bedroom.
"Oh you work from home?" His long, narrow eyes followed me as I walked through the living room.
"Yeah" I answered.
"I'll be quiet" he smiled at me. It made me uncomfortable.
"Thanks"
=^..^=
Jordan knocked on my room door about four hours later. I'd almost forgotten he was around after immersing myself in my work. I glanced at the time on my computer, 8:42pm.
"Hey" he said softly. "I ordered pizza"
"Yeah okay, I'll be right out" I quickly realised I hadn't eaten since my first meal that morning and was starving. Pizza sounded nice.
The first thing I noticed after stepping out into the living room was Jordan's outfit change. Nothing serious but his jacket from earlier was nowhere to be seen and the new tank top showed just how much weight he'd lost in that time.
Awkwardly he'd seen me staring and turned away. It had been quite clear to me that he hadn't managed to lose all the weight from his chest which stretched and poked a bit.
"What pizza did you get?" I asked changing the subject.
"Pepperoni" he answered while opening the box.
"My favorite" I walked up to the table and took a big whiff.
"I remember" he shot me a big toothy grin.
He put two slices into a plate and handed it to me. It wasn't lost on me that he'd touched it with his bare hands but he looked clean enough so I let it slide. He looked more than clean in fact. Something had to have happened in the last three years to turn that guy in this beauty for lack of a better word.
"Done working?" I heard him ask as I walked to take my place on my favourite armchair.
I nodded, "Yeah I'm spent. I'll continue working tomorrow"
"Do you have Netflix?" he asked as he retreated to the couch offering me another glance at his butt encased in sweatpants. It was hard not to stare. I knew only a handful of girls that could compete with that.
"Uh..." I coughed "Yeah" I spoke before reaching for the remote to turn on the TV.
"What do you do anyway? What were you working on?" he asked as the television chimed to life.
"Oh uh 3d modeling, animation, stuff like that" I answered while pressing away at the remote.
"Blender?" he asked.
"Maya"
"Cool" he took a bite of his pizza allowing me a view of his pearly white teeth.
"Are you familiar with 3d?" I mentally kicked myself for paying so much attention to him. His hair, body, teeth, I'd spent way too much time looking hive over.
"Not really" he answered simply.
"What do you do? You said you just got a job?"
"Oh um.. yeah, administrative assistant" he took another bite of the pizza and so did I.
I fiddled with the remote some more until I landed on the Netflix home screen.
"A secretary?" I asked while scrolling through the different categories.
"No it's so much more than that" he replied quickly "It's not like I'm just answering calls all day, there's a lot of responsibility"
"Okay" I turned my attention back to him just in time to watch him shift uncomfortably in the couch.
"Plus the pay is really good" he added.
"Well I'm happy for you" I assured him. "The job market is crazy right now"
"Yeah. Ooh let's watch this one" he jumped excitedly while pointing at the screen "I heard it's really funny"
I groaned internally. It was one of those romantic comedies that I always skipped over. I thought to protest but he seemed genuinely excited for it and he was a guest so I could manage.
"Sure"
=^..^=
It turned out to be pretty enjoyable. Not nearly as funny as Jordan had made it out to be but I let out a few small laughs here and there. In truth, Jordan was the really enjoyable part of the whole thing.
He talked very animatedly a lot through the whole movie, one time I'd even had to pause it to let him go on a rant about one of the characters. It had really surprised me when I realised I wasn't annoyed and even engaging him.
Eventually, the movie was over and I couldn't help but smile at the very satisfied look on his face. There were worse people to have in my house. I could deal with this for a few days.
"Listen uh, I'm beat so I'm going to head in" I informed him while pulling myself to my feet.
He did the same but only to retrieve my plate.
"You don't have to..." I started but he shushed me. He shushed me.
"I'll just clean up real quick" he insisted.
I shrugged. Fine by me.
I started on my way to my bedroom door before turning back one more time to spot him putting away the rest of the pizza. I felt guilty.
"Hey, my bed's pretty big" I called out to him as he disappeared into the kitchen.
What the hell was I doing? Letting some guy I barely knew have my couch was one thing but my bed was an entirely different thing altogether.
I waited the ten seconds it took him to emerge from the kitchen.
"Oh I couldn't" he spoke as he retrieved our used cups. "I don't want to intrude"
"You won't be" I said a bit too quickly.
"I mean..." he paused "Your couch really sucks" he said with a small laugh.
I chuckled, "I know. I promise the bed's much better"
"It kinda has to be at this point" he continued with that ever present smile.
A few strands of hair had fallen out of place and were now dangling in front of his face.
"Are you sure it's okay?" he asked with a concerned look on his face.
"Yeah of course" I forced a smile.
He smiled back, "Thanks. I'll just finish up and be right in. Can I use your shower?"
"Yeah of course"
=^..^=
I don't know what I expected when he walked out of the bathroom but it wasn't for his pyjamas to hug his fit frame tightly. My eyes traced his silhouette illuminated by the bathroom lights. Everything from his ponytail to his waist and to his long legs were so perfectly feminine that it made me wonder if we'd misjudged his gender this whole time.
No I perfectly remembered him peeing standing up just like the rest of us. When my eyes strayed to his crotch, I mentally slapped myself and averted my gaze.
"Oh my gosh, I needed that shower" Jordan said as he crawled into my bed which caused me to shift away.
He moaned as he sank into my sheets, "You were right, this is way more comfortable"
I didn't reply.
"Hey thanks for letting me stay" he turned to look at me and our eyes met. "You were kinda my last hope"
"Of course" I answered turning away.
"Would've rented a motel or something but money's kind of tight till I get that first paycheck"
"I could've gotten the pizza if that's the case" I turned back to him. I hadn't known about his situation so I was glad I hadn't turned him away.
"No no I wanted to" he answered "To say thanks"
"In that case, you're gonna have to do a lot better than that" I laughed.
"Just let me know how I can be of service" Our eyes met again which caused me to turn away.
Why was I in bed with this guy right now? What was I doing?
"Good night" I heard him say.
"Good night"
=^..^=
Oh but it wasn't a good night. It wasn't a good night at all. I'd woken up sometime in the night with the urge to use the bathroom and found myself pressed against Jordan. I don't know how but somehow his butt was now pressed against me and my arm over his slim waist.
I wanted to scream, jump, push and kick but I did nothing. I just remained in that position as my heart began beating faster and faster. It felt amazing and oh so perfect, like his form was made to be encased by mine.
His hips pushed backward making it a million times worse and mine pushed forward into him. He adjusted in the bed which created the most unimaginable feeling almost like electricity coursing through all the parts of our bodies that came in contact.
I was getting so hard, the likes of which I hadn't experienced since before my last relationship.
Why the fuck couldn't I move? God his hair in my face smelled amazing.
Move!
I listened closely to his breathing and felt the flaring and contracting of his back after each smooth breath. He was fast asleep. No need to panic, I just needed to get out of this.
My arm draped over his tiny waist began to make its move to get free but stopped in its tracks when Jordan shifted pressing into me even more than before.
Still asleep. I freed my legs first which lay over his and then raised my arm giving me enough leverage to move my waist backward. His butt looked glorious from this angle, wide and just about that perfect bubble shape. It had to have been illegal for this body to belong to a man.
The final boss was my right arm which his head used as a pillow. Slowly and steadily I inched away carefully listening for any fluctuation in his breathing.
I gently withdrew my arm and put a pillow in its place before tiptoeing into the bathroom. My dick was forming a ridiculously high tent in my shorts which made me wonder what the fuck just happened.
=^..^=
I was awoken by the smell of waffles and the sound of plates and cutlery.
I yawned loudly and then winced from a sharp pain in my back. My neck felt sore after a night on the infamous couch. My knees ached having been bent for hours since the couch wasn't long enough to take my entire 6'2 frame. It really was the worst.
Jordan exited the kitchen and our eyes met which made me blush awkwardly.
"I'm sorry" he said.
"For what?" I pretended to stretch.
"For kicking you out of your own bed. I know I'm a rough sleeper"
"Oh it wasn't you"
"Please, I know it was" he looked at me with sympathy "So I made pancakes as an apology"
He made his way towards me. God, he was still wearing the tight pyjamas from last night. The way it hugged his form so perfectly was truly agonizing.
The way he bent to drop the plate on the center table caused the big guy downstairs to stir with memories of last night.
'Not again' I thought to myself.
Jordan turned and was looking right at me expectantly. Had he said something?
"What?" I asked.
"Coffee?" he repeated.
"Uh yeah" I answered shaking it off. "I'll just brush my teeth real quick" I said before hurrying out of the room.
=^..^=
My return to the living room saw Jordan on the couch pressing away at the TV remote. He'd carefully covered my food and had a cup of coffee waiting for me.
"It's really nice of you to do this" I took a sip of the coffee and made a big show of satisfaction to tell him in liked it.
"It's no big deal" he answered between remote presses "Besides, it's your stuff anyway I hope it's okay I used it"
"Yeah yeah of course, what's mine is yours?" I said with a smile. I was being very generous.
=^..^=
I spent the morning and most of the afternoon on my computer trying to work with very little success.
Jordan had gotten dressed and gone out not long after breakfast which gave me the whole house to myself. I was alone, just like I'd been every day since Vicky broke up with me.
If you asked her, I didn't pay enough attention to her or I didn't make her feel loved.
"Sometimes I wonder if you even like me" she'd said that last day.
At the time, I thought I was just too busy but she proved to be right when I didn't even miss her after the breakup. She was a nice enough girl, lovely personality if a bit too serious. She had a decent body as well. Not like Jordan but good enough. Maybe I should have tried to be more into her.
Again, my mind had wandered. I'd been so distracted all day. It didn't help that I worked so close to my bed. If I closed my eyes, I could just see his body pressed against mine illuminated only by the night light.
It made me sick everytime I thought about it.
I tried and failed to get any more work done over the next half hour until I heard the front door open.
I caught myself running my fingers through my hair and pretending to be hard at work before Jordan came through the bedroom door.
"Wow, you're still going?" he asked thoroughly impressed.
"Yeah I'm always on that grind" I said with a voice.
He giggled before falling into my bed.
'Grind?' I thought to myself. 'So stupid'
"How'd it go?" I asked quickly changing the subject.
"Oh it was good, I went to check out the new place, it should be ready by Tuesday" he answered.
Three days with him. Three nights.
Jordan spent the next few minutes on his phone and I would occasionally glance his way when he giggled at something.
"What's so funny?" I'd gotten tired of pretending to work. I couldn't get anything done with him lying in bed like that.
"You wouldn't get it" he replied simply.
"You don't know that" I turned my whole body to face him. He was lying on his side which further accentuated his hips in his jeans.
"No really, I don't think it's your kind of thing"
"Now I really have to know" I insisted.
"It's a tiktok video from a podcast..." he paused "Just watch it"
He handed me his phone and waited patiently for me to watch the short clip. I couldn't even describe it to you, it just made no sense.
"I told you" He said while requesting his phone back.
"I have purse?" I asked genuinely trying to understand.
"You don't get it" he playfully snatched the phone out of my hands.
"Your sense of humor sucks" I informed him.
"Shut up" He pouted while laying back down in bed.
That alone was enough to make me laugh.
"What do you do for fun around here?" He asked me a moment later "Other than Netflix"
"Actually, I had plans to go see that new Marvel movie this evening" I spoke before I had the chance to think.
"That sounds fun" he replied quickly "... and expensive"
"Yeah the prices are steep lately but I've been looking forward to it for a while"
"Well enjoy" he said simply. I studied him and could instantly tell he was disappointed. My ex used to do the exact same thing when she didn't want to ask me for something.
"I mean, it's always better to watch with someone else. You could come with me." That was a lie. I much preferred to go to the cinema alone.
"I'm broke remember?"
"Oh don't worry about that, I got it" I replied. That part was true atleast. Money wasn't an issue, a huge perk of being single.
"That's real nice but I can't" he started. My ex used to do the same thing too. Pretend she didn't want what she clearly wanted. "You're already helping me out a lot by letting me stay here"
"That's okay, I want to" I insisted. "You'd be doing me a favor since I won't have to watch it alone"
He graciously accepted.
"You know, you're much nicer than you were in college" I watched him try to hide a smile.
"Yeah I guess"
=^..^=
I was so nervous as we walked through the local mall. Jordan had let his hair down which had solidified my stance that he was one of the most beautiful people to ever exist.
But even with that thought, I was convinced everyone could tell. I feared everyone that glanced at us as we passed knew that I was here with a man. Jordan in typical fashion was unbothered looking like a kid in a playground as he stared wide eyed into every shop we passed.
I glanced to him every chance I got. There wasn't anything remotely masculine about him. I found myself questioning my memories of him. Did I have it wrong this whole time? If he was infact a girl, wouldn't he be the most perfect girl to ever exist?
I remained in a daze even as we bought our tickets, drinks and popcorn.
"Hurry up, it's started" he called out to me as we found the right hall.
He seemed just as excited about the movie as I was. Where I couldn't even get my ex interested enough to watch a superhero movie on Blu-ray, here he was leading the way, looking for the perfect seats with optimal viewing angles.
The daze didn't stop even when we found our seats and the opening scenes began. Out from the corner of my eyes, I saw him digging away at the large popcorn with no concern in the world.
I really shouldn't have come here with him. Several scenes had gone on already and I'd missed all of it. I had to pinch myself to pay attention. This was the movie I'd been waiting for for several months and now watching this guy seemed a thousand times more interesting.
It took an explosion in the movie to knock me to my senses and finally get me in the right frame of mind. I was finally able to relax and start paying attention.
I managed to keep it for another 40 minutes before Jordan's voice pulled me right back.
"Colder here than I thought" he'd commented.
"Should've brought a jacket" I replied trying to keep my attention on the screen.
"Yeah"
I caught myself after repeated glances in his direction.
'Pay attention' I told myself. I was failing.
A few more glances his way and I could no longer ignore it. He was freezing.
With a big sigh, I began removing my jacket.
"What are you doing?" he asked.
I didn't respond. It was fairly obvious.
With no objections and a simple 'thank you', he took the jacket when I offered it.
An hour into the movie, Jordan whispered into my ear, "Can I have some of your popcorn?"
A quick glance in his direction confirmed that he'd already ran through his supply.
I laughed at the absurdity of the whole thing. A three hour movie and he was out already. This was all the things I hated about being in the cinema with someone else but it didn't make me mad like it should have. It was funny.
The innocent but also guilty face he made as he pleaded for popcorn made me laugh.
I made a comically annoyed face as I moved my popcorn within his reach.
"Thanks" he whispered.
Not even ten minutes later is when it happened. I had placed my hand in the popcorn tub in search of more popcorn liked I'd done throughout the movie but this time, my hand met his in a firm grasp.
Almost like a reflex action, we both turned to each other and our eyes met once again. I should have recoiled in disgust but I froze. My hand just remained where it was unable to move. The tragic thing is his hand didn't move either.
=^..^=
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Always wanted to try writing from the perspective of the non tg character. Please tell me what you think about this very short story so far.
My heart beat rapidly and I walked with shaky steps as I made my way to the concession stand. I repeatedly clenched my fist in an effort to get rid of the tingly feeling where we'd touched.
"We need more popcorn" I'd said to him shortly after our hands parted and we looked away. While that was true, it was mostly meant as a way to put some much needed distance between us.
I couldn't believe I was missing the movie I'd waited so long for. At this rate, I would have to make another trip here to rewatch it.
"Two large popcorns please" I spoke to the young lady at the stand. "Actually make one of those extra large" I smiled at the thought of Jordan finishing his large tub in record time.
The lady gave me her confirmation before leaving me to my thoughts. I inspected my fingers once more and tried to make sense of the whole thing.
His hands had lingered a bit too long after making contact. Was he gay? I atleast had the excuse that he looked like a woman so my brain was just confused. What was his excuse? Why did Jordan, the sloppy guy I'd known for four years suddenly look like that?
The thought of last night flashed through my mind but I quickly shook it off. I needed answers.
I hurried through my phone's contact list, found what I was looking for and quickly dialed. A few rings later, a familiar voice came through on the other side.
"Yello" Logan said.
"Dude, what's good?" I spoke "Been a while"
"And who's fault is that?"
Yeah sorry, just been busy"
"Nah it's all good. How's the missus?"
"Who?" I asked.
"Vicky, who else is there, playboy?"
"Oh right, Vicky and I broke up. I'm riding solo right now"
"Sorry about that"
"It's cool" I shrugged even though he couldn't see "We weren't right for each other. You and Anna still together?"
"Yeah unfortunately. I can't get rid of her " he laughed then yelped in pain immediately after "She's here if you wanna say 'hi'"
"Yeah just say hi for me"
"Hunter says hi" I heard him say then after a pause he added, "She says hi"
"We're not on speaker, are we?" I whispered.
"Nah"
"Okay, hang on a minute" I said before acknowledging the young lady in front of me by pulling out my wallet and paying for the popcorn.
"Still there?" I asked into the phone.
"Yep"
"Listen, uh, remember Jordan?"
"Yeah why?"
"Yeah he showed up yesterday, he's crashing with me for a few days"
"Right, so I gave.. him your number. He really needed a place to stay."
"Yeah that's cool, it's just..." I paused trying to put together my words "He's very feminine now, did you know?"
"He's always been feminine" Logan answered.
"Yeah but I mean..." It dawned on me that I was missing a lot of the movie but at that point, I was over it. I'd have to rewatch it anyway, "He looks like a woman now, like an actual woman"
"I don't know what to tell you man, is it an issue?" he asked.
"Nah, nah, it's not..." I hesitated. Logan had always been kind of liberal so I didn't want to say the wrong thing and piss him off or have it get back to Jordan "It's like having a woman living in my house that isn't my girlfriend. It's weird."
"If you've got an issue with him there, just tell him"
That's the thing, I didn't have an issue with him there. Being around him was just doing my head in.
"I don't, I don't" I replied "Just wanted to see if you knew something I should"
"You want my advice? Just be cool. From what he said, he only needed a place for a few days. He'll be out of there soon"
"Yeah... yeah" I repeated "Thanks"
"Alright then, I gotta go. Anna's starting to give me looks"
"Alright man, talk to you later"
"Peace"
After Logan hung up, I thanked the lady and picked up both tubs of popcorn. If I was gone any longer, Jordan might have started to think I was avoiding him.
=^..^=
Rest of the movie was awkward. Rest of the day too intact. Jordan barely spoke after he thanked me for the popcorn. Sometimes, our eyes would meet and one or both of us would blush and turn away.
The only semblance of normalcy we had was when I caught his gaze lingering on an ice cream stand and I'd insisted on buying it for him.
When he'd reluctantly accepted and started happily chipping away, I realised this whole thing was starting to feel like a date and a really exciting one at that.
Thankfully, after an uneventful car ride, it was finally over. Jordan thanked me again for inviting him and went into the bedroom. My bedroom.
After the day's events, I didn't dare follow not willing to risk any more unfortunate encounters. Something about him was irresistible and I had to avoid it.
I stayed in the living room scrolling on my phone with the TV playing in the background. I stayed there as long as I could until it started to feel ridiculous.
I was hiding from him, keeping out of my own bedroom, unable to get any real work done. All because of some guy.
I knew I had to get over all I was feeling. It was wrong.
With renewed determination, I walked briskly towards the bedroom door and pushed it open.
I thought I'd managed to work up the strength to resist whatever would be thrown at me, but I was wrong.
Right as I swung the door open, I realised my hubris thinking I was ready for anything. There he was, turned away from me, naked. That perfect butt in full, unobstructed view. My heart skipped several beats. He was too busy drying his hair with a towel to notice my presence.
Just like I had last night, I focused on removing myself from the situation. I tiptoed backwards out the open door and prayed it wouldn't creak as I pulled it closed.
It took me another half an hour to work up the courage to approach that door. Knowing fully well that he must have finished getting dressed by now, my mind still fixated on everything else that could go wrong after I walked in.
Still, I needed sleep as it was getting late so I made my way through. I spotted Jordan lying on the bed fast asleep encased in a fresh set of pyjamas.
I was careful not to make a second as I walked to my side of the bed and crawled in. Jordan who had settled in the middle of the bed was uncomfortably close to where I now lay which brought back memories of the night before. This time he slept facing me which allowed me the chance to study his face.
Like every other part of him, it was unnecessarily perfect. We were close enough that I could hear his soft rhythmic breaths.
I closed my eyes. I had to try to sleep. I had to get my mind off him. I opened my eyes once more and focused on his lips.
I closed my eyes again.
'Stop it' I tried to tell myself.
I opened them and noticed a stray collection of hair was draped over his face. My hand moved before I could tell it to stop. It made its way over to his face and gently moved the hair out of his face and tugged it behind his ears.
I involuntarily smiled at the picture of perfection. I was deeply consumed by the thought of my utter helplessness around him when his eyes open and met mine.
I froze again like I always did with him. Our gazes lingered as we stared deep in each other's eyes. I was totally helpless and couldn't move to diffuse the situation nor did I want to. Jordan suffered no such affliction. He slowly but surely inched his head closer to mine, leaned forward and kissed me on the lips.
Euphoria.
My next actions were entirely beyond my control. I leaned in and pressed my lips against his. He drew me in, just like he'd done every single moment we'd been together since he walked through my door yesterday.
When our lips were well enough accustomed, we took to exploring each other's bodies. My fingers traced his face, his neck, even his chest that would have been flat on any girl suddenly felt full with infinite possibilities.
The whole thing was so very wrong but nothing in my life had ever felt more right as we pressed our bodies together kissing with rabid passion. My fingers explored his waist, hips, his butt that had teased me since the get go. I never wanted to let go.
Still, my reservations and inhibitions overpowered all I was feeling in the moment and I pulled myself away from him.
"This is wrong" I said. It took all my strength to rise and put some distance between myself and the bed where Jordan lay looking disappointed. My goodness, he looked so sexy lying there. It had to have been a cruel joke for him to look that good.
"It's not" he replied sitting up in the bed.
"It is" I argued "I'm not gay. You're a man" I added almost accusingly as if it had been his fault.
"I'm not, I'm a woman " he said rising to his feet "I should have told you a long time ago"
"What?" I asked confused. "You're not, I know you're not, what are you talking about?"
"I'm a woman, well a trans woman if you want to get hung on specifics. I've been transitioning for like two years now so..." he took a step forward "What I'm trying to say is... "
He took another step which caused me to take one backwards.
He took a deep breath, "What I'm saying is, this, me and you, it's okay. It doesn't make you gay"
"But it would though, come on" I replied "What's between your legs right now?"
This stopped him in his tracks. His mouth opened slightly but no words escaped his lips. He just stood there frozen.
"See, right there. I can't do this. The way you look is fucking with my head but the truth is..."
"Choose your next words carefully" I heard him say.
If I was being honest, I may have been lashing out a bit desperately trying to hang on to my sexuality but I didn't know it at the time nor would I have cared. I wasn't gay and everything that had happened up till that point had challenged everything I thought I knew about myself.
"... you're a man still" I finished my sentence.
From my position, I could just make out the tears welling in his eyes. I watched as the disappointment on his face was replaced with sadness and then with anger.
In a swift motion, he picked up his phone from the bedside table and walked quickly out of the room leaving me standing there, alone. Regardless of what had happened, I was still worried about him so I followed.
"What are you doing?" I asked when I walked into the living room and saw him pressing and swiping away at his phone.
He ignored me. He walked toward and past me and back into the bedroom. I sighed and followed.
I met him shoving clothes haphazardly into one of his two boxes.
"What are you doing? Stop." I said again.
"What does it look like I'm doing?" he asked without even looking at me.
"It's almost 11 o'clock and you have nowhere to go"
"'Nowhere' is better than here" he said as he walked into the bathroom. A moment later he emerged with his damp towel which he shoved into the box.
I walked towards him and took his phone from where he'd kept it on my work table.
"Give me my fucking phone, Hunter" he said angrily.
"No" I refused "I'm not letting you leave this late at night"
"Oh, don't pretend like you care now. Give me my phone"
"No" I repeated "You can hate me, fine, but you can atleast stay till morning"
"I don't want to be anywhere near you" he protested "I'd rather sleep in the street than get in that bed with you"
"Fine, whatever, I'll sleep on the couch. It wouldn't be the first time"
I watched as numerous emotions flashed across his face until he settled on a look of resignation.
"Give me the phone" he said with a calmer voice.
"I just said..."
"I need to cancel the fucking ride, oh my God" he said with a raised voice.
Reluctantly, I handed him the phone and watched him press and swipe until the ride was canceled.
"Happy? Now get the fuck out"
=^..^=
I spent the hours before I'd finally managed to fall asleep replaying the events in my head. It's not like I thought I was wrong but I wondered whether I could have handled it any differently.
Jordan was always very sensitive and emotional so I knew my words must have hurt him. He'd always been very much like a woman in that way.
I had thought I should atleast apologize so I'd made my way to the bedroom door only to find it locked shut. He must have meant it when he made it clear I was to keep my distance.
Waking up this morning, I couldn't smell any pancakes or coffee so it was clear he was still angry. I'd made my way towards the bedroom door and thankfully found it open, but was greeted by an empty room.
The bed was made and everything was tidy but Jordan was nowhere to be seen. I checked the bathroom, searched for his boxes but every trace of him was gone.
I checked the time, 7:27am. He must have left in a hurry. And there I was, alone once again. It was fine, I could finally get back to work and put the whole thing behind me.
For the next six hours, that's what I did. I immersed myself in my latest commission, a 3d model of a gas plant valve and a complimenting animation that showed its inner workings and mechanisms. It was a lucrative commission that was due in a week.
My new found quiet was great for as long as I worked on that project. Every other waking moment that I was left to my thoughts, I was reminded of him. Every last square inch of my house, the kitchen, living room, bathroom, and worst of all the bed where we'd kissed, everything reminded me of him.
When I'd turn on the TV, I would think of one of his dumb statements while we watched a movie. When I opened the fridge and found eggs missing, I thought of the pancakes. He'd only been here two days, how had he left such an overwhelming presence?
Was I just feeling guilty about how I'd left things or was there something more? I decided I had to atleast call to apologize if nothing else.
I picked up my phone and dialed his number. As it rang, I was faced with a new surprise when my heart beat in anticipation of hearing his voice on the other end and disappointment when I went to voicemail.
It took me another hour to call again. This time, I prepared myself to speak at the beep.
"Hi Jordan, did you get a place to stay? Call me"
Thirty minutes later, I called again.
"Listen, uh, I'm really sorry about last night. I need to talk to you"
I spent the next hour pacing around my apartment. Work no longer held any solace for me as I could no longer stop thinking about him no matter how stimulated my mind was.
I called again.
"I know I messed up and I'm sorry. I just..."
I pressed the big red button and tossed the phone on the bed, head in hand. What the hell was happening to me?
I retrieved the phone again and dialed, this time the call went through.
"Hey bud" Logan said over the phone.
"Did you know?" I asked.
"Did I.. know what?" he asked.
"That he's transgender"
There was a long pause on the line.
"First of all, it's 'she' and second, she was my roommate throughout college, of course I knew" Logan said.
"Well, why didnt you tell me?" I asked incredulously.
"It's not my place to tell you. I figured if she wanted you to know, you'd know. And let's be honest, you're kind of an asshole about these things"
"Yeah.." I said softly. That was proving true "Hey listen, I need your help. I kinda messed up"
"What the hell did you do?"
"I may have said some things I shouldn't have"
"I specifically told you to be cool. She's in a vulnerable place. What did you say?"
"That's not important. I want to apologize but he... but she's not answering my calls"
"I'm sorry man but I can't help you. If she doesn't want to talk to you, what can I do?"
"Just call her and tell her I'm sorry" I pleaded.
"Yeah see I don't want to do that. You're my friend and I love you but if she hadn't asked about you, I'd have kept her far away from you"
What could I say? I knew he was right. I thought back to last night and regretted everything.
"I think I fell in love with her" I blurted out. As shocking as it was, I really did believe that. Nothing else made sense.
Another long pause on the line. I waited with bated breath for his response.
"Really?" he asked.
"Yeah, I think so"
"Damn" he said simply. "You know this is the first time I've ever heard you say that word"
"Come on, surely not. I've dated tons of babes"
"Yeah but you've never once told me you loved any one of them" he reiterated.
"Probably.. just never came up" I reasoned.
"Maybe"
"So will you help me?" I asked again.
"I think you just need to tell her that. If you're serious about this, I could maybe tell her to hear you out"
"Yes, yes, please"
"But you can't screw me here. If I go to bat for you, she'll blame me if you fuck it up."
"I won't, I promise"
Another long pause.
"I'll let you know" he said before he hung up.
And so I waited. I watched the minutes of the clock tick away. 3:42pm. 3:43pm. 3:44pm. It took 17 ticks before I got a text from Logan saying, "Call her"
So I did. Everytime the dial tone rang, I desperately hoped this would be the one where she'd answer but it just never came. When it went to voicemail once again, I decided to put it all on the line.
"Hey, I understand if you never want to talk to me again. I get it. I probably wouldn't want to talk to me either. I just..."
"I was an idiot, okay? I know. I was so scared about what everything I felt for you meant for me, if that makes any sense. It probably doesn't."
I paused trying to figure out what else to say. When nothing else came to mind, I decided to go with the one thing I now knew to be true.
"I love you, Jordan. You're an amazing woman, and I hope you can one day forgive me"
After the call, I just kind of went off about my day. I knew I had to get comfortable with the possibility that I might never hear from her again. I was overjoyed when I got a text from her that read, "I'm at Little Kings Cafe".
Without so much as a comb through my hair, I rushed out the door, into my car and into the city. Google Maps had estimated 18 minutes for the journey but I must have completed it in less than 10.
I found the closest parking spot and jogged the rest of the way. I must have looked so disheveled as I rushed through the Cafe doors inspecting every table.
And then I saw her. If you thought she was beautiful before, you should have seen her wearing that green dress and makeup. Absolutely radiant.
It was absurd to see her and see anything other than the woman of my dreams. I kicked myself for being so blind for so long.
I waved to her and she waved back. I made my way to her corner table not caring one bit about the audience we had.
"I got your message" she started.
"Which one?" I asked.
"All of them" she said. There was still sadness in her eyes even if she was trying to hide it with a smile.
"I'm sorry, Jordan"
"My name's Faith" she corrected "It's what I would have been named if was born a girl"
"Faith" I repeated. It suited her. "It's pretty"
"You really hurt me, Hunter"
"I know and I'm sorry. I want to make it up to you"
"I can't be involved with someone that doesn't see me as the woman that I am. I've worked way too h-hard" her voice cracked at the end.
"I do now" I assured her as I reached across the table and took her hand in mine.
"How can I trust that after everything?"
"All I'm asking for is another chance. Let me show you" I spoke softly.
"How?"
"I don't know yet. Right now all I know is how I feel about you. That I'm in love with you. But I'll figure something out, okay?" She looked in my eyes and must have seen that I meant it.
"Okay"
"Okay?" I smiled
"Okay" she smiled.
"Does this mean you're coming back?"
"Oh no" she blushed "We're taking it slow this time. Maybe after a couple dates, we'll see if you can invite me back to your place. Or maybe I'll invite you back to mine"
"In that case, can we go on one of those dates now? If you're not too busy"
"I guess I could make time for you"
I helped her to her feet never once letting go of her hand. I never wanted to let go of it ever again.
"So where would like to go?" I asked her after paying the bill and making our way to the door.
"It's your city. Surprise me"
=^..^=
The End.
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And scene. I'd love to hear your thoughts about this story. Hope you enjoyed it.