Alexa Chapter 12: Happy New Year

The alarm on my phone went off at 6:45 and woke me from a deep sleep. As I rolled over to give Jenny a morning kiss and to wake her up, I found that she wasn’t there. This was the second day in a row that Miss Thompson had gotten up before me and it was 6:45! I roll out of bed and head to the bathroom and then out to the kitchen where I find Jenny getting the coffee maker all set up. As she turns around I can see her face light up as I come into her view. When we first got together, I sometimes thought that this was just an act, that she wanted to show she was happy to see me. As time, has passed and we have become closer I know that this isn’t an act. I know that my mood changes when I see her and today is no exception. I move a give her a good morning kiss. “Good morning Lex.” Jenny says and moves in to continue our first kiss of the day.

“Morning Jen. What are you doing up before me, again? You better be careful, it could be habit.” The love is soon replaced by a playful shot to my arm.

“I woke up about 5 minutes before you. I don’t want you to get used to it.” Jenny says playfully as we resume our kissing. “We need to get ready, just put on some leggings and a sweatshirt. Sneakers or boots will be fine. Just casual clothes.” As I say this I notice that Jenny is wearing leggings and a sweatshirt as well. This is a look that is almost unnatural for her. She has something planned, but I am not quite sure what. I move off to get dressed and am soon joined by my girlfriend carrying two cups of coffee. She seems to be very excited for some reason this morning, further piquing my suspicions she is up to something. When she says “Let’s go wake Katie up” I am convinced something is afoot. When I try and question her she just plays coy. Grabbing me by the hand we head down the hall where Jenny quietly opens the door to our roommate’s room. Katie is bundled up under the numerous blankets on her bed. Jenny turns and nods with that wicked smile on her face and soon the two of us are launching ourselves on to Katie’s bed.

“Aah! What the hell you two! This is why I didn’t want to live with you guys. Get out of here!” Katie says somewhat crabby but also laughing as well. Over the last few weeks Jenny and I have learned that Katie doesn’t always enjoy our little moments of fun. Sometimes the urge just overtakes us to mess with Katie. In reality, Katie takes it pretty well. Jenny and I leave my sister alone but not before Jenny gives Katie dressing instructions. It doesn’t take long but soon the three of us are already to go, our coats on and a travel mug of coffee in each of our hands. We head out the door and for some reason as we reach the first floor Jenny heads out the door to the main lobby rather than continue down to the basement where her car is. Katie and I just look at each other and shrug as we try and catch up to our roommate. As we walk out the door Katie and I stop in our tracks as we see a white limousine sitting in front of our building with its driver standing by the door looking in our direction smiling. Katie and I look over at Jenny who is holding the building door open.

“Surprise! We are not going to my parent’s. I have decided to treat the two you to a day at a spa.” Jenny says. Katie rushes to our roommate and gives her a hug and thanks her repeatedly. I however freeze in my tracks. I would certainly be found out at a spa. As Jenny was breaking her hug with Katie she spotted the panic in my eyes. She quickly pushed Katie away and came over to me. “What ‘s wrong Lex?” The concern in her eyes reflected the panic I must have shown.

“They aren’t going to let me into the spa with you two, because I’m a um. I’m a..” I couldn’t even say the word boy. As wonderful an idea as this sounded, I don’t know if Jenny had thought it through. “They will know Jenny” I whispered as I began to shake, Jenny looked at me with compassion in her eyes as she stroked my cheek. Her touched calmed me somewhat but still the fear was there.

“Lex, don’t worry.” She whispered to me. “I would never do anything to hurt you or humiliate you. You know that right?” I nodded as I felt tears beginning to form. “It’s going to be all right. I spoke with the owner and told him that discretion was going to be a must today. I also told him that if you were humiliated in any way it would be detrimental to his livelihood.” She pulled me in and gave me a deep hug. She whispered in my ear. “It’s time for Alexa shine. I want you to feel as beautiful as possible. If anything is upsetting you tell me right away OK?” She released me a gave me a kiss and looked into my eyes. I felt safe as she did this. Mostly though I could feel the love pour out of her for me. Taking my hand she led me to the car, where Katie was patiently waiting. As we got in I could tell she wanted to say something. She would never look me in the eye. Finally I just stared her down.

“What?” I asked my sister. She just stared at me. Finally she broke her silence.

“Don’t worry OK. Both of us are here for you. I just can’t say what I want to because of how bad you feel.” Katie says as she looked away. I continued to bug her to say what was on her mind. Finally, she turned and looked at me with a smart alek grin on her face. “You know this only the second time I have ever been in a limo. And both times have been with you. You dressed a little different the first time. Just don’t try and kiss me this time.”

Katie must have known how I was feeling, or else she would not have brought up our Senior Prom. At first I just glared at her but then the fun began. “What do you mean Kathleen Elizabeth? You tried to attack me! You tried to take advantage of me.” In a mock cry I buried my head into Jenny. All Jenny could do was laugh at the interplay between Katie and I. It had been so long that either of us had teased the other about the past. I had forgotten how close Katie and I were and how much we had been through together. Katie whipped out her phone and produced a picture of the two of us. I look like I always did back then, heck even up until a few months ago. A scared, skinny boy. I was standing with a very attractive young woman in a beautiful full length, red strapless gown. The worst part, other than the fact I looked like a complete dweeb, was the fact than Katie had on 4” heels. This made her taller than me but she claimed she needed them for the dress.

Jenny oohed and aahed over the picture. Telling me how cute I was. She then asked what happened, and before Katie could say anything I went into my mock crying fit again. “Katie got me drunk and tried to take advantage of me.” This earned me mock sympathy from my girlfriend and a jab in the ribs from my sister. I straightened back up and Katie and I began to tell the tale of our Senior Prom. We had more less felt obligated to go because “that’s what you do in a small town” Katie said. And since she did not have a boyfriend and I had recently broken up with my latest ill-advised attempt to be manly we had decided we would go together. Katie went out and bought the dress at a store up in the Cities and I had gone down like all the other guys in our school and rented a tux from Leland’s. As a semi joke, and because I wanted to drink, I had rented a limo for the night. In an attempt to save money I made dinner for Katie and I. Both my mom and Katie’s mom thought it was so special. Dick could have cared less. As soon as the obligatory pictures were over, Dick took off.

Katie filled in Jenny on the rest of the night. “I had swiped a flask of Vodka from my mother and Alex-a and I drove around in the limo and drank after we did our minimal time at the Prom. At some point, we both got a little excited. We went back to my mom’s, as I knew that she wouldn’t be around. All I will say is that there was some drunken fumbling on the couch and yes, Jenny, something happened. But we both knew right away that it was wrong. Not bad wrong but that we were better being best friends.” Katie finished up and put her arm around me a pulled me in. “You know that is going to be tough for me. There are Alex memories and now there are Alexa memories. Even though it’s the same person, I feel like they are different people.”

I smiled at my sister. “That’s because they are different people. Alex was a guy always searching for something. Luckily enough he found two people who helped him to become this.” I said. “Alexa knows what she wants. And she has what she wants. I have the best girlfriend in the world and the best sister in the world.” A group hug ensues. As we travel down the road, Jenny asks about more stories from the past. And as much as I hated high school and the time around it, it was good to remember the fun times. Katie and I had been inseparable at that time. We got into a little trouble like most teenagers but mostly we just enjoyed how simple life was. I looked over at Jenny as Katie and I were telling the story of how we got my father’s lawnmower stuck in the mud. She seemed sad. It was my turn to be the comforter. ‘What’s wrong Jen?” She tried to shake it off but I pressed a little. She finally admitted that she really didn’t have any close friends in high school. She had pretty much been dubbed the rich bitch during her years at Blake. I pulled her closer and told her it didn’t matter she had Katie and I now and we will have more fun than all of our high school years combined. She seemed to accept my comforting, but I could tell it was still something that bothered her.

It wasn’t long before we found ourselves in front of the Morningside Spa in Edina. As soon as we exited the car, the excited Jenny returned and she led us in. I was still very nervous about what was going to happen, but Jenny’s look at me kept reminding me all would be OK. We were soon met by at tall man who looked to be in his late 20’s/early 30’s. He introduced himself as Paul Fransz. He was the owner and he inquired as to who Miss Thompson was. Jenny acknowledged herself for the owner who immediately went to her and extended his hand and then introduced himself and began going over the day he had planned for the three of us. Katie and I just looked around. Katie commented that she felt extremely out of place here. I agreed but also informed her that this is nothing, you should try an intimate diner party with 2 congressmen a governor and 3 other billionaires. The two of us began giggling and only stopped as Jenny gave us a look to knock it. We tried to straighten up and act proper but the little salute that Katie made Jenny lose it. Soon she was laughing and Paul was standing there dumbfounded as three college girls were laughing away. I was the first to pull it together and elbowed Katie slightly trying to get her to stop. Jenny just looked at the two of us and shook her head. Jenny apologized for Katie, explaining we had never been to a spa before. I could see the look in Katie’s eye and watched as she was about to open her mouth and let out a typical Katie comment but I stopped her before she could say anything and pulled her away from Jenny and Paul. Jenny just put her head in her hand while Paul started to straighten up a little and try and swing the conversation back to a more business like mode.

He looked at the two laughing hicks, Katie and I , and asked which one of us was Alexa. At that point I knew it was show time. I was about to put myself out in the most female environment know as a pretend woman. “I am” I said as I stepped away from Katie towards Jenny’s side. I reached for her hand to quite the tremors of fear I was feeling. He introduced himself to me and offered his hand. “Alexa, Jenny has explained the situation and I want to assure you there is nothing to be afraid of. We are a very discrete business. And we are here to help make you even more beautiful than you already are. If you feel uncomfortable in anyway, please let whoever you are with know. Welcome to my spa. I know you will enjoy it immensely.” I thanked him, still shaking but feeling better. He moved off to Katie and gave her a little welcoming speech as well. I looked at Jenny and thanked her again. She just smiled. Soon Paul was back and began leading us to the changing rooms, Jenny was standing between Katie and me. I think to keep Katie and I out of mischief. She looked over at Katie and said. “Now I know how you feel now. You two are terrible.” I broke out in laughter and Jenny playfully tightened her grip on my hand. She looked at me and said with glint in her eyes. “And I think you are the trouble maker in all of these troubles.” She leaned over and gave me a kiss on the cheek. and said “And I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

At first, we each were led to our own changing room, but Jenny indicated that she and I would share one. Paul just nodded and moved off, indicating that our first consultant would be with us in a minute. Jenny and I ducked into the changing room where Jenny began to striping off her clothes. I followed her lead and soon I was as naked as her. She handed me what appeared to be a bikini bottom. She told me to put it on as she did the same and put on a fluffy white robe and handed me one. Nervously I followed her out of the room where we were greeted by a waiting Katie and a petite blonde named Skye. “If you ladies will follow me, we will introduce you to our waxing specialist” Skye said and began to move off but I just froze. I looked at Jenny again. “Just relax. It will hurt a little but Katie and I are getting it done too. Yours will be a little more intensive but you will love it when it’s done.” Jenny says. My mouth went dry as we walked to the waxing area. Jenny looked at the technician who nodded and moved back a bit as Jenny helped me on the table. She nodded at the technician who moved over and began the process. She started on my legs. It laid there and Jenny was till holding my hand. I let out muffled cry as the first strip was torn away and I felt a tear come to my eye. Jenny was right at my side whispering words of encouragement as I endured the pain. As the technician finished my right leg, Jenny stood up and gave me kiss and moved off to the table next to me. She would look over at me and smile. Soon you could hear the muffled cries of three women being waxed. However, like Jenny had said my waxing was a little more than just my legs as soon my chest and underarms were also waxed as well as lines along the bikini bottom. That might have been the worst, but I suffered through it. Jenny held my hand again as I experienced some of the most excruciating pain I had ever endured. I had always though the ice baths I had to take when I pulled my hamstring were the worst, but this beat it by a million miles. Soon the pain inflicting is done and the three of us are guided to another room. During the walk over Katie grabs my hand and rubs my arm commenting on how smooth it is. Her touch feels very nice but it is the touch of the beautiful blonde next to me that puts me into orbit. Katie sees Jenny’s hand rubbing my arm and slowly rolling down my side. A gentle admonishment stops Jenny. I do know at this point that this is going to be a fun night.

Our next stop was a wrap and facial. This was definitely a new experience for me. They proceeded to wrap the three of us in what appeared to my untrained eye as some muddy towels, but Jenny explained that the mud enriches and nourishes the skin while the heat generated by the towels takes away any toxins in your body. Jenny told us that this is the best thing when you are hungover. Of course Katie piped up that we will have to try it sometime. Jenny and I just roll our eyes as we lay down as we are wrapped up. As we lay back in the semi reclining chairs I feel something being applied to me face. As the technician pulls her hand away, I can see what looks like guacamole to me on her finger tips. I am still not sure what it was but between the massaging of it into my face and the tingling sensation I started to feel completely relaxed. As she finished the application of the mask, she placed cucumber slices over my eyes. The three of us roommates chatted about everything and nothing as we laid there. Jenny kept asking if I was enjoying myself, and half the time all I could do is moan in agreement that I was. I am not sure how long we were there, because I think I drifted off. Soon I was told to awaken and the unwrapping began. We were directed back to our changing rooms where the was a private shower for us to wash off the incredible elixir we had been wrapped in. Jenny and I shared the washing off duties for each other. I had never felt so relaxed as I did at that point. Little did I know that I was about to be even more relaxed as we were ushered into private rooms for a massage. Jenny kept an eye on me as she and I were split. She stopped at the masseuse that was going to work on me and whispered something into her ear, before Jenny was led off into a private room.

The masseuse, Ella, led me into a darkened room lit only by candles. Mood music with the sound of waves crashing filled the room creating a calming environment. Ella directed me to lay on my stomach. As soon as I was positioned, Ella adjusted the towels so just my rear was covered and soon began to give me the most wonderful massage I had ever felt. Granted I had received 4 total in my life before this, two from Jenny, one from Katie when I was still in high school and one from one of the Chair massage places in the mall. The combination of the music and Ella’s handiwork had me even more relaxed than I had been a few minutes ago, I know I drifted off to sleep during this ordeal. It was incredible. Every worry I had in the world seemed to drift away as Ella’s hands massages them from me. If Jenny was here with me now, this would be heaven. All too soon Ella had stop her manipulations and I laid there for a second basking the relaxing feeling as I listened to the music and the waves. In a light tone, Ella told me it was time to move on. She told me to enjoy the rest of the day. I found myself back in the changing room alone wondering how this day could get any better. The first possible answer to that came just a few minutes later as Jenny entered the changing room and cuddled up next to me . We shared a long kiss as I thanked her for all of this. “You don’t have to thank me for anything. To see you this happy and relaxed is all the thanks I need Lex.” She kissed we once again before standing up and telling me we had one more stop to make. She took me by the hand and led me out into the main salon area. I was excited and nervous at the same time. I was about to get my first ever hair style as Alexa. As my hair had grown and I had stopped wearing the wig. We had tried some things but I hadn’t been ready to make the change to a much more feminine style. But now was the time. Jenny led me to the chair and told me to take a seat.

Soon I was under the care of Audra, who bless her soul, was willing to take input from both Jenny and me. I let Audra know of a few things that I wanted done and I occasionally butted heads with Jenny over what I wanted. As much as I love Jenny, this was for me and I know deep down she was just trying to be helpful. We finally decided on just trimming up my hair length a little but putting some curl in it. When the idea of blonde highlights was brought up by Audra, I balked but Jenny was very enthusiastic about it. When I spun around and tried to give her the evil look to mind her own business, she broke out in laughter. “You really have to work on that” Jenny teased me. But I also think she got the message I was trying to get across she held up her hands in mock defeat but that still didn’t stop her from chiming in Eventually Audra was able to get to work on my hair. While all of this was going, Katie was sitting to the other side of me laughing her head off at mine Jenny’s by play. I think Katie was on my side but when the comment about “trouble in Jexy-land” came out I started to question if Katie was just being an agitator, which of course she was. Jenny floated between Katie and I since she was not having anything done to her hair. After an hour and half I was sporting a new shoulder length hair style with some wave to it. Katie’s hair took a little less time, but hers still looked great. Our hair lengths were very similar, Katie opted for a much straighter style. Katie and I posed in front of the mirror. I told Katie that my big sister looked great. Katie just smiled at that and admitted that her ‘kid sister’ didn’t look too bad either,

Following our little hair comparison, we were ushered over to the nail area. Jenny seemed almost as excited for this adventure. Like every experience I had encountered this was another new one. The three of us each took a seat, with me in the middle. This time Jenny kept her mouth shut and the three technicians went to work. I was happy that I had been working on letting my nails grow a little and the nail specialist decided it would best to file and shape my nails rather than add any length. At the same time another technician started working on my feet. It was that point I looked around and noticed that no one was around. I asked Katie if she had noticed anyone earlier. A stunned look came to Katie’s face as she said no she hadn’t noticed anyone else either. The two of us turned to look at Jenny who sat there with a smug little smile on her face. Eventually she turned and looked at us. “What?” Jenny asked rhetorically “Can’t someone treat their roommate and their girlfriend to a spa day?” Katie and I just shook our heads as we know there is no way we would ever win. Besides, there is no way either Katie or I could have ever afforded something like this. It wasn’t long before we were done and I looked at the beautiful deep red nails that my hands now sported as well as my toenails in the same color. Allowing them to dry we were allowed to just sit and chat. It wasn’t long before were back in the changing room getting ready to leave. I could not believe how much different I looked. During the course of a few hours, I had entered a slightly feminine person only to leave a very attractive woman. I thanked Jenny again for everything. She tried to brush it off but I could see the happiness in her eyes. We held off any deep discussion and changed quickly and went out to meet Katie. We thanked Paul for everything on the way out and as Jenny was signing the tab, Katie and I just starred at ourselves in one of the mirrors in the waiting area.

The three of us piled into back of the limo again and Jenny told the driver to head towards Jimmy Woo’s, a Chinese restaurant just down the road. It was at this point I asked Jenny why she had spent all this money. For one of the first times in a while, Jenny took a bit of a reflective look. “I did this because I wanted to thank Katie for taking care of you when I was gone. I owe her everything for making sure you were OK Lex.” Turning to Katie she says “Katie, I am so glad you were here when this happened Alexa. Thank you for keeping an eye on her.” Taking my hand as she spoke. “If anything would have happened to Alexa, I would have been devastated. You were there for her and for me. This is the least I could do.” The two long term roommates shared a hug and a few tears. Turning to me the wicked grin reappeared. “And I did this for you because this is a new beginning. Plus, now you owe me. I can’t wait to collect starting tonight.” Jenny and I both laughed at that and shared a hug and kiss. Katie reprimanded us “Knock it off. You two have plenty of time to do you Jexy stuff tonight when I am at work.” When we get to Jimmy Woo’s our fun does not end, as our giggling and teasing each other continue. I guess we were pretty loud as we were asked by the older Chinese waitress to please keep it down a little, but we didn’t care. Even though there was no alcohol we celebrated a roommates New Year’s Eve. I think that this was a perfect end to the old year for the apartment.

The lunch was too short as Katie had to work. Actually, she picked up the shift at New Year’s Eve tended to be a lucrative night for waitresses and being a college student, money always seemed to be a major need. So while Katie was getting changed Jenny and I took up station on the couch just resting on each other and losing ourselves in each other. Nothing was said and nothing was done as Jenny laid back against me. I could have stayed there all night but I knew Jenny wanted to head out just the two of us. Our moment of contentment was broken as Katie came out dressed and ready for work. She was in her usual white tuxedo shirt, but there were a few little changes. A red bow tie had been added and gone were the normal black dress pants replaced by a knee length black pencil skirt and black high heels. Jenny and I begin the catcalls. “Looking hot big sister” I state. Jenny makes a comment about fishing for tips tonight while Katie blushes. This is not the Katie I know, not only by the way she is dressed, but also by the blushing. It is good to see Katie looking as good as she does. My relationship with Jenny at times has seemed to surpass my friendship with Katie and that does get to me at times. The day Katie and I had before our meeting with my father had been like a blast from the past when we were almost inseparable as friends. She had admitted to me that she wished she could find somebody like I had. Her new look I am sure would go a long way to opening some of those opportunities

‘Knock it off you two. I’m just going to work.” Katie said defensively. When Jenny commented that she was wearing a skirt rather than the traditional pants Kate began to hem and haw. “We can wear skirts, I just never have. It’s a big night, maybe it will help my tips” Katie replies. The smile on her face showed a new confidence, I think in her appearance. Katie donned her coat and told us she would see us later at the restaurant.

Jenny looked at our roommate as she was getting ready to leave. “Hey Kate. Why don’t you take my car to work. We won’t need it then you won’t have to take the train.” I was shocked when Jenny said this but the odd thing was Katie just acted like it was an everyday occurrence. That perked my senses up a little. Something was up, but I just wasn’t sure. Katie thanked Jenny as she grabbed the keys from the door side table and headed out.

“What’s was that for?” I asked Jenny.

“I just thought it would be easier, plus we aren’t using it tonight anyway.” While the answer seemed nonchalant I also knew how Jenny operated. As each moment passed I started to be convinced something was up. We resumed our cuddle session and soon we drifted off into a mini nap. I was awoken by the noise of the shower running. I pulled myself off the couch, entered the bathroom and started to undress. I figured we could start the night’s activities off on a fun note. Jenny would have none of that. “Stop right now Lex. Our nap put us behind schedule. We don’t have time to shower together. Go wait and you can get in when I’m done.” Dejectedly, I head back to the living room to wait for my turn. I didn’t wait long, as Jenny soon emerged from the bathroom wrapped in a towel. “Your turn” she says as she disappears into ‘her’ room and closes the door. As I am walking back, she sticks her hand out and hands me a shower cap. “Don’t get your hair wet.” And closes the door. I put the cap on and step into the steaming shower. I don’t stay in too long because I don’t want lose the wonderful feeling on my skin. I wrap myself in a towel and head to our room. I see on the bed a matching thong, strapless bra and garter belt, all in red along with a pair of nylons. I guess it is going to be red tonight. As I am getting dressed in the lingerie that Jenny had laid out I notice a dress bag hanging off the closet door. I open the bag to find a beautiful red crepe sheath dress with mesh across the top of the dress. It is gorgeous. I begin to get excited as I quickly put on my makeup. Looking in the mirror I deem myself good enough to be seen with Jenny. I slowly step into the dress and put on the red 4 inch strappy heels that are sitting on the floor. I head over to the mirror to check myself out. I can’t believe how good I look. A tear comes to my eye as I realize that this what I had wanted all along. I command myself to get it under control and I reach and grab the red clutch purse Jenny left out and head to the living room.

As I reach the living room, my nerves begin to get the best of me. I head to the kitchen where I grab the bottle of Stoly out the freezer and pour myself a quick shot. I stand fidgeting waiting for my girlfriend. After all the time I had been presenting myself as a woman, I was more nervous than ever over what I was wearing. I think for the first time I was anxious for Jenny’s approval. Jenny finally emerged from her room wearing a white and silver sequined dress. Her blonde hair was done up like it was when we went out at Christmas. If she looked beautiful normally, she was drop dead gorgeous tonight,I was left speechless. She did a little twirl to show off the whole dress. It clung to her body like a second skin. She walked up to me and asked ‘You like it” I could only nod in response. She smiled and kissed me ever so lightly on the lips she pushed me back and had me show my dress off. “You’re beautiful Lex.” She says as I can see a slight tear come to her eye. “How did I get so lucky to find you” she says. I am sure my blush matched the red of my dress.

“I am the lucky one. You are absolutely stunning Jen. Just more proof I am the luckiest person in the world.” I say as I lean in and give her another light kiss. “Sarah?” I ask and Jenny nods her head and smiles as I check out Jenny’s dress a little more. I laugh to myself. That girl has made a fortune off us in commissions. Jenny speaks up. “She actually picked that dress out for you” Jenny says. “I think we got lucky when we met up with her.” Another kiss is shared. She asks me to pour her some Stoly as well. I grab her a glass and pour her a drink. As I am turning around I see her reaching into her purse and pulling out a small grey box. I begin to shake a little as she hands me the box. I take it and slowly open it. Inside it I find an exact duplicate of the necklace I gave Jenny for Christmas. Tears begin to well in my eyes. “It’s beautiful.” I whisper trying to control my emotions. Jenny takes it from the box and instructs me to turn around while she place the necklace around my neck. I can’t believe she thought of this. I turn around when she is finished and thank her. She leans in and gives me a much more passionate kiss this time. She tells me she loves me and explains that she had ordered it when she came back from Florida and put a rush on it. I am in tears at this point. Jenny reaches down and lifts her necklace off her chest. “These necklaces will always be a wonderful symbol to me Lex. They represent our togetherness. I love you more than anything in the world Alexa Marie Quinn. Thank you for everything.” We hug and enjoy our drink as we wait for our cab to show.

After starting our second drink, we are finally alerted that our cab has arrived. We quickly finish our drinks and don our coats. We head down to the cab and instruct the driver to take us to AJ’s. We are a little early for our reservation so we head towards the bar. Unlike the first time we came here, I wasn’t nervous about my appearance or the way people looked at me. My confidence was at an all-time high. Taking Jenny’s hand we strode right up to the bar where we each ordered another Stoly on the rocks. We sat and chatted and laughed. Jenny and I were having a great time. I noticed that Rob the bartender was checking us out. Remembering back to when he gave Katie his number to give to me did make me a little nervous. I knew I had to throw him off the trail so I leaned over a gave Jenny a kiss on the lips right there. It stopped the lecherous look he was giving me, but also that of a few other guys who were checking out the two of us. I whispered to Jenny the reason that I had kissed her and she began laughing. It was just a matter of minutes and our table was ready, so grabbing our drinks and each other’s hand we went into the dining room.

As we walked to our table, many eyes turned to look at Jenny and I. However, it didn’t matter what the guys were checking out. The only eyes I cared about where the ones that belong to the person trailing slight behind me as we never let go of each other as we weaved our way among the tables. There was another pair of eyes I cared about as well. As we approached our table, Jenny and I were able to stand next to each other. Our waitress turned to greet us and dropped her serving tray as she watched us approach, Her eyes got as wide as saucers as the hostess stopped us at our table. Jenny and I burst out in laughter over Katie’s reaction to the two of us. The hostess was a little put off by Katie reaction until Jenny explained that we were Katie’s roommates and we usually don’t get this dressed up. The hostess laughed at the explanation and moved off. Katie just stared at us. “You guys look incredible. Good thing you two are together or every guy in Minneapolis would be chasing you down.”

“No guys” I say “There is only one person for me” I state as I turn and give Jenny a kiss. Jenny makes it a little deeper as we put on a little floor show. “Same here” she whispers as we take release each other and take our seats. Katie tells us to knock it off but giggles at us. “Would you ladies like to hear our specials for the evening?” she asks in a fake voice that caused all three of us to giggle. Trying to gain her composure Katie returns to her normal voice and goes over the specials for the evening. The last one piques our interest so we order the Chateaubriand for two with potatoes, tomatoes and mushrooms. We order a nice Cabernet to accompany it. Of course Katie approves of our order and heads back to place it. The dinner itself was fantastic. The beef was done to perfection and practically melted in your mouth. We split a light desert of cheesecake with strawberries and finished our wine. Katie would come back a few times and chat with us under the pretense of checking on her table. We asked her about her plans if they had changed and she informed us they had. She was going to meet up with Wyatt after she got off work. I was glad for her. She needed someone. She seemed excited about the prospects for the evening.

Following the meal, Jenny reached for the tab. I offered but she once again turned me down. “I want to treat you tonight. I know that you already are a little tight on money and I know you don’t want help. These big nights are going to be on me for a while OK.” Feeling guilty I try and argue but I also know that once Jenny makes up her mind, there is no fighting her. Katie leaves to process the card and comes back. I notice Katie give Jenny a little nod as she hands the credit card portfolio to Jenny. Katie just turns and gives me a huge smile. Once again I have the feeling that there is something up. I try and see if Katie would give anything away but she just stands there smiling. As Jenny puts away her card, Katie comes out with a very sarcastic “Thank you Miss Thompson. I hope that you and Miss Quinn have an enjoyable evening and a Happy New Year.” Jenny gives Katie a wink and says “Oh we will” with a gleam in her eye. I stand up and whisper into my sisters ear ‘What’s going on?”

“Oh nothing. Nothing at all.” Katie says tying to act all innocent, and not succeeding at all.

‘Ass kisser” I whisper into her ear. As a mini parting shot I say in louder voice. ‘Thank you Kathy for the wonderful service.” And move off. I feel slight jab from Katie, as I know she hates being called Kathy and watch as my girlfriend breaks out in another bit of laughter. We tell Katie to have a good time and move to get our coats. For some odd reason there is a cab sitting outside waiting as we exit the restaurant. The driver is standing outside and looks at the two of us. “Miss Thompson?” he asks. Jenny nods and the two of us pile into the back of the cab. I can tell right away that we are not heading home as we had planned. We are heading deeper into the downtown area and soon stop in front of the famous Foshay Tower. The original skyscraper had recently been converted into a luxury hotel. The driver got out and opens the door for us. To say I was in awe of the hotel as we walked in would be an understatement. The owners had turned this place into a palace. The had kept the art deco décor of the lobby but it seemed so much cozier, nothing like an office building.

Rather than stop at the desk, Jenny leads me directly to the elevators. Now I know this has been planned out. There is an elevator operator so I feel self-conscious about accusing my girlfriend of nefarious actions. We stop at the 24th floor and exit the elevator. The hall even seems luxurious. I keep my mouth shut as Jenny leads us to room 2412 and produces a key card and opens the door. The view is incredible as it looks back towards the river. I stop and turn to give Jenny a kiss. As we part I look at her and ask what all this was about. Jenny just smiles. “I wanted to do something special. Alexa, you have brought so much happiness to my life. I never thought I could love someone as much as I love you. Thank you for coming into my life.” This is followed by another long kiss. We break and I notice a bottle of champagne sitting on the table of our large suite. I pull the chilling bottle out of the ice bucket and pour us two glasses. I offer up a toast “to the most beautiful woman on the face of the planet. Thank you for helping me find myself. Thank you for supporting me but most of all thank you for all the love you have given me. I love you Jenny. You have made me the happiest person in the world.” We continue to check out the room. We walk into the large bathroom where we see a large soaking tub. We were at the point where we don’t even have to talk to each other as Jenny squeals and grabs the champagne and glasses as I turn on the water to the tub.

Soon the two of us are kissing and slowly stripping the clothes off each other. As I get Jenny’s dress off of her I have to stop. I stand back and take a long look at Jenny. “You are the most beautiful woman in the world Jennifer Ann Thompson.” The blush that comes across her face is priceless. For all the bravado and self-confidence she shows, I have been able to pull that shy little girl side out of her. I return to the disrobing of Jenny. Once I have completed, she returns to her task of taking off my dress. Every touch from her sends me to a new level of excitement and love. I have never felt a touch so tender in my whole life. Soon we are both ready and we get into the tub. At first, we just hold each other and look out in to the night through the floor to ceiling windows. We continue to caress and kiss one another enjoying the view of the lights of downtown. Soon we become more passionate with one another and are soon making love in the tub. We return to enjoying the night view until the water gets cold. We get out and wrap ourselves up in the complimentary robes. We head to the couch where Jenny begins to tell me the whole story of the night.

“I wanted today to be something special for you Alexa. When you decided that you wanted to live full time I will admit I was a little conflicted.” My heart sank. “Oh god!” Jenny said, almost crying. “I will never stop loving you.” She said and she continued in a voice that was almost scarred. “I was afraid that you would leave me.” I turned and looked her, but before I could say anything she placed a finger over my mouth “Let me finish. After Debbie and I talked the other day, a few things were brought up and one thing made me nervous. She talked about how your feelings could change. I want to make sure you are mine. Now and forever. Some of this stuff is overboard, but I don’t care. I had some of this in place, like the room. But the dress and the day at the spa were done for two reasons. One I am ashamed of and the other because I love you. I want you to be beautiful if you want to be, but I also felt I could buy you. But as we have been together, my guilt started to get the better of me. I am sorry Lex. I love you so much I don’t ever want to lose you and sometimes I go back to my old habits of trying to buy what I want.” The confession caused her to break down in tears and caused me to be stunned to silence. I never thought anyone would be scared of losing me, especially Jenny.

“Jen, you are never going to lose me. You will never have to worry about that, OK. You’re stuck with me.” I say this causes her to stop and look up at with a smile. “What is the second reason?” I ask.

“I decided that if I was going to be a lesbian, my girlfriend and I were going to be the hottest, girliest lesbians around. No butch girls in this group. Well, except for one thing.” She trailed off with that guilty smile on her face again..

‘What? I asked. With the guilty smile on her face she motioned to the closet so I let go of Jenny and walk over to the closet. I open it and see my/Jenny’s Yellow Gopher hockey jersey I smile but then notice a slightly larger twin to it except in white. I can’t help but laugh at the two jerseys. I pull them off the hangers and put the white one on and carry Jenny’s to her. I guess I lost the yellow one, but it’s worth it. As I am walking back I stop and do a little girly pose for Jenny before handing her her’s. Pulling me into her arms She says “Now I get why you like it so much.” And again, we are back at displaying our physical love for each other on the couch. The whole night was pretty much like that. The couch, the floor, in the two-person glass shower. Everywhere but the bed. It wasn’t like ancient Rome suddenly on Marquette Avenue. It was two people expressing their love for each other.

We curled up in bed together and watched Ryan Seacrest bring in the New Year and kissed at midnight. “Happy New Year Lex.” Jenny says in the softest, most caring voice. “Happy New Year Jen” I reply trying to mimic her tone. The second kiss is much more tender and loving than the first, which I didn’t think was possible. We snuggle in together and just hold each other as 2017 begins. Sure, we are young college students and we should be out celebrating away like most other people our age. But that wasn’t our style. The two of us together is the way we wanted to be. 2016 for the first 9 months was a very non-descript time however the last three months were the greatest I had ever experienced in my brief existence. And it was all because if the beautiful woman lying here in my arms. Except for the one incident with my father, I felt like I had been living a dream. I bend over and kiss Jenny one more time before cuddling up and drifting off to sleep. The future was exciting and the smile I could feel on my face was proof that I had found the perfect person to meet that future. Just as I was drifting off, my phone beeps. I reach for it and find a message from my mother. It simply read ‘Happy New Year’. Not only was there excitement in my future but maybe hope.