Girlfriend With Something Extra Ch. 01

"Nah, I don't really know anyone else that goes there besides you. Wouldn't want to be a crasher."

"Oh my God we should totally go to one together! I go to them every now and then, you know, just to let loose for a night."

"I know, I saw the pictures you posted yesterday."

"It was so fun! I got soooo drunk." She laughed, sipping from her glass of wine that had been dropped off, "But this one guy kept bothering me and he was not my type. Like following me around the whole night and everything!"

Alex scowled.

"Maybe I should go with you then just so I can protect you from creeps like that."

"Yeah! You could be my knight in shining armor," she winked at him, forcing a blush into his cheeks, "my big strong protector! Like the old days!"

"Something like that." He laughed, covering his face with his menu, "So, uh, what were you thinking of getting?"

When the waiter showed up again they ordered. Melanie got a plate of shrimp scampi, Alex a bowl of spaghetti and meatballs. He felt embarrassed at the simplicity of his chosen meal but Melanie seemed to not care, at least; he had to remind himself that only one of them thought of this as a date after all. They both took some of the bread in the center of the table and took some bites, pausing their conversation to fill their stomachs. After scarfing his roll, again embarrassed, this time by how quickly he devoured it, he wiped his mouth and put his large arms on the table, turning his attention to his childhood friend once more, waiting until she finished chewing to ask her about her studies.

"So, erm, how is school going? What classes are you taking?"

"Ugh I'm taking so many!" She complained, rolling her eyes, "I have to take a specialized physics class for my major and it's so tough! I swear the things the professor talks about make my head hurt. And I can barely understand him! Like yesterday he started writing an equation on the whiteboard, and at first I understood that it was just a theorem that..."

Her words fell on deaf ears.

Alex didn't understand what she was talking about even a little bit, but found himself more distracted by her beauty than her gibberish-sounding explanations. Her whole face lit up when she spoke passionately about something she liked, her features animated, her hands twisting and turning in the air to emphasize the points she was making. She had such amazing big brown eyes that he quickly found himself lost in, her irises sparkling in the light, and her lips moved with such purpose and intensity it was impressive, their fullness staying open as she talked and talked, showing off her white, straight teeth - it almost made Alex feel self-conscious about his own! But he wasn't thinking about that now, he was thinking about her.

There were things that reminded him of how she used to be as well, before she transitioned. A small white scar on her left eyebrow she obtained when they were climbing a tree in her backyard as kids in a race, her hand having slipped on a branch as she tried to catch up to him. She fell and landed face first on a protruding root, right on her eye. Her parents were not happy when they found her crying and bloody, Alex trying to comfort her unsuccessfully. Her nose was slightly crooked naturally, long and pointed but curving to the right ever so slightly, something she didn't get from their youthful adventures. It was something she hadn't changed when she became Melanie - or was she always Melanie? Alex was never sure about that, but did his best not to make any missteps whenever they discussed their childhood.

Regardless, he found her few flaws charming!

It was... strange to be reminded of their past together. Alex had been confused as a fresh, ignorant teenager when she'd announced her new identity, having not seen it coming. He just always assumed that it was the boys that were already more feminine that ended up changing genders or coming out as gay, but Melanie hadn't been like that. Even though she was smaller than the other kids their age she always roughed it and played sports with them, sharing their more stereotypical interests like dinosaurs and Power Fighters. Blindsided was how he felt really, and that's maybe why he didn't react so well when she came out. If only he could go back in time and fix things...

"Alex? You there?"

Shit, he'd just been staring at her and not saying anything all this time!

"Uh yeah, sorry," he apologized, looking down at his napkin-covered lap, his red locks falling against his eyes "I just didn't really understand what you were talking about. It was hard to follow."

"Oh shit, I'm sorry - my bad! You know how I get - once I start talking about something I just don't ever stop!"

Alex chuckled and returned his gaze to her.

"No, I like listening to you talk about stuff. It's cool. You're so smart and you know about so many things. You're different than the gu- people I usually talk to. Different than me too, I guess. You know that math and science stuff never made sense to me."

He frowned at his admittance of their intellectual differences.

"Yeah but look at you!" She complimented, smiling wide, "You're successful without school! The more time I've spent at the University, the more I realized education isn't for everyone. I mean, well, I mean that in a good way. If anything, construction is more important than theoretical biology or whatever."

"I don't know about that, but thanks Mel. You've always been so nice to me."

"Why wouldn't I be?"

"Well," Alex paused and thought about what he was going to say, chewing the words between his teeth, " it's just after how I acted when y-"

His confession of guilt and apology was cut off by their waiter showing up with trays of food, Mel's attention taken away from him as she clapped happily at their meals' appearance. After setting down their plates and grinding plenty of parmesan onto Alex's pasta, the server made himself scarce; with the previous conversation in the past now, they both dug in, cheersing their glasses of wine first - even if Alex didn't really enjoy the taste of his - and ate in relative silence. Alex took his time, trying to remember to eat slowly while with someone else, making sure to crane his neck over his plate with each bite so as to not make a mess on himself. Mel had no such issue, her movements delicate and spill-free.

"How's your food?" Alex asked between bites, covering his mouth with his hand, "Good?"

"Oh it's so delicious!" Mel practically moaned the words out, sending a shiver down her friend's spine, "Have you ever had shrimp scampi before?"

"Uh, no, I don't think I have."

"You should try some! Here," she stabbed a piece of shrimp with her fork, rolled up some noodles around it, and mopped up a healthy amount of sauce, "have some of mine."

She held it out across the table, one hand hovering under it to catch any sauce that might drip off.

"Um, okay..."

Staring at her from across her outstretched arm and pasta-filled utensil, Alex hunched over the table, his bulky mass nearly covering the whole half of it on his side, pushing his neck out towards the offering. Opening his mouth wide, he sank the fork between his lips, Melanie holding it steady as he clamped down around it; she was staring back at him intensely for some reason, watching closely as a bit of white sauce dripped down his chin, breathing deeply. Taking the bite off of the fork Alex started chewing as he pulled back, tasting the sharp flavors on his tongue while Melanie waited for his reaction, the same look on her face the entire time. Their eyes never left each other.

"That was pretty good!" Alex admitted after swallowing and wiping his lips, "I might have to get it the next time I'm here."

Melanie didn't respond at first, her vision never wavering from his visage.

"T-That's great Alex!" She exclaimed suddenly, quickly yanking her arm backward and casting her gaze back towards her half-empty plate, "Glad you, um, glad you liked it."

Alex gave her a smile and went back to his own food. That whole thing was a little weird, but he didn't think much of it. Melanie started eating again as well, her cheeks redder than they were moments before, keeping her face pointed down. As they got closer to the end of the meal, Alex made sure to finish his wine, Mel already done with her second which she seemed to drink much quicker than the first. The conversation was light until the check came, only short questions and swift responses about family and friends exchanged between them until the offer of dessert was declined and the check was dropped off.

Alex snatched it off the table before she even had a chance to make a move for it.

"Alex, let me get it this time." There was a pout on her face, her eyes narrowed at him, "You always pay when we go out!"

"Well, a gentleman always pays for a lady." He cringed at his choice of words, "Besides, I asked you to get lunch with me, not the other way around. It's the polite thing to do."

She huffed and crossed her arms over her chest, but there was a smile curving her lips all the same.

"And you're a student. I'm not. I don't want you to spend money you don't have!"

"Fine..." She relented, easing her posture, "but I'm picking it up next time!"

"Yeah we'll see about that..."

He winked at her and laughed, Mel giving a comically-exaggerated scowl in response. Once the bill was paid, he stood up and guided her out of the restaurant, his hand hovering behind the flat of her back, unsure if it would be okay to touch her so casually. Stepping out into the open air, Alex stretched as they moved away from the entrance and faced each other once again. Scratching at his chest, Alex flashed her a smile, an aura of awkwardness permeating between them, neither of the pair knowing if this was where they were going to say goodbye or not. It really was like a date.

"Thank you Alex," Mel went in for another hug, "for picking up the check and taking me out. It was really great to see you again."

"You too Mel, I had a good time!" They disconnected and were left standing close, Melania's neck craned to look up at Alex, "Uh, I was kind of wondering if..."

"Yes?"

"If you, uh, maybe wanted to grab dinner sometime this week?" He struggled to get out what he wanted to say, grimacing at himself as he did, "If you're not busy or anything, I mean."

Melanie gave him a questioning look, her head tilting.

"What, like a... like a date?"

Oh shit, she caught him!

"Uh yeah I guess so." He tried to appear at ease, forcing a confident grin, "I wouldn't mind calling it a date if, if you wouldn't."

Moment of truth.

She studied him for a long moment, brown eyes roaming over his blushing features.

"I wouldn't mind either..." she murmured, looking away, "Was that what this was? A date?"

"Only if you want it to be! I mean, um, shit." Alex tripped over his words, his muscles tightening, arms stiff at his sides, "I'd be happy if it was a date. Our, erm, first one. I just didn't want to assume anything or impose or whatever."

This was harder than it usually was!

"Our first date...?"

She reached out and took his hand in hers, one of his meaty paws able to encompass both of hers with ease. The silence between them was heavy, Alex feeling worn out like he was trying to break his squat record, his shoulders sagging towards the Earth. Heart beating powerfully, he let his rough, calloused-fingers be cradled in Mel's soft, delicate pair, trying not to shake from nervousness. It was happening, he had actually asked her out - albeit in an unusual way - and she'd said yes! But then why did he feel so nervous about his success? Why was this so different from any of the other women he'd courted? Why wasn't he as immediately as excited as he thought he'd be?

"...I'd like that."

She looked at him seriously.

"Then we can have another date this week." A large grin of her own spread across her cheeks, "How does Wednesday night sound? You can pick me up!"

"That sounds great Mel, I'd really like that." Alex relaxed, his happiness genuine, "I'll um, I'll text you okay?"

"It's a date!"

She repeated the word like she was testing it on her tongue, her expression lighting up like a Christmas Tree. With his hand still in hers she pulled him into another hug like he was the smaller one, standing on her tip-toes to wrap her arms around his neck; Alex put his hands on her back to help steady her, pressing his face into her hair. The hug went on for a longer than the others had, and when they began separating Melanie brushed her lips against Alex's cheek, giving him a quick peck. Eyes going wide, he looked at her in astonishment. Blushing, she giggled nervously and spun around, glancing back at him over her shoulder.

"I'll see you Wednesday, Alex."

He watched her walk away dumbly, nodding his head rapidly. Once she disappeared out of sight, he let out a huge sigh, nearly collapsing on the spot right there, the soreness in his legs catching up to him. That was not how he expected that to go - in a good way! He'd done it, asked out his crush in a dumb manner like he was back in highschool, and secured himself a girlfriend. Kind of? Alex wasn't sure if he could call her that yet, but this was at least the initial step to it being true. Puffing out his chest he walked back to his truck like a brand new man, a swagger in his pained steps, a blush still coating his cheeks; he even rubbed the place she'd kissed him like it was the first one he'd ever received, thinking about all the shows he'd watched where the guy mentions they'd never wash that cheek again. What a day.

Looks like he had a date to prepare for!

...