Hi, it’s Michael again. Tara wrote the previous entry, which was fine I guess. Too bad it didn’t have enough of me in it! (Tara’s note: XP) So I’m back! There’s still plenty more to tell you, but I think I’ll skip over the boring parts. Instead, let me jump ahead a couple more years.

I was 22 and fresh out of college with my degree. Yet no one in my field was hiring, so I was stuck working at the local Toys R Us. You might think that sounds fun, and sometimes it could be. Usually though, that wasn’t the case. I worked in the back, unpacking baby clothes or toys. If I wasn’t doing that, I was outside collecting shopping carts. The pay was low, barely above minimum wage, and I didn’t get many hours. Unfortunately, it was my first job that I managed to keep past the Christmas season. So I was stuck with it.

It wasn’t all bad, I guess. The back of house manager was really cool. At the time, I just knew them as Jarod the manager. Weird guy, shorter than me, blue hair and used they and them pronouns, as well as he and him. Super confusing at first, but I got used to it eventually. I asked them about it once, cause it seemed like something the higher ups would typically frown upon. Turns out, management was fine with it. They were treated as a diversity hire and had worked their way up to manager. Honestly, I’d have probably left sooner if it wasn’t for them.

See, Jarod was the kind of boss who would always make sure you were busy. If you finished what you were doing, they’d find something else for you to do. If you ever had any questions or anything, you could go to them. They were a really nice person. They’d let you bend the rules a bit and get away with things other bosses wouldn’t, like using headphones while working. As long as you kept one ear open, they didn’t mind. That was really helpful when I’d be out in the parking lot for hours, just waiting for carts to be used so I could bring them back in. I didn’t have a smartphone yet, so my iPod was the best I had for entertainment while on the job.

Still, work wasn’t everything. With what little hours I got, most of my time was free. So I’d either play games, hang out with friends, or do stuff online. It seemed like my list of friends online was growing by the day. So many people I enjoyed talking to from so many different countries. It was a fun experience. Still, so few of them knew about my other side, how I enjoyed being a femboy. I was still too embarrassed to talk about it. A few of them did know at least, and supported me. 

Pokeshipper09, AKA Jake, knew all about my tendencies. He admitted he was into that sort of thing himself. Our relationship had started off rocky, when he pretended to be a girl in order to date me. We went out for a while until I finally found out he was a guy. It was a huge learning experience for me, realizing that the screen barrier could be used for nefarious purposes. But he never meant to hurt me, he was just struggling with his own feelings at the time. I understood that, and eventually forgave him. 

We became good friends after that. We actually had a lot in common! Besides just the femboy stuff, he was also into Pokémon and pro wrestling. His favorite wrestler was John Cena, which I always gave him crap for. Talk about overrated! His taste in wrestlers aside, he was a good guy. Probably the only one who really knew both sides of me. The one I put out to the public, and the one I kept to myself. This would soon change though.

One day I was browsing my usual sites, when I got a notification from the art website. Someone had left a comment on my old fanfic. Nothing unusual there, but we got to talking. She was an artist, a pretty good one too. I liked her stuff. And she didn’t mind that I was a femboy either. In fact, she thought it was cute! I was really starting to like her. This time however, I had learned my lesson. We had a couple video chats so I could confirm that she was, in fact, a girl. Just in case things went further.

Her name was Melissa, but everyone called her Missy. I called her Mel instead. The best part of all of this? She was local! Just one state away! Not only that, she was going to an art school nearby! The next semester would start in September, just a few months away, which is when she would move into her dorm. We had a real chance to meet up! This would be the first time I’d see someone I’d met online in real life.

It didn’t take long for us to start dating. While I initially wanted to wait until we met up in person to make it official, she managed to talk me into starting sooner. Fine with me, I couldn’t wait to tell people about my new girlfriend! This time, folks could actually meet her and I could actively make her part of my life. I was excited at the prospect of going on my first real date in quite some time. If I’m being honest, even though I had dated Amanda in the past, we had never actually kissed. Or rather, I hadn’t kissed her. And we certainly didn’t go further either! I was really looking forward to this!

My friends were happy for me. Amanda was looking forward to meeting her and while Jeremy was initially a bit concerned at how fast we were moving, he still supported me. He had seen what my relationship with Jake had done to me, he was there to help pick up the pieces after I found out the truth. He was really just looking out for me though, like any good friend should. This was why he was my best friend. One time, while we were hanging out at his place, we got to talking about her.

“So dude,” Jeremy started. “Tell me more about this new girlfriend of yours. I mean, what do you like about her? She seems nice and everything, but I’m curious what got you two together so fast.”

“Oh, Mel?” I responded. “Well, we met on that anime forum I use. She has great taste in anime and she thinks I’m cute. She just gets me, you know? I have a chance at a real relationship here. It feels like something’s finally going right for a change.”

“That’s good then, I’m happy for you two. Just be careful, ok? I don’t wanna see you get hurt again. It was bad enough the first time, I don’t wanna have to hurt a bitch!” He laughed.

Despite his words, he had a goofy smile on his face. He wasn’t being serious. I knew he could never hurt anyone like that.

“Oh relax,” I said. “I’ll be fine, I know what I'm doing. You’ll get to meet her soon enough, after I do. Once September hits, I’m gonna head up and meet her at her dorm. Then, we’ll go on a date to that diner just down the road from there. It’ll be perfect!”

“If you say so,” he shrugged and we returned to our game.

________________________________

A couple months later, it was finally time to meet up. This was gonna be a big day! I got a fresh haircut earlier that week, I shaved (for once) and put on some nice clothes. After brushing my hair a little, it was time to head out. I took a deep breath as I got in the car and started driving out to the school. Luckily, I knew right where it was. After about a half hour of driving, I arrived. This was it, my chance to finally see her in person! I nervously got out and looked around. Before long, I spotted her. A dark skinned girl with curly, black hair and glasses. That was my Mel!

I called out to her as I approached, “Hey Mel! Over here!”

She looked over and saw me waving to her, “Michael? Is that you? Oh my gosh, you made it!” I ran up to her and we hugged.

“It’s so good to finally meet you Mel!” I said, with a huge smile on my face. “Do you need any help with your stuff? I’ll gladly carry anything up to your room for you.”

“Oh, uh sure. Here, take this box and follow me,” she said as we went up to her new dorm room.

Seemed she had already made a couple trips up there, because she had a decent amount of stuff in the room already. She also introduced me to her new roommate, Liz. She seemed nice enough, around our age with fair skin and auburn hair. Her and Mel would probably be fast friends. We went back down for the rest of the boxes, so I got to meet her mom as well. She seemed a bit stiff. Probably didn’t like her daughter dating a white guy or something. Oh well, not like she could stop us.

Once everything was safely packed into the dorm room, it was time for what I had come here for, our first date! The two of us walked down to the diner, which was practically across the street from the school. It was her first time there, while I had been eating there for years. My family really enjoyed the food and the atmosphere of this particular diner. We sat down at a table by the window, though the only view was of the street and the buildings across from us.

“I’m so glad we could finally meet like this, face to face,” I said, smiling. “I’ve been looking forward to this for a while. Finally it can just be us, together.”

“Of course Michael, I’ve been looking forward to it too. You’re the first boyfriend I’ve had in a while, first one I’ve met online too,” she said as she looked over the menu.

“I can’t believe I got so lucky. I never thought I’d find someone who liked me, well, for me. The real me. I don’t let many people see that side, I don’t want them thinking I’m some kind of freak or something...”

“You’re not a freak, please don’t say that about yourself. I think it’s cute you do that stuff, I like a guy who’s not afraid to experiment a little. I really wanna see you do it sometime.” She had a sly smirk on her face, which made me blush.

“But, I don’t have anything!” I looked around and lowered my voice, “I’ve been too embarrassed to buy any clothes. I can’t be seen doing that!”

“Luckily, you got me now. We can go shopping together and find some cute clothes for you. Oh we could even get you a wig, a pink one!” I could tell she was enjoying this, while my face was turning bright red.

“I-1 can’t do that!” I stammered. “What if someone sees me? Where would I even put it? No way I could hide this at home! Especially a wig!”

She scoffed. “If you’re that worried about it, I’ll hold onto it for you. Ok? That way, your parents never have to see it and people will think it’s mine. I’m not gonna let anyone shame you over this, not when you’d look so adorable all dressed up!”

I blushed, yet again. Luckily this was broken up by a waitress coming to take our orders. This girl was intense, but I kinda liked it. It made me wonder what she was like in the bedroom! Not that I had any experience with that. Oh well, maybe this was my chance! Honestly though, the idea of dressing up again excited me more. Though the thought of the promise I’d made to Tara all those years ago still lingered. Did I dare break it? She surely wouldn’t know either way, right? What did it matter? She was off living her own life. Why would she care if I broke it?

I snapped back to reality. Now wasn’t the time to worry about that. I was on a date and I couldn’t just ignore her! “So uh, how long have you been doing art and stuff? Your work is really good,” I managed to say to break the awkward silence.

“Oh it’s not really that good. I try but it needs more work. That’s why I’m going to this school, to learn more. I’ve been drawing for as long as I can remember. Back when I was a kid, I loved just doodling so my folks got me a sketch pad and some coloring books. I just never really stopped. I’m hoping one day to be a professional illustrator for children’s books.”

“Wow, that’s an incredible dream!” I said. “I really hope it comes true for you. Your art is great already if you ask me, but I understand wanting to improve. I’m sure you’ll do amazing!”

“Thanks Michael. So what about you? You said you work at Toys R Us, right?” she asked.

“Yeah, not like it’s doing much for me. I’m just biding my time, until I can find a job in security or something. I’ve wanted to be a police officer since I was a little kid. I want to help people with it, and be one of the good ones. Help out the community, be a part of something bigger than myself. That’s my dream. Security would be a good stepping stone, to get my foot in the door.”

“You have a nice dream too, I really hope it happens for you. It would be amazing to have a cop boyfriend! And you’re such a sweet guy, I doubt you’d give out tickets easily. Anyone in particular you’d wanna arrest?” she asked, grinning.

“Ha! Probably one of my old bullies or something. Would be really funny to pull over my sister too. I’d totally give her a ticket, just cause!” We both laughed over that.

We continued to laugh and chat until our food arrived. As it was still fairly early in the afternoon, I’d opted for breakfast. A steak and cheese omelet, one of my favorites here. She got the mac and cheese. The food was pretty good as we both enjoyed a nice lunch together. After we ate, I picked up the check, as was tradition for dates. It was a bit pricey but worth it to have a nice date.

After we left, I thought that would be the end of it. I’d walk her back to the dorm and head home. Instead, she asked if we could walk to the nearby park. It was only about a block away, so there was no harm in a quick walk. We made our way over. While it was September, and Fall was around the corner, it was still pretty warm outside. The sky was pretty clear, with just a few clouds rolling by. I was perhaps a bit overdressed for the weather, but I had wanted to make a good impression. A short walk later, we arrived at the park.

“So, what are we doing out here?” I asked, curiously.

“Well this has been a really good date so far, but I wanted to make it even more special. You told me before how you’ve never had your first kiss, right?” I was surprised she was bringing that up.

“Uh yea, that’s right. I guess I was just too nervous in the past and then I just didn’t have anyone. At least, not offline,” I admitted.

“Right, well I wanted to go somewhere more romantic for this. I want to give you your first kiss, here under the trees. I wanna make it special for you,” she said with a grin.

I blushed once more. Could this day get any better? Between meeting my girlfriend in person for the first time, going on a date with her, and now my first kiss? This was amazing! I eagerly nodded.

“That’s the sweetest thing anyone’s ever said to me. Let’s do it!” I said, excitedly.

We got close to each other and leaned in. I closed my eyes as I felt my lips press against hers. A wave of euphoria crashed over me as we stood there for what felt like ages. When we finally parted, I must have had the biggest, goofiest grin on my face. Cause she was giggling afterwards, not that I minded. Those were the most amazing few seconds of my life! Having a girlfriend was the best thing that had ever happened to me! Now though, it was time for her to get back and unpack her stuff in her dorm. So we headed back there and said our farewells. With one last hug, I watched her walk inside and went back to my car to head for home.

Chapter 5 End