Yes

 You ponder saying no. Part of you wants to say no. You’re a guy, right? But as you look at yourself in the mirror, an archetype of feminine beauty, you realize that you may actually love this. You were always an outsider as a kid, and you never really fit into the dynamics of boy and girl. This felt good, somehow. You remembered a bartender at the club you would frequent. You were never any good with girls, but you befriended her as you didn’t approach girls out of fear. Her name was Brittney, and she was a lesbian. You and her both knew that nothing would ever happen between you, but part of you wished you could be something more to her. In front of you was a perfect opportunity, so you take a deep breath and speak.

“Yes, I’m happy!”

The door opens without a word and you wander out. At first, the heels are hard to walk in. You trip everywhere, but as you walk to the bar you slowly figure it out, going heel-toe, heel-toe and really swinging your hips to balance yourself out. Every male eye and more than a few female eyes are on you as you strut towards the club, confidence building with every step. The bouncers get one look at you and immediately open the doors for you. The music is pulsing, and you feel your heart beating with it.

That’s when you see her, pouring a few shots of tequila and sliding them over to a group of girls. You finally make your way to the bar and flag her down. She’s wearing some dark skinny jeans, a black tank top, and a dark leather jacket zipped almost all the way up. Her hair is black and straight. You couldn’t tell how sexy she was underneath all those layers, but her demeanor screamed it, nonetheless.

“I’ll have a mint julep, heavy on the mint, swap bourbon for gin.” You order confidently.

“interesting order... you know, I have one other customer that likes their Julep like that.” She looks you up and down.

“It’s me, Brittney.” You state plainly.

“That’s really funny. How’s he doing?” Brittney starts pouring the cocktail.

“No, you don’t understand. This is going to sound crazy, but Tiffany told me to go to this salon. They put me in this room, and I swear the machine malfunctioned and turned me into this!” You twirl around, showing off your body.

“Wow, you’re really dedicated to this bit. Did he put you up to this?” She puts down the glass in front of you.

“Ok, how about this. Your favorite color is blue, but not just any blue. It’s the blue color you saw in the sky the day your sister Beth left for college. You’re not close to your parents, but you always were inseparable with her. Your favorite drink is a Moscow mule in glass because-“ You try to say, but Brittney interrupts.

“Because the copper mug is a dumb gimmick. Holy shit, it is you!” Brittney looks you up and down once more. “Backroom, 10 minutes. If you’re really him, you know the room and the door code.”

Back in the room, you fiddle around with your dress and mess with the straps on your heels, stretching and waiting, checking your phone while you sit. You’re leaving a comment on an old photo when Brittney bursts in and plants her lips on yours.

You sit at that moment for what feels like forever, the bliss of your love finally being reciprocated moving through you. The two of you embrace for a while, but eventually, Brittney pulls back.

“I have to get back to work. I want this. Do you?” She says.

“Yes”, you smile before kissing her once more.

“Good. Meet me after I’m off. Girlfriends?” She responds.

“Girlfriends.” Your heart flutters as you hear the words exiting your mouth.

“So what do I call you now?” She asks.

“I don’t know, I haven’t really thought about it.” You quietly say, embarrassed.

“How about Vera. I think it suits you.” She bops you on the nose playfully.

“Yeah, Vera. I like it.” You respond.

“Good. See you soon.” Brittney kisses you once more and scurries out, all aflutter.

You knew you made the right choice, and the smile going across your face isn’t going to fade anytime soon. Becoming Vera is the best decision you ever made, and you couldn’t be happier.

The End.