Summer to Remember

I had found my answer, and so much more.

"Leslie, I need to tell you something. That first night, when you came into the restaurant. I knew then. From the moment I saw you, I knew." Tony pulled me close to him as we cuddled in the new clean sheets we had put on the bed when we got out of the shower.

"I love you, too." It felt so good to say it. "Now go to sleep. Amber told me I'd feel better if I fucked your brains out in the morning. I'm not sure I believe it's possible to feel any better than I do now, but I'll need some rest if we're going to find out."

Amber was right, twice. The smile she gave me when I found her in the kitchen the next morning told me she knew it, too.

"Tony, are you staying for lunch?" My aunt Judy called out to us as we tried to say goodbye in the driveway next to her house.

"Yes, ma'am." I answered for him, grabbing his hand and dragging him inside. It was Monday. Neither of us had to work, so what else did he have to do than spend the day with his girlfriend?

Somehow, my life got busier. Mostly because spending time with Tony was now a priority. Before, it had just been something nice to do. I spent the night at his apartment, and Judy let him spend the night with me at her house. Convinced she knew what was going on, I just did my best to be as quiet as I could.

I called Betsy to see if I could crash on her couch while I looked for an apartment. The cheap efficiencies I usually rented were sometimes in high demand, but it usually didn't take long to find one. I just needed to find one with enormous closets.

"Depends." She had this sort of thing in her voice that told me she was messing with me. "How serious is this girl thing?"

"Pretty serious. I already have a therapist and she enrolled me in a couple of group counseling things the school offers for trans students. This is me, now Bets. I even have a boyfriend."

"That." She giggled. "Is a good thing because Sue got engaged and is moving in with Mark. That means I have space for a roommate."

"What about your dad? He made how he felt about me moving in pretty clear when we asked them a couple of years ago. So, why is it a good thing? I'm still me with all the same parts. What changed?"

"First, a couple of years ago, my dad thought you and I were, um, more than just friends. Second, I showed my dad your pictures. I told him you were transitioning. I know I was a little premature, but he agreed. We're both seniors this year, after all. So, you want to be my roomie?"

The closets in Betsy's condo were massive. Not only did I have a place to stay, but I also had room for almost all my clothes.

Tony helped me get organized and went with me to get the boxes I needed to pack all the stuff I was taking with me. Leslie had a lot more stuff than Les ever did. Most of it was clothes.

"What are we going to do?" I nestled in his arms, resting my head on his chest. "I don't want to be without you."

"You worry too much. I just found you. Do you really think I'm just going to let you go?"

"But..."

"No buts." Tony kissed me hard. I'll only be an hour away. We can make this work.

There were no words. He believed it; I was sure. My heart was full of doubts. I just nodded and smiled.

It was harder to leave Judy's house this year than it had been in the past. I'd miss Judy like I always did, but this time, there was Steve, and Amber and Rick, not to mention Angelo and the other servers at the restaurant. At least Tony was going to help me move.

Steve put his arms around Judy as I pulled out of the driveway. I thought there was something more than just neighbors between them. Maybe they'll admit it one day. Tony pulled in behind me, and we were off.

Betsy's parents were there when we got to the condo. With their help, it didn't take the five of us long to have all my stuff upstairs and get the boxes in the trash. Somewhere along the way, Tony and Mr. Simmons got to talking. I don't know who said what, and it didn't matter. While I was organizing my shoes, Tony came into the closet and started hanging clothes in the open space and putting jeans and T-shirts on the open shelves. They were all his.

"What are you doing?"

"It's OK. I talked to Ben and Sarah. They said not to make too much of a habit of it. Betsy may have done a little begging. I think she gets her way a lot." He smiled and let out a soft chuckle. "I just kept my mouth shut. They talked and agreed it would be ok." I loved his smile so much. "You don't mind, do you? I can take it all back down to my car."

"So, conjugal visits with your girlfriend. Hmmm." I smiled at him. "I can live with that, if I have to." Laughing, I climbed into his arms, giving him a huge kiss. I certainly wasn't going to say anything to Betsy's parents. I'd have to call Judy, but I was betting she wouldn't object either.

It was probably a good thing, anyway. I had a lot to figure out, a ton of questions to answer. Not having Tony with me every day would help me focus on those things. Then, when I graduated, he and I could figure out what came next.

We all climbed into Mr. Simmons' Yukon, me Betsy and Tony in the back seat to go out to dinner. Mr. Simmons' treat.

"Just put those anywhere. I brought them for Betsy and forgot to take them up to the condo." Mrs. Simmons glanced back and motioned to a small pile of catalogs in the back seat. I picked them up and slid into the middle as Tony climbed in behind me.

Just as I was about to toss them into the back of the truck, I saw the cover of the one on top, a pretty redhead in knee boots and a sweater dress. It was me! I got the cover! Dammit, Steve probably knew and didn't tell me. That was OK. I think I liked finding out this way better.

I let out a small scream and showed it to Betsy and Tony. Betsy grabbed it from me. We spent the entire trip to the restaurant looking for pictures of me and commenting on how good I looked in this outfit and how cute I was in that one. Tony just laughed.

We got to the restaurant and Betsy handed the catalog to her mom, who showed it to her dad.

He looked at the cover, then at Tony, then at me, shaking his head and laughing. "One hell of a summer, wasn't it?"

"Yes sir, definitely one I'll never forget."

My modeling was the conversation over dinner, how I got started, how much work it had been, and, of course, what it had led to. Betsy's parents dropped us off at the condo and, after we all said goodbye, headed home.

I grabbed Tony's hand and looked at Betsy. She pretended to lock her lips with a key, winked at me, and just left Tony and me standing there. Smiling at him, I led him to my new room and ravaged him for all I was worth. When I was done, he took his turn with me.

The next morning, as I relished the feeling of waking up in Tony's arms, I let the summer run through my head, revisiting all of it. Propping myself up on my elbow, I smiled down at him and let it all sink in. Betsy's dad had been right. It had been one hell of a summer. From the way Tony looked at me when he awoke and opened his eyes, I knew the best part was it had just been the beginning.

***

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