Alexa Chapter 27: London Baby! Part 2

The sound of an incoming text woke me from my slumber. I reached over to grab it and began reading the text. “Good morning girlie! Get out of bed and come meet us!” was all it said. I looked at the sender and saw that it was Nikki. I groaned a bit because I really didn’t want to leave the warmth of the hotel bed and the person I was lying next to. I put my phone back on the nightstand and cuddled into Jenny. I realized falling back to sleep was now useless and began kissing the beautiful blonde next to me. As usual, the sounds of approval began to emit from my fiancée. She rolled over and the two of us began our morning routine. She asked who had texted and I told her it was Nikki trying to get us to come meet them. “But I have a better idea than meeting Snikki” I said with a slightly wicked grin on my face, a grin that was reciprocated by my partner.

Our extended morning wake-up kiss was soon interrupted by my phone going off again, this time it was ringing. “How did you get so popular? Jenny teased me as I rolled over and reached for my phone. This time it was the other half of the Phillips-Thomas clan. “Hey Sarah” I say into the phone with a slight moan. Sarah giggled as she picked up the tone of my voice. “Let me guess, I interrupted something?” I tried to tell her no but she just teased me some more. “You two can play around later. Come over and meet us at that coffee shop. I am playing truant today.” I pulled the phone away and covered the mouth piece and looked at my partner “Do you want to go meet Snikki? I asked, trying to imply that I had other ideas. Jenny just rolled her eyes and grabbed the phone. “We will be there in 45 minutes Sarah. I just have to get lazy bones out of bed. See you then!” Jenny told our friend and hit the end button. After throwing the phone towards the foot of the bed, Jenny rolled over and began teasing me.

“You would really rather lie around with me than go meet up with our good friends who we never see?” Jenny said. I tried to be all bashful towards my beautiful partner. “I just thought we could spend a little time together.” Jenny began to laugh, and then tickle me. “You and I can play around anytime Miss Quinn. We are in London, Baby!” Jenny did not let up on the tickling until my sides hurt from laughing so much and I was nearly out of breath. She got up and held out her hand for me. “Come on let’s get ready” she told me. I took her hand and soon the two of us were off to the shower where I think Jenny was going to make up for the tickling.

Following our shower, we began to get ready to be seen with a future fashion designer and her model wife. I chose a pair of dark nearly opaque tights to go with my little plaid mini-skirt and long sleeve grey cowl-neck sweater. I matched this with a pair of ankle boots and my jean jacket. Jenny took a similar approach with her legs but opted for a black skater skirt and grey crewneck sweater. She wore simple pair of three-inch black pumps. It was the coat she decided to wear that I had to tease her about. After the night Adam and Bethany broke up, Jenny had gone on a mission to find me a leather jacket like Bethany’s. She eventually succeeded, finding a flare cut leather jacket that was tight at the waist. The only problem was I had never worn it, while this was to be the third time my fiancée had. I began to tease her a bit about it. “Gee I am so glad I got the jacket. I love it! You know you can borrow it any time you want babe” I told Jenny, who promptly told me to be quiet and stuck her tongue out at me. She did make up for it with a tender kiss before we made our way out of the room and off to meet Sarah and finally get to see Nikki.

We arrived this time with no problems and found Sarah in the same position we found her in on Monday. Cup of coffee on the table and her always present sketch tablet in hand, the only difference from the other day was she had on sunglasses and seemed to be moving a bit slower. She seemed completely enthralled in her work. Sitting next to her was her wife, with a large pair of sunglasses shielding her eyes from the late morning sun. We strode up to the table and the squealing from Sarah began, Nikki however was a little bit more subdued. “Rough night Nikki?” Jenny asked as she exchanged hugs with our British partners in crime. “UGH. Went to play video games at Stayla’s last night. Had a few more beers than I had planned.” Sarah began to giggle and tease her wife. “I had just as many as you but I am not quite as bad off as you this morning.” Nikki just groaned some more as we took our seats.

“You two look great!” Nikki told us. “Stand up I want to check out those outfits.” So, we obliged her and modeled for her a bit. “You look incredible Alexa. And Jenny, that jacket is beautiful. I wish I had one like that.” I groaned a bit “I wish I did too.” I said and was promptly told to shut up by my partner. Both Nikki and Sarah were a bit confused until I informed them it was my jacket that I had never worn. Both Sarah and Nikki tried to console me a bit, mockingly. Nikki and I went in to the shop to get some more coffee, leaving Sarah and Jenny at the table. As we walked in Nikki grabbed my hand. “I have to see this ring! It is so beautiful. You said it was Jenny’s grandmother’s?” And I told her the story of Jenny’s grandparents and then how Mary had given it to Jenny to give to me. “The Thompsons have been so nice to me, so accepting. Mary was right away, but now Marty is almost over the top. He watches over me like his own daughter!” I stated.

“Well you practically are Alexa. You are so lucky to have that support, trust me. Beverly has been wonderful since the day she first found out about me. I know we wouldn’t be where we are without her support. And my parents were the same way too.” We got the coffees and made our way back to the table where we see Nikki and my better halves looking over the sketch pad and then quickly folding up as we came into sight. Nikki rolled her eyes a bit and teasing between the married couple begins that ends with a kiss. Jenny and I grasp hands and watch the love shared by our friends on full display. “That will be us some day.” I whisper into Jenny’s ear who just smiles a little broader and the two of us share a kiss, not wanting to be outdone by the ‘old married couple’ We continue to chat away, telling the tale of our little trip to Southampton and then on to Brighton. They laughed when Jenny told the tale of the little old Lady at Winchester and swooned a bit when we told them about our exchange of vows at the altar. When we told them how much fun we thought Brighton would be and that next time we wanted to head there all of us. Snikki began to giggle. “What’s so funny?” I asked.

“Going to Brighton will be no problem.” Nikki assured us, before Sarah jumped in. “Two of our friends are from Brighton. You will meet Jacinta on Sunday at the game. You may get a chance to meet Ophelia this weekend yet.”

“Jacinta and Ophelia?” I ask, “Interesting names.”

“Ophelia is an interesting person.” Nikki replies with a giggle, earning her a slap on the arm from Sarah. “Jacinta is like you and me. She hasn’t had surgery yet and is just a little farther along than you. You think we are girly, you should see her.” We all giggled at the comment, mostly because Nikki and I were both so girly, except for one thing in my life.

“Speaking of the game” Sarah said “We are going to have a little get together before and take a bus over as group. That OK with you guys?” Sarah asked seeming a bit nervous about the plans but we told her it was a wonderful idea, we were excited to meet their friends. The pair began teasing me a bit, saying I was going to be giving lessons on Gridiron, as they called it, all game. “As long as they are cheering for the right team I will have no problem doing that.” We chatted a little more and learned more about those we might be with on Sunday and told them how we had been exchanging emails with Paige and Jessica and that they wanted to meet up with us on Saturday at some pub to watch a soccer match with a couple of their friends. Sarah and Nikki looked at each other and spoke in unison “Natalie” before breaking out in giggles and informing us about Natalie’s love of Man City. We finished our coffee’s when Nikki came up with an idea.

You two want to head over to Heavenly Talent? I am off for the next two days, but I do need to stop and grab something.” Jenny and I were beyond excited. “Will there be any Angels around?” my blonde haired twenty-two going on thirteen-year-old fiancée asked. Nikki assured us we may meet a couple and we went and hailed a cab. A few minutes later we were entering the offices of place we had heard and read and watched so much about we thought we were in a dream. Sarah teased us about being star struck and it was hard not to be when one of the first three people we saw was Kayla Ford from Out of Heaven speaking with a man holding a little baby right in the lobby. Nikki went right up to the baby and began playing with it as Sarah spoke with the man who was obviously the father. Meanwhile Jenny and I became speechless. Here, standing in front of us one of the members of our favorite group.

“Kayla, Stuart and the most special one of all Olivia I want you to meet our good friends from America, Jenny Thompson and Alexa Quinn. Jen, Alexa this is Stuart Milton and his daughter Olivia” Nikki said as she shared another quick little cuddle with the child. “And I think you know who this is.” Nikki said pointing at Kayla very nonchalantly earning a slap on the arm. Jenny and I became babbling idiots. “Oh my god! This is so great!” Jenny said as Kayla extended her hand to us. “We are such huge fans” I babbled, I am sure looking like a foolish teenager. Kayla giggled a bit as a response. “Well it is a pleasure to meet both of you. Our first American fans from what Nikki has told me.” We chatted with the three for a bit when we were interrupted.

“"Ah, good morning, sunshine!" Stephanie Abbott said to Nikki, who politely told her not to be so loud. Nikki begins to introduce us to the singer and the person standing next to her, but before she can finish, Steph interrupts her.

"Ah, yes” Stephanie says with a big smile on her face.,. "Our fans from America! I was hoping I'd get the chance to meet you!" Jenny and I were speechless for a moment. Stephanie Abbott wanted to meet us? "Oh my god, thank you!" I babble on "Jenny and I are such huge fans of yours!" Then I realize who is standing next to Stephanie. It’s Jamie-Lee Milton, the British model and one of the original Angels. A woman whose life I have studied since Nikki and Sarah first mentioned her. Jenny and I exchange hugs with both Transwomen who have become such a huge influence in my life. Stephanie then told us she was big fans of ours. “"well, that video you tweeted at me in March, anyway!" Embarrassment took over at that point "Oh my god, you remember that?" Jenny asks and Steph just nods her head, while the four of us look on and remember our drunken night of singing that we decided to share with the world. I can’t remember who said we should go get lunch, but the next thing I know I am not only walking down the street holding hands with Jenny, but we are heading to lunch with Jamie-Lee, her husband, her daughter and half of Out of Heaven as well as two of our best friends. It was like a dream. A little over a year ago I was a dweeby video game playing boy. Now, here I was holding hands with the woman of my dreams wearing a cute mini skirt and heading to lunch with two people I adored and three people I practically worshipped. I began to tear up a bit. Jenny stood next to me with a gigantic smile on her face. But instead of her giving me words of encouragement, it was the person who had become my confidant in this journey.

‘This is all real Alexa. Enjoy it. These are people who know what you are going through and will help in whatever way they can. So, will Sarah and I and most importantly the lovely woman whose hand you are holding.” I smile at the advice given to me by a woman who has been there for me that last few months. She has been there to answer my questions on how to deal with the mood swings. On the right ways of presenting one’s self so I am not spotted as being simply a crossdresser. I give her a little hug and thank her. I can see Sarah lean over and smile over to the person hanging on to my right hand. I struggle at it, but I am able to not burst out crying over all the joy and support I am feeling now.

The little café that someone had chosen was very nice. Modern in its décor but very traditional in its menu. The meal was great and getting a chance to talk Kayla and Steph was exciting. Soon as we were finished, Stuart had to head back, making a joke about leaving the ‘hens to gossip’ The group of incredible women sat around chatting after our lunch and I found that I spent a lot of time talking to Jamie and Nikki. Jamie was so nice in just listening to me and giving me advice about my journey. She seemed very interested in what I was going through and sympathetic over the travails with my father. On top of that, she was very willing to answer not only my questions about transitioning but my silly fan questions. As the time went on, I began to feel I had made a new friend. Nikki jumped in from time to time with her thoughts and teasing the woman she called her mentor.

As we talked, I looked over and I spotted the love of my life. She had seemed to have taken charge of Olivia. I watched as she chatted and laughed with Sarah, Kayla, and Steph, all while holding little Olivia. Jenny turned and our eyes met. I watched as a large loving smile spread across her face as I stared at her. What was funny was the voice from behind me. “You two seem to share something special.” Jamie said to me. Without breaking eye contact with Jenny, I answered my new friend with the only answer I knew. “She is my soulmate” I finally turned to see Nikki and Jamie sitting there with large smiles on their face. “We know the feeling.” Nikki said. I began giggling “Is it that obvious?” I asked and the smiles and nods I received showed me I wasn’t the only one who noticed it.

Olivia began getting fussy and Jamie decided it was time to get Olivia home for a nap. I watched Jenny hug the little Angel before Jamie put her in her stroller. Jenny and Jamie shared a hug and the two began making plans to get together again. “Lex and I want to go to Harrods tomorrow, that may not sound exciting to a famous model like you but we have been looking forward to it.” Steph began laughing. “Keeping Jamie away from shopping is like keeping Snikki away from the clubs on the weekends!” Nikki and Sarah shot the singer dirty looks while Jamie laughed. “It sounds like a good idea to me. Why don’t we meet at 11:00 at Harrods? Maybe a few other people will come along.” Jamie said as she shared another hug with me. Kayla and Steph left shortly after Jamie leaving Jenny and I alone with Snikki. The Phillips-Thomas family began in on us about coming over for dinner. We agreed that tonight would be the night and that we would come up to their flat. We said our goodbyes and began making our way back to the hotel room, directions to the apartment in hand.

When we got back, we were surprised to find that Marty was there. “What?” he asked, “no shopping bags?” This time it was my turn to answer. “Oh, be quiet Marty.” The simple answer caused my partner to giggle at her father being shot down by me. Marty chuckled at us and began to ask us about our day. We went on and told him about the lunch and how we had met two of the members of Out of Heaven and Jamie. Marty got up and went to the bar and asked if we wanted anything and poured us each a drink before sitting down and rejoining us and listening to our tales from lunch. I looked at Marty and apart from the smile on his face, he seemed a bit tired. “I am Alexa. This has been an interesting trip. Lots of meetings, not enough time to see the sights. I envy you guys. I get to go to another dull dinner meeting tonight while I suppose you two will be off galivanting around.” Jenny went over to her father and tried to cuddle up to him. He kissed her on her forehead as she expressed concern over his condition. “What if we stayed another day daddy and we just hang out, the three of us. Go to the Tower or something?” Marty kissed her on her forehead again and told he would think about it. But he moved Jenny from off him and got up. “That is sounding like a better idea, but now I am off to another dinner meeting with the seed people here in London. You two have fun and be safe. If you are not going to make it back to the room text me, do you understand?” We both nodded in agreement and watched Marty don his suit coat and leave the room. Jenny came over and cuddled up to me.

We decided we would pack a small bag in case it got too out of control tonight at Snikki’s. After getting our things organized, we made our way down to the Lobby and asked for the nearest Underground station. We made our way and hopped on what we thought was the correct train, which with the way our luck had been going, it wasn’t. By the time we figured it out we were about 3 miles in the opposite direction we wanted to go. We took a moment to study the map and time tables and figured out which way we needed to go. We waited around for the right train and 26 minutes later than we had planned we were standing outside the door of the flat we were told was Nikki and Sarah’s. Just as we were getting ready to knock, we heard a giggling child on the other side. Jenny studied the address once again. “This is it.” Jenny said and knocked on the door. A second later Sarah was at the door “Come in. Welcome to our flat!” Sarah said to us as we shared hugs. As we entered we were taken by two things, first how small it was and Nikki sitting there giggling away with a little girl that looked like a younger version of her. The little girl was a bit taken aback by the arrival of Jenny and me. “Hey girlies” Nikki said her usual way. “I have someone I want you to meet. Jenny, Alexa this is my sister Jenny.” My Jenny made her way over to the precious little girl. “Hi Jenny. My name is Jenny too.” Little Jenny tried to hide her face in her sister’s blouse, causing all of us to giggle. Nikki began speaking to her sister. “You know your Minnie Mouse dress?” We could see little Jenny nod, “Well this is the big Jenny and Alexa that sent it to you.” The young girl pulled her head out and studied my fiancée for a second before wiggling out of her sister’s arms and coming over to inspect ‘big’ Jenny a little more. “You are big Jenny?” she asked and Jenny smiled and nodded telling the toddler she was. The little girl than thanked Jenny for the dress. Before grabbing my Jenny around the legs in a hug. It didn’t take long for my Jenny to reach down and pick up the girl.

We all took a seat and Sarah brought out a bottle of wine and four glasses as well as spill proof cup of juice for the youngest member. “My mum asked if we could watch her for a bit. I thought it would be fun to see Little Jenny and Big Jenny together.” Nikki explained. I giggled at the name big Jenny. I turned and looked at my fiancée who stared at me and said, ‘don’t even think about calling me that.” We all began laughing and then my Jenny began telling the other two the same thing, before turning to the young Jenny, “but you can call me that anytime you little cutie.” Little Jenny giggled and began telling Jenny about something while Sarah, Nikki and I sat back and watched the pair of Jennys. The more I watched my Jenny the more I became excited about our future together. Our enjoyment of the two Jennys was interrupted by a knock at the door. Sarah went to get it. In walked a woman who you could recognize almost immediately.

As soon as the woman said hello to Sarah, Nikki’s sister lost all interest in my fiancée. She ran to the door yelling “Mummy”. The older woman reached down and picked up her young daughter. As Nikki got up, you could see the close, family resemblance. “Mum”, Nikki began “I would like you to meet our American friends Alexa Quinn and Jenny Thompson. Guys, this is my mum Sandra” as we extended our hands to Mrs. Thomas I watched as a knowing look came across her face. “So, you are the pair who allows me to fight with Jenny every week.” Jenny and I began to blush as we shook hands.

“Ah sorry about that but it was all her fault” I say pointing at my Jenny who promptly gives me a little kick in the shins as she turns on the charm for Mrs. Thomas. “We are sorry about that, but the dress was so cute. Besides, Lex picked out all the rest of it.” Jenny said and then reached down and gave little Jenny a tickle. “Besides this little cutie was perfect for the dress.” Little Jenny giggled as my Jenny gave her a little tickle in the tummy. We chatted with Nikki and Sandra as Sarah helped her little sister in law get her things organized. Jenny and I tried to get a few stories out of Sandra about her eldest daughter. Nikki was going to have none of that and shot her mother a look to stay quiet, only causing Jenny and I to laugh hysterically and tease our friend. Sarah and Little Jenny came up and we all said our goodbyes, but the two Jennys shared a special hug. “See you little Jenny” my fiancée said, which was returned with a “Bye Big Jenny” it was very cute. Nikki closed the door as her little sister and mother left. She let out a big sigh. Then a wicked smile came across her face, “Okay girlies, time for some wine.”

The four of us spent the next hour talking, telling stories but mostly laughing. We heard about the wedding and watched a recording of it. Both of our friends looked so beautiful and Jenny and I began to get excited. We began to lament that we didn’t come over, but I still didn’t have my passport at that point as Alexa and I had given up the one that said Alex. We told Nikki and Sarah the tale of my car accident. Nikki and Sarah got a tremendous laugh as I told the tale of Jenny’s actions in the Emergency Room. “I wasn’t that bad” Jenny pouted. Nikki mockingly comforted her as the tales I told became funnier. Jenny tried to change the subject a few times, but Sarah and Nikki wouldn’t let her. Eventually the questions turned to my health not only post-accident by my transition as well.

“Things have been going great! I have felt wonderful.” I told them as I watch Jenny shake her head. “What?” I ask as Nikki and Sarah look on. “Ok, you have been doing great, but when those emotions hit, watch out!” Jenny says. I watch as Sarah nods her head at my lover’s comments, but Nikki tried to comfort me. “I remember those times, when the littlest things when get me bawling. Heck I still do. It is all part of the wonderful journey you have undertaken. Don’t worry about it OK?” I think Nikki saw I was embarrassed by those emotions and she attempted to assure me it was all worth. I was shocked when she said they still happen, and asked her for an example.

“One Saturday night a couple of weeks ago, Mum called and asked if we would mind watching Jenny. We went over there and began going through all the DVDs she had and we had never watched Toy Story 3. Have you seen it?” Nikki asked and both Jenny and I nodded. Instantly I knew exactly the scene Nikki was talking about and as I listened to her describe it, I felt myself get worked up over it. The next thing I knew Nikki and I were hugging each other crying away. It was then I realized that I wasn’t alone in these feelings and that Nikki would be there to talk with me. As we tried to get ahold of ourselves, our other halves announced they were going to get dinner organized and left the tow of us. The questions I had started to flood to my mind. While I had emailed, texted, called, etc. etc. Nikki many times, being here with her made it so much easier to talk about what I am experiencing. “Do you ever just break down for no reason what so ever? I asked and went on to describe the situation from the spring when I was reading for class. She nodded her head. “Still do and I have been doing this for four years! I will start crying over a commercial on the telly.” I join Nikki in sharing a giggle. “Me too” I state. We exchange a hug. “You ever need s friend, you know I am here 24/7. Don’t worry about it. OK?” I nod my head. That moment proved that I had won the lottery on this journey and now also had made a decision. A decision I needed to get agreement upon.

Sarah and Jenny call us to eat, where we sit down and dig into the spaghetti, or Spag Bol, as they called it. The laughter continued through the various course and another couple of bottles of wine. After we were done washing the dishes and finishing our third bottle of wine, I looked over at Jenny. I saw a smile cross her face and give me a little nod. The decision was made, now the action had to be taken.

“Sarah, Nikki we have something we need to ask?” I paused for both a dramatic moment and to give myself a chance to work up the nerves. Jenny reached out for my hand as I began to speak. “Jenny and I have been talking and we know it may be hard and we would completely understand if you don’t want to but would you two be our bridesmaids?” Unlike many times when there is dead silence while the questioned gained their senses the squeals of acceptance were almost immediate. “Of course, we would!” Sarah exclaimed. “We would be more than honoured.” Nikki said as we all squealed in excitement. As Nikki and I were exchanging hugs, I noticed a tear in her eye. I couldn’t believe our silly question could move her to tears. It was then I realized I was crying to. We smiled at each other as we broke the hug and then more excitement took over. All four of us were practically bouncing of the walls. “We need to go out and celebrate” Jenny announced “is there a bar nearby?” Sarah said there was and the four of us grabbed our coats and purses and made our way down the street to a local pub. The place was pretty much like any bar we would go to back home. We had decided to switch from the wine we were drinking to vodka, along with some various other drinks that we walked the bartenders through. We practically took over the small dance floor in the corner and spent the night drinking and dancing. We became the hit of the bar, we were laughing, singing and celebrating. For lack of a better term we were out of control.

The craziness of the night was confirmed as I woke up the next morning. I was lying on the floor of Snikki’s apartment next to Jenny. My head hurt and mouth tasted terrible. I looked over at Jenny who was sprawled out next to me wearing a London COF 5K t-shirt and panties. I looked down and realized I was wearing a Lincoln City Imps T-shirt and panties. The thought that we were not in our clothes let me know we were not that out of control that we passed out in our clothes from the night before. I needed to use the bathroom and tried to extract myself from Jenny. I could feel her grab at me as I tried to get up “Don’t go babe. Cuddle” Jenny said in her toddler voice. I told her I had to and made my way into the lav before heading to the kitchen to get a glass of water. I returned to the living room and found Jenny whimpering a bit. “Lex come back” she whined and I eased myself down. “I’m here babe.” I told her and she latched onto me and pulled me down. “Don’t leave again” she whimpered and I assured her I wouldn’t. I kissed Jenny on the cheek which earned me an “Mmm, I love you” from her before she and I both drifted off.

For the second morning in a row, I was awoken by Nikki. But unlike the phone yesterday, I couldn’t ignore her, especially since she was alternating between groaning from pain and kicking me in the feet to wake up. “Come on you two wake up. We have to meet Jamie.” I looked up at Nikki who was sitting there but I noticed that Sarah wasn’t around. It was then we heard the shower start up. Having talked with the couple in the past, I had heard of their ‘water conservation’ methods. “What are you doing out here? Shouldn’t you be doing you part for saving the planet?” I said with a smart alek smile on my face while Jenny laughed. Nikki gives me a little kick and blushes. “We thought that since you two were here we would be good.” Jenny and I begin giggling hard “Like you are going to shock us!” I assure Nikki, who slips off to join her wife in their conservation efforts where I collapse back down on the floor next to my fiancée.

We were awoken again by Mrs. Phillips-Thomas, but the other one. “Get up you two, we have to get you back to the hotel and cleaned up.” I slowly opened my eyes and saw Sarah standing there in a very stylish knee length red and black stripped pencil skirt with a simple black top. Platform heeled shoes covered her feet and solid black tights covered her legs. A little brimmed hat sat on top of her head. She looked very stylish. Nikki though was going all out. She had on a black skater skirt with translucent black tights. She wore a rose-colored cable-knit sweater that cutoff at the midriff and on her feet some calf-high lace up boots and a tan scarf around her neck. I began to get nervous that I was going to have to pull a rabbit out of my hat to look as good as these two. I looked at our two friends. “I don’t think I can be seen with you two. “I said with a smile. Sarah thanked me but Nikki got all nervous. ‘It isn’t too much is it?” she asked. This time it was my turn to tell her to be quiet. “You look incredible and you know it so knock it off.” I looked down and saw Jenny slowly open one eye, and then she announced she couldn’t be seen with our British friends. “I always feel like crap when I am with you.” We all giggle and remind Jenny that she was the instigator last night. “Oh, that’s right, well I guess I can be seen with you then.” Jenny giggled and the two of us got off the floor. We went into the bedroom and changed, somewhat, into our clothes from the night before. Nikki leads us down to her car and we head off to our hotel. We led our friends up to the lounge area and showed them where everything was and then slipped off to get ready.

We emerged a half hour later in our attempts to equal the look of our friends. Jenny had a brown knee length circle skirt with a cut out diamond pattern at the hem and a brown and white top with a similar diamond pattern to the skirt. She wore my jean jacket and a pair of burgundy platform pumps. If the girls weren’t here, the outfit would not have been on much longer. I decided to go with a look like Nikki’s I had a black skater skirt and this time I had bare legs with just my knee-high suede boots, a long sleeve white sweater and MY leather jacket. Sarah teased me. “Finally got your jacket from Jenny. Good for you” Jenny stuck her tongue out at Sarah. I of course had to get my shot it in. “Yeah, I had to barricade her in the bathroom and then hid it from her until she was dressed.” I wasn’t lucky enough to only get a tongue stuck out at me and took a playful slap to the arm. We went down stairs and hailed a cab to take us to the one stop outside of the concerts and the game, we were looking forward to.

We arrived a little early and found a coffee shop just across the street from the store. As Nikki and Sarah went into get a couple of coffees Jenny and I found a table and starred at the store. Jenny slid up next to me, “There it is babe, Harrods. The store we have been dreaming of since our birthday.” She cuddled in next to me and squeezed my arm. I looked at the giddy, beautiful blonde sitting next to me and began thinking of how far we had come in just a little over a year. As I reached to squeeze her closer, I caught sight of the incredible ring that was on my finger. The emotion of it all took control and I began to weep. Jenny let go of my arm and pulled me in tighter. It was as Jenny was holding me that I felt another hand on my back. “You OK Alexa?” I nod and giggle a bit. I let Nikki know it was just one of the moments and she nodded and gave a light hug before sitting down. We reached for our coffee and began our wait, a wait that was interrupted by a text. “Well we can head over anytime we want, that was Jamie. Olivia isn’t feeling well so Jamie doesn’t want to leave her.” Sarah began to chuckle a bit “Jamie miss shopping? That little one sure has changed her.” We finished our much-needed coffee and begin to make our way across the street to the high-end shopping mecca we had read so much about. Holding hands as we walk, our breath is taken away by the sheer feeling of luxury and high fashion. Sarah walks up behind Jenny and me “Eh, it’s alright but nothing as awesome as the Mall of America.” We spun around and looked at our friend as if she is nuts. Sarah just laughs at us.

We made our way up to the first floor where we are blown away by the sheer volume of designer clothes. We become lost as we begin to look through displays and racks of skirts, blouses, party dresses, formal dresses, sun dresses. Our minds went into overload. We oohed and ahhed over everything, even the budding fashion queen Sarah was in bliss as we debated the various garments that we encountered. Jenny and I tried to be good, but it was tough. We found a few skirts to try on and even purchased one or two, one of which nearly depleted one of the cards Marty had given us. We worked our way around the floor and looked at everything. Somehow Nikki and I were together when we walked into an area that held the more formal dresses, and that’s when I saw it. It was a purple cocktail dress with a sequined upper half and lace and taffeta flair skirt. My mind went blank as I was mesmerized by the dress in front of me. Nikki began to giggle next to me. I told her to go distract Jenny and Sarah for a bit while I went to try it on. I found my size and asked the clerk if I could try it on and she led me back to the changing rooms. I quickly stripped off my skirt, boots and top and adjust my bra straps. I slid on the dress and floated into heaven. I HAD to have this dress. I didn’t care how much it cost. It would be perfect for the reception tomorrow night. I looked at myself in the mirror in the lounge area outside of the changing rooms and was even more convinced I needed this dress. I went back into the changing room and texted Nikki to bring Sarah and Jenny over to the dressing area and to text me when they were here. I waited just a few minutes and I received the reply form my British sister.

I double checked that everything was straight and opened the door. Sitting in the posh couches, I watched three pairs of eyes go wide and smiles spread across their faces. Nikki began tearing up and Sarah nodded approval, but it was the reaction of the lone blonde that meant the most to me. She slowly rose from the couch and walked over to me as she stood in front of me she said words that always make my heart soar “You’re beautiful Lex” and planted a long deep kiss on me. Not to be conceited, I knew I looked good, but I didn’t know I looked that good. Snikki rose form the couch and came over. “That is a beautiful dress Alexa.” Sarah said and began looking it over from more of designer/construction side. Nikki was still weeping a bit as she gave me a hug. “I can’t believe you are the same person I met 6 months ago. You are stunning Alexa.” I began to blush over the comments. Jenny just stood there and starred with a smile that was incredible. It was a combination of pride and lust. She said nothing. I walked over to the full-length mirror again as Sarah began describing some of it. As I stood there looking at in the mirror I could see that Jenny’s eyes never left me. When I spun around to look at her it was the same thing and then as if on cue we both began to weep a bit and moved quickly towards each other. Another deep kiss was shared before we finally split, Jenny’s eyes still not leaving me. I looked over and saw Sarah holding a crying Nikki. I knew we needed to get going so I turned back towards my soulmate and asked if she thought I should buy it. Her response was wonderful.

“If you don’t, we are through” she said with a mischievous smile. It was then we decided we better look at the price “£575! That would be nearly $750! I can’t get this Jen!” I state as I begin to get sad. She lifted my head up a bit and looked at me with those beautiful blue eyes, love radiating from them. “We are getting that dress. It is perfect for tomorrow night. We might have to take a little heat from daddy, but we are getting it!” I went back to the changing room and changed back to the skirt and sweater I had worn and felt a bit sad that I was having to take off this beautiful dress, but knew I would be wearing it again. I came out of the dressing rooms and was met by the clerk. When I told her I would take the dress, I watched the woman become snotty. “Really?” she said to me with an almost exaggerated accent. “That dress is £575. I hardly believe a school girl could afford such a dress.” It was then I watched Jenny get a bit wound up over the woman’s attitude. If there is one thing you do not tell Jennifer Ann Thompson is that she cannot afford an item of clothing. As Jenny is going off, I lean over to Sarah, who is standing next to me and whisper “Watch this.” Jenny strides up to the woman and looks her in the eye, at that moment the stuck-up girl I met three years ago comes out of hiding. “That was a pretty rude thing to say to my fiancée. Do you work on commission?” Jenny asks. The woman nods. Jenny takes the dress from her and walks over to another clerk who is standing nearby. “Excuse, but we would like to purchase this dress and we need someone to ring it up for us, would you be able to help?” The young clerk can see her co-worker roll her eyes a bit but she tells Jenny of course she can and heads to a concealed terminal and processes the transaction. I watched the clerk who had been so rude nearly faint as Jenny whipped out Marty’s Black American Express. Nikki and Sarah giggle a bit as I watch the first clerk race to Jenny and begin apologizing. Jenny looks her in the eye, “You don’t need to apologize to me. The person you need to apologize to is right over there.”

Jenny has the young clerk, Ashley, send the dress down to package pick up and we continue our spree. She stops when she sees a gorgeous gold cocktail dress, she looks at me with her evil grin. ‘I’ll be right back” she says as she grabs the dress and races off to try it on. She doesn’t even bother calling the three of us in to check out the form fitting, backless dress with long sleeves. She simply comes out and hands the dress to the same clerk and hands her Marty’s card. When she comes back over, she does a little curtsey as the three of us give her an ovation. “Where did that Jenny come from?” Nikki teases. I tease Jenny too “Wow, I haven’t seen her in a while” Jenny wraps her arms around me and gives me a kiss, before turning towards Nikki. “I don’t let her out much anymore, but when I do it is fun! But now that that is over, we need to get something to go with those dresses!” Jenny exclaims and my eyes light up. “Shoes?” I ask in an excited voice. Jenny nods and Sarah and Nikki begin to lead us to the lift, as Sarah called it. We were a bit confused until Nikki told us it was an elevator to us colonials. We began to giggle and stick our tongues out at our friends out as we waited to get on. For some reason, I watch the two share a nervous look as we ascend four floors. “What?” I ask. Sarah nods at her wife. Nikki takes a deep breath. “You know how we joke as to what it would be like to go to Disney with you? Well, we are nervous as to what will happen when the two of you enter Harrods Shoe Heaven.” Sarah giggles a bit as the ‘lift’ comes to a stop.

There is a term in the lexicon that can be over used, but I think of all the times I may have used it this might be the most accurate ever. As the doors of the elevator opened, Jenny and I let out an audible gasp that got the attention of a few of the customers. We were in awe. Jenny and I had been in some wonderful shoe stores in our time together but nothing like this. We couldn’t move. I had to reach to stop the elevator door from shutting and we both felt a gentle push into our backs to get us moving. Even when we left the elevator we just stood there in awe. Every major designer you could think of was there. Every type of shoe you could imagine was there. Jenny and I finally looked at each other and let a scream. The next thing I know we were practically skipping down the aisles as we entered Harrods Shoe Heaven. We could hear Snikki laughing at the two of us as we began to go crazy. It didn’t take long for Jenny to have two pairs of shoes she wanted to try on at the Prada area, one at Jimmy Choo and three at Dolce & Gabbana. I wasn’t much better. I immediately found three pairs at Valentino I wanted, of course none were for the dress I just bought. We finally caught our breath and began looking for the shoes we need for our dresses that we planned on wearing at the big Viking gala tomorrow night. That doesn’t mean we didn’t stop trying on other shoes and in total we left after purchasing 8 pairs between us, three pairs for Jenny and five for me! As we are walking away with our purchases. Jenny began to tease me. “I think I created a monster. You now have more shoes that I do and I didn’t think that was possible!” Turning to Sarah, Jenny asked ‘Sarah, do you ever feel like that?” Sarah laughed.

“Definitely. Nikki has many more skirts and dresses than I do and shoes. We actually had to go through and weed some out when we moved into the flat.” Nikki tried to put on a pout. I put an arm around my friend and told her I understood. Sarah leaned over and gave her wife a kiss to make up for the teasing. Jenny and I gave out an ‘aww’ and then looked at each other. “If Snikki can show a little PDA, so can Jexy” Jenny announced and gave me a long kiss. As our two couples broke, we remembered we had a lunch reservation yet. And whether it was karma or not, the restaurant we had chosen was on the exact same floor as Heaven. We went in and tried to keep it somewhat light, though we did realize we needed to put a little food in our tummies, as we had a big nigh ahead of us. As we were enjoying a bottle of wine with our lunch, my phone rang.

“Alexa? It’s Jessica. I am on my layover right now. What are you guys doing?” We met Jessica and her fiancée Paige, on our last trip to Florida. Not only were Jessica and Paige both transgender but as it turned they were friends with Snikki and the rest of their group.

“Hey Jess! Just having lunch with Snikki. Where you at?

“Paris today, which means that Paige is in Dublin.” Jessica giggled a bit, but I could hear some weariness in her voice. “But enough of that. Are you ready for tomorrow? It should be fun and you will really like our friends” I look over at Jenny and watch as she remembers our commitment, and then I asked Sarah and Nikki if they wanted to join. They declined because they had to go to Sarah’s Father’s house for his birthday. “We are looking forward to it, as long as I don’t have to hear about the Ravens.” I tell the Baltimore native who now lives here in London. Of course, Jessica can’t let that slide. “Two Super Bowls to none my friend. Remember that.” Jessica teased. She told me to dress casual and gave me the address of the pub they wanted to meet. ‘Can’t wait Alexa. Must run, time to prep for my flight. See you tomorrow!” I hit then end button and settle back into the conversation. I had forgotten that Sarah and Nikki were going to celebrate her father’s birthday tomorrow. I knew that the relationship between Sarah and her step-mother were strained at best. I asked her if she was ready to face the ‘Dragon’ as she called her. Sarah laughed. “I always am, until I get there. Then the problems begin.” Nikki nodded.

As we continued our conversation, Nikki asks where we were meeting Paige and Jessica. “They want to introduce us to some friends of theirs. We are meeting them at some pub called The Albion on New Bridge Street.” I explain. Sarah and Nikki gave out a laugh as I told them the location. “Your just not meeting up at some pub, you are meeting up at a major City pub. Full of all their fans, all them to cheer on City. Be careful, don’t start saying ManU!” Nikki advised. Jenny looked at me for clarification, while I knew a bit about English soccer, or football, I wasn’t as familiar with the different teams, so I asked. “So, what’s the difference between Man U and Man City?” I asked. “A lot, even I know that.” Sarah said. Nikki attempted to explain a bit about the difference between the two clubs. I was glad she did, because I didn’t want to look foolish. ‘We have to go shopping after this” Jenny said, “we have to look right, we don’t want to stick out!” Sarah and Nikki laughed at my fiancée. I then tell the pair about what Jenny had done when we went to a hockey game with my brother and Katie. Both got a laugh as I describe the mittens and my brother’s reaction, Jenny tried to pout a bit but the kiss on the cheek I gave her brought her back. Jenny then explained what she thought we would need. Nikki nodded for a second and picked up her phone. She called Stuart, who provided her with the name of a shop that was close by. The shop was a few blocks away and was like several I had been in back home, except the teams were a little different. We found the women’s clothing and Jenny I began looking. Jenny decided on a classic hoodie with a large embroidered Man City logo on the front, I on the other hand found a full zip hoodie with the crest embroidered on the left side. This time I pulled out the card Marty gave me and we paid for our shirts. As we were walking out Jenny announced we were ready for the match.

Following our little excursion for fan apparel, we returned to Harrods and picked up our dresses and then hailed a cab to take us back to the hotel. Before we had left the girls’ flat, we had convinced them to bring their clothes for the evening to the hotel and that we would head to the arena from there. We made our way back to the hotel to get ready. After grabbing our things, we showed the girls to our room, telling them they can get ready in there while we took Marty’s room. As we were getting ready, I began thinking of Katie. I decided I needed to call her. I looked at the clock and noticed that it was about the time that Katie would be coming home for the day. I dialed her number and waited. Someone answered, but not Katie.

“Why are you calling from London? Nothing better to do?” Danny asked with a laugh. I of course told him to shut up and that I wanted to talk to Katie. Then it hit me. “Wait a second what are you doing there? Isn’t Adam going to be pissed?” Danny just laughed at what I was asking and said Katie would explain. I could hear him hand the phone to Katie. Having already poured myself a drink, I was in a festive mood so when Katie answered I was a little more excited that I should be “Katie! How is my big sister? And what is the meathead doing there this early?” I heard a mixture of a sigh and a giggle come out of the woman who had always been my big sister.

“Are you already drunk Lex? No Danny took the day off. You don’t know?” Katie asked me. I told her I knew nothing about what was going on back there. Katie sounded a little guarded after that comment. “Well, um, you see Marty was feeling bad about us not going so he gave us his tickets to the Gopher game this weekend.” I nodded, not that Katie knew, as I took in this information. I began going over the Gopher schedule in my head and it hit me. “Marty gave you his tickets to the Iowa game in Iowa City! That should be fun!” Katie agreed that it was and then I asked her if they were driving down tonight. “Well not exactly. Marty is flying us down there and then he is paying for a room for a couple nights. He figured I was worth it since I put up with you two all the time.” I laughed at first but then started to get a bit emotional. I couldn’t believe that Marty would do that for Danny and Katie. “You OK Lex?” Katie asked me and I told her I was fine, but my voice was giving it away. Jenny grabbed the phone out of my hand and put it on speaker.

“Hey Kate, what’d you say to Lex to get her crying?” Jenny asked our roommate, who went on to explain what Marty had done. “Daddy did that? How sweet! I will have to tease him about condoning pre-marital sex!” Jenny said with a laugh.

“Well he puts up with you two, doesn’t he?” Katie shot back in good humor. “So, you guys having fun? Meet up with Snikki yet? Those pictures from your drive to the concert were beautiful and those pictures of that town on the coast were very pretty.” Jenny went on to explain the last few days and told Katie about the run with the clerk at Harrods. “The old Jenny came out of hiding, huh? Well make sure she doesn’t come back home with you. I hope you guys are enjoying yourselves. It has been awfully quiet around here without you. Which is good and bad.” Katie said and I started crying a bit more. I blurted out “I miss you Kate” to my big sister and she told me she missed me too. “Hey guys I gotta go. We have to head to the airport. Have fun at the show tonight. Snap some pictures and send them to me. And pictures of the dresses tomorrow night.” Jenny and I say goodbye to our roommate and end the call. As Jenny looks at me a sympathetic look comes over her face. “You OK babe/” she asks. All I can do as nod as I try and recover from my latest crying session. Jenny just hugs me and then helps me get cleaned up and redo my makeup. When she is finished she looks at me and says ‘Enough of that. It’s time to party!”

And party we did. We entered the lounge and found Sarah and Nikki already enjoying some drinks and we joined them. It wasn’t long before someone had turned on some music and the four of us were dancing around the room and singing at the top of our lungs. The sight that Marty saw when he entered must have been pretty funny. Here were four young women, all dressed in short dresses, ready for a night of partying, dancing around and singing. I was closest to the speakers and turned down the volume and watched Marty stand there with a smile on his face. The four of us girls calmed and began feeling a bit busted. Marty just laughed. “Well I can see you four are ready for the show tonight. You two must be Sarah and Nikki, I am Jennifer’s father, Marty. I figured I better introduce myself since my girls here are being somewhat rude.” Marty said with a grin aimed at me and Jenny, who did not let it slide. “Be quiet daddy.” Marty shook hands with our friends and then continued. “Well I hope you four have fun tonight. Stay out of trouble OK?” We just nodded at Marty. “Don’t drive either. Call down for a cab and I will cover it. And go back to your partying. I am just dropping of my brief case before I go and meet some of the management team.” For some reason, I felt compelled to follow Marty in to his room and give a big hug.

“What was that for?” Marty asked as I released my grip. “I just wanted to thank you for giving Katie and Danny the tickets and paying for a flight and room and all that.” I got a little teary, hormones playing havoc with me again. Marty just grinned and then kissed me on the forehead. “Alexa, it was no big deal. Jenny said you were feeling bad about leaving Katie at home and I wasn’t going to be using the tickets, so why not? Katie deserves it after dealing with you two and Danny deserves it even more for dealing with all three of you. Now get out of here and go have some fun. Just not too much fun.” I hugged him again and gave him a kiss on the cheek before returning to the celebration. Jenny just grinned as she knew what was up. Nikki came over and gave me a hug and I could see her tearing up as well. “You know I thought I got lucky with Beverly, but it seems like you hit the jackpot.” I told Nikki how close Marty and I had become and then explained what he had done for Katie and Danny. I was just so happy I told her. Nikki smiled and said, “Well let’s use that happiness in a fun way.” The comment broke me out of my fit and after sharing a quick hug with my British sister, the music was blaring and the festivities were once again underway.

After another round or two it was time to head to Wembley to see Out of Heaven for a second time in four days. Jenny called down to the Concierge and ordered up the cab and we proceeded to head down stairs. As we were waiting in the lobby I noticed two things. Just how hot the four of us looked. Nikki had on a short multi colored dress that did little to conceal her female form. Sarah had one of her own creation, a black halter dress the went to about mid-thigh. Jenny had on a short hot pink strapless dress that I couldn’t wait to tear off her later and I myself was in a bright red one of similar design. The other thing I noticed was the looks we were receiving from the men in the lobby. I had seen guys eye me up before, but this was different. They all had smiles on their faces and a bit of lust in their eyes. I moved over towards Nikki and asked if she had gotten used to this kind of treatment. The funny thing was Sarah answered for her. “You don’t ever get used to it Alexa. But it does feel nice from time to time to be appreciated.” I watched Nikki and Sarah exchange a smile and squeeze each other’s hands as a sign of their feelings towards each other and then felt a hand take mine and squeeze it. Jenny stood there with a smile on her face like a proud parent.

The concierge came up and told us our cab was there, just as we were beginning to walk out, Jenny and I noticed Marty come out of the hotel bar with a smile on his face. It seemed a little odd until we got to the door. Sitting there at the entrance was a White Rolls Royce Phantom. The four of turned and looked at Jenny’s father, whose smile had gotten even bigger. “Have fun tonight.” Was all he said as he waved and returned to the bar. A driver held the door for us as we piled into the back and took our seats. Sarah was the one who spotted the bottle of champagne. “Your father goes all out doesn’t he?” Sarah asked as she stripped the foil off the bottle and popped the cork. A cheer came from all four us as Jenny held out glasses. Nikki decided that she would make a toast. “To our two American sisters. When we first heard about you two we never would have dreamed that there would be another couple as much in love as Sarah and me, but you two might be our equal. We are so glad you came over and let’s have a fun night!” We clinked glasses and cheered. We turned up the music and much to the driver’s happiness, closed the partition. Sarah and Nikki continued to go on about Marty and his generosity, not only for the limo for the night but for what they had done for Katie and Danny. “He must love you two a lot” Sarah said and it kind of hit me. Marty loves me? And a smile crept across my face rather than tears. Jenny spoke up “I think he loves Lex and tolerates me!” Jenny shot me a smile as I became a bit embarrassed by the comment. She leaned over and kissed me and said, “what’s not to love.” This got the other two giggling and earned us an ‘Aww’ from the married couple.

We pulled up to the VIP entrance of Wembley Arena about twenty minutes before the show was to begin. The driver opened the door for us and I am surprised we didn’t just come falling out we were so giddy, and a bit tipsy. Nikki led us to the VIP entrance where she began chatting with the security guard. Nikki took Sarah by the hand and then led us through the tunnels underneath the Arena. We came to a door that had another security guard that Nikki knew standing watch. He held the door for us as we entered a roped off area just to the left of the stage. There were people of all ages there and we were introduced to most of them. As we mingled through the group, a loud booming voice could be heard calling Nikki’s name “Nikki and Sarah! How wonderful to have you here with us and who are these two beautiful women you have brought with you?” Nikki then introduced us to one of the nicest men we had ever met, her boss and the Owner of Heavenly Talent Joshua Benedict. He seemed very interested in knowing a bit about us and said he hoped we enjoyed the show, before moving off to talk to more people. Jenny and I began giggling, when Sarah asked us what was so funny, Jenny spoke up. ‘Now I know what you meant when we took you to Rosato’s that night. His voice is even louder than Paul’s.”

We each grabbed another drink and mingled about. We were introduced to a few the family members of the band as well as some of Snikki’s friends. As we were standing there I became awestruck “Oh my god is that Hannah from the Angels!” I practically shrieked like a teenage girl. Sarah and Nikki laughed at us and told us of course and then led us over to meet one of the members of the modeling group we had begun watching on Amazon. Hannah greeted Snikki like family and then turned her attention to us. I couldn’t believe how friendly she was, just like Jamie was. She seemed very interested in us and asked if we were having fun and whether we had allowed Snikki to corrupt us. “I think we corrupted them” I said which earned us laughs from the supermodel. “Impossible to corrupt the corrupted!” Hannah said. Just as Nikki was making some comment towards her ‘boss’ as she called her, the lights dimmed and soon Out of Heaven had taken the stage,

“Ooh baby, do you know what that’s worth?” came from the speakers the place erupted. The squeals of teenage girls could be heard and the crowd that assembled in the VIP area began to sway to the music. Of course, that night back in our apartment was recreated and we were spotted by Steph who gave us a big smile and a thumbs up. The rest of the show was just as fun, if not more. The four of us became a minor hit of the VIP section as we never stop dancing and singing. Joshua was impressed that we knew the words to all the songs, even the bits that had been altered. When we told him how we had discovered the group by accident on YouTube and became huge fans. A smile spread across his face, kind of like a lightbulb had gone off. A grin came across his face and he moved off like he was contemplating a big venture. A venture we began to get excited for.

The show ended way too soon for our liking. But it was still a great show. We made a quick stop in the meet and greet just to say to Steph. She teased us that she was getting ready to pull the four of us up on stage, which we all threatened her if she ever did. We each gave her a hug and headed off. The four of us laughed and sang all the way to the car. It was decided along the way that the night was still young and that we needed to head out. Sarah was the one to mention some of the clubs near her University and we thought that was a great idea. As we piled into the back of the limo we noticed that the bottle of champagne had been replaced. This time Nikki took the honors of opening the bottle, but it was my turn to make the toast.

“Sarah and Nikki. Thank you so much for all you have done for us. You have been there to answer any questions we have had as Jenny and I have embarked on this journey. You have been confidants, mentors but mostly friends. And other than one other person who can’t be here, we consider you to be our sisters. You guys are the best” and we all raise our glasses and take a long swig of the bubbly wine. I watch as Nikki reached to wipe some tears from the corner of her eyes. ‘Damn you Alexa it’s time to celebrate not get all sentimental.’ Sarah smiles at me as she sees me tearing up. Jenny speaks up “Oh knock it off you two. Enough crying, it’s time to party!” We all finish off our glass and pour another round. Sarah tells the driver the address of the club we want to head to. By the time we get there the bottle is empty and our desire to party is stronger than ever.

For the third day in a row, I am awoken by Nikki. “Hey Lex, we have to leave so we can get up to Sarah’s father’s. We had a lot of fun last night. Call us later.” I raise my head and see an obviously hungover Sarah leaning against the door, looking a little green. “Yeah, um see you guys later. It was fun, maybe a little too much.” I mumbled. Nikki moved off to collect Sarah and the two headed out the door. It was then I realized that I as curled up on the couch with Jenny. I shake her and pull her up. ‘What are you doing?” Jenny asked groggily. “Taking you into the bed. We will. be more comfortable.” After a little struggle, I get Jenny onto the bed we had given to our friends. I strip her of her dress, finally, and strip myself too and crawl into bed next to my fiancée and drift off to sleep.

I awoke the second time to a groan coming from my right. “Lex? Where are you?” Jenny croaks. In what is not normal for us, I realize I have rolled to the other side of the bed. As I begin to roll back to my lover’s side she rolls into me. We bump heads and both begin giggling. “Oww!” Jenny cries out before trying to nuzzle up closer to me and wraps her arms around me. We exchange a few kisses before there is a knock on the door. “Girls, come on out, here will you?” we hear Marty say. We look at each other a bit nervously. “Did we do something really bad last night?” I asked Jenny, who tried to shake her head before croaking out an “I don’t think so.” We quickly throw on our Gopher jerseys and grab the duvet off the bed and make our way out to the lounge. We plop ourselves on the couch and I cuddle up into my lover. Marty is soon standing over us holding two cups of coffee. “How are you two feeling?” he asks and I think our groans answered his question. He laughs at us a bit before taking a seat. I could see by the way he was dressed he was much more casual. “I wanted to talk to you two before I headed out for a round of golf. You two need to be ready to go at six o’clock. We need to be there by Seven and it is 40-minute ride. Can you two handle that?” We nodded. “I wanted to make sure I told you these things as I am going to play golf and probably won’t be back until around 5.” Marty continued to laugh at us and then headed out as we sat there and tried to recover.

I don’t know how long we were sitting there when the alarm on my phone went off, telling us we had to get moving so we could meet Jessica and Paige. After our shower, we began to get dressed. Jenny had decided on a pair of jeans and a simple pair of Chuck Taylors to go with her new sweatshirt. I asked if she could go get some coffee going as I pretended to put on some jeans, but when she left I through a curve ball at her. I slipped on a pair of black tights and then a black leotard that I had stashed away. I then slid a pair of cut-off Jean shorts on. They weren’t quite ‘Daisy Dukes’, as I had the cuffs rolled up a bit. I finished it off with a pair of brown above the ankle boots I had bought yesterday. I walked into the lounge and watched Jenny’s eyes go wide as I stood there. ”Oh my god Lex! That is so hot” Jenny said as she slipped up to me and planted a huge kiss on me. “Do you like it?” I asked only to receive a “Duh” as a response. It was interesting as I then watched a full range of emotions spread across her face. First it was a bit of nervousness and then the smile returned. I knew what was exactly going through her mind and expressed it. “Knock it off. There is only one person in the whole wide world I get dressed for and you remembered it, didn’t you?” Her grin gave it away. As I pulled her back in I whispered to her to not worry, she will be the only one, ever. With that finalized, we grabbed the two cups of coffee and made our way to catch a cab.

The pub was packed with Manchester supporters of all ages. The game had not started yet, but the festivities had. We tried to look for Paige and Jess but didn’t see them. As we walked around Jenny and got some looks. One guy who was in his thirties began commenting on how he wished all the City girls looked so good and then came up to me. “So, what are you doing after the match sweetheart? Fancy having a pint?” I looked at him and gave a modified version of my response to the guys back in Florida this winter. “I don’t think my fiancée would think much of that.” I said as I reached for Jenny’s hand. Jenny could not stop laughing and pulled up next to me. “You are evil” she tells me. After about 5 minutes and numerous little side rooms, we finally found our friends. Jessica and Paige both stood up and greeted us.

“Oh, my Alexa” Paige exclaimed “Out to break a few hearts, are you?” I giggled at my Scottish friend as we shared a hug, and then switched with Jenny and exchanged hugs with Jessica. “Like the sweatshirt, better than that purple you will be wearing tomorrow.” Jess tells me. I just shake my head. “You can’t seriously be cheering for the Browns tomorrow?” Jessica giggled and told me of course she wasn’t she then turned to introduce us to their two friends. “Jenny, Alexa I’d like you to meet two of our closest friends. Zoe Renou and the one next to her in the Man City jersey is her fiancée Natalie Briggs.” Natalie was instantly on Jessica “It’s called a kit you silly Yank. How long have you been over here? I see you two are dressed properly. Most of you Americans come over and cheer for the tossers in Red.” Instantly I took a liking to Nat, as Paige and Jessica called her. She had the fire of a true fan, something I could relate to. Zoe was even funnier during the whole match. At times, she would try and get under her fiancée’s skin as the match went on. We chatted with Paige and Jess about their wedding plans and ours as well. We quizzed Jess about her sister and if she was getting excited to come to Minneapolis in the fall, which she was.

I will admit the match was fun to watch. I think Jenny enjoyed it to, except for all the whining the players did. “It’s like that get breathed on funny and they go down” Jessica laughed and agreed, and while the other three frowned. Jenny and Zoe seemed to hit it off well. When Jenny found out that Zoe was a dance teacher, Jenny laid into me again. “I’ve been trying to get Lex to sign up for lessons, but she seems to balk all the time. At first it was she was still a boy, and then she didn’t have time. I haven’t brought it up in a while, but I am sure she has another excuse.” Zoe looked over at me. “You should start lessons. It is great exercise and it will help with your grace, but from what I see you don’t need much.” I thanked her for the comment and then began racking my brain for an excuse. Nothing seemed to work and I felt that it had been decided that when we got back I would be signing up for ballet lessons.

At half, I tried to talk a bit to Natalie about her own experiences. I knew she was not on hormones and her reasoning was sound. Somehow the discussion turned to politics. “You didn’t vote for the Orange Fart, did you? Nat asked. As soon as the name was said Paige started going off. “I can’t believe that fat slug wanted to keep statues of those rebels! Beauty? Whatever.” Instantly the rest of us yelled “Drink” at the Scottish woman. Zoe and Natalie were a little surprised we knew the rule. We watched Paige finish her pint and another was instantly handed to her as the conversation continued. Nat continued to discuss some of her views on politics, which surprisingly were similar to ours, maybe leaning a little more liberal than us, but still very similar. “I have read about Minnesota. They have always sounded like a pretty progressive state. Humphrey, Mondale and the like.” Paige spoke up again. “They even voted for Hillary over that Fat Bastard!” Once again, the order came from us “Drink!” which Paige did. I added in in a bit “And in Minnesota we didn’t like her, Bernie Sanders won our primary with 61% of the vote.” Nat nodded at that, “Ah yes, the American Jeremy Corbin. Can you imagine what a better world it would be if Jeremy and Bernie had won.” As soon as this was said we all looked at Paige. She let out a sigh and picked up her pint and finished it off. We all laughed at her preemptive strike. “I better keep my mouth shut, I am getting a bit snockered here” Paige said causing the five us to laugh.

Jenny and I didn’t get to stay as long as we wanted, as of our commitments for the night were going to mean we needed some time to get ready. With about fifteen minutes left, and a West Brom player being attended to, we said our good byes. I teased Natalie a bit about going to watch real football tomorrow and she just laughed. “A bunch people running around in space suits. This is real football.” She said as we hugged. We made our way out of the pub and began our trek back home realizing we just fulfilled more of Jamie’s advice. We arrived back at the hotel a little after four after having to make a quick stop for a few essentials at a lingerie store. For a weekend day, the traffic in London was quite outrageous. We quickly stripped off our new sweatshirts and jumped into the shower, a shower that lasted a little longer than we had planned as the washing led to a passionate moment. The smiles that we shared as we dried each other off were as loving as could be. I reached into the bag and found the purple lingerie set we had stopped and purchased. The bra, thong and garter matched perfectly with the dress and felt so wonderful. Jenny said they looked even better and the kissing began again before we were interrupted by a knock on the door. “You guys getting ready?” Marty asked, as he must have just arrived from his golf outing. As I rolled up the sheer silk nylons on my legs I felt as if I was in heaven. While I had worn stockings many times, I had never worn anything like this. My legs felt incredible. As I stood up to begin putting on my makeup I felt Jenny’s hand at the back of my leg. “Oh my god. I can’t wait for latter” she exclaimed. I turned to see her putting on the petals that would provide her support tonight. ‘I asked if she needed some help putting them on as I got closer and gave her a long sensual kiss. “I would love some, but I think daddy is in a hurry. If I let you help we will never get out of here.”

We shared a spot at the vanity and applied our makeup and finished our hair. We both had decided to wear it down this evening, so there wasn’t much work. After Jenny pronounced us both gorgeous, we went to the closet and unzipped the bags containing our new dresses. A shiver of anticipation creeped up my spine as I pulled the purple creation out. I could sense the anticipation in Jenny as well. We both stepped into our dresses and marveled at them once again. After having Jenny zip up my back, I stepped into my new 5-inch purple platform pumps while Jenny stepped into her new 4-inch gold strappy sandals. The room had a mirror like the one we had back in our apartment and we found ourselves standing in front of it. “You are beautiful Jen” I whispered as I took in the sight of my soulmate in her gold dress. “You are stunning Lex” she told me. We both wanted to kiss, but knew we would mess up our makeup if we did. After we filled our evening bags with the essentials, we stood by the door and took a deep breath. “You ready?” Jen asked. I reached for her hand and nodded. I felt like I was stepping into a new world. A world that would no longer see me as a freak but as a beautiful young woman. We shared a smile and I looked deep into my soulmates eyes. “I love you babe. Thank you for all this Jenny.” Jenny smiled at me. “No need to thank me, you deserve to look this wonderful.” As we opened the doors, we heard a gasp.