“I’ve had enough of being afraid of men!” Allison complains.

I look over at my best friend. For as long as I’ve known her, she’s been afraid of every guy she’s ever met. She’ll freeze up, and if they try to talk to her, she’ll scream and sometimes even pass out.

That is… with everyone except for me. And yes, I’m a dude. She hadn’t quite realized it back when we first met, but she knows now. I’m tiny and frail, and I’ve always had long hair.

“So,” I ask, “what is your plan to get rid of your fear? Also, with it being the beginning of a new year, is this your resolution for the New Year’s?”

“Yeah, I guess it’s kind of a resolution. And as for the plan, well… it’s maybe not the best, but I think that dating a guy would be the most effective way to get rid of this fear.”

I made a mistake in taking a sip of water just as she said that, and spit it out all over her living room table.

“Sorry,” I say, running over to her kitchen to get a towel. As I wipe the water up, I tell her, “That’s kind of an extreme way to get over your fear.”

“I know,” she says, “but it’s a pretty direct way to do it, right?”

“I guess? But do you have any guys in mind?”

“Just one.”

“Oh, really? I didn’t think you even knew any guys other than myself.”

“Actually, about that… I was thinking of you. So, what do you say, Aaron? Want to become my boyfriend and help me get over my fear of men?”

I freeze and just stare at her.

“Pardon?”

“You’re the only guy I’m not afraid of! Please! You need to help me!”

I blink, dumbfounded. What do I even say to that?

“Uh?”

She gives me puppy dog eyes, and I force myself to look away from her.

“I don’t really think that’s a good idea,” I tell her.

“Why not?”

“Well, romance should be between two people who feel things for one another…”

She kneels down on the ground beside me, and puts a hand on mine. With her other hand, she redirects my face to force me to look at her.

“I think you’re very cute,” she tells me. “Do you not think I’m cute?”

She’s absolutely stunning, truth be told. She’s fit, tall, and has beautiful facial features. I gulp.

“Of course you are!” I tell her.

“Well, I think I would be very into you if you’re interested. What do you say?”

My heart feels like it’s running a mile a minute. Who in their right minds would say no?

“Okay. If you’ll have me, I’ll be happy to be your boyfriend.”

She throws her arms around me. “Yay! You have no idea how happy I am right now!”

“I don’t feel like I’m really boyfriend material, I admit, but if it’s what makes you happy, then I’m more than happy to call you my girlfriend!”

“Please don’t put yourself down! Everything about you is fantastic!”

As we kneel there, her hand on mine, she stares into my eyes. Slowly, she leans in, and kisses me. I jerk back in surprise, and just stare at her.

“What? Am I being too pushy?” she asks.

“No, I just… that surprised me. I’m happy to move at your speed, I didn’t really anticipate that your speed would be so fast, though.”

She covers her lips shyly. “Sorry! This is my first time being in a relationship! I’m not really sure how to do this. I mean, I’ve read romance novels and such, but I’ve never really been with someone else before.”

“No, no! I’m happy to kiss you again.”

She looks at me for a moment, then slowly nods her head. We lean in once more, and share another kiss. And then another kiss. And then another kiss…

That night is filled with quite a few kisses. It doesn’t progress beyond cuddling and kissing, though, sadly. I’m down for more, but don’t want to push her. Instead, we watch a romantic movie and cuddle all night.

In the morning, I need to leave for college classes, so I untangle myself from the sleeping Allison, doing my best not to wake her. She’s a heavy sleeper, so I manage to keep her from waking up. I quietly change clothes, and leave her house, being sure to lock the door behind me. As her best friend, I’ve owned a spare key to her apartment for years. I’ve gotten some inquisitive questions regarding if we’re dating or not, but up until now, there has been no scandal. Even last night there was only kissing.

One vital thing I forget that morning is my laptop that I use for taking notes during class. I also use it for messaging on Discord. I forgot that I had left it plugged into the TV, as we were using it to watch movies last night. I don’t realize until I sit down in the class, and go to pull my laptop out. I feel stupid, but for now, I can just write notes on pen and paper and type it into my laptop later. No big deal.

Or so I thought. When I get to Allison’s apartment later in the day once my classes are over, she’s sitting on the couch, and seems nervous about something. She jumps as the door opens, and looks awkwardly at me.

“Oh! Aaron! H-hey!”

I give her a strange look. Is she thinking about what happened last night? That was pretty awkward. Maybe she wants to take back everything she had said?

“Are you good?” I ask.

“Hmm? Y-yeah! Of course! Why wouldn’t I be?”

“Well, you just seem like you’re acting weird. Is this about last night?”

“No! No, I’m happy that I’m dating you! This isn’t about that!” she swears.

“Okay? Then what is it about?”

She looks down at the ground. “I can’t really hide it from you, can I?”

I tilt my head, and look at her. What is she going on about?

She sighs. “You see, I went to watch another movie today on your laptop. I went to check what moves you had downloaded, and, uh… kind of saw a folder that maybe I shouldn’t have seen.”

My blood runs cold. My eyes immediately flicker over to my laptop, and my heart skips a beat. I didn’t leave those images on my laptop, did I? I’m not usually so careless!

“Uh, what was in the folder?” I ask her, now just as nervous as she is.

She shuffles her feet, and whispers, “Uh, you. Wearing women’s clothing. I promise that I didn’t mean to look! And I closed it as soon as I realized what it was! I’m really sorry!”

I try not to cry, and shake me head. “No, I’m the one that’s sorry. You wanted a boyfriend, but I’m the least manly man that there is. I love wearing dresses, and skirts, and all kinds of women’s clothing. I understand if you want to break up with me.”

“No!” she shouts. “Not at all! You’re beautiful! Actually, is it ok if I see more pictures? I barely got to see those ones…”

I hesitate for a moment, but figure that she’s taking it pretty well, and she’s my best friend and girlfriend, so I ought to go ahead and let her see. I pull up an online drive that saves all of my pictures behind a password, and show Allison the photos that I have on there. I have pictures going back all the way from when I was still in high school.

Allison’s eyes light up.

“Oh my god, you’re so pretty! You should dress like that all the time!”

“Uh, I don’t know about that…”

“At the very least, you should dress as you please in my home! You’re my boyfriend, and I want you to feel comfortable!”

“Uh, I don’t know…”

But, really, it doesn't take much to convince me. Allison even offers to let me wear some of her clothes since I don’t have women’s clothing here right now. They don’t really fit, but I do try on some of her clothes. She seems really interested. She thinks that I’m the most beautiful person she’s ever seen.

“Ahh! If only every guy looked like you!”

“I mean, some guys do like crossdressing,” I tell her.

“Guys like that might actually be acceptable,” she mumbles. “Oh, but none would be nearly as cute as you! I swear, I almost can’t contain myself as I look at you! You’re the most beautiful man I’ve ever seen!”

I cross my arms awkwardly, and blush. “Thanks,” I mutter.

“Maybe if I just force a bunch of guys to dress like this, I could get over my fear of men…”

She shakes her head. “No. Nobody could be as cute as you!”

Allison makes me try on a few more outfits, including some spicy lingerie. I’m a bit embarrassed, but she’s so excited that I let her go ahead and have her fun. After all, if she’s happy, then I’m happy. She gets too engrossed in the outfits that the outfits end up being the only spicy part of the night, much to my disappointment. But I don’t want to push her into doing something that she doesn’t feel comfortable with, so I let it go. We’ve only been dating for a day or two, so it’s fine. I can wait.

The next morning is a Saturday, so there’s no school. We sleep in late, with me being the first to wake up. I prepare some coffee while Allison continues to sleep in past noon. Eventually, she walks into the kitchen half-dressed and yawning.

“Morning, babe,” she says.

I’m more than a little bit shocked just how turned on I am just from her calling me babe. But I try to maintain my composure. “Morning,” I tell her.

She kisses me on the cheek, then gets herself a mug of coffee, and lounges on the couch for a bit, sipping on it. She’s pretty useless until she’s had her coffee in the morning, not even bothering with showering, brushing her hair, or getting dressed first. Forget breakfast, this is her most important meal of the day!

Once she finishes her cup of coffee, she sighs a deep sigh, then heads to the bathroom and doesn’t come back out for over an hour. When she returns from the bathroom, she finally looks presentable. More than presentable, really. Hair washed and brushed, light makeup applied, and fashionable clothes. She’s stunning.

“Do you ever do your makeup?” she asks me, studying my face. I’m wearing a simple dress that belongs to Allison, and I brushed my hair, but that’s all that I’ve done.

“No, it seems really complicated,” I tell her.

She turns my face around in her hand, seemingly doing some calculations.

“You would look really pretty with some makeup. Oh, and with how long your hair is, there’s so much I could do with it! Do you mind?” Her eyes are practically sparkling.

I sigh. “Fine. You’re free to do what you want with me. Oh, so long as I can undo what you’ve done, at least! So no cutting my hair or anything!”

“I wouldn’t dream of it! Come with me!”

She drags me back to her room, and sits me down at the edge of her bed. She leans in really close to me as she does my makeup, and I can feel her warm breath on my face. My heart beats faster.

Allison really knows what she’s doing. Of course, she’s done this her whole life, so she’s practically an expert. I’ve already got a feminine face, but with her makeup skills, she really brings me to a whole new level. I look myself in the mirror once she’s finished, and my heart nearly stops. Who is this cute girl?

“Let me do your hair now!” she says.

Now she sits behind me, legs under her, as I stare at myself in the mirror, and she does my hair. She brushes the hair out, then braids my hair back into a half-ponytail. It’s a super beautiful hairstyle, and I don’t think I would be able to do it myself. My hands are always so shaky, and I’m really clumsy. I don’t have a good eye for stuff like this. I cut my dog’s hair once and it was so uneven we had to immediately bring her into a groomer to fix it.

Allison sits beside me as we look into the mirror together. Nobody would ever imagine that they’re seeing anything but two cute girls. I’m blushing wildly.

“You’re such a cute girl!” Allison says, hugging me tight. “I’m so happy you decided to become my girlfriend!”

“Aren’t I your boyfriend?” I ask.

“Hmm? Oh! Right! Sorry! I kind of forgot!”

I grip the dress I’m wearing, and stare into the mirror. Quite frankly, it’s hard to believe I’m a dude at all. And, really, I’ve never made a great man. I’m weak. Emotional. Fragile. I was never much into sports. Of course, I love women’s clothes. And when I read romance novels, I prefer it when the main characters are two women.

“I’m really a failure of a man,” I mutter. Allison hugs me tight.

“No! You are who you are, and I’m extremely grateful for that! Man, woman, neither, it doesn’t matter to me! You’re my best friend and my partner!”

“But like this, there’s no way I could ever help you get over your fear of men.”

“Oh. I forgot all about that.”

“Allison! That’s why we started this!”

“I know, but seeing you like this is way better than trying to deal with some men! If I can just hold you tight like this forever,” she says as she hugs me tighter, “and see you in more cute clothes, I don’t care if I never see another man in my life!”

I stay quiet for a bit, watching us in the mirror. We don’t look like a straight couple, and truth be told, I don’t really think we are.

“Well,” I mutter. “If you’ll accept me as your girlfriend, then I guess I’m happy.”

“Hmm?”

“Boyfriend! Your boyfriend!”

She laughs, and then stops squeezing me so hard. She pulls away from me, and looks me in the eyes.

“Boyfriend, girlfriend, whatever you want to call yourself, I’m just happy to have you,” she says.

“Allison…” I whisper.

Allison pushes me down on the bed. Her soft lips meet mine, and her hands wander down towards the edge of my dress. Really, though, it’s her dress. If she wants to take it off, she’s well within her rights to do so.

And she does take it off. And it doesn’t end there. No, this is only the beginning.