Carrolwood 23-24 (Patreon)

Chapter 23

Carl waited anxiously in his room, standing in front of his full-length mirror, turning side to side, striking model poses. Perched on the prettiest heels ever, wearing the prettiest dress, he’d never felt so utterly feminine. He’d heard that clothes made the man, and he could now conform that they also made the girl. When he was dressed in his sports clothes, playing soccer, he actually felt pretty butch, kinda like the same way he felt when he’d been a guy competing. But now? His face powdered and painted, his hair all glamorous and glittering, he felt like — a rose. A flower. Something rare and delicate to be protected.

And he liked the feeling.

Hearing the rumble of Sunni’s big, SUV, his heart fluttered, and he grabbed his clutch purse. He’d been imagining his entrance since the day Sunni asked him to the dance, and he’d fallen in love with the idea of coming down the stairs while Sunni waited at the bottom, letting her drink in the sight of him as he gracefully floated down from the heavens.

Going to his bedroom door, he cracked it opened and listened, waiting for the right moment. The doorbell rang. He heard his parents greeting Sunni. She sounded nervous, and Carl thought that was cute. Then, Mom called, “Carli! Sunni’s here!”

Carl pushed his shoulders back and walked out of his room, making his way to the head of the stairs, looking down to see Sunni’s face light up in amazement at the sight of him. “Hey,” Carl said, tugging on an earring, then descending the stairs, smiling his brightest smile. His parents were both down there as well, standing behind Sunni, and he saw the wonder in all their eyes, the admiration. It made Carl feel validated, special. He needed to know he was pretty.

As Carl reached the bottom of the stairs, Sunni shook her head. “You’re gorgeous,” she said. “Stunning.”

“Oh,” Carl demurred, faking modesty. 

“You look great,” Dad said.

“So perfect. Pictures!” Mom declared. She had bought a fancy camera with a big lens. “Over here! By the French doors.”

“Mom,” Carl said, playing the role of the reluctant teen-age daughter to perfection.

“Come on,” Sunni said, putting a hand on the small of Carl’s back and guiding him toward the doors, from which a late afternoon golden light poured into the room. “My mom is gonna want copies.”

“Of course.”

Sunni had brought a corsage, and as Mom snapped pictures, she reached out to pin it to Carl’s dress. Carl stared up at her, admiring how rugged and handsome she looked. It felt so right for him to be shorter, smaller. Then, he smiled. “Your hands are shaking.”

Sunni’s hands were, in fact, shaking. She chuckled. “I am terrified I’m going to poke you with this pin.”

“No poking tonight,” Dad said, adding a little wah wah tone to his voice to make it clear he meant it as a double-entendre.

“Daddy!” Carl squealed.

“Don’t worry, Mr. Bright,” Sunni said as she struggled to get the pin fixed. Her fingers were brushing against the soft flesh of Carl’s upper breast, and he was getting so… tingly again. “I will be a perfect lady.” They all laughed at the joke.

“It’s not you I’m worried about,” Dad said.

“Um… Father?” Carl said, totally embarrassed his dad was making jokes about— THAT.

Sunni finally got the corsage pinned on, and Carl dutifully smiled and said, “It’s so pretty! Thank you.”

“Now, the couple together,” Mom said, circling, squatting, shooting the scene like it was a royal wedding.

Sunni slipped her arm around Carl’s waist. Carl put his hand on her back. They smiled and Mom snapped away. “Okay, now…”

“I think we need to let these two lovebirds get to the dance,” Dad said, intervening.

Relieved, both Carl and Sunni headed right for the door, Carl assuring his parents he loved them…etc… 

“You take care of my daughter,” Dad called as Sunni helped Carl into her car.

“I will!” Sunni said.

“Have her back by 11!”

“Will do!”

As soon as Sunni pulled out of the driveway and headed toward school, she and Carl both gasped, their whole bodies relaxing. “I am so sorry about my parents!” Carl said. ‘They are so weird.”

“Weird? My Dad gave me a condom!”

“What?”

“He was worried I would lose control of what he called my ‘manly’ impulses.”

Carl snickered. “Omigod.”

“Yeah. Tell me about it.”

They both laughed, then, thinking about all the changes, their poor parents. “This has to be totally freaking them out,” Carl said. “I mean— look at us!”

Sunni glanced over at Carl. “I could look at you all night.”

“Oh,” Carl said, but he felt his cheeks warm at the compliment— as well as the look in Sunni’s eyes. 

When they got to the dance, they went through all the usual rituals. They walked in together, greeted all their friends, exchanging compliments, hugs. They stopped by the selfie station and did their picks, and then had professional pictures taken under an arch of roses because that’s what you did. Finally, they found themselves inside the gym, which had been converted into the “dance hall” with balloons and streamers and mood lighting. It was early, so no one was on the floor dancing yet, and Carl and Sunni found themselves standing next to each other awkwardly, trying to figure out what to say or do. “I see the girls put a lot more work into getting ready than the guys,” Carl noted.

“It’s so unfair,” Sunni agreed. Then, wanting to create some space before Carl said anything about her jeans, she said, “let me get us some punch.”

“That would be lovely,” Carl said, idly swishing the skirt of his dress. While Carl had begun to accept that he was a girl now, and it had even started to seem a little normal for him to be going to school as a girl, the dance upended whatever comfort level he had found. This was his first dance as a girl, and he felt very self-conscious now —  in a dress, make-up… the whole feminine thing suddenly seeming wrong and embarrassing. He saw a couple girls looking in his direction, whispering, and he wondered, “Are they talking about me? Making fun of me because I’m—- this?”

He felt like he was shrinking, and that he’d been a fool to not only come to the dance but to wear a dress— this dress! Showing off his little arms, the swelling of his breasts. When Sunni came back carrying cups of punch, he moved in close and said, “I want to leave.”

“What? Did I do something?”

“No. It’s that— look at me. I’m supposed to be a boy. I feel ridiculous.”

“Hey, hey, hey…” Sunni said, cupping his chin, tilting his head back. “It’s okay. You’re gorgeous.”

“I think people are talking about me,” Carl said, glancing around. “Making fun of me. Take me home. Please.”

Sunni led Carl a little bit further away from the ring of people nervously eyeing the dance floor. “Look, if that’s really what you want. But—“

‘It is.”

“But, if you run away now, let your fears win, what’re you going to do for the rest of your life? If you are going to be Carli?”

“I don’t know. I can’t think right now.”

“Do you trust me?” Sunni said, taking each of Carl’s soft little hands in her own. Holding them tight.

“Yes?” Carl said.

“Then run into the storm with me.”

“What does that—“

Sunni pulled Carl forward, out of the darkness and right into the middle of the floor, right in the circle of light. BTS’ “Dynamite” was thumping over the sound system, and Carl was shaking his head, feeling totally exposed. “Sunni!”

“Dance,” Sunni said, keeping hold of his hands, moving her body. “Everybody is watching!”

“Oh my God!” Carl whispered. He started moving as well, a little stiff, awkward, self-conscious.

Sunni leaned in close. “I know you can dance better than that.” Then, she wrapped her arms around Carl, dipped him, brought him up and sent him twirling. The kids clapped, and Carl gave Sunni a look that said— you’re on! He now remembered years of ballet and jazz dance, hip hop classes, things that must have been spliced in during his changes, and he started to move, letting his body flow, raising his arms over his head and shaking his booty. Sunni started breaking out her moves, all kinds of hip-hop street dances, popping and breaking…. Other kids started to swarm the floor, excited to get in on the fun, and when the song ended Carl twirled himself right into Sunni’s arms, which she wrapped around his waist, lifting him off the ground and kissing him on the neck.

“You guys are so amazing!” Kennedy said.

Matt fist bumped Sunni, which annoyed Carl. How could people treat such a jerk like he was just a regular person? And yet, Carl knew it was the way of things. Guys could get away with so much. Everyone just kind of acted like nothing ever happened. He was the same way when he’d been guy, but now that he was a girl it really pissed him off. But, what he could do?

“Did you take couples dance classes or something?” Kennedy asked.

“Just goofing around,” Carl answered breezily, but he was staring at Sunni, his eyes filled with feminine pride and gratitude. She’d totally saved him! The thought of maybe putting that condom to use fluttered through his mind, and he admonished himself in shock. No! You are not that kind of girl!

As they made their way off the dance floor, Carl grabbed Sunni’s hand. She looked down at him, and he beamed up at her. She really was an amazing guy, and he was totally crushing on her now after she’d saved him from his panic attack. Sunni for her part was feeling quite the manly man, and looking down into Carl’s bright, smooth face, she felt proud to have such a pretty girl at her side. They found themselves standing among a group of kids— it was the most popular kids in school— and both of them realized that they were back as the king and queen of Carrolwood, only swapped and now THE IT couple of the whole school.

Some of the kids went off to get high. Carl and Sunni declined. “You can go if you want,” Sunni said. “I won’t judge you.”

“I don’t like the feeling of losing control,” Carl said after the other kids left. “I know that’s why other people do it, but to me it’s just an absolutely terrible feeling.” As they talked, Carl found himself desperately wanting a kiss. When he was a guy, he would have just kissed a girl if he wanted to. But now, if didn’t seem right for him to be so— aggressive? Besides, he wanted Sunni to need to kiss him. It was all part of the romance!

“I know what you mean,” Sunni said in a flat, emotionless tone. “I like feeling in control, being aware of everything. I don’t see why anyone would want to make numb themselves to their experiences.”

Come on a kiss me you big oaf, Carl thought. He played with his hair, and smiled, trying to give a “come on” look with his eyes. “Sensual experience is the stuff of life,” Carl said.

“That’s a good line,” Sunni said. She saw how Carl was looking at her, the way he played with his hair. She knew what he wanted, she and wanted to kiss him. But, the sight of Carl playing with his hair was giving causing Sunni to feel a growing problem— the same one she’d been fighting since becoming a dude. She started thinking of baseball again. “Who said that?”

Time for the big guns, Carl decided, frustration growing that Sunni wasn’t being driven insane with desire by his flirting. Carl opened the clutch purse dangling from his wrist and fished out a tube of lipstick. “I did. Just now,” he said. Looking into his compact, he touched up his lipstick, carefully brushing the tube across his plush lips, then taking a finger and running it along his bottom lip before finishing by running his tongue across his upper lip. 

Sunni lost control. She grabbed Carl and pulled him to her, crushing their bodies together as she smothered him in a kiss. The near violence of the act was everything to Carl, the sense that Sunni had become a wild animal driven mad with need for him, the feeling of being so small and weak and that hot, hungry kiss! He pressed himself against Sunni, their tongues meeting in salty fire, and …

“No PDAS!” Mr. Ben said, sternly.

This time, though they heard Mr. Ben, Sunni and Carl kept kissing. It was just too good. Neither one had the willpower to even consider stopping.

“Ahem!” Mr. Ben said, clearing his throat. “Ahem!”

Mostly because they both needed to breath, they stopped kissing. “It’s a school dance,” Sunni said. “Kids gotta kiss.”

Carl hid his smile. Sunni was such a bad boy.

“Rules are rules,” Mr. Ben said. 

“Are you telling me you’d be able to keep your hands off a girl this hot?” Sunni said.

“Sunni!”

“Miss Bright does look lovely this evening,” Mr. Ben said. “Be good, you two.”

“Bye,” Sunni said.

Carl was buzzing. He was about to start hinting they should maybe sneak outside and make out in the bushes, when Kennedy came bopping into the scene. She grabbed Carl’s hand. “Come on,” she said. Then, she turned to Sunni. “We need to use the little girl’s room.”

Carl smiled apologetically. Sunni just waved, burning with need as she watched Carl hurry away, those bare little shoulders seeming to shine. She wanted to kiss him all over. Maybe it was for the best, she decided, that she had a minute to cool down and get the lower area under control.

Kennedy immediately plunged into one of the stalls. “That kiss was so hot!” She said.

“You saw?” 

“Um, yeah I saw. Are you like totally wet right now?”

“Kennedy,” Carl said. 

“Oh, please,” Kennedy said. “Girl!”

Carl went to the mirror and started to fix his makeup. His lipstick really did need fixing now. “It’s so different being the girl.”

“Oh. I’ve been dying to ask you. So, like, is it better or is kissing as a guy better?”

“It’s— different,” Carl said, thinking about it.

“Which is better, though?” Kennedy finished her business, there was a flush and the stall door banged open again.

Carl was still looking in the mirror, and as he met Kennedy’s eyes in the reflection, a naughty smile spread across his face. “It’s so much better as a girl.”

Kennedy’s smile matched his. “Do you like it, then? Being the girl now?”

Carl sighed, now turning to face her directly. “I— yeah— I guess I do.”

Just then, the bathroom door opened, and three girls came stumbling in, laughing and giggling and clearly a little drunk. Kennedy touched Carl on the arm, and they headed back to the dance.

Back inside, they found their dates, Sunni and Matt, hanging by the punch bowl. They were talking about MMA fighting. Kennedy and Carl stood dutifully by as their men talked, watching the dance, seeing who was flirting with someone other than their date, who was a wallflower, who was obviously so in love. Carl noticed Millmore surrounded by a group of guys, giggling and tossing his hair. He looked so happy Carl could only hate him a little for betraying he and Sunni, and also for having such good skin.

They each occasionally nodded or made supportive noises to make it seem like they were listening to the boys, but they could care less.

The music stopped and the lights slightly brightened. “Okay, kids,” the DJ said in his deep, standard issue DJ voice. “It’s time for the most romantic part of the whole evening. This is the song chosen by the Homecoming committee for the Couples Dance, so if you are a couple, or you want to be someone’s couple, take that girl or boy by the hand and get out on the floor because this is the greatest love song ever.”

With that, the first bars of “Unchained Melody” began to play. Carl’s heart fluttered. It was the perfect song for their first slow dance! He looked up at Sunni, waiting for her to reach out and take his hand. For a second, he thought she wasn’t going to, but then like a captain grabbing the wheel, she grabbed his hand and led him out onto the dance floor. This being their first slow dance in their new bodies, there was an awkward moment as they tried to figure out where to put their hands. Carl was used to being the taller one, and he and Sunni arm jousted for a second, but then Sunni decisively put her hands on Carl’s hips, and with her arms down there, Carl felt the only move that made sense of him was to lift his arms and put them on her shoulders, his hands behind her neck.

Carl felt supper vulnerable in that position, his soft chest pressed against hers, while she held him firmly and began to guide his movements. It was sweet perfection for Carl, and they stared adoringly into each other’s eyes as the Righteous Brothers sang:

Lonely rivers flow

To the sea, to the sea

To the open arms of the sea

Lonely rivers sigh

"Wait for me, wait for me"

I'll be coming home, wait for me

Sunni slipped one of her hand around Carl’s waist. They were rocking gently in each other’s arms. Sunni leaned down and whispered, “You’re the most beautiful girl in the world.” The words, the feeling of her hot breath against his skin, made Carl shiver with delight, and all he could do was smile his prettiest smile, beaming up at Sunni, feeling the happiest he’d ever felt just to be there in his strong arms and know she thought he was so pretty. The song reached its climax:

I need your love

I need your love

God speed your love to me

Carl swooned, putting his head against Sunna’s chest, feeling his knees go weak. Sunni held him, almost carrying him now, like a doll, and Carl let her, feeling so light and so cared for. Having Carl so utterly surrender to her, feeling him so helpless and soft in her arms, made Sunni burn with hunger, and as the music died away, she half guided, half carried him from the room and out into the cool night air.

They kissed and grabbed… hungry for the taste and feel of each other’s bodies. Sunni took the lead, and Carl gladly followed. He wanted her to do whatever she wanted to him, and all he needed in the world was to go with the flow and be her girl. Panting. Grunting. Kisses on his neck and between his breasts… feeling her getting hard against him and sighing, feeling a sense of opening, a need to be filled…

And then Sunni pulled away.

“What is it?” Carl said, a strand of his blonde hair in his face. He lay on his side on the ground behind some bushes.

Sunni stood. “I’m about to lose control, babe,” she said. “I need to get ahold of myself.”

Carl was breathing heavy, his chest heaving. “It’s okay,” he said softly. “If you want to, you know?” He wanted it badly. Needed it. He felt like it would make him feel closer to Sunni than ever, and he longed for closeness, he wanted to know everything about her, to share all her dreams and to share her body.

Sunni shook her head. “No.”

“What’s wrong?” Carl said. “Why don’t you want to?” He pulled up the top of his dress, which had slipped down scandalously during their makeup session. “Is it me?”

“Oh, no, no,” Sunni said, seeing the insecurity slipping into Carl’s pretty eyes. She didn’t want to make him feel bad. She only wanted to protect him and love him as the sweet, vulnerable little female he’d become. She climbed down next to Carl, putting a hand to his soft cheek. “I want to. I mean— so bad. You’re hot as hell.”

“Then?”

“I want our first time to be special. You deserve better than this,” she said gesturing at the bushes. “Getting laid in the dirt? You deserve candlelight and champagne. You’re a princess.”

Princess. Carl felt himself blush. He was, wasn’t he? And even though his body was totally good to go, Sunni’s romantic words, the fact that she was thinking about him and wanting to treat him special, because to her he was special? Impossibly, he began to cry.

Sunni’s heart melted at the sight of the tears running down Carl’s cheeks, the mascara running. ‘Oh, no,” she said, freaking out. “What did I do? I’m sorry. I—- I——“

“I’m not sad,” Carl said, wiping at his tears with the back of his hand. “I’m just so happy.”

‘Oh.” Sunni pulled Carl in for a hug. Females, she thought. Who can understand them?

Chapter 24

“You know there will be rumors,” Sunni said. She’d decided she wanted to go and lay out on the soccer field, look at the stars while they each cooled down from their epic and always to be remembered heavy petting session.

Carl was curled against Sunni, his head on her chest as he listened to the steady thumping of her heartbeat. “There always are.”

“Yeah, but you need to be a little more careful now that you’re a girl.”

Carl didn’t want to hear it. He just wanted to be here with his man, cuddling and let the world think what it wanted. He decided to change the subject. “Do you think this is what they wanted? The person who changed us?”

“I guess so. You’re a girl. I’m a guy.”

“No, but I mean us together? Like this?” Carl wanted to say a “couple”, but he wasn’t sure if they were a couple. His mind was full of feminine insecurity, and he desperately wanted them to be together, but he also didn’t want to freak Sunni out… etc…etc…. Luckily, Sunni made it clear for him.

“A couple?” She said, thinking about it. “I hadn’t thought about it. It does seem— what is their motivation? Why do this?”

“I kind of just let it go for a while, once I felt like we were stuck like this. I was just focused on figuring out how to be a girl.”

“Well, you’re nailing that,” Sunni said.

“Thanks,” Carl said, running his fingers through her beard. “And can I say you are really the most incredible boy.”

“I know,” Sunni said.

“So, why do this? If anything, I am happier than ever. And, we’re both still at the top of the class.”

“Yeah, right? Can you imagine how much power it must take to run the splice-a-matic?”

“Huge, I would think,” Sunni said, and then the idea popped, and is often the case when something finally occurs to us, it seemed so obvious. “Power. That’s it.”

“What?” Carl said.

“We can find the machine.”

Carl caught up. “Of course,” he said. “Of course.”

Sunni now took his pretty little face in both her hands and kissed him. “Babe,” she said. “You’re incredible.”

“You’re amazing,” Carl answered.

“Let’s go,” Sunni said.

“To find the machine?”

“No. Well, yes, but first we need to make an official exit from the dance. Let everyone see us.”

“What? Why?”

“Because you’re a girl, and we don’t want you getting a reputation.”

“It’s so unfair…”

“Tell me about it. Now, stand still while I fix your hair.”

Carl did, and then he touched up his make-up. They headed back into the dance, made their rounds, and then they snuck back down to the old Chem lab, and got on the computer. Sunni started working, hacking into the power company computer systems. “But, what about the idea that whoever did this can just make us forget we ever figured it out?” Carl said, standing behind Sunni and watching over her shoulder as she worked.

“That, I feel, was one of our mistakes,” Sunni said. “We sent Millmore looking for the person responsible, and he— she— found them. He got changed. But, they can’t be at the machine every second of every day. And I don’t think they can monitor us every second of every day. It doesn’t seem likely that it’s a scrying device.”

“Yes,” Carl said. “Of course. Unless they somehow have a portable machine, we can find the machine and…” His voice trailed off. Carl had been about to say change ourselves back, but as the thought crossed his mind, he suddenly felt quite sad at the notion.

He was surprised by this feeling, and not surprised. The changes had been embarrassing, and he had felt angry and depressed over the loss of his friends and the experiences he’d expected to have as a boy in his last year of high school. But, well, now— he thought about being kissed by Sunni, having her take the lead when they danced… how much he loved it when she held his cheek, or  when she hugged him, and he felt so small and soft and pretty…

He thought about Kennedy and the girls from the soccer team.

He thought about how amazing he felt when he walked down the hall and everyone just— stopped— because they couldn’t believe how pretty he was. And he felt sad at the notion of giving all that up, of going back to being a boy…

All those thoughts flickered through Carl’s mind in nanoseconds, a flash of emotions and memories, and then Sunni spoke:

“…change ourselves back. Exactly. Okay. Got through the first firewall, now I just need to find out where—”

“Ahem.”

Carl and Sunni froze, then looked toward the door. Mr. Ben stood there, that same bemused look on his face. “I must admit that when I saw you two sneaking down here, I was expecting you two to be up to something a little more racy.”

“I was just going to order some late-night snacks,” Sunni said.

“Yeah. We’ve got the munchies,” Carl added.

“I distinctly heard you talking about hacking and getting past a firewall,” Mr. Ben said. “Turn the computer off and please have good night.”

“Hacking?” Sunni chuckled. “What does that word even mean?”

“Do you want me to call your parents?”

That threat was all it took for Carl and Sunni to comply. “Okay. Okay,” Sunni said, shutting down the computer. Then, she took Carl’s hand and led him past Mr. Ben. “Going. Good night.”

“Good night,” Mr. Ben said, shaking his head. “I’ve never seen a worse case of senioritis,” he said. “You two never used to get in trouble. You two never used to get in trouble.”

“It’s Carli,” Sunni said. “She’s a very, very bad girl.”

“Sunni!” Carl said.

“It’s always the ones who look the most innocent.”

They hurried to the parking lot and got into Sunni’s car. “Do I look innocent?” Carl said, checking himself out in his phone. 

“Like an angel.” Sunni said.

“Oh.”

“Seriously. You should have wings.”

Thrilled, Carl kissed her on the cheek. It pleased him to be compared to an angel, and he loved that he looked sweet and innocent.

“So, what now?” Carl asked.

“Now, I get you home before we break your curfew, and your parents freak out.”

“What about the hack?”

“I’ll work on it tonight,” Sunni said. “Tomorrow’s Saturday, so once we see where the power surge is happening, we can go and find the machine. Fix all this.”

“Good,” Carl said. Sunni dropped him off. He told his parents about the dance, then told his Mom about the dance in a more female-centric way. Finally, exhausted, he slipped out of his heels and carrying them in one hand, climbed the stairs to his room, plopping onto his bed still fully dressed and with his face made-up, too tired to even care. He just needed a minute to process all that had happened, the whole night had been so amazing.

It seemed likely they would find the machine. Then, he would be Carl again, the Carl he’d grown up as, the Carl he was supposed to be? Did that mean he and Sunni would be over? They’d hated each other since as long as he could remember. The thought of it being over between them made him want to cry, and he struggled against the tears. Their relationship was the most special thing he’d ever experienced in his life, and now it would just end?

It’s because I’m a girl, he told himself. Girls are always more into this kind of mushy romantic stuff. It’s probably something genetic. Once I am a guy, I am sure it will all seem a little ridiculous. I’ll be back to being TALL, and I won’t to do stupid bake sales and wear skirts and makeup and… and…

None of that seemed so bad now. None of it seemed humiliating.

Do I want to stay a girl?” He wondered. If Sunni asked me to stay Carli for her, what would I say?

No, he told himself. He couldn’t. He was a boy, and he it was better to be a guy. 

These high-school romances never lasted. He and Sunni would eventually break up, and did he really want to live the rest of his life as a female? What would that even look like? Would he want to have babies? And how awful would that be, getting all fat and having a baby kicking him from the inside all day long?

It bothered him that Sunni seemed so okay with changing back. She’d just been— like— yeah.  We change back. Done. Just like— yeah, we change shirts. It was like Carl meant nothing to her, like THEY meant nothing, their relationship meant nothing. It made Carl feel abandoned, unloved, and was just another sign that these silly thoughts he was having about staying a girl were just a foolish teen-age fantasy.

He forced himself to get up. No way he could go to sleep wearing make-up. It would be terrible for his complexion. As he wiped off his blush and foundation, he kept thinking about Sunni, kept imagining the scene. They would be standing at the machine, and she would be about to flip the switch that would turn them back to their own selves. Then, she would turn, cup Carl’s face with both her hands. “Carli,” she’d say. “I’m madly in love with you. Please, I am begging you, let’s not change back. I think you are the most amazing girl ever, and I want to be your man.”

And every time he played the scene over in his mind, he whispered, “Yes.”