One More Sunset Pt. 03

"How do you feel?"

Savannah's fingers were warm in my hand, and she could tell I was nervous. Maybe nervous was the wrong word for it. Anxious, paranoid, and a dash of terror. I felt a thousand eyes, and they all were pressed against my skin. Each person that we passed in the mall felt like they had taken up a part-time job surveying me and checking me over as if I were at the TSA. What had I done to deserve this?

My hand gripped hers a little tighter, and I felt her hand squeeze mine softly. "I'm fine. I think."

"Are you more uncomfortable up-stairs or down-stairs?"

I turned to look at her, and I laughed. "How about both at the same time?"

Savannah's sports bra was beyond hidden under my sweatshirt and overcoat, but I could have sworn that I could see faux breasts jutting out at certain angles. Only when I had performed my thousandth look-over in her mirror before leaving the apartment was, I mildly convinced nobody could tell I was wearing a bra. Certainly, nobody could tell I was wearing her panties, or at least I hoped nobody was able to notice... Every few steps, I would grab at my waistband and pull it up a little higher to ensure no chance at a sneak-peak was possible. I had never wondered this before with my own red or blue boxers, but could her purple panties show through my jeans?

Savannah rubbed her thumb against my hand as she said, "Again, this is my treat, Evan," but we're going to make a few stops while we're here. We'll grab some simple stuff, and maybe a couple lounge pieces. Sweatpants, a few shirts, maybe some matching pj's. And this might be a weird statement, but don't be afraid to want a certain color or pattern. I don't want to just pick things out for you."

"But then people will know... You know?"

"Oh babe. Oh babe... You'd be shocked how many times I've seen dudes alone in Victoria's Secret or Aerie just shopping away. Realistically, they are probably getting stuff for their own ladies or whatever, but you never know. No judging here!"

As she spoke, I half panicked as I considered people might be overhearing our conversation, but then I realized I hadn't paid half-a-lick of attention to anyone else's words.

Savannah continued, "So what's your favorite color to wear? Stripes? Patterns?" She talked on for a bit while we pushed through the mall, and after a few more corners, I saw the pink walls and lingerie models in the windows.

"Just follow me around, and know that everything is going to be just fine."

---

Walking through the doorstep sent my heartrate through the roof. I had been in the store once or twice before with previous girlfriends, but now the store seemed completely different. I wasn't just here as a companion-piece. I almost laughed aloud as I thought the words, I'm here for myself. The store wasn't busy, and maybe a dozen women were paired off or shopping in their own corner of the store. My blood rushed through my veins.

"Welcome in!" She had startled me, but Savannah turned to exchange pleasantries with the saleslady. "We have a few deals going on with panties and some lingerie on the other side of the store, so feel free to shop around. If you have any questions, please come ask!"

I nodded politely and continued to walk into the store, but then I realized that Savannah hadn't followed me further. Then I heard her say to the saleslady, "Is there anyone available for a sizing?" My heart stopped.

"Yeah of course!" The lady radioed into her earpiece to some invisible person within the store, and she responded, "Go ahead and head to the back of the store to the dressing rooms. Someone will be back there to help you shortly."

"Thank you so much!" Savannah walked past me and strutted to the other end of the store. I turned back to the lady who gave me a polite smile, to which I awkwardly waved goodbye. As I pushed into the store, I couldn't ask for death more swiftly. Could I be anymore humiliated? Even if they didn't directly know I was here to shop for me, there was definitely ample room to speculate. I followed Savannah into the back, and we stopped near the hall to the dressing room. "Evan, you're so white."

"Oh, thanks. I didn't know that my gringo was showing."

"No like, your skin is completely white. Are you okay?"

"I'm a little embarrassed to say the least."

"Relax babe. Seriously, look around. None of the other women here have given you a second glance. If they do see you, its as a nice boyfriend who is spending his day with his girlfriend. Which I think is very sexy." Savannah pulled me in for a kiss, and added, "Thanks for spending the day with me."

I felt my heartrate go down as she spoke.

"Hello, there! Thanks for coming in today. I'm Kate and I'll be taking your measurements today!"

There was a brief moment where I thought I had died. My vision came back, and I turned to see Kate, my friend and colleague from school standing behind me. As our eyes met one another, she gave a huge smile and said, "No way! Evan! How are you?"

"Um, fine. Hey, Kate."

Savannah looked bewildered, and I could see the nervousness in her eyes, but it seemed to be complimented with a form of joy. My brain began to scream at me. KATE FROM SCHOOL IS ABOUT TO SEE YOU IN A BRA. KATE FROM SCHOOL IS ABOUT TO MEASURE YOU FOR YOUR OWN BRA.

"Nicely done Evan." Kate turned to face Savannah, and as she spoke, Kate pushed up her black glasses up higher onto her nose, "I'm so happy to meet you. You're so much cuter than Evan said. I've been rooting for you guys for a while."

Savannah nodded, and said, "Um, and how do you know Evan?"

"Oh, sorry! Evan and I have actually shared most of our courses for the last couple years at the university. I'm Kate, again..." Kate smiled over to me, "Yeah, you undersold how pretty she is." The three of us stood in a shocked silence for a moment before Kate said, "So do I get an introduction Evan?"

I blinked back to some of our reality. "Sorry, Kate, this is Savannah. Savannah, this is Kate." The girls waved to one another awkwardly. "Kate, I never realized you were working in the mall. I thought you were partnered with Dr. Neeson for some type of pay."

"You got the 'some type of pay' correct. Its barely enough for rent each month, so I'm one of the managers here. Shockingly okay pay once you get out of the entry-level jobs."

Savannah giggled and said, "This is the best day of my life. Kate, I'm so glad to meet you."

"Wow, now that's a real compliment!" Kate looked over to me again, "Best day, and all because she met me."

I nodded, bracing for what was to come, but swiftly, Savannah spoke up with a crafted lie that scared me with a vision of the future. "So, I'm having a costume party for Halloween this year, and Evan and I are actually going to go as each other, so he needs to get fitted, plus I figured I could get fitted again. You're so more than welcome to come to the party, but you'll need a costume."

Kate's mouth dropped and she turned and hit me on the arm lightly. "She's the best. Okay, on the way out I'll get you two a coupon or something. Evan, give her my number so I can get the details at some point soon." Kate motioned into the hall to the rooms behind us, "Go ahead and get a room. Can you each get a room for yourself? Not really big enough for three... I'll go grab the coupons real fast and meet you in there." Kate turned back to the counter, and Savannah and I pushed into the dressing rooms.

As soon as the door behind me closed, I launched my shirts off and my jacket fell to the floor. I was worried I would rip off the sports bra as it came off, and I tucked rolled it up into my jacket and started to put my shirt back on, as if to hide my costume change, but then the door opened as Kate entered.

"Hey!" She shut it behind her, and handed me some papers with some deals on it, "They are good for a while if you don't get something today. Don't take this the wrong way Evan, but you're way more fun than I thought. I never would have pictured you doing this type of couple stuff with your girlfriend." Kate nodded as she spoke, and she pushed up her glasses, "Well, let's do this! Okay just relax and take off your shirt, only if you want to."

"No problem," I said smoothly, as if I hadn't just come close to tearing down a wall in a mad dash to remove my clothes and put them back on. I lifted my shirt over my head, and Kate looked at my body for a moment before brandishing her measuring tape. Her eyes came back up, and I wondered why she lingered. I didn't really have muscles to gawk at, but I suppose she had never seen me shirtless after a few years of being friends. "Okay, arms up." Her arms went around mine, and she came a little closer to me than I expected. The spool ran around my upper chest and stopped below my nipples. "Arms down and relax." Kate read the numbers, and then she said, "Arms up again." She repositioned the tape measure up and it ran across my nipples. "Safe to say you're in A cup at best."

I laughed awkwardly.

"Okay, that's it," Kate pulled the tape measure around my back, and it tickled me as it ran against my skin. "Congrats Evan. You're most girl's dream size: 32 B! I'm rounding up on the cup size a little bit to make you feel better."

"Thanks, I've been working hard to achieve it."

Kate smiled and it looked as if she was going to say something else, but then she stepped back and left me alone. I couldn't quite tell either what she had been feeling, but I wondered what she had been thinking. I turned around and noticed the mirror for the first time behind me. My panties were well hidden below my waistline, but there was no mistaking my chest. I had the wear-lines of a sports bra across my chest, and Kate had just seen it.

---

Victoria's Secret had taken far longer than I expected. Savannah was fitted, and shockingly wore the same size as I did. Kate was called away to help behind the scenes, but not before a number exchange took place, and Savannah reaffirmed her about an incoming invite for Halloween. As Kate left us, Savannah winked at me as we descended into the bins and displays within the store.

"Lace gets itchy sometimes, but it always makes me feel sexy. Push-ups are more for show, but they can ride on you after a while. Can't go wrong with a t-shirt bra." Savannah's input came around regularly, and she would point out the designs she liked, and scoff at ugly pieces. Our bag filled up overtime. We grabbed ten panties: thongs, boy-shorts, cheekies, period panties, hipster cuts... I'm sure I was blushing most of the time, but I couldn't help it. By the end of it, I felt a little more comfortable. I was partial to the more vibrant colors for some reason, and Savannah pushed for some more bland colors to zero out the closet. We got six bras. Two push-ups, two demi bras (I still didn't understand what these were), one bralette, and one sports bra. The lingerie took me by surprise, as the simple corset wasn't enough. Savannah opted for a matching pair, except hers was black, and mine was red. A pushup bra atop a corset, with a garter belt holding up stylized stockings, and a matching pantie underneath.

I practically fainted as I saw the price, but with Kate's discounts and the deals in-store, Savannah didn't shrug as she paid. Kate didn't reappear as we left, but I noticed the cameras as I walked out, and I wondered if she saw Savannah and I clearly shopping for myself.

The next store was Aerie, which was another round of panties and bras, but more casual this time. Along with it, Savannah grabbed some leggings and a few pairs of spanks and running shorts.

"Trust me, the actual best place is Target. They're close are crazy fucking cute. And they are so cheap. We'll leave here after one more stop. You'll love this store."

I stopped Savannah and pulled her to the side, "Don't you think we should slow down? This is a lot of money to just be blowing on a little joke?"

"Evan don't be ridiculous. Plus, Halloween is a few weeks away. We'll need to start testing the waters."

"Yeah, and let's talk about that for a second."

"Okay?"

"Come on," I wasn't actually upset, but I was feeling like Savannah was rushing through this much faster than I was prepared for. "I'm not actually going in drag for Halloween. Especially now that Kate's going to be there. And since when are we even having a party?"

"Since you were too embarrassed by your cute friend, so I saved your butt. Plus, some of my friends will be there too. I'll make sure some fun people come over." Savannah leaned in and kissed me, then whispered, "How's your bra? You can't imagine how wet I am knowing you're walking around in it." She added, "And when Kate had to measure you... Evan, you're getting very lucky tonight."

Savannah turned and walked into the stream of people leaving me behind. Somewhere in the back of my mind, I wondered if I was about to regret these moments and choices. I couldn't piece together exactly what felt so wrong, except that obviously I was wearing women's underwear in public to my girlfriend's amusement, but I struggled to see if there was anything wrong with this outside of the taboo nature.

Standing in the masses of the mall while crossdressing was hardly the time to ponder these thoughts. I shook off the questions and caught up to Savannah as we ventured into another store.

---

Three hours later, and I was walking to Savannah's doorstep with my arms loaded with bags across multiple stores. After the mall, we had made a stop at Target, and as Savannah had stated, the store was a great place to explore. We laughed at the terrible and ugly outfits. I pulled some shorts and shirts off of racks that Savannah said were, "too cute to not be in her closet." In the unending clearance section, we pulled a few skirts that I could wear around the apartment. I specifically liked a white pleated one, and I thought it felt nice. Savannah had pointed out that it was a tennis skirt, so we laughed and joked about a date to the courts in matching outfits. After an hour in the store, we were both shopped-out for the year.

I collapsed on her couch, but Savannah showed signs of a second round of energy. She began tearing into the bags, organizing the clothes after cutting tags and labels off. The laundry cycles came and went, and after she started the color load, Savannah sat down and passed out in a matter of seconds. The buzz of the machine woke us both up. I fixed us some lunch and we spoke as one load dried as another began to wash. After the food, Savannah went into her room and messed around in her drawers and closet. In the meantime, I tried to work on some studying for an exam coming up next week in school.

"Okay, babe. I've moved some stuff around, so you have a place for all of your clothes." She reappeared in the doorway, "Thanks for being such a good sport about today. I've never met a guy that likes to shop for himself. Let alone the way we shopped. We kicked some department store ass today."

I laughed, struggling to make any progress on the homework. "So, what do you want to do for food tonight. We can order in after the long day. Chinese?"

"I was actually hoping to go back out. Can we go to the place up on Broadway and 7^th?"

"The place? What is it?"

"I don't remember the name, but it's that Irish pub. It's supposed to be pretty good though, I remember my boss told me about it last week or something."

"Sounds good. I'm going to try and get some work done for a while."

"I was gonna ask about it. Don't you have an exam this week?"

"Yeah, and I feel like nothing is clicking here."

"Too late for a tutor?"

"Far too late. This should have been making sense a week ago, but I'm still struggling with the base-level theories."

Savannah walked over and wrapped her arms around my body. "You'll do fine. Study hard for me. I'm going to go watch some Netflix in bed."

"Mhmm." I spent the next couple hours frying my brain as I attempted to learn any morsel of this information.

---

I had spent an hour waiting in the booth for her shift to start, but I figured it was far past time to visit Savannah at work and surprise her. The owner was a nice older man. When I had arrived, I asked for him to send her my way, and he smiled with a wink and said, "No problem, pal." Slice of Life, I read on the menu for the thousandth time. I checked my watch and wondered if she was always late to work. The diner was small, with a long bar running down the length, and a single run of booths complimenting it on the opposite wall. Retro and 50's themed, the décor was really fun to pick apart and study the details. Vintage posters, neon word signs, the jukebox that lit up like a lava lamp. Even the red booths still looked ancient yet restored. Next to me in the booth, I double-checked that my red rose bouquet had vanished into thin air. Then I heard her voice from the backside of the restraint.

She rounded the corner with her fanny belt of a smock mixed with pockets, and she was digging for the pen and notepad as she approached me without looking up. Savannah walked up and greeted me without seeing me with, "Grab a Slice of Life, whatcha eating today?"

"I've never been here. What do you recommend?"

Savannah's eyes lit up, and she smiled as she threw her arms around me.

"I heard the service here was great! Wanted to see for myself."

She sat down in the booth across from me and beamed with happiness. "Okay, these are some serious boyfriend points."

"Does this help even more?" I brandished the flowers, and Savannah rolled her eyes in a hyper-dramatic display of affection and swoon.

"Oh my gosh. I am so fucking in with love you." She leaned across the table, and pulled me in to kiss her, then she admired the flowers. "Hey, wait, don't you have an exam in a couple of hours?"

"I've got time, and I feel like I've studied enough." I wish I had convinced myself of that lie.

Savannah only stared across the table with a smile. "I'm so lucky to have you."

"You and me both." I added, "So do people work here or do I have to back and make my food myself."

"Oh whatever." Savannah stood up and pulled out her notepad as she held the flowers in her other hand. "Whatcha want?"

"For starters, I'll need it to be a to-go order."

---

I plucked a stray French Fry from the plate as I ran through my notes one last time. It was Monday now, and I was cramming before the exam. My fries were cold now, but after an hour of studying, I wasn't as hungry as I initially had seemed. The student union was packed with people coming and going, but I was in the zone. That being said, I wanted to do anything but continue reading about neutron stars and their decay rates and radiation outputs relative to—

"Hey, you!"

I looked up to see Kate drop her backpack off on the table and sit across from me at the table. She immediately went to pick at the fries on my plate, but feeling the cold, she chomped sadly on the one fry and did not go for a second round. "Last minute studying?"

"Yeah. Good timing! I needed a break." I closed my notebook. "How's it been for you?"

"I'm getting hung up on the formulas for neutron star decay rates, but it's not too bad."

"You and me both." I rubbed my eyes as I added, "Think we can get Morgan to cancel this?"

"No chance." Kate said, "Savannah texted me the party info by the way! What should I bring for it? I know it's a way's off, but is she a wine girl? Whiskey, tequila?"

"If it gets her buzzed, that girl will drink anything."

Kate laughed, "She's great. You two look fun together. And I gotta say, props to you for going all out on the costume this year. Most guys wouldn't be able to turn on that fun side of themselves for a party or gag."

Was this what it was? A fun side? I wondered how Savannah saw it sometimes...