In the Office (ManxTransWoman)

Chapter 26

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

My stomach turned as I watched Danny's car pull into the driveway. I was waiting on the porch, looking somewhat more presentable than I did before. My hair air dried and was in its natural state, slightly frizzy and wavy. I had no makeup on, which is a rare occurrence for me to show others. And I was in athletic black leggings and a purple tank top with purple socks on my feet.

Danny stepped out of the car, dressed in a white button up, blue and black plaid vest, and black slacks from work. He waved at me when he saw me there to greet him. I gave a small smile back, still scared of how this talk will pan out. Danny made it to me and gave me a quick hug. I nervously welcomed him inside and we went to go sit at the island in the kitchen where I had some of Madison's salted caramel chocolate chip cookies waiting for us.

"Can I get you anything to drink?" I asked, giving him a plate of cookies.

"Milk, please!" Danny replied, happily munching on one of the sweet treats.

I chuckled and poured us both a glass of milk. I handled him his glass and sat down. We took a few minutes just enjoying the baked goods, making very little small talk. When our bellies were full, we were forced to address the elephant in the room.

"Okay, so I know that something happened between you and Thierry. He called me last night and asked me to come over. He was really upset. He wouldn't tell me why though because he said he wanted to respect your privacy. Do you mind telling me? I feel like I can't truly help until I fully understand the situation." Danny started.

Oh gosh, I have to do this again. A part of me was kinda hoping that Thierry told him so I didn't have to do this all over again. I know Danny will be hurt that I lied to him as well. Let's hope that he will be more understanding.

"I'm....a non-op trans woman. I didn't tell him until last night, after he asked me to be his girlfriend." I mumbled, just wanting to get this over with.

"Oh." he said, looking taken back.

My eyes watered and looked away, stressed and tired of this whole situation. I know I chose to my identity a secret but I hate this feeling. I hate feeling like a freak and a disappointment. I just wish I was born in a woman's body. That was not my fault. I am a woman plain and simple.

"I'm really surprised. I had no idea that you've been hiding this. I'm not going to lie and say I'm not a little hurt that you didn't tell me sooner. But I get it. Being a gay male isn't always sunshine and roses, especially twenty years ago. I know you were scared and you never know how someone is going to react." Danny whispered, getting up to give me a hug.

I gratefully accepted the hug, wrapping my arms around my friend. He squeezed me tightly as I cried on his shoulder. Danny rubbed my back and I felt myself calming down.

"Can you tell me about Thierry? Please, I just need to know if he's okay." I begged.

"When I came over last night, he was crying. I've never seen him like that. In fact, I don't think I've ever seen him cry before. At least not like that. He's really overwhelmed and his head isn't in the right place. I think he's just really confused and not sure how he feels. He's obviously hurt and mad that you lied. But I believe those feelings are amplified more than they would be because of everything that has happened recently. We've talked about his relationship with you, his family, his past, and his mental health. Thierry's never been this open with me before, especially with his feelings." Danny replied, his face clearly showing how worried he is about his best friend.

"D-Did he say anything about me being transsexual? Was he disgusted?" I couldn't help but ask.

"Olivia, I don't know. He didn't go into that with me. He wouldn't even tell me what the secret was about. I honestly don't even know the man's sexuality or anything like that. Until you, I thought he was possibly asexual! He's never shown interest in anyone, even when we were kids. If I ever asked him, he'd just shrug and say that he wasn't interested in dating. That why I was so surprised but happy when I realized he liked you. That may be another reason why he's taking this so person. To my knowledge, you're the only person he's ever been attracted to, let alone someone he actually wanted to be in a relationship with. He didn't even tell me he asked you to be his girlfriend last night!"