A Diary for Two Ch. 08

"I'm surprised to see that Amanda isn't the only one on your list..." It read.

Trying not to break the conversation with Thomas, I nodded occasionally at his comments as I answered the message.

"What do you mean?" I asked Henry.

"That you seem to be going on a seduction spree." Read his next text.

"Very funny."

"Say what you want, that Thomas guy is completely into you, Elise."

I hesitated, unsure what to answer to that, before deciding to ignore it. I suddenly realized that Thomas was staring at me intently, as I had been utterly silent and motionless for a while now. I glanced up at him shyly.

"Is anything the matter?" He asked.

"No... No, nothing's the matter." I answered, "Just dealing with some friends of mine."

He nodded slowly, looking a little worried. He was starting to look very uncomfortable now, as his face went red and he seemed terribly nervous. Utterly baffled as to why he would be acting so strangely, I tried to smile reassuringly at him, waiting for him to explain himself.

"Would... Would you like to go out for dinner with me some time?" He finally stuttered.

I just stared at him for a while; feeling completely taken aback, before my brain started working again and I tried to cover my surprise. Nothing could stop me going red as well though, as I gulped once before opening my mouth.

"That would be lovely." I said timidly. I'm even now unsure as to the main reason why I accepted. Perhaps I actually wanted to go, or perhaps I was just unused to being made such kind offers by friends and acquaintances. It might also have had something to do with the fact that I would have found it heartless and cruel to refuse. Whatever the reason, the expression on Thomas's face at that point was one of both relief and disbelief.

"Great!" He exclaimed with utter sincerity in his voice, "How about tomorrow evening?"

Once again, I was taken aback, but I nodded anyway, and watched him as his face filled with joy at the prospect. I simply smiled a little uncomfortably. Suddenly realizing that we were running out of time till our next lecture, I told him that I trusted him to choose the place, and gave him my phone number so that he could tell me where we were to go. He beamed, as we walked off to our next contact hour, and I tried to hide the smile upon my lips.

It was strange, but despite knowing that this was a 'date' of sorts, I didn't at that time feel particularly worried about it, as if romance and sex were hardly an issue at that point it time. The next couple of hours did go by a little dreamily though, as we sat alongside each other, both thinking silently about the evening to come on Wednesday.

It may also have had something to do with the lectures in chemistry, which were as dull as ever, even more so than our mathematics lecture before lunch. I found myself staring blankly at various diastereoisomeric and enantiomeric organic configurations displayed by our lecturer and thought back to when Henry had walked over to us during lunch... What had he wanted?

Despite being lost in thought, the afternoon definitely seemed very long and tedious, and I was soon wishing I could skip a lecture. I was reeling by the end of the afternoon, bored stiff by the lectures and the technicalities of the courses, and wondering whether I should make a dash for the buses before a queue built up. Thomas had other plans however.

"How about you come with me to the debating society?" He asked, "I'm sure you'd enjoy it!"

I hesitated, on the verge of refusing, when I suddenly tripped and fell in the middle of the rush of people leaving the lecture. Erik would usually be able to make himself a path in this commotion, but with my slighter frame, I felt like I was on the verge of being crushed as I got tussled in the rush. Thankfully Thomas got to me and pulled me back to my feet.

"I doubt you'll be able to get passed the queue for the bus now anyway." He observed as we watched the crowd run thin before us. I nodded, absent-mindedly noticing that his hand was lightly resting around my waist.

"All right, I'll come," I said.

He then led me to another lecture theatre and opened the door for me. There, a number of charismatic looking people were sitting around at random in small groups, talking quietly as three students played around with the display on the lecturers' assigned computer. I glanced at the display, which seemed to list a number of topics of debate.

Thomas introduced me to the guys on the computer, who welcomed me warmly, encouraging me to participate in a debate. I put up a little resistance before accepting, knowing full well that they had no idea that I was in fact already an active member of the society, albeit under the name of 'Erik'.

The debate was fun, and I found myself playing the role of the member for the government, coming up with new arguments in favor of enforcing a military service on white-collar criminals and relished watching the opposition crumble. We won the debate, and my team, composed of Thomas and I, was classed as the best one of the four.

I'll admit I felt a little shame at manipulating the opposition into banking on my inexperience to take them down, but I also felt vindicated, having initially been strongly underestimated. Thomas seemed strongly impressed with me, and made me promise I'd come to the next weeks' session as we walked to the bus stop.

We spent the whole bus ride chatting, and I felt legitimately saddened when I left him, got of the bus and walked back home. It was only when I was half a block away from my house that I realized that I was arriving late, and that Beth might therefore see me if I were to walk straight in. Feeling worried, I texted Henry, asking him to make sure that the coast was clear.

He answered about a quarter of an hour later, telling me that Beth was upstairs, and I rushed in, shivering violently in the cold of the dark evening. I went straight to my room, where I covered myself in my dressing gown and bed sheets, cursing my housemates for making me freeze my ass off in such a small outfit. Mike came in to give me a few pairs of tights that Henry had bought for me this afternoon, and asked me if I was all right.

I could barely say a word with my chattering teeth, but I think he got the message, telling me he'd go and make me a cup of tea. I nodded at that, and sank deeper into my bed as I tried to warm myself up. Henry soon came knocking as well, and I told him to come in with a little reluctance. He looked a little ashamed as he entered and saw me curled up in blankets and my dressing gown.

"I'm not sure if I caught a cold or not today, but I don't think I'll go to campus tomorrow." I told him.

Indeed, one of my lectures of the next day had been cancelled, and the only other one in thermal physics was horrendously boring. It didn't seem to be enough to warrant a trip to campus. Henry hesitated for a moment however, before nodding.

"I'll stay with you, if you don't mind." He offered.

I accepted, knowing that I'd appreciate the company, however annoyed I may be at him for making me risk myself to frostbite.

"So... Where were you tonight?" he asked.

"I just went to the debating society with Thomas."

"Oh..." Henry looked rather thoughtful for a moment, until Mike walked in with my cup of tea, which I accepted gratefully.

I sipped it, before putting it down on my bedside table, feeling its' warmth radiating from my throat and stomach. I then looked up to see the boys staring at me intently, and I looked down shyly at all the attention. I was half expecting them to want to leave now, but instead, Mike just sat down on the foot of my bed.

I raised an eyebrow at him, but he simply shrugged at me, and Henry chuckled. Henry then locked my door and came over to sit on my bed as well, making me wince slightly.

"You're sitting on my legs!" I told him.

"I thought you wanted us to keep you warm." He answered teasingly

"Not like that." I answered calmly. To be honest, his weight wasn't really hurting my legs.

"Ok then, how about with a bit of exercise?" He asked.

He slid his way up my body until he was sitting on my lap, pinning me in place as he started tickling me cruelly. I yelped and tried to defend myself, but he soon pinned both of my wrists above my head with one hand as he tortured me to tears with the other and I squirmed and squealed in protest until I found myself panting and sweating in exhaustion.

After a while, I realized that he'd finally stopped, and looked up to see both Mike and Henry staring at me intently. I felt a little self-conscious again, my hands still pinned above my head as I looked questioningly at them.

"What is the matter, guys?" I asked.

"Well..." Hesitated Mike embarrassedly, "You know how we think... So put yourself in our shoes. We're looking at a pretty blond girl in a nice tank top and shorts who's let us in her room as she sits in bed. Is there anything sexier than that for a guy?"

I must have taken the same shade of red as a beetroot as I realized what he was saying, and looked down to see that most of my covers and my dressing gown had fallen off to display my tussled tank top, which had itself ridden most of the way up my waist. I quickly reached down to cover myself more prudishly, before looking at my hair, which had become quite messy, as one of the braids had become mostly undone and was cascading down my left shoulder.

"Come on guys! I'm tired and my hair is a mess... How could you guys call this sexy?"

"I just remembered!" Exclaimed Henry, avoiding my question, "I also bought you these."

He handed me a small pouch of scrunchies, ribbons and elastic bands, which I gratefully accepted, before completely undoing both my braids and tying my hair back into a ponytail with a blue ribbon. It wasn't much, but I didn't feel particularly confident with my hair yet, and didn't want to try anything too complicated in front of my two housemates, especially as I have never really used elastic bands or scrunchies in my life.

Feeling satisfied with my hairstyle, I glanced back up to see the boys still staring at me. Not wanting them to leave, I proposed that we watch a little Family Guy, to which they enthusiastically agreed, and we soon found ourselves sitting comfortably on my bed as we watched it off of my laptop. It was a nice, calm ending to the evening, and I was glad to have their company as we laughed together at the controversy of the series.

Henry made us all a batch of soup between two episodes, and I quickly forgot about all the discomfort I had felt today as I sipped my share. I have to admit that as embarrassing as it sometimes feels, I seem to be making the most of moments as Elise, which I had never before experienced as Erik.

October 22, 2014

I woke up this morning to the sound of Mike and Beth getting ready for their lectures, and sat comfortably in bed as I heard them prepare breakfast and making their way out the front door. I was thinking of my date this evening, feeling both anticipation and nerves grip me as I considered the possible outcomes.

It was strange, as I did feel very attached to Thomas, but could not truly say that I considered him 'Hot' in the way that I had always considered some girls as Erik. Did I like him? Yes. Did I like him romantically? I wasn't sure. Indeed, being a girl, I realized that my perspective seemed very different, and as such my understanding of my own feelings was poor, if not nonexistent. I soon found myself chewing on my lip, not at all sure what to think, and only left my trail of thoughts when I was interrupted by Henry knocking on my door.

"Elise? Are you decent?" He asked.

I looked down at my tank top and shorts in which I had slept, and sighed.

"I guess I am." I answered, "Come in."

Henry opened the door cautiously, and saw me sitting up, still clad in my clothes from yesterday. He seemed a little embarrassed as he walked up to me, his hands hiding something behind his back as he did so.

"Hey... I thought you might want to try on some new clothes."

"I bloody hope so," I said, "I can't wear these forever!"

"How about these?"

He showed me what he was hiding, and my eyes grew wide as I saw him show me the outfit he'd chosen for me. It was made up of a pretty blue short-sleeved blouse matching the bow in my hair, and a rather short creased black skirt. Definitely pretty clothes, but...

"Are you only ever going to dress me up like a slut?" I asked him.

"Oh come on, be fair! This isn't slutty. I'd even say it's pretty."

"OK, fair enough, it does look nice, but that skirt is very short, especially for the season."

"Perhaps, but you need to get used to looking feminine. I want you to be able to wear a bikini in summer without feeling embarrassed about your body! Right now you are a pretty girl, and you need to learn to make the most of it. As for the season, well you don't really need to go outside today, do you?"

I hesitated for a moment, unsure what to say. I finally settled for the truth.

"Actually, Henry, I was sort of planning on going out tonight. Thomas invited me out for dinner yesterday."

"W-what?" exclaimed Henry, looking shocked, "Seriously?"

"Yes, seriously." I confirmed quietly.

"Are... Are you sure you want to do that? I mean, aren't you rushing things a little?"

"Rushing things? You're the one who keeps trying to make me more feminine here. He's just a nice guy who asked, so I thought I'd say yes. Where is the problem with that?"

Henry seemed at a loss for words for a moment there, staring at me in surprise and, it seemed, anger. He seemed to calm himself a little though, and finally sat down on the edge of my bed, his hand resting upon my shoulders.

"All right, but be careful then. You're new to this, and I don't want you to get hurt. I mean we both know that even the nicest guys have ideas in the back of their heads that would make you cringe. Just... Just take it slowly, OK?"

"I will." I sighed, looking up at him. "I just might need something warmer for tonight."

"I'll see what I can find," Said Henry reluctantly, "Just... Just put this on for now and we'll get you all dressed up this evening later on."

"Fine, but I'll need a shower first." I stated, as I took the clothes, some underwear and my towel and made my way to the bathroom, leaving Henry sitting on my bed.

The shower was a strange experience, as I felt myself momentarily become male again under the hot water, washing myself thoroughly and feeling a rush of new thoughts and feelings flood my system. I quickly got out, dried my short hair and myself thoroughly, and then turned myself back into Elise. It had felt incredibly uncomfortable thinking about my 'date' as Erik, and turning back brought me a strong emotional relief, along with the happy discovery that washing and drying my hair as Erik had the same effects on Elise's hair.

I then put on my outfit for the day, and walked downstairs, feeling very conscious of how my skirt flapped around my legs, leaving my underwear utterly visible from the perspective of any imaginary camera at my feet. Ignoring the machinations of my imagination, I found Henry still sitting on my bed as I had left him, looking sullen.

With a bit of coaxing, I managed to lead him into the sitting room, where I sat him down and went to fetch us some cereal, assuming he hadn't eaten yet. He took it gratefully, but soon went back into a state of half-aware gloominess, and I started feeling bad for leaving him alone tonight. I think I also somehow knew that in some way, he was attracted to me as more than a friend, even though admitting it brings me much discomfort.

Deciding that I owed him for his support do far, I attempted to massage his shoulders to make him liven up, or at least open him up a bit. To my surprise, this just made him chuckle to himself, and glance around at me.

"Thanks Elise, but you might want to put in more muscle for a massage... Light caresses are not going to make much of a difference to muscle strain."

I soon found myself being coached by him on how to administer a proper shoulder massage, finding it incredibly difficult to take a hold of his huge dense muscles and working the knots out of them. My arms and hands were soon aching as my strength ebbed away in my attempts, and I quickly found myself in the humiliating position of having one administered to me by Henry after having exhausted myself trying to improve my technique.

It didn't really matter for very long though, as I felt myself become putty in his hands as he took a hold of my shoulders and forcibly made me relax until I felt like I might run in between the cushions of the couch. I quickly became a limp marionette in his hands, with my eyes closed, something which he could not let slip according to his own extreme version of the guy code.

I suddenly found myself hoisted backwards as he took a hold of my arms and pulled me up and against his massive chest. He then reached towards my waist with his other hand, tickling me lightly as I tried unsuccessfully to buck off of him.

"Why do you keep doing this to me?" I asked.

"Because you like it." He stated teasingly as he reached down to the hem of my skirt and pulled it up slightly.

"What the hell are you doing?" I demanded feeling infuriated.

"What?" He said as he lifted it all the way back, "How is this different to a bikini, something that is perfectly accepted in public?"

I was at a loss for words; desperately trying to make him stop this, trying to find a way to explain why this was hundreds of times worse than wearing a bikini... He laughed.

"I'll tell you what the difference is, Elise." There was a short pause. "Camel toe."

I looked down to see that, to my horror, he was right.

"Are you done humiliating me then?" I asked exasperatedly.

"I guess so." He released me gently, and I rolled off of his chest instantly.

"You need to learn when too much is too much." I told him sternly. "Please don't ever try something like this again. Not without my consent at least."

Henry faced my fierce stare for a few seconds, before sighing to himself, and nodding.

Satisfied, I finished my bowl of cereal and checked the time. It was already nearly midday... Where had the morning gone? I decided it was about time I started getting to work, as I had hardly been productive at all of late, and I really needed to catch up on my latest lectures. I went to fetch my laptop and notes and started going through them, attempting to memorise various formulas and methods scattered around the papers.

Henry went to fetch his notes as well, although I had a distinct feeling that he wasn't working all that hard. Instead, I got the impression that he was stealing glances at me on a regular basis when I wasn't looking. I tried to ignore him, and made some progress in physics over the next few hours. I only stopped when I realized that I was becoming hungry again.

When I commented on it, Henry offered to make lunch, but I refused, knowing full well that if I had lunch so late, I'd have no appetite left for this evening. I decided to grit my teeth and skip lunch, but this decision made it impossible for me to concentrate properly as my energy started to ebb away. I finally sighed around half past five, putting my papers and laptop to one side. I just couldn't go on in any effective way.

"I think I'll stop for today," I told Henry, "Have you managed to do everything you were hoping for?"

He glanced down at his mess of papers, and shook his head.

"This just isn't one of my working days." He stated morosely.

"Is it ever?" I asked.

"I guess not." He answered, laughing to himself.

I smiled.

"How about a game of cards then? It's either that or we choose me an outfit for tonight..."

"We've got time... I'd go for cards."