After his girlfriend dumps him, Dave's roommate asks for a simple favor. But when are things ever simple?

*********************

“Hey.” My best friend and roommate, Josh, said as he strolled into the kitchen and flopped into the empty seat.

“Hey, bro.” I said. “What’s up? You sound, like, weird or something.”

“Chrissy.”

I rolled my eyes. Josh and Chrissy were, honestly, terrible together. They always fought and had nothing important in common. The thing was though, she was so damn hot. I suspected that was why Josh put up with her horrible personality. “What happened this time?”

“She dumped me. For good.”

“Oh. Sorry, man.”

“Fuck her.” He responded. “I was getting sick of her shit anyway. I was just gonna wait till after my brother’s wedding to dump her, cause I already told him I was bringing someone. His fiancée is really anal about the seating and all that. She’s gonna be pissed that I’m not bringing a guest now.”

“Why don’t you just ask one of your classmates at magic school?”

“Naw. None of the girls I know are single. Can’t ask them, even just as friends.”

“Really?” I asked surprised. “None of them? I seen them. Some are kinda....”

“You’d be surprised how good the makeup spells can be.”

I shrugged. “That sucks, man.”

“Yeah.” He reached over and picked up one of the pizza slices. “Man, she’s such a bitch. She knew this wedding was a big deal.” He took a big bite of the pizza. “Whatever. Carol’s gonna have to deal with it.” I recognized that as his brother’s fiancée’s name.

We talked about the football game that was starting in a few hours, and his girl troubles were forgotten for the evening.

*********************

“What do you want me to do, man?” I heard through the apartment door as I got home from work the next day. “She’s not gonna go. You don’t want her there anyway. She’d probably cause a scene.”

I opened the door to see Josh on the phone, listening to whoever he was talking to. “Yes she would. She’s a bitch. What’s the big deal, anyway? You can’t just call them up and tell ‘em to make one less dinner?”

I walked past him to couch. “Man, Carol needs to learn to relax.” He continued. I guessed he was talking to his brother. “Fine, whatever. I’ll call you later.”

“What’s up?” I asked when he hung up.

“I got my brother up my ass about the wedding. He wants me to get another date just so he doesn’t have to deal with Carol. It’s cause I’m the best man so I’ll be sitting at the wedding party table.” He sat slouched on the couch. “Man, why do women have to be like this?”

“Hmm?”

“The more you get to know them, you find out they’re crazy, or possessive. Like, I couldn’t even talk to my girl classmates about a light spell cause Chrissy got all crazy jealous. You spend all this time with them and it’s all wasted cause they turn out to be crazy.”

“I hear ya, man.” He was exaggerating because he’d just been dumped, but I knew what he was getting at. Dating was hard. I myself had almost no time to date. “You sure none of your classmates are single?”

“Nah, man. They all got boyfriends or I don’t know them well enough to ask them to a wedding.” He threw his hands up in frustration. “Man, I wish I could just take a girl as a friend, you know? Like no big deal.”

He went silent and looked thoughtful. “You think of one?” I asked.

“No, I....Look, hear me out.” He said. “You want to go?”

I gave him a look. “What?”

“Yeah, man. Like, you could go just to shut my bro and his fiancée up. You get free dinner.”

“You want everyone to think we’re gay?”

“No listen. I can use a transformation spell on you. You’d be a girl for the day then you change back after. They’d never know.”

“Nah, man. That’s weird. Besides aren’t those kinds of spells illegal? You’d lose your magic license.”

“Nah. It’s only illegal if you’re like impersonating someone or using it to commit fraud or something. We’d change you into a girl version of yourself.” He looked at me, pleading. “C’mon man. I’d owe you big time.”

“I don’t know, man...”

“Well, just think about it. It’d really help me out.”

He dropped it after that. I thought about it later that night. I did want to help him but it was still really weird. Well, if I did it, at least he would really owe me a favor.

*********************

“Thanks, man.” He said the following day. “You’re really doing me a solid.”

“Yeah, Yeah.” I responded. “Just, this stays between us, okay?”

“Of course.”

I stood in our living room inside the magic circle that had been drawn on the floor, wearing just baggy gym shorts and a simple white t shirt.

Even though the wedding wasn’t until next Saturday, we’d figured we had to at least practice the spell to make sure the transformation would be successful, and so I could get used to the different body I’d have to use that day.

“Okay.” Josh cleared his throat and put his finger to the notebook at the exact lines of the spell. “This person stands, a willing participant of this female transformation spell for the duration of ninety minutes. David Warring, do you consent?”

The wording and the gaining of official permission was important. Forced transformation of someone else was a felony. “I consent.”

“Permission has been granted. For the duration of ninety minutes, I cast upon you a transformation into a female! Become the form of yourself born as female.”

I felt strange sensations all over my body. Suddenly everything was reshaping and adjusting, I knew to make me look like a woman. I felt things stretching or condensing, but it didn’t hurt.

I felt my genitals shrinking until it was gone, and I felt as if it had inverted and pushed inside my crotch. A truly alien sensation, but strangely I didn’t experience any sort of phantom feeling of it like I thought I might.

I felt my chest bulge out against my shirt and grow heavier, and my nipples suddenly felt sensitive.

My hips widened a little, and my butt grew slightly, while my waist and shoulders narrowed. My hands and feet shrank, and I became a few inches shorter.

I felt my facial features readjust very slightly. I knew without having to look that it was making me look more feminine.

“Wow.” Josh said when it was over. “That’s trippy. But it works. You totally look like a girl. Except your hair. I’ll have to look up a spell for that.”

I understood. Women typically having long hair was a cultural thing, not genetic, so the spell wouldn’t automatically give me a new haircut. “I want to see what- woah.” I said, surprised at the distinctly feminine voice I now had. “This is weird.” I said to hear my voice again.

I wandered over to the mirror to get a look at myself. Even that simple task was made to feel strange by the weight (and slight bounce) of my chest, as well as the wider hips and being overall shorter.

Even though I knew I would look different, I was still shocked to see a woman in the reflection. The boy’s haircut was very out of place, but otherwise I looked unmistakably like a woman. I still looked like my old self, just a female version.

In my honest opinion, I was actually pretty good looking. I had an attractive face and an hourglass figure. My breasts and butt were big without being too much so. My legs were long and shapely. “Wow. This is so weird.” I said in my feminine voice as I felt various unfamiliar parts.

“Okay.” Josh said. “Let’s practice the makeup spell now. I think it’s gonna be a little more difficult.”

I returned to the circle and he cast a makeup spell on me after receiving official permission. A forced makeup spell would only be a misdemeanor, but still better not to have any unnecessary attention from magic law enforcement, especially since Josh was still a student.

I looked in the mirror. The makeup had been applied perfectly according to how Josh had pictured it in his head. The problem was we were two guys that had no real knowledge of makeup. It would take a lot more practice. He was really going to owe me for this.

We spent the rest of the ninety minutes practicing the makeup spell. The final attempt was a lot better than the first, but still left something to be desired.

“Um, maybe try like less stuff on the cheeks this time.” I said, as we discussed the most recent attempt and how to improve the next.

Suddenly, I felt my body shifting and adjusting. “Huh?” I said in surprise.

“Oh, was that ninety minutes already?” Josh asked.

Once the reversion had ended, I looked down at my body to see the familiar male form I knew. “Looks like it.” I said in my normal voice.

Josh smirked and chuckled to himself. “Dude. You still have the makeup spell on. You look like a drag queen.”

“Ha, Ha. Do you mind?”

He kept his smirk as he recited a dispel. “So, I can go ahead and tell my brother I’m bringing you?”

“Yeah.”

“Thanks, man. Oh. What should I say your name is?”

“Ah, yeah. I guess Dave wouldn’t really fit. Uh, I guess Anna. That was the name my mom said she would’ve named her daughter if she’d ever had one.”

Josh nodded. “Cool. And thanks again, man. I really appreciate it.”

*********************

During our next practice, we mostly focused on hair spells and makeup spells. We had pretty much perfected it and decided on a look for the actual day. Josh locked the look into a specific incantation that would reproduce it perfectly again.

The next practice was for clothing. He looked up how to morph certain articles of clothing into others, so long as the amount of matter stayed the same. We turned an old shirt, a pair of long shorts, and a single sock into a red dress that really looked good on the female me, as well as some underwear to go with it. He left the outfit in its new form in preparation for the wedding.

He took a pair of his old sneakers that no longer fit and turned them into matching high heels.

Next, various objects around the house were converted into jewelry: a matching necklace and earrings, as well as a bracelet.

He attempted to craft perfume a few times, but it was too complicated for his level of experience, so he simply asked a relative if I could borrow some on the day.

I stood in the living room in female form, wearing the full outfit for the wedding, sporting the hair and makeup we’d settled on. I caught a shot of myself in the mirror. I actually looked pretty damn hot.

I walked back and forth, still needing practice walking in heels and with slightly constricted leg movement from the dress.

“Alright, I think we’re pretty much done.” Josh said. “Am I forgetting anything?”

“Um, I don’t think so. Oh, a purse I guess?”

“Ah, right. I’ll make one of those later. So what do you think?”

“Yeah.” I said as I turned and walked back across the living room. “I’m getting the hang of this.”

“Cool.” He said, then smirked. “Just don’t show up Carol too much, she’s gonna be pissed if you take all the attention off her cause you’re hotter.”

“Please.” I smirked back. “Like you don’t want to show off to everyone that you got a hot chick for your date.”

We both laughed, and spent the rest of the night on final preparations for the wedding.

*********************

It was early afternoon the day of the wedding, and I stood in our living room in full female form, makeup and all. Even though I knew I looked perfectly like a woman, and a hot woman at that, I felt nervous to leave the apartment.

I stood in front of the mirror fussing over my dress as an excuse to not leave just yet. I knew it didn’t make sense, I had been magically transformed after all. Nobody would know I wasn’t really a woman, but I still had a guy’s mind instinctively telling me this was all wrong and I would be found out.

“C’mon, man.” Josh said. “You know nobody’s gonna know.”

“I know. I can’t help it, dude. We probably should have practiced going out in public.”

He nodded. “Yeah, you’re right. My bad, that’s on me.” He scratched his head and looked slightly uncomfortable. “Maybe I can help.”

“How?”

“Well, there’s this spell that helps you calm down and relieves worries and stuff. If I use that on you, you’ll probably feel more comfortable.”

“Okay. Why do I feel like there’s a catch?”

Josh shrugged. “It’s technically a mind altering spell. I don’t like to mess with that.” Non consensual mind altering spells were among the highest felonies of magic related crimes. The punishments were so severe that many people avoided them altogether. “Besides, I don’t know exactly how it would affect you. But you’re doing me a big favor so I’ll do it if you want.”

“Yeah.” I said. “It’s probably a good idea.” I stepped over to the circle we’d simply left on the floor. “Go ahead.”

“This person stands, a willing participant of this mind altering calming spell for the duration of,” He glances at the time. “Twelve hours.” David Warring, under the guise of Anna Warring, do you comprehend and consent to this mind altering calming spell?” He worded it with extra caution.

“I comprehend and consent.”

“Permission has been granted. For the duration of twelve hours, I cast upon you a calming spell! Let your worries and nervousness dissipate.”

It was very subtle, almost unnoticeable, but as I thought back to going out in public as a woman and attending this wedding, I no longer felt nervous or worried. In fact, it seemed rather silly that I had felt that way earlier. “Wow. I feel a lot better. Thanks!”

He looked nervous for a moment, but when authorities didn’t immediately teleport onto the scene to arrest him, he visibly relaxed. “No problem. So, ready to go?”

I looked myself over in the mirror one more time. “Yep.” I said, and took his arm. He raised his eyebrow at that, and in the back of my mind I knew it was unnecessary. But I felt at ease in my current role of a woman attending a wedding, and taking my date’s arm just felt like the natural thing to do.

“Alright.” He said after a moment. “The Uber should be outside any minute now, so let’s go downstairs.”

*********************

Josh didn’t sit with me during the ceremony, since he was the best man. I sat with his parents and watched as he escorted the maid of honor down the isle, then took his place next to his brother, Greg, on the altar.

Carol entered the room a minute later to the sound of Here Comes The Bride, escorted down the aisle by her father. She looked stunning, and wouldn’t need to worry about me pulling attention away from her. I didn’t know her, but felt genuinely happy for her upon seeing her bright smile.

I reunited with Josh after the newlyweds exited the building. “It was a beautiful ceremony.” I said. “They make a cute couple.”

“Yeah, they’re pretty good together.” He pointed to where his parents and another older couple were chatting. “We’re gonna ride with my parents and my aunt and uncle to the reception.”

I put my hand on his arm again, and he didn’t seem to think it was as weird this time. He simply led me over and officially introduced me. They seemed very welcoming and friendly to me. The spell may have made my nervousness disappear, but the friendly people and beautiful ceremony were allowing me the genuinely enjoy myself.

*********************

Later, as we entered the reception hall, Josh froze. “Uh, Oh. We did forget something.”

“What’s that?” I asked.

“Dancing. It totally slipped my mind.” He glanced around. “Well, we don’t have to do any slow dances or ones where we gotta touch each other and stuff.”

“Oh, it’s fine. I think it’ll be fun. Besides I want to see how well I can dance in these heels.”

“Yeah, but....” He seemed to think the issue was obvious, but it seemed insignificant to me. “We’re both guys. Wouldn’t that be weird?”

“Oh what’s the big deal? It’s just dancing. It’s not like we’re having sex.”

He lifted an eyebrow and looked at me with skepticism. “Well, alright then.” He led me over to the dance floor where a few couples were already dancing to a medium paced song. “I guess I’ll lead?”

“Were you expecting me to?” I asked with a laugh. He was the male in our dance, of course he should lead.

He took my hands and we casually spun and bobbed. As we danced, he seemed to relax, feeling less awkward about it. I was already feeling relaxed thanks to the spell. Not having to lead freed me up to genuinely enjoy the motions even more.

After a while, the newlyweds arrived and made their way to the main table. We sat along with the rest of the guests. Josh was called on to give his best man’s speech.

“I’ve known Greg and Carol as a couple for a while now, and all I can say is....took you guys long enough.” A soft round of chuckles went around the reception hall. From what I’d heard, their relationship lasted almost five years before they’d finally gotten married. “Greg probably wouldn’t want me telling everyone this because he’d be embarrassed, which is why I’m gonna tell you. He used to talk about Carol every time we talked, and about how lucky he is. Carol, thanks for making my brother happy. And I’m sure you have your reasons for marrying Greg, although you have my condolences anyway.” Another round of chuckles. “Seriously though, I’ve never known two other people that were more perfect for each other.” He raised his glass. “To the happy couple.”

Greg stood up and addressed the guests. “Thanks, Josh. I’ll remember this for when you get married. I want to thank everyone for coming to be here on our special day. I can’t believe how lucky I am, and I’m glad you’re all here to celebrate with us.” He took his wife’s hand and pulled her up to stand next to him. “Carol isn’t just my wife, she’s my best friend. Thank you everyone.”

We ate and danced a bit more. Josh seemed to be acting a bit odd. “Everything okay?” I asked him as we were dancing a slow dance.

“Yeah. Just thinking about stuff.”

“What?”

“Uh, nothing. This isn’t weird for you?” He nodded at us.

We were dancing a slow dance, in the typical embrace a man and woman assumed for such. I knew it probably would have felt very weird if I wasn’t under the effects of the calming spell, but at the moment it just seemed like no big deal. Normal even. “No.” I answered. “I’m actually having fun. People get so worried about little things like this instead of just enjoying themselves.”

The song ended, and the announcement was made for the single women to move to the middle of the hall for the bouquet toss.

“I guess I better go with them.” I said.

Josh looked over at where the women were gathering. “Yeah.” He smiled. “Hope you catch it.” His comment seemed somehow different from our usual banter.

I stood to the side of the crowd of women. Carol faced away from us and tossed the bouquet over her shoulder. The flowers sailed right at me, looking like they would hit me in the face. I instinctively put my hands up to block. The bouquet hit my hand and stopped, and I reflexively closed my hands around it.

A few of the women around me congratulated me as I looked at the bouquet in confusion. I was surprised I’d actually caught it without dropping it.

The women dispersed and the single men gathered for the garter flip. I stood to the side to wait to be paired with the winner. Greg flung the garter into the crowd of men. For some reason it looked like it flew at an unnatural angle to land in Josh’s hand.

A slow song, a particularly romantic one, played as Josh and I, and the newlyweds, gathered for a dance. He gave a nervous chuckle. “What are the odds, huh?”

We gently swayed in our embrace. His hands were on my hips while mine were on his shoulders. Our bodies were pressed together and our faces were close. “Umm, Josh?”

“Yes?”

“Did you...did you use magic to make us both catch those?”

“What makes you think that?” The tone of his voice gave away the truth.

“Because, the bouquet didn’t fall even though it took me a second to close my hands. And the garter kind of curved a little in the air for you.”

He was silent for a few seconds. “Yeah I did.” He finally said.

“Why?”

He hesitated before answering, seeming uncomfortable. “I don’t know. I was just thinking about what my brother said about Carol being his best friend, and all the girls I’ve dated I had like nothing in common with.” He shrugged and looked away from me. “Then you know, I’m here with my best friend but you’re like that and...I don’t know, I just felt like dancing with you.”

“Oh. I see.” I processed everything he was telling me.

“Sorry. It’s really dumb, I know. Guess I’m just feeling weird cause of what happened with Chrissy, and...like, even though I know you’re a guy, my eyes and ears are telling my brain you’re a girl, and like-“

“I understand.” I cut off his rambling. “Don’t worry about it.”

“Yeah, but, you’re a guy. And my best friend. It’s weird.”

“No, it’s fine. You’re just feeling your normal instincts with a girl. I doesn’t mean anything.” Once again I knew that I would feel weird in the same situation if I wasn’t under the calming spell. But it was like I could currently see clearly that such worries were just silly. “Let’s just enjoy the party and not dwell on it.”

He seemed to feel better. “Alright, if you say so. Are you having fun? Like really enjoying the party?”

“Yes, I am. I’m glad I agreed to do this. This is a really nice wedding.”

“Well, good. I’m glad you’re having a good time.”

“Oh, and Josh?”

“Yeah?”

I gave him a bright smile. “Thank you. Even though this isn’t the real me, it’s still always nice to feel complimented.”

I wasn’t sure, but it seemed like he actually blushed before he leaned in a little closer so I couldn’t see his face.

“You’re welcome.” He said near my ear. And with that we continued to dance.

*********************

We arrived back at the apartment later on, with some time to spare before the spells ended. “That was so much fun.” I said.

“Yep.” Josh agreed. “It was a lot better than I thought it’d be. Carol was a bridezilla, though. Guess I shouldn’t be surprised she made sure her wedding was top notch.”

I laughed. “Thanks again for talking me into it.”

“I’m glad you enjoyed yourself. And you know....” He left it unfinished.

“What?” I asked.

“Never mind.”

“You can tell me.”

“Well, if you want, my uncle is having a barbecue next weekend. A pretty big one. A lot of the extended family is gonna be there. I was just thinking since you had fun at the wedding you might want to go to that?”

I perked up. “I’d love to. Sounds like fun.”

He smiled. “Alright, cool.”

Suddenly, both of our phone alarms went off. They were reminding us that the spell was going to wear off soon. “Oh, I guess that means the night’s really over. Can you unzip me?” I turned around so he could help me get out of the dress.

“Sure.” He slowly pulled the zipper of my dress down until I would be able to slip out of it.

I held the front of my dress up so it didn’t fall away and show my breasts, and turned to face him. “I think I’m going to turn in. Thanks again for the wonderful evening.”

“Yeah, no problem. Good night.”

I retreated to my room and changed out of the women’s outfit and into my normal sweatpants and t shirt that I usually wore to bed, and waited for the spell to end.

It really had been a fun evening. Thanks to the calming spell, even when I’d had to go into the women’s restroom, and had to sit to pee, things hadn’t felt weird.

I suddenly felt the familiar shifting and readjusting as my body turned back into male form. My hair changed back to my old cut, and the makeup disappeared from my face. The calming spell had been applied a few minutes later, so it lasted a few minutes further, but that too eventually ended.

I thought back on the evening, and felt slightly uncomfortable about it. Slow dancing with another guy? Having what could almost be considered an intimate moment? Yes they felt very weird now. Even though I could remember that they hadn’t felt strange at the time, or even a few minutes ago, they felt strange now.

And yet, the fact that the spell had worn off didn’t change my feelings of the evening overall. Even though it now felt weird, I still also clearly remembered having fun. The effects of magic really were strange.

*********************

The next morning, things were a little awkward with Josh. We avoided talking about the wedding, and stuck to things like the football game that afternoon, and work. After a while things were back to normal.

The rest of the week passed uneventfully. It was Friday night and I was just channel surfing on the TV. Josh came in the living room, looking uncomfortable and holding something behind his back.

“You okay, man?” I asked.

“Yeah, just....we never talked about the barbecue more after last weekend, cause things were a little weird after.”

“Oh, yeah.”

“You’re still going tomorrow, right?”

“Yeah, sure.”

“Okay.” He revealed what was behind his back. “I figured that dress is too formal for a barbecue, so I just looked in a magazine and this seemed like a good casual thing.”

He held up the outfit that consisted of a baby blue halter top, and dark three quarter length skinny jeans. In his other hand was a pair of sandals with a medium heel. It was definitely a woman’s outfit.

“Wait, you want me to go as Anna?”

Josh looked confused. “Huh? I thought....I mean we talked about it when you were Anna. I assumed you were going to. You were gonna go as regular you?”

“Well, yeah.” I understood why he needed me to be a woman during the wedding, but this was just a barbecue. There was no reason for me to play the part.

“Uh, my bad. Umm, problem though. I kinda already told my uncle I was bringing Anna.”

“What? Why?”

“Well I thought I was, and I called him up to let him know, you know to make sure he’d have enough food and stuff. Sorry, dude. You still gonna come?”

I sighed. “Yeah, I’ll still go.”

*********************

The next day, I stood in front of the mirror, inspecting myself. I was back in female form, wearing the outfit Josh had picked out for me. My makeup and hair were done in a more casual fashion this time. I still made for a very attractive woman.

“You doing okay?” Josh asked.

I was actually still feeling nervous. I hadn’t had any time practicing being out in public as Anna without the crutch of the calming spell. And I was still feeling awkward from the previous weekend. I wasn’t sure I could do this.

“I don’t know, man. I....think I need the calming spell again.” I wasn’t enthusiastic about the calming spell and how it affected my mind, but I wouldn’t be able to go without it.

Josh didn’t argue with me. He actually seemed all too happy to oblige with that spell. He quickly got permission and cast it on me. I felt all the nervousness and awkward feelings disappear.

I sighed in relief, then smiled at my reflection. “Thank you. I feel so much better.”

“No problem.” Josh said with a smile. “Ready to go?”

“Yep!” I said cheerfully. “Let’s go.”

*********************

The barbecue was a lot of fun. About two dozen of Josh’s family members attended, along with guests of theirs like boyfriends and girlfriends. I mostly stuck with Josh as he showed me around his uncle’s property and introduced me to people I didn’t know.

He seemed extra attentive to my needs. If I wanted a drink, he immediately got it for me. If I wanted food, he made sure it was prepared and dressed exactly how I liked.

We sat on a small bench in the main seating area of the yard. I took the last bite of the burger I was eating. “That was really good. Thank you. And let your uncle know too.”

Josh smiled. “Glad you like it. Enjoying yourself?”

“Yes, I am.”

“Good.” Josh looked at something, then pointed at his own cheek. “You have a little bit of barbecue sauce right here.”

I put my finger up to my own cheek. “Here?”

“No, a little higher.” He was motioning with his own hand. “More like...here.” He reached out and brushed my cheek lightly with his thumb. For a brief second he cupped my cheek as he was doing so. We locked eyes for a moment.

“Eww!” We heard from the side. It was a group of younger kids. One was making an exaggerated kissing face at us. “Get a room!” Another said. They giggled to themselves and dashed off.

Josh laughed to himself and looked a bit uncomfortable. “Kids.” He said.

I wasn’t sure what to say. “Well, I guess everyone thinks we’re a couple.”

“Yeah.” He smirked. “Too bad we’re not. You’re pretty hot.”

I smiled at him, strangely flattered by the compliment even though my appearance was because of magic. “Thank you.”

He was silent for a moment. “Imagine that though. We’d probably make a good couple.”

It seemed like an odd thing to say. “What do you mean?”

“I mean like, we’re friends, and we get along great, and we have a lot in common. We’d probably make a good couple.” He seemed to realize something and looked embarrassed. “Uh, speaking hypothetically of course.”

“You mean like, if I was a real woman?”

“Uh, yeah.”

It was another one of those things that I knew would’ve felt weird if not for the spell. “Yeah. You’re probably right.”

“Just out of curiosity....” He trailed off.

“What? You can tell me.” I said.

“I’m just curious. If you...if you were really a woman, would you go out with me?”

I imagined the scenario for a moment. Me going on a date with Josh. Not just for show like at the wedding, but a real actual date. “Yes, I would.”

He seemed to brighten at that. “Yeah? Well, I’d go out with you.”

“You mean if I was really Anna?”

“...Yeah.”

Before I could say anything else, an older woman came up to us. She had her phone out, pointed at us. “Picture time.” She said. “I’m taking everyone’s. How ‘bout it?”

Josh looked at me as if to ask permission. “Sure!” I said cheerfully.

“Great. Sit close. Come on, pretend you like each other.” She said with a smile.

Josh scooted over until we were pressed together. He hesitantly put an arm over my shoulders. He was making too big of a deal over it. We were just posing for a photo. I leaned into him, resting my head on his shoulder, and smiled for the woman.

She took the photo and inspected it. “You two look great. I’ll text it to you, Josh, and you can give her a copy.”

She walked off, but Josh didn’t immediately take his arm away. “Umm, Josh?” I wasn’t bothered, just unsure why he was staying like that.

He seemed to know what I was hinting at. “Does this bother you?”

“Well, no.”

“I think it’s nice. Don’t you?”

That kind of intimacy did feel nice, and without the silly worrying about the fact that I was being held by a man, I was free to just enjoy the experience. “Yes.” I said.

“You know, I meant what I said before. You really do make a beautiful woman. The magic just changed your gender. The beauty is all you.”

I hadn’t thought about it that way. I felt myself blushing at the compliment. “Th-thank you.” I said shyly.

The seating area began to fill up, and since we had already finished, we gave up our seats to one of Josh’s cousins and her husband.

“Come on. I want to show you something.” Josh said. He took my hand in his and led me further into the big yard.

We exited through a gate in the fence that surrounded the yard, and he led me into the wooded area behind the property. We came across a small stream with a fallen tree forming a bridge across.

“I’ll go first.” He said, and skillfully kept his balance across the skinny trunk. He turned back to me and held out a hand. “Come on.”

I stepped up on the trunk, finding it difficult to balance on the thin surface in my heels. I wobbled my way across, but lost my balance just as I got close enough to reach out for his hand.

I tipped over and cried out in a girly way, but Josh snatched my hand and pulled me toward him. I was pulled against him, and we both fell over. I landed softly on my back in the grass thanks to him still holding me.

I looked up to see him just above me, holding himself up with one hand. He met my eyes. Our bodies were only an inch apart. His free hand came around and touched my hair, and I felt a little flutter in my stomach for some reason.

He removed a leaf from my hair and tossed it aside, then smiled at me. I giggled back automatically. He stood and helped me up, then kept holding my hand as he led me through a line of trees.

We emerged into a clearing at the top of a hill, overlooking a scenic nature site. “It’s beautiful!” I said.

“One sec, it’ll be even better.” He went over to a tree and held his hands up to it. Several of the leaves detached themselves and came together, converting into a blanket big enough for two people. He spread it out, then sat. He patted the spot next to him and I sat as well.

“I used to cloud gaze here a lot. Also a good place to watch the sunset.”

“I can imagine.”

“You know....” He trailed off. He reached down and several blades of grass changed to form a blue tulip. He picked the flower and reached over and slid the stem into my hair. “There, much better than a leaf. You look pretty.”

I felt that strange flutter in my stomach again. “Thank you.”

He put his arm over my shoulder and gently leaned me back until we were laying side by side. He pulled me against him and continued to hold me. It felt nice. I hesitantly turned to lay on my side. I rested my head against his shoulder and my hand on his side.

We watched the clouds, pointing out what we thought they looked like. He subtly pulled me in closer a few times, bit by bit, until my head lay on his chest and my arm was fully draped over his torso.

“This is nice.” He said.

“It is.” I responded, feeling very comfortable and relaxed. The warm day and calm setting made me feel drowsy, and I drifted off at some point. When I awoke, the sun was setting, and we still lay on the blanket, holding each other.

“Morning, sleepyhead.” Josh said with a chuckle. “You’re just in time for the sunset.”

I looked out over the land before us, and saw the beautiful sunset near the horizon, as well as the reflection off the scenery below. “Wow.” I said in amazement. “It’s so beautiful.”

“Almost as beautiful as you.”

I looked back at him. He was giving me a striking smile that, combined with the compliment, made me blush, and my heart beat a little faster. “Thank...thank you.” I said as I looked away again, suddenly feeling shy.

I felt a gentle kiss on the top of my head, and my stomach fluttered once again. My heart beat even faster. I tucked myself into our embrace a little more, and let myself relax and enjoy the evening.

*********************

We got back to our apartment late that night. We had actually held hands on the way up. “Thank you.” I said. “I had such a great time tonight.”

“So did I.” He smiled. “It was kinda like a date.”

“Yeah. I guess it was.” I smiled back.

“Well, what date would be complete without a good night kiss?”

“A-a kiss?” I asked nervously. “Is that a good idea?”

“Why not?” He asked. “You’re worrying too much. Does it bother you? The idea of a goodnight kiss?”

“Well, no.”

“Well then....” He trailed off and leaned down to touch his lips gently to mine. It wasn’t heavy making out, nor was it just a quick touch. It was the kind of kiss you’d really have on a real date. It felt nice.

He withdrew and smiled at me, and I felt myself blush. “Good night, Anna.”

“Good night, Josh.” I responded. I closed the door to my room, and actually giggled. I changed into my pajamas and lay down on my bed, waiting for the spells to wear off.

When they finally did, I sat up and felt a stab of horror. “Oh my god.... what have I done?”

*********************

I spent the next few days hiding out in my room whenever I was at home. Every time I saw or thought about Josh I felt very confused. Why had he done all those things?

A knock came at my door. “Hey, can we talk for a minute?” Josh asked uncertainly.

“Uh, what’s up?” I asked through the door without opening it.

“Could you come in the living room a minute? Just gotta talk for a minute.”

I hesitated for a second. I just wanted to hide more. But maybe I needed to try to get things back to normal. “Uh, sure.”

Josh was waiting in the living room, standing near the magic circle. He looked serious. “Just want to ask one favor.” He said.

“What?”

He gestured at the magic circle. “Can you be Anna for a minute?”

“Why?” I asked uncomfortably.

“I just...it’ll be easier if you’re Anna.” He held up a hand when I was about to press further. “Just this last time. I’ll never ask you to do it again.”

I wasn’t exactly thrilled, but it felt like we were going to put this awkwardness to rest. “Fine.”

He got permission and transformed me into Anna once more. I also let him cast a casual hair and makeup spell on me, and change my clothes into a woman’s outfit.

“Well, what did you want to talk about?” I asked in my feminine voice.

He seemed nervous. “Okay. Look you know you’re my best friend, right?”

“Yeah.” I said uncertainty, not sure where he was going.

“Well, I’ve been doing a lot of thinking, and I think the strongest relationships, the ones that really last, have a strong foundation like that.”

“W-what are you saying?”

He hesitated. “I want you to stay as Anna. For good. And I want you to be my girlfriend.” I couldn’t speak. I was in utter shock. “Anna, I love you.” He finished.

“Josh, I....”

“I love you Anna, and I know you love me.” He said confidently.

“Josh, I....I can’t....” My mind felt like a jumbled mess. I could remember everything I’d felt while under the calming spell, and his confession now was making my stomach flutter in delight.

“Why not?” Josh demanded, not accepting my answer.

“Because....because it’s not real.”

“Yes it is.” He said insistently. “It’s more real than anything I’ve ever felt before. I know you feel it too.”

“Josh, please, I just can’t.” How could I say I felt something? We were both guys. I was into women. I couldn’t have feelings for him.

“Yes you can. You’re the one that told me we shouldn’t worry about things like this, and just enjoy it.” Josh looked at me sternly. He seemed so confident, so...manly. “I know I’m asking a lot of you, but I think we have the real thing.”

“Josh....” My hands were shaking, and I couldn’t say anything.

“Anna.” Josh said with confidence. “I love you.”

My heart pounded at his straightforward and earnest declaration. The truth was I DID feel something for him when I was under the calming spell, something very powerful and very real. His words were making me experience that same feeling again. “Josh, please....”

“I love you, Anna.” Using my girl name and repeatedly saying he loved me was weakening me. He knew what he was doing. Each time he said something like that, he chipped away at my resolve.

He reached a hand to the side of my head and gently tucked my hair behind my ear. I let out a sound somewhere between a gasp and a whimper. I felt so weak.

“Anna.” He said in nearly a whisper as he cupped my cheek and stared into my eyes. “I love you.” He slowly moved his face closer to mine. I couldn’t move.

He kissed me, and I felt my heart race, my stomach flutter in pleasure. Without my control, my lips started to move to kiss him back, but he withdrew. “Anna. Tell me you love me.”

I tried to say that I didn’t love him. “I....” The words refused to come out. I remembered exactly how I felt that night of the barbecue. I remembered feeling strong feelings, romantic feelings, for him. They’d never truly gone away after the spell had worn off, because they’d been real, not a product of magic. I felt them again now.

“Josh, I....” As he stared into my eyes, and gently touched my cheek, my resolve melted away.

“I....” I stared back into his eyes. My whole body felt warm. Why was I fighting this? I couldn’t remember.

“Oh. Josh, I....I do.”

“You do what?” He wanted me to say it.

“I....love you.” Speaking those words made me suddenly feel like a dam had broken. “I love you.” I said again. My eyes watered. “I love you.” I said with more conviction. “Oh, Josh, I love you!”

I wrapped my arms around his neck and pulled him in for another kiss, expressing my feelings that were now running wild. He pulled me in close, as we passionately made out. All my pent up feelings were coming out in a rush. I started crying in happiness.

When we finally broke off, both of us out of breath, I leaned into him. “I love you, Josh.” I said again, quietly.

He took my chin and put his face close to mine, looking me in the eyes. “I love you, Anna.” He kissed me. It wasn’t the raw passion of before. It was love.

I felt so overwhelmed by my own feelings, and needed to express them in a much bigger way. “Josh.” I whispered.

“Yes, Anna?”

“I....I want to....” His hands were sliding down my body. I looked into his face, a face that was suddenly attractive to me. I felt nervousness, but not hesitation. “I want to be with you.”

I felt him leaning me back as his arm came around to my upper back to catch me. I fell into his arms, and he carried me toward his bedroom.

*********************
I looked at myself in the mirror. A lot had happened in the last few years to bring me to this point.

After I’d listened to my heart that faithful day, Josh and I expressed our love to each other, both in our words and physically. After he made love to me, I never looked back, and I never needed the calming spell again.

My family and friends were surprised at first, and some had trouble adjusting, but everyone eventually came around in support. My mother eagerly embraced our new mother-daughter relationship, and was touched that I’d taken the name she’d picked for a daughter.

After Josh and I started dating, he enthusiastically threw himself into his studies and graduated top of his class, and managed to secure a very nice job with the Bureau of Magic. I was so proud of him, but he said he could only do it because of me. He said he was inspired to be his best because he was with the woman he loved. He was also apparently inspired to take care of his health and fitness more, which gave him a nice body that I wasn’t complaining about.

My transformation spell had long since been made permanent, which granted me the last few pieces of womanhood that had been missing from the temporary transformation spell. I was now physically no different from any other woman my age.

Getting my period had been truly strange at first, but my mother was enthusiastic to teach me about feminine hygiene, and after a few times it just felt like a normal part of life. Uncomfortable as periods were, I was actually glad I got to experience them, as it meant I could become a mother. I was really looking forward to pregnancy, as well as breastfeeding.

But, that would come later. The day I’d been waiting for was finally here. My wedding day. The day I became a bride. I looked beautiful in my flowing, elegant white wedding dress.

I felt like a princess as I was escorted down the aisle by my father. He kissed me on the cheek as he delivered me to stand across from the handsome, wonderful man waiting for me.

The minister went through the words of the ceremony, but I barely heard him. My eyes were locked on the man I was about to marry. The man that was the love of my life.

“Do you, Joshua Albert Princeton, take this woman to be your lawfully wedded wife, so long as you both shall live?”

He smiled at me, a smile filled with love. “I do.”

“And do you, Anna Rose Warring, take this man to be your lawfully wedded husband, so long as you both shall live?”

I returned the loving smile to my groom. “I do.”

We were directed to exchange rings before he continued. “Then, by the power vested in me, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride.”

I smiled gleefully as my husband stepped forward to give me the first kiss of our marriage. Being a married woman kissing her husband was such a wonderful feeling.

I was sure it was just the first of many wonderful things in store for us. All our future possibilities flashed in my mind. Having kids, watching them grow, watching them get married and have children of their own. Growing old together.

I was pulled back to the present by my husband’s kiss. He held me and kissed me, making me feel so loved. We finally parted and I smiled at my husband, tears of happiness in my eyes. “I love you.” I said.

“I love you too.” He said.

I wrapped my arm around his as we walked down the aisle towards the rest of our lives.

****************

Thanks for reading. This was my first story. Any and all feedback is appreciated.