Game, Set, and Match Part 4
by Bronwen Welsh

It is the day of the tennis club dinner and trophy presentation, but Michelle has much more on her mind.

Part 4

Dave and I walked out to his car, and my senses were at fever-pitch with delight at all the sensations I was feeling; the movement of the soft material of the slip and dress against my body and the warm breeze on my legs in their sheer nylon stockings; the click of my heels on the pavement; the subtle aroma of my make-up and scent. I could not resist touching my lips with the tip of my tongue to taste my lipstick. It did cross my mind to wonder if women found such delight as I was feeling, or were they so used to it that they didn’t notice how good it felt? Dave opened the car door for me like a true gentleman and I sat on the seat and swivelled round, legs together as ladies do, making sure that my skirt did not ride up.

We did not speak much during the drive to the tennis club, and then only the sort of conversation that a couple might make on an evening out. There was certainly nothing said about our subterfuge and I was happy with that. I felt so comfortable now being Michelle, I didn’t have to act the part any more, I WAS Michelle. Indeed it was when I went back to being Mike that I felt I was playing a part, and I couldn’t wait to be Michelle again. It may sound odd, but that is how I felt.

We arrived at the club and for a short while split up as the girls and guys gathered in groups - the girls admiring each other’s dresses and appearance, and the guys? Well to be honest, I didn’t care what they were talking about. I was quite comfortable going to the ladies’ room to check my make-up, and of course we did chat a little about the guys and how well they ‘scrubbed up’ in their suits. Pre-dinner drinks and canapés were handed out, and then the announcement was made that we should go into the restaurant for dinner.

Dave and I were seated together on a table for eight with three other couples, and before the first course was served, I realized that I had seen the girl opposite somewhere but where I did not know. She was looking at me with some interest too, and suddenly I felt a slight tremor - she was going to say something I knew.

“Haven’t we met before?” she said, “your face is familiar.” Now the story we had put about was that I normally lived in another state and was visiting for a few weeks which just happened to co-incide with the tournament. Dave stepped in smoothly.

“Maybe you met Michelle’s twin brother Mike?” he suggested “They do look very alike, but Michelle is prettier of course!”

“Oh yes of course, that’s it” she said, “I think you and Mike were playing tennis together.”
I felt I had to make a contribution, so I said, “Yes, we both play, but Mike is better than me.” She seemed satisfied with that, but it was a warning not to become too complacent.

The entrees arrived followed by the main course, and there was general conversation around the table, and I felt able to relax again and enjoy myself. After the main course came the speeches, and trophy and prize presentations. The speeches were mercifully short and to the point. The millionaire was thanked for his generosity and invited to present the prizes. We were called up to the little stage in due course and presented with our trophy which was rather big and ugly as these things tend to be, and also the cheque for second place. Photographs were taken as the presentations were made, and gradually they were worked through until, like the Oscars, the final award was for the Men’s Singles title, and Dave walked up to accept it. I gazed at him thinking how handsome he looked as he acknowledged the applause. I had tried so hard to convince myself that we were just mates, but in my heart of hearts I knew that my feelings ran much deeper than that. I dared not even think the ‘l’ word, much less ever say anything to Dave. I knew that in his eyes we had pulled off a rather daring deception. Oh, there was that word again ‘deception’ and my discomfort level was stronger than ever, but what could I do now? I had agreed to it so I was as guilty as Dave.

I thought the photos were over after the presentation, but no, the photographer wanted more photos, this time with a velvet curtain as a nicer back-drop. He shot a photo of Lisa and Tim with their winner’s trophy, and then my heart skipped as he asked them to kiss for another shot. Then it was our turn, first with the trophy, and then the request for a kiss. My heart raced. We couldn’t refuse, we were supposed to be boyfriend and girlfriend. I turned to Dave, and he slowly bent down and our lips touched. I expected a short perfunctory kiss, but that’s not what happened. I felt his lips on mine and they lingered, and suddenly my knees felt weak, and I put my hand on his shoulder to steady myself. The kiss lasted maybe ten seconds, but it felt much longer. Then I heard the photographer laugh and say, “You can stop now, I’ve taken the shot.” Our lips parted and I stood looking at Dave. I knew I was blushing deeply, and my heart was pounding.

Dave looked at me and smiled, and then he said, “I can hear the band playing, let’s go and dance.”

He took my hand (I still hadn’t said a word) and led me into the restaurant where there was a tiny dance floor already filled with couples. Dave took me in his arms and we slowly shuffled around the floor, necessarily close together since there was so little room. My body felt soft and yielding against his as he held me close. My head was spinning. What had just happened? Was the kiss all part of the deception? But surely it didn’t have to go on for so long? I needed to talk to Dave, but what was I going to say? If I was totally mistaken, then our friendship could be over.

Dave as usual took the lead. As the music finished, he said “Let’s go outside for a breath of fresh air. I thought you were going to faint back there when we were being photographed.” He took my hand and we walked out through the glass doors to a patio which was silvery in the light of the full moon. There were other couples out there, but only a few and they seemed too wrapped up in each other to take any notice of us.

Dave seemed a bit nervous, very unlike him. “What happened back there.” he said it as a statement, not a question. He paused and started again. “What happened back there was me doing something I’ve wanted to do for weeks, almost since the first time I saw you as Michelle.” He paused again, he was very nervous. Perhaps it didn’t help that I wasn’t saying anything. “I don’t know how to put this” he went on “but I realized that Michelle was the girl I’ve been looking for all my life and I lo….lo….”

“Love?” I said. He swallowed hard. “I’ve just made the biggest fool of myself and ruined everything haven’t I?”

“Oh no Dave” I said softly as I came into his arms again and we started to kiss, and this time the kiss went for much longer than ten seconds. When we finally broke the kiss, our lips parted reluctantly. Dave’s arms stayed around me, and they felt so strong and protective. I gazed up at him. “I’m sorry I made you say it first, but you were always braver than me, and to be honest, I was too afraid of being thought the biggest fool to say anything as bold. I love you for that.”

“Does this mean?” he began.

“Yes.” I replied “From now on I will always be your Michelle. Will you help me to do that?”

He smiled and kissed me again, a warm soft kiss that told me everything I needed to know.

Epilogue

All the events I described took place just over three years ago. True to my word, I began living full-time as Michelle soon afterwards. I don’t pretend it has all been easy, but every time there was a hard part to go through, Dave was there, my rock. Jenny moved out to live with her footballer boyfriend soon after that, and Dave and I started to live together in his apartment. Jenny gets married next month and I am to be one of her bridesmaids. It won’t be long now until I take the final step and Dave and I can be together in the way we’ve wanted for so long.

I must mention about the mixed doubles prize. Dave agreed with me that we were really bending the rules too far to keep the money, but of course we couldn’t come out and explain why we wanted to return it without opening a major can of worms. We decided to return it in several anonymous donations. Both Dave and I are on the tennis club committee and put quite a bit of work into it, so we feel that perhaps we have worked off our guilt. Since that first tournament together we have made excuses not to compete again, although Dave did win the singles two years in a row and was only narrowly beaten last year. Next year we intend to compete in the mixed doubles again, this time with a clear conscience!