-Chapter 13: Heart to Heart-

Time stood still. My heart skipped a beat.

What…?

Those were words I'd wanted to hear. I'd wanted to hear her say those words to me for so long. I used to think she was aromantic. I'd given up hope of ever hearing them. She couldn't have just said what I thought she said.

"H-huh…?"

"That's right," she said confidently, smiling warmly with her hands still cutely behind her back, "And I don't mean just as a friend. I'm in love with you, Sophie. I've fallen in love with you. And I want to be with you. I want to stand at your side. I want to hold you in my arms and shower you with affection. I want to take your hand in mine and brave the future, together with you. I love you."

Wait…

Tonight. She told me she was a lesbian. And I was a girl. I was trans. I'd been a girl for a long time, and I realized that earlier today. And, four days ago, my body became female. And we were both women. And she was a lesbian. And she told me she loved me.

This can't be real…

"Y-you…?!"

"I think…" she said calmly, beginning to slowly pace around the living room, "I think I've loved you for a long time. You've always been the sweetest, kindest, funniest, most caring person in my life. I think, if I was ever going to be with anyone, I wanted it to be you. You make me feel a way no one else ever has. If that feeling isn't love, I don't know what is. But…"

She stopped, stood still, and looked to me;

"I couldn't want you… and I didn't know you were trans back then, so, no matter what, I just saw a guy, and… I couldn't do it. I tried to want you, so hard. I tried and tried, but it never happened. I loved you, and wanted to be in a relationship with you, but… I even thought about trying and approaching you a couple times, but… we'd get there eventually, and I knew if we did, I'd fall apart. I'd end up hurting you, and myself, and it would have damaged our relationship so badly, that I… I just tried to let those feelings go.

But then, four days ago, you got SIS. I was so scared for you, but I… I was secretly happy. I hated myself for feeling that way, but I couldn't help it. There was a chance! We could be compatible, and once you recovered, we could maybe, maybe be together! And I felt like the biggest piece of shit… There you were, falling apart, having your entire life turned upside down, and I was getting excited! But, then, it happened, and you changed, and when you woke up and looked at me, you were so adorable, I wanted to confess right then! The person I loved turned into the cutest girl, and… I kept kicking myself for thinking it, but, selfishly; so, so selfishly… I thought I must be the luckiest girl in the world…"

Wait… did she just…?

"D-don't get the wrong idea! I was being honest every time you asked me why I was doing so much to help you out; you're precious to me, and I wanted you to be okay. I wasn't trying to manipulate you into going out with me or anything like that… In fact… that's the reason I didn't say anything until now. I was asking you to place all your trust and faith in me, and I was doing everything I could to take care of you, and it felt like saying anything to you then would be… manipulative. I was already asking you to depend on me, and I was forcing myself on you, so asking you to date me felt like I would just be taking advantage of your vulnerability. If you said yes, even if it made you happy, I thought it wouldn't have been your own decision. Not fully, at least. I wasn't planning on saying anything for a long time… if ever.

But, tonight… you proved me wrong. You told me, confidently, that you were a woman. You stood up to me when I was being unreasonable and selfish. You pushed past your doubts and came here to talk through our differences like adults. And you made every one of those decisions on your own. Eveeen if the last one did involve you getting drunk like an idiot… But that's not the point! The point is, you showed me that you're a confident, mature woman who can make her own choices, and I'm going to show you the respect you deserve by telling you how I feel, honestly, and letting you decide how to respond. 

So… there it is… I love you, Sophie Fuller."

Oh my god. This is actually happening… You've dreamed of this moment for years, and it's actually happening! This is it! You can tell her the truth! You can let those feelings that have been building up for so many years out! Tell her how you feel! You don't have to hold anything back! Tell her you love her!

"I-I think… I, er… I feel the same way…"

Oh you fucked it!

Anna just stood there, smiling coyly;

"I know~"

… What…?

"Wh-what?! What do you mean, 'you know?!' I never said anything!"

"Yeah ya' did!"

"What?! When?!"

"When you were coming off anesthesia. You told me how great I was and then said you loved me. It was really cute~"

"No I di-!"

Oh fuck.

Oh fuck, oh fuck, oh fuck, oh fuck, oh fuck! I thought I didn't say it! I remember thinking it, and then thinking I shouldn't say it, and then thinking the words in my head. But I didn't say it out loud! But, wait… Anna made that face at me. I didn't know why, but she looked surprised, then stared at me like I was a lost puppy. I thought it was weird, but if I confessed my feelings to her, then…!

"Ahhh…!"

My face was turning red. My cheeks were on fire. I was tearing up. I think I started sweating.

"Aaaaaahhh…!"

I grabbed the collar of my blouse and buried my face in my hands. Don't look at me! Don't look at me! Don't look at me!

"AAAAAAAAAAAHHH!"

I wasn't so much screaming as whining to death. The phrase 'death by embarrassment' never sounded more fitting than it did right then. I think the loud, high pitched whining noise I made was the sound of my soul leaving my body, trying to disassociate itself out of sheer discomfort. I must have been so red in the face, you'd have been able to see me from low orbit. Fight or flight failed to activate. Every instinct in my body demanded that I curl up into a ball and shrink out of existence.

Oh my god, you fucked it all up! You'd been sitting on those feelings for years, hoping and praying for the right moment to let them out, and when it finally comes, not only did you stumble all over yourself, but you'd already accidentally told her! You couldn't have fucked it up any more badly if you'd tried! Idiot! Fucking dweeb! Unbelievable moron! You-!

There were a lot more explocatives aimed at myself, but that's the gist of it. It was as I was spiralling down that endless vortex of humiliation, that I suddenly heard a;

"Mwah~"

and felt a gentle kiss atop my head. I pulled my face from my shirt, looking up and blinking away my tear droplets;

"Huh…?"

And I saw Anna, bent over me, smiling calmly and gently;

"It was very, very sweet, but… I don't put much stock in the confessions of cute girls drugged out of their minds. So, I want to hear it from you. Right here. Right now. I want you to tell me, in your own words, exactly how you feel, okay?"

Anna extended her hand to me, and I took it. She pulled me to my feet, and I stood, looking slightly up to meet her eyes. Her gentle touch and firm, earnest request roused me, snapping me out of the shameful spell I had fallen under. I began to speak;

"Anna, I…"

But I stopped. Gather your thoughts. She wanted to hear 'exactly' how I felt, and I was going to tell her. I needed to say everything. I needed to let those feelings I'd bottled up out, for real this time. 

I inhaled, held the breath, and slowly, calmly, let it out. This was it. This was the moment. I looked Anna in the eyes, and let the words flow freely;

"Anna, you're the single most important person in the world to me. You've always been there for me, and you've saved me over and over and over. You've brought so much joy and hope into my life. I can't even begin to describe how much you mean to me. You are the most wonderful, kind, compassionate, caring, gentle, loving person I know. I never feel more alive than when I'm by your side. You showed me how to love myself. You've helped me make my most wonderful, impossible dreams come true. I want you to know how amazing you are. How special you are. Anna, you're so beautiful, I lose my breath every time I see your smiling face. You've been the brightest light in my life for a long time, and there are so many things about you that I love. I love your smile. I love the way you laugh. I love your bravery and your strength. I love your unbreakable spirit. I love how bold and outgoing you are, and even how shameless you can be sometimes. I love your sense of humor and the way you tease me. I love the cute side you show me. I love the way I feel when you hold me in your arms. I love your soft voice, and your gentle touch, and your flowing dark hair, and your brilliant blue eyes, and your intelligence, and your honesty, and your kindness, and, from the bottom of my heart, Anna, I love you!"

She looked at me. She stared into my eyes, unmoving. Anna, ever expressive, brazen, and witty, was speechless. Her cheeks shone pink, and the beginnings of tear drops began to form in the corners of her eyes, as she smiled ear to ear and threw herself around me;

"Oh, Sophie…!"

Her arms held me tightly, and I embraced her, pressing myself close, gently leaning my head against her. Nothing had ever felt as meaningful to me as that hug. Everything I'd ever dreamt of was encapsulated in that moment. I'd never felt so complete. So loved. I'd wanted this for so long. I'd loved Anna for so long, and she had loved me for just as long, and it finally happened. We were together. We weren't alone anymore. We weren't afraid anymore. We could bare our truest feelings for one another, and have them reciprocated. I'd never known I could feel so happy. Such a sense of belonging. That single moment existed as the culmination of Anna and I bundling up our feelings, about ourselves and each other, for years, and finally, finally letting them all out. And it was the most beautiful thing I'd ever experienced.

We kissed. I don't know which one of us started, but our lips pressed together, and I felt Anna's arms squeeze me tightly, as if to never let me go. And I held her back, relaxing in her arms while my heart hammered in my chest. I didn't know it was possible to feel so peaceful and excited at the same time, yet as our lips locked and we pressed ourselves close, I felt exactly that. Our first kiss was firm, but gentle, our lips merely touching. When our mouths finally parted, Anna blushed, smiling shyly;

"Would… would you believe me if I told you that was my first kiss…?"

"You too, huh?" I said with a playful grin. "So… how was it?"

"Hmmmm…" she murmured, glancing at me suggestively, "About like this…"

She kissed me again, but this time, any restraint she'd shown before was gone. Her mouth captured my mine, her warm tongue meeting my own as my lips parted to take her. There was an unbridled passion to her movements. Our tongues danced about as she explored my mouth, her right hand gently gripping the back of my head as she held my waist with her left. The feeling of her desire was overwhelming. She wanted me just as badly as I wanted her, and she didn't hesitate to make me hers. I felt flush. Dizzy. My knees grew weak, and Anna gently lowered my back onto the couch. I held onto her shoulders as she straddled me, our needy mouths still locked together. 

Every few moments, we would stop, panting to catch our breath before kissing again. My body was warm, and everywhere Anna touched felt electric. Her fingers ran through my hair and gripped my waist, her lips desperately pressing against my own. I felt Anna's hand slip under my blouse and begin to gently fondle my breast. My breathing came in short, feathered gasps, before I finally found myself helplessly moaning into her mouth. I needed her touch, her lips… I needed her. She became the only other thing in the world in those moments, and I needed everything she had to offer. Anna started to slide her hand up my thigh, brushing aside the hem of my skirt. 

But, just as I was beginning to lose myself, she stopped. She suddenly stopped kissing me, and just laid above me, propped up on her hands and knees, and stared at my face. Her hair draped around her radiant face like a beautiful curtain, and her endlessly deep blue eyes stared into my own. Breathless, I heard her angelic voice whisper,

"God… You're so beautiful…"

Those tender, earnest words of adoration and love sent my heart aflutter. I blushed and smiled, awash with joy, as she reached up, gently caressing my cheek;

"Sophie… Do you want this…?"

Her question gave me pause. Did I want this? Of course I wanted this! At least, I thought I did, but… there was something else. A subtle feeling buried underneath my lust and excitement. I had failed to notice it, but I suddenly realized it had been there since we started making out;

I was scared.

Sex scared me. I'd always been a stranger to my sexuality. I wanted this. I wanted to have sex. Anna was so stunningly gorgeous, and my body was begging for us to keep going, but I was scared. And it wasn't just because of my lack of experience with my new anatomy. The thought of being naked for someone else made me uncomfortable. The idea of offering my body to someone made me uncomfortable. The idea of baring my flesh, and being so vulnerable, and letting someone have their way with me scared me to my core.

But it was Anna. Anna, whom I'd shared everything with. Anna, whom I trusted more than anyone in the world. Whom I loved more than anyone in the world. Anna, who loved me so much, and had saved me again and again. Anna, who meant everything to me. So… I could do this. I could share my body with her, because she would never hurt me. I could be vulnerable for her, because she would take care of me. And, on top of everything; she asked. She could have done whatever she wanted to me, and I would have probably let her without a second thought, but she didn't. She held herself back, because she knew what I was feeling. She recognized doubts I wasn't even aware I was having. She stopped herself and asked because she sensed my fear, and she wanted to make sure I felt comfortable and safe. And that? That told me everything I needed to know. So, I gave her the only answer there was;

"Yes…!"

And, with a warm, gentle smile, she kissed me again, before rising to her feet and holding her hand out to me;

"Come on… The couch isn't gonna cut it~"

With a strange sense of curiosity (even though I understood what was happening,) I took her hand and looked upon her with a sense of awe. With a kittenish grin, she whisked me and my flimsy knees to her bedroom. She almost tossed me onto her bed as she started to undress, pulling her top off over her head, and slowly sashaying out of her leggings. I watched with reverence, absentmindedly unbuttoning my blouse as she slipped off her bra and slid her panties down her legs.

This may be hard to believe, but, despite having had feelings for her for years, I don't think I'd ever tried to imagine what Anna looked like nude. I'd probably had a few idle fantasies over the years, but I never really put any thought into what she'd look like or what we'd do. But, even if I had, nothing I could have dreamt up would have been even half as amazing as the real thing. She looked like a goddess. No, she was a goddess to me, because I worshiped her, in every sense. I was breathless as I watched her climb onto the bed and crawl on top of me. Her soft skin. Her smooth, flat tummy and gently curved hips. Her perfect breasts. The fiery look in her eyes, and the way her hair brushed against the nape of her neck. I was entranced. I was witnessing a work of art. An embodiment of perfection, manifested before my very eyes.

I couldn't move. I was too enraptured by the sheer beauty in front of me. Anna undid the clasp of my bra, taking one of the straps in her teeth and slipping it down my shoulder, and I swear my heart skipped a beat when I saw the overwhelming, hungry look in her eye as she did it. As my bra fell away, she planted a gentle kiss on the top of one of my breasts, making me gasp and shudder, before she bent further down, slipping my skirt and panties off in one single motion. I could hardly breathe as she moved back to my face and kissed me. Her arms wrapped around me in a tender embrace, and I held her in turn, the feeling of her warm, naked body pressing against mine, sending my head spinning. I felt vulnerable and weak and small, and I loved it. I could be all those things, because Anna kept me safe and warm and happy, and I didn't need to be anything but myself for her.

The signs of female arousal I'd experienced in the shower were back in full force, only this time, I welcomed them. I didn't want to be in control of my body. I wanted Anna to take me. I felt weak, and hot. My heart was pounding in my ears, and my nipples were aching. There was a deep, throbbing need in my groin, and I could feel myself getting wetter by the second. Anna's fingers were in my hair, and the feeling of her tongue in my mouth was dizzying. As she broke off her kiss, she looked into my eyes, her steady expression sending a pleasant chill up my spine;

"Now, Sophie… I want you to tell me exactly what you want me to do to you right now, okay…?"

I looked at her, losing myself in her intensely passionate gaze. Taking a breath, I tried to compose myself and answer,

"I- mmmpff?!"

She cut me off with a kiss, her tongue invading my mouth with a vengeance. Her groping became much, much more rigorous. She gripped my hips with one hand and the back of my neck with the other, her kissing leaving me little room to breathe, and even less to think. She slowly- so agonizingly slowly, dragged her fingertips down the length of my spine and up over my stomach. When her lips broke away from my mouth, she planted a warm kiss on my cheek, before moving to my ear. Her palm sank into my rear, firmly squeezing the soft flesh, as her other hand began to massage my breast. She gently nipped my earlobe, causing me to gasp from the sweet pain, before she began kissing my neck.

I couldn't think straight. I was whining with need and moaning with pleasure. It was all I could do to grip the bedsheets and let her have her way with me. Anna rubbed the tip of her thumb over my aching nipple, her hot breath against my neck making my hairs stand on end. My body was an instrument, and she was playing me with the skill and ease of a seasoned symphonist. She trailed gentle kisses down my shoulder and ran her fingers along the length of my inner thigh. Her lips felt like heaven, and her fingertips unbound every sapphic passion I had hidden away in my heart. As her mouth found my nipple, she ran those deft fingertips over the slick lips of my throbbing pussy. The world was falling away around me as she pulled me deeper and deeper into a lustful haze. I was lost. The erotic spell she'd cast ensnared me, leaving me helpless before her touch. She was winding me tighter and tighter around her finger, and whenever I felt like I would snap, she just wound me tighter.

She ran her tongue over my maddeningly sensitive nipple one last time, then suddenly stopped her tactile exploration, and looked up at me, pulling her face right next to mine, so close I could feel her breath on my lips;

"Now Sophie, won't you tell me what it is you want…?"

Her tone was playful and exacerbating. I might have been vexed if my mind hadn't already been drowned in a sea of pleasure. I struggled to speak;

"Oh-oh god, Anna…! I-I need this…! I need you so bad…!"

"Yes, lovely…? What do you need from me?"

I need you to fuck me already! was the phrase that bounced around in the back of my head, but it never made it out of there. All I could do was beg.

"Puh-please- ohhh!"

She pressed two fingers firmly against my wet labia.

"Now, now… Use your words~"

Just fuck my brains out! was again thought, but not said. I couldn't have said it if I wanted to. It took every ounce of my concentration and will power just to say,

"P-please… Make love to me!!"

The corners of her mouth arched up into a grin;

"Good girl~"

She shoved her fingers into my needy snatch, stoking the raging inferno in my belly, and I cried out in ecstacy. I never knew how badly I needed it, but, oh my god, I needed to be Anna's good girl like my life depended on it. She smiled confidently, my body and needs entirely under her control.

"Plus… there's something about being a girl I never got around to showing you…"

She leaned in, her mouth barely an inch from my ear. I could feel her warm breath against my earlobe, and my heart pounded in my chest like a jackhammer. In the most sensual, husky tone, she whispered to me,

"I never showed you how to make a girl come~"

Melting. Those words left me absolutely, positively, unequivocally melting. I don't know how she does it, but I swear that woman could get me halfway to climax with dirty talk alone.

She kissed me. First on the lips, then the chin, then the neck, then the collar. She kissed her way down the length of my torso before her mouth hovered just in front of my quivering, wet sex. Her breath tickled my aching pussy, and I needed her to eat me out so badly I thought I was gonna explode. The seconds felt like hours. Waiting was torture. My need was driving me mad… Then she went in. She started working my damp, tingling folds with her tongue, and I lost it. I couldn't stop moaning, and occasionally bucking my hips. 

"Ohhhh~ Ahhh~ Ahhn~!"

I cried out over and over, as she worked her magic on me. She licked me rigorously, fast and hard, before slowing down, gently and sensually caressing my delicate petals with her tongue, before speeding back up.

My chest heaved as I mewled and gasped with bliss. Anna's tongue worked my womanhood in every way I could imagine, never once touching my throbbing clit. My need kept growing. I was building up, higher and higher. I was racing toward the finish, and Anna was carrying me there. I was wound up, tighter and tighter, over and over and over. Anna's hand was resting on the bed, and I reached down and grabbed it, squeezing it tightly as I got closer. I could feel it coming. I was on the edge. I looked to my goddess and cried out to her;

"Mmmff! A-Anna, I-I think I'm gonna…!"

Her eyes locked with mine, and she shot me a knowing look. I felt her tongue press hard against a sore, aching spot, and then it happened…

Ecstasy.

Rapture.

Euphoria.

I screamed from the sweet release my body had been craving. Stars danced about my vision, and the dam broke. I bucked my hips and cried out as I finally experienced a woman's orgasm. I was in an ocean, and gentle yet striking waves of sweet pleasure washed over my body, over and over, from the pit of my stomach, out of my twitching clit, through my trembling breasts, into my head, and fingers, and toes. Again, and again, and again. I never knew a human body could experience such bliss, and the feeling was surreal. Sublime. Divine. The angel I loved carried me to an emotional, sensory heaven. I could have floated on that cloud forever. It felt like it could go on forever. But, as quickly as those feelings came, they gradually faded, and I finally, slowly came down.

Everything was warm and tingly, and I found myself lying atop the comfy bed with Anna's beautiful face nestled between my thighs. She slowly pulled herself up. She placed her damp sex against my hip, and shoved her thigh against my still throbbing womanhood. With a playful smile, she kissed me, the taste of my climax still lingering on her lips. With a sweet and loving look in her eyes, she whispered to me;

"Hmhm… I love the way you sing for me, pet~"

She gently gripped my chin between her thumb and index finger, tilting my face to look directly at hers;

"There's so, so much more I want to do with you, my love. Are you ready for that…?"

I stared into her gorgeous eyes and tried to answer. All that came out was a murmur. Words failed me. Someone had pulled the cord, disconnecting my tongue from my brain, making it impossible for me to speak. So I just nodded. Whatever she wanted from me, I was ready to give. Anna smiled and kissed me. She started to grind against my hip, and rub her leg against my vagina, and it felt so good, and I started gasping, and I could feel myself building up again, and-and…!

And we went on for a while. A long while. Like, a 'two and a half hours' while. And it was a journey. If I'm sticking with the 'instrument' analogy, then what I experienced with Anna was a full symphony, with highs and lows and long build ups and thrilling climaxes. 

Things shifted as Anna and I went along. The first hour was intense. It was passionate, and exploratory, and rigorous. We pushed each other's boundaries, and played off one another's personalities. The second hour was slower. Things were a lot more calm, and sensual, and intimate. We were caring for each other's needs, gently drawing out the pleasures from our bodies. The last hour was tranquil. There was a lot of cuddling and heavy petting. We were both exhausted, and just wanted to bask in one another's presence. Some sweet nothings were whispered, and a lot of kisses were exchanged.

I didn't know what to expect from sex. I had been excited and a little afraid, but I didn't really know what it would be like. For Anna and I, our sex was like a conversation. It was about communication. We were telling each other how we felt, not with words, but through sensation. I wanted to show Anna how much I loved her, and how much she meant to me. She definitely showed me all the ways she loved me, and I know my feelings reached her too. It was an earnest exchange of emotions. And we both had a lot of feelings to get out.

When all was said and done, I found myself wrapped tightly in Anna's arms, my head resting gently against her chest. We were glowing. Warm, and radiant, and comfortable, and safe. We laid there in silence for a while. I just relaxed, taking in the world around me. I focused on the sounds. Outside, the storm had blown through, and all that was left was a light drizzle; typical for this area. My other ear heard a much more lovely noise. I felt Anna's body rise and fall with her breathing, and listened to the steady, rhythmic beating of her heart. Eventually, I felt her shift, and she planted a gentle kiss on the top of my head. Her whispers were as soft as her touch was caring,

"You were so lovely… My sweet little Sophie…"

I glanced up at her, stealing a kiss from her lips;

"Thank you…"

She giggled quietly,

"You know, that's a silly thing to say after sex~"

"No, not just for the sex. Thank you… for everything. For loving me. You… You're my heart…"

Anna gave me a gentle squeeze, and I shifted a bit, nuzzling my cheek against her. We were both quiet for a bit, before I mentioned something I'd been thinking about.

"Hey Anna…?"

"Yes, dear?"

"I think I found my answer."

"To what?" she asked, curiously.

"You said I should figure out what being a woman means to me, and… I think I know now."

"I did say that, didn't I…?" she mused. "So… what does it mean to you?"

"I think…" I said, looking up at her, "I think, for me, being a woman means listening to your emotions. I think it means trusting yourself. It means being willing to rely on others when you need to, and being able to nurture them, in turn. I think that's my answer."

Anna smiled softly;

"That's wonderful, Sophie! That answer really sounds like the girl I know and love."

"Hehe~" I giggled merrily, and pressed my head against Anna, holding her arms against me. "So… what about you? Can I hear what you came up with?"

"Yes, now's a perfect time for me to share," she replied warmly. "For me, being a woman means loving yourself. It means embracing who you are. Accepting your flaws and leaning into your strengths. It means being proud of what you are. I love who I am, and…"

Anna quickly kissed my forehead,

"I love that I'm in love with you!"

We both giggled, and I pressed myself close to her, 

"I love that, too~"

We cuddled for a few more minutes, our warm bodies wrapped tightly together. Anna leaned her head against mine, and whispered to me,

"Hmhm… I'm so excited I get to wake up next to you tomorrow~"

"But you woke up next to me just yesterday…!'

"Yeah, but you know this is different!"

"Yeah…" I said with a smile. "It is, isn't it…?"

I could feel myself starting to drift toward sleep. I really didn't want that perfect moment to end, but… I didn't mind too much. There would be plenty of moments like it in the future, after all. Wanting to say it before we both fell asleep, I whispered;

"I love you so much, Anna…"

I felt her lips press against the back of my head.

"I love you too, my sweetest heart…"

And so we laid there, still holding one another. I basked in the peaceful feeling and Anna's gentle warmth, listening to her calm, soothing breathing and soft, steady heartbeat. I was almost asleep when I remembered something;

"You know… we can't both be the luckiest girl in the world, so… which one of us do you think is luckier…?"

I waited for a response, but heard none. Anna's breathing was deep and steady. I looked up, and saw her peaceful, adorable sleeping face and smiled, gently kissing her chin soas not to wake her.

"Hmhm… You're right… It doesn't matter, does it…?"

And so, I closed my eyes, relaxing in Anna's gentle embrace. As I gradually drifted off, I realized I shared her excitement. I couldn't wait to wake up tomorrow. It would be the first day of my new, new life. My life with Anna. Our life, together.