Thomas arrives at the shopping mall and texts May. She texts back telling him to meet her in a new store that just opened. He goes in and starts to look around, soon finding her looking at dresses.

- Hey, May.

- Hi! - She turns around holding up two dresses - So which one do you want, the cute little black dress or the red one?

- Hey, I told you I was going to choose!

- And you are! You’re choosing between these two dresses. It’s still your choice, isn’t it?

Thomas sighs and stares at the dresses. The black one is shorter, but the red one is more revealing. He could never wear something like that, so he went with the black dress.

- The black one, I guess.

- Hey be a little more enthusiastic. Try on the dress, okay? I’ll also take a few measurements we will need for today.

- I don’t know...

- It’ll be fine.

May grabs Thomas by the hip and pulls him close, leading into a kiss. He feels his heart start to beat faster, and he has to tip toe just to stay in that position. He closes his hands and puts them near his chest. When she finally lets him go, he’s just standing and staring at her. She chuckles.

- You’re so adorable when you’re not trying to be some macho man all the time. Let’s go. - She sticks out her arm for him to grab. He does so, pulling himself close and yet again feeling safe.

They get to the changing room and go in. May grabs from her purse a measuring tape.

- Alright, take off your clothes and I’ll start.

- I don’t know, I’m kind of embarrassed.

- You don’t have to be, it’s gonna be alright.

- Promise?

- Promise.

Thomas breathes in and out slowly, then starts to take off his clothes. When he is done May starts to measure his body.

- Just hold your arms out, just like that. - She looks at him up and down. - Wow, your body is really gorgeous.

- Let’s just get this done quick, please. - He says, trying to hide the fact that he’s blushing once again.

- Just a few more and... Done! Now you can try on the dress. You can use it while we’re still shopping.

He looks at her, almost panicking.

- Wait, You want me to go out like this?

- Yeah. Come on, trust me. You’ll look great.

Thomas puts on the dress and looks in the mirror. The dress fits really well. He can’t stop staring at himself.

- You look great, Tommy. - She looks to the ground and grabs crosses her arms. - Huh, that doesn’t sound right. Maybe we should find you a new-

- Lilly.

- Huh?

- My name. Can you call me Lilly?

May smiles and runs her fingers through Lilly’s hair, softly putting her hands on her face. Lilly lightly grabs one of her arms, looking at her with anticipation.

- Of course, honey. You look great, Lilly.

Lilly tries to say something but can’t, and just lets herself fall onto May, grabbing her in a tight hug. She begins to cry, and her girlfriend tries to comfort her.

- Thank you so much.

- There, there. It’s gonna be alright. Do you want to go looking for some other outfits?

- Mhm. - She says while rubbing her eyes a little - I really like the way I look.

She was happy, but somewhat confused. Why did wearing that dress feel so right? Why did the name fit so well? She was supposed to be a boy still, right? The thought that maybe her mind was affected as well passes her mind, but deep down she knows it isn’t true. She always felt this way, just never had the right words to describe it.

- Now we’re gonna get you some shoes, underwear, a bunch of different outfits and accessories and then maybe even a swimsuit. What do you think?

- I think I’d like that. - She starts to fiddle with her fingers and quickly adds. - Maybe I... No, never mind.

- What is it?

- Don’t worry, it’s just a silly thought. Let’s go.

She grabs May’s arm again with both hands and they go back into the store. The place is huge and there are many, many possibilities. They go into the underwear section first. She’s still nervous and looking around, but also excited. I mean, she needs something to fit her new body, they might as well get something cute, right?

- Look, I think we should start with something a little bit simple. But you choose whatever you like.

- How about that one? It looks pretty!

- Oh, this one? - May picks up a red bra with subtle flower designs - Alright! You choose the bras and I’ll picks some panties that match, okay?

Lilly blushes and keeps following her girlfriend. It felt strange to buy feminine underwear for the first time. Normally she’d just pick up a pair of boxers, throw them in a bag and that’d be all. But for some reason she actually wanted something that also looked good on her.

They get a couple of sets and call it a day on that department. She bought the ones she found cute and May added a few plain ones, which is probably for the best. No need to get too expensive already, there were still a lot of things to buy. They start moving to the shoes section.

- You know, Lilly. You went really quick from “I’m still a boy” to “call me Lilly”.

- I-I just thought, you know, since I look like this it would be weird to call me Thomas. And I don’t know, I... I really liked this dress.

- Hey it’s alright, I’m not saying it’s bad. And yeah, you look beautiful wearing that dress.

The shoes don’t take that long. There are many styles Lilly still wants to try, and so they get a few that might come in handy. Her favorites were a pair of high heels that got her to her original height (still might take a while to get used to), a pair of brown boots and some white and pink sneakers.

- Alright, that should be enough for a first time shopping. We still need to get you your outfits. This is the fun part. What kind of stuff do you like?

- I don’t know. I never really thought about that before.

- Let’s try out a few of them and see what you think, okay?

- Alright.

May doesn’t take long at all to start choosing clothes. Both of them take as much as they can carry and move back to the changing rooms. They pick one and Lilly goes inside. She’s a bit disappointed when removing the dress, but she does so anyway. First she picks a set of underwear. She goes with the plain black bra and panties. While comfortable, it is a weird feeling to be wearing something on the chest. She’d have to get used to it.

Finally she picks a few clothes and tries them on. She doesn’t quite like the look of a few of them, or they simply don’t fit. Soon she finds a few matching ones that look good with her boots. She looks like a cool biker. Not really her style, it’d look better on May, but she can’t deny that she looks good. When May sees her, she seems to agree.

She goes back in and tries something else. A nice sweater and some big baggy pants. She thinks it’s a great outfit to use when she’s home and starting to get cold. A couple of dresses also grab her attention. She chooses a blue summer dress and tries it on, excitedly showing it to her girlfriend.

- Hey that looks great on you! Spin around a little bit.

- Sure! - Lilly spins around for May and puts her hands behind her back.

- Yeah, that’s definitely a buy.

Getting more and more excited she keeps going in and out of the changing room, trying on new outfits she likes. Suspenders, skirts, shirts, blouses, jackets, everything. She likes trying different styles to see what fits. Black clothes with chains, flannels and jeans, casual looks, formal looks, anything she thinks would look good. Every time she puts on a new outfit she can’t help but pose for both May and the mirror. While trying on these outfits she completely forgets that they should be trying to find a way to go back to normal.

She decides to wear one of them while going out. She picked a white blouse that revealed her shoulders and a short pink skirt to go along with it. It all went nicely with the sneakers she got, alongside her knee high socks. She looked in the mirror and struck a couple of poses that made her feel pretty. The only thing missing were maybe a few bracelets, a simple choker and bow for her hair. She separated the clothes she was going to buy and the ones she wasn’t and then went back out to see May.

- So, do we get to see the accessories now? I have a few ideas! - The excitement on her voice was obvious.

- Yeah! Let’s just pay for these and we can go, honey.

They leave that store and walk around, looking for jewelry stores and other things that might catch Lilly’s attention. They get each of the things she wanted while trying on outfits. A choker, a bow, some bracelets and even a cute necklace May got her.

Now it was time for the swimsuit. She was worried when it was first mentioned, but now it sounded fun. She couldn’t wait to go the pool or the beach sometime. She always hated her body, but this time it would be different. She could have fun.

It’s getting late and they get to the store. Lilly doesn’t take too long to find things she likes. She picks a dark blue one-piece swimsuit and a pink two piece with a skirted bottom. She tries them both on and again tears up looking in the mirror. She can’t wait to go swimming.

On the way to the register she meets a familiar face. Jim shows up seemingly out of nowhere and scares both of them.

- Hey! Oh, sorry. Didn’t mean to startle you... uhh...

- Lilly. It’s Lilly now.

- Oh, really? Nice that you’re figuring things out. - He looks at the swimsuit she’s holding. - You’re gonna go swimming soon?

- Oh? Oh no, it’s just for, you know, when I get an opportunity.

- Well that’s perfect. Tomorrow some friends and I are gonna go hiking. We’re gonna have a bit of a road trip, walk a bit and then go camping. There’s a lovely lake nearby where we like to go swimming. Wanna go?

- I... I don’t - She looks at May - What do you think?

- Should be fun. Why not?

- Alright, sure! I’ll see you tomorrow then?

- Sweet! We’ll pick you up at 6 AM, sound good?

- Yeah!

- See ya!

Jim leaves the store and soon after so do the two girls. They decide to walk around the place before heading home. They buy some ice cream and enjoy each other’s company for a while. Then suddenly Lilly stops walking.

- Oh!

- What is it?

- Makeup! That would be fun. I’d just need someone to help me learn.

- Well, you’ve got someone right here! Come on.

May takes her to buy makeup. Lilly asks questions the entire time, there’s certainly a lot to learn. A lot of colors to pick from, different brands and prices. Thankfully her girlfriend does most of the choices for her, leaving her with the job of picking some things she liked. Most of it was kept a secret, however. May wanted to surprise her.

They move to the register. The woman behind the register looks at May and smiles.

- Oh, hi! Haven’t seen you in a while.

- Hey, Gab. Haven’t had much time because of the finals. Finally done with that.

- That’s great!

- Oh, and this is my girlfriend, Lilly. - May points back at her.

- H-hi! - she holds her arm and blushes, the word ‘girlfriend’ still on her mind - Nice to meet you.

- Oh? Didn’t you say you had a boyfriend?

- Hm? - May quickly thinks of something - Oh, no. Probably just misspoke.

- Ah, fair enough. Well, here you go, ladies. Take care.

They leave the store, get some ice cream and sit down on a few nearby benches. None of them noticed how tired of walking they really were up until that point. Lilly lets her head rest on her girlfriend’s shoulder, hugging her gently. May throws her arm around her and pulls her even closer.

They sit there for a minute, not saying anything and barely moving. They look at each other, locking eyes and slowly moving closer. Lilly was sitting in an adorable way, a noticeable difference from before that day. She felt safe.

May moves in suddenly, making her girlfriend let out a quick high pitched gasp that was muffled by the kiss. She pulls her close and hugs her tight while Lilly softly grabs her arms. They open their eyes again and go back to looking at each other, both wait for the other one to break the silence.

- Well, it was a fun day. - May finally says, delicately running a finger through Lilly’s neck.

- Y-yeah, it really was. Thank you.

- Now go home, you’ve got a long day tomorrow. And hey, maybe the day after we can practice makeup together back at my house.

- I’d really like that. I love you.

- I love you too.

They get up and walk to the exit. Lilly decides to take a taxi back home as it was getting dark already. May kisses her on the forehead and walks away, once again leaving her alone with her thoughts. Maybe all this drama wouldn’t be so bad after all...