Autumn woke slowly to the sound of Emily King’s Off Center playing on the TV and the harsh streams of late-afternoon light forcing their way into the room and casting hard shadows against the walls. Her pillow moved underneath her cheek and a sleepy grin came over her face.

“Good morning, Girlfriend.” Said Samantha, her fingers rubbing soothingly at Autumn’s ear.

“Good afternoon.” She murmured, nuzzling her nose against Samantha’s boob and playfully biting at her hidden nipple. The responding squeal told Autumn she’d found her mark. There was a soft smack on her shoulder that told her it was time to get up and get moving, but it was hard to do anything when she sat up. Why?

Because the golden hour lighting made Samantha look like a goddess.

“Don’t move an inch,” called Autumn, already tripping over her own feet to get off the couch and to her camera. Samantha called something behind her, but she didn’t pay attention. There was art to be made, and she’d just found her first muse.

Three minutes later she returned to the room, looking around and mumbling some unintelligible ramblings about shutter speeds and F-stops that Samantha found unerringly adorable.

“Should I—” but she was cut off by a faux-angry scowl and a single finger.

“I said not a fucking inch, Samantha.” Then she raised her camera and Samantha heard a few clicks as Autumn took some test photos to preview exposure and depth of focus. A moment later she spoke. “Okay, that’ll work. My battery’s almost dead so we’ve gotta be quick.”

“Some professional you—”

“Fucking. Inch.”

Samantha sighed loudly, though she found the entire situation stimulating. Nobody had ever made her feel like a model before, but she could imagine walking down a runway with the energy Autumn was creating in this room. And it didn’t help her heart rate any that Autumn looked amazing as she worked her way toward her from across the room, snapping off shot after shot while directing her eyes with a finger held away from her and a nonstop rambling of instructions.

“…And now at the TV. Stretch out that neck for me. You’re on a date and you feel my damp breath along your clavicle and you want to give it to me. That’s right, right there. Now smile. Think about your next birthday and how we’re going to— no, not that. Stop. Think about the lights and the decorations and how happy you’ll be. There it is, let the smile reach your eyes, Samantha. We’re thinking back on happy moments, wistful times locked away in memories. There we go. Now look into the lens for me, sweeheart, will you? Look past the lens and past me and… wait, don’t cry. Samantha?”

Autumn was mere feet away, probably within arms’ reach, when she stopped her approach. Concern colored her features and entered her voice as she dropped the camera down on the strap and hurried forward, but Samantha’s hand stopped her.

“It’s okay.” She said, wiping her face with her other hand. “You’re just so…”

“Oh, no.” Autumn deflated. “I’m so sorry, I was just trying to capture the light. I didn’t mean to swear. I know I can get—”

“No!” Samantha shook her head. “No, you were amazing. That’s all. You make me feel…” she cleared her throat. “You make me feel important. And I don’t know if I deserve you.”

That stopped Autumn in her tracks for a moment before her hard eyes locked onto Samantha’s. There was something that passed there. Something final, before she said, “No, you probably don’t.” Then she took her camera strap off from around her head and tried to sit against the armchair’s arm, only to settle for leaning against it. “But if there’s something I know, it’s that I don’tdeserve you. You’ve given me something I never could have asked for, and never would have had if not for you.”

Samantha rubbed her nose and asked, “What do you mean?”

So Autumn took a deep breath and told Samantha what had happened while they were asleep. She didn’t tell her about the ocean of darkness, or about the pool by the field of fireflies, but she told her about how Holly helped save her by letting her communicate with herself and be true to herself in a new way. A way that she’d desperately needed. She told Samantha that she didn’t know if she was trans, but that she did think that she was female, and how thankful she was that she now had the chance to live out that life because of her.

“And so I’m going to need your help, Samantha. I’m on new footing here, and I don’t really know where to go now.” Her voice cracked as she finished. “Holly mentioned some of the things I’m going to have to deal with, and some of them sounded really hard and I’m not sure I can do it alone and—’

Samantha cut her off with a strong embrace that cracked a few of Autumn’s vertebrae before she lessened her grasp. “I’ll be here, with you and for you, Autumn. I promise.”

And they held each other there for a few more moments before Samantha spoke again. “You know what we need to do first?”

“What?” Autumn tried to dry her cheek on her sweater, but her shoulder was soaked.

“We need to celebrate.” Samantha stepped back and held her at arms’ length. “We’re going to the mall and then we’re going to my favorite pub. And we’re going right now.”

All Autumn could do was stare.

“What?” Samantha stepped back.

“Nothing! It’s just that you’re a fucking giant.”

Samantha laughed. “I’m not sure. Maybe you’re just tiny now, Girlfriend.” And she went to pat Autumn’s head, only to get her hand swatted away.

“Don’t you dare.” She stuck her tongue out at the taller girl. “You have to be nice to me, remember?”

“Maybe. Maybe not. We’ll play it by ear, okay?” All she got from Autumn was a glare. “Ugh, fine. I’ll be nice tonight, okay? But the way I see it,” she stepped forward and poked Autumn in the sternum jokingly, “you’ve got a lot to learn about being a girl and only a week off from work.”

“But I don’t have a lot to learn about work! I can do this just fine.” She motioned to her camera on the table.

“Oh, I can tell. But also, maybe learn to tone it down if you don’t want whoever it is you’re… photo-ing—”

“Just say ‘shooting’.”

“—to jump your sexy ass on the spot.”

“Fine.” Autumn stuck her tongue out again, grabbed her camera and left the room.

“Wear something sexy!”

“Bite me!”

“Maybe later…” Samantha smirked as Holly shook her head next to her. The AI had been watching the exchange quietly, only visible to her. Samantha turned to her. “She’s going to be okay?”

“She’s going to be spectacular, if you don’t fuck this up.”

“Yeah,” she sighed, “that sounds about right. Well, let’s go to the mall. And, Holly?”

“Yes, Mistress?” the AI laid her sarcasm down thick.

“I think I have Autumn’s new rule for tomorrow.” And she shared it with her discretely.

Holly rubbed her hands together and cackled. “Ooh, that is going to be fun.”

Samantha nodded and left to her room to get dressed and maybe try and work up the courage to tell Autumn how she really felt about her. “Can you get the car warmed up?”

“Sure thing!” Holly disappeared in a could of ones and zeros behind Samantha as she mentally pieced together a quick going-out outfit of dark blue jeans and a low-cut, sleeveless red blouse she could tuck in. Paired with the ensemble was a pair of wedges and a deep necklace to accentuate her height and long neck. Tonight was not a night for subtleties. It was a night for emphasis.

She returned to the living room minutes later to find Autumn wearing a white tank top and a bright, pink skirt that stopped considerably higher than her knees. White, two-inch heels were strapped to her feet and Holly had helped put her hair up in a tight purple bun. She looked absolutely stunning, and she did a horrible job of hiding her blush when she caught Samantha’s hungry eye.

“Are you ready to go?”

Samantha stepped forward and fingered at the thin, white-leather strap of Autumn’s purse that draped over her shoulder with a raised eyebrow.

“What?” the shorter girl shrugged self-consciously. “You made me like girly things for the day. And now I like this look.”

“I didn’t make you like girly things for the day. I just made you like girly things.”

“Nope,” Autumn grinned and reached for the door, “this is part of your payment to me. You have to remove these modifications tomorrow.”

Samantha kept her stare up for several moments longer than she thought she could have before looking away with a mental sigh of resignation. “Fine. But there’ll be more changes tomorrow— just you wait.” And she walked through the door out into the brisk evening air.

“I’m sure there will be,” Autumn whispered so that Samantha couldn’t hear as they got into her car, “and I can’t wait.”

Samantha heard her, though, and smiled as she started the engine. Neither can I.