Transformed

"I'll never say another word," she said, unaware that she was talking and feeling like someone who'd dress the way she was dressed.

"As nice as that might be, not talking would make it very hard to get to know you."

He ran his fingers along her cheek then said, "And I want to know everything about you."

Whatever Megyn might have thought about being kissed by someone so much younger than her was forgotten when she saw Danny and Andrea doing the same thing.

"Wow. Two sets of best friends becoming best friends with two other best friends," Brent mused as they watched their...friends...kissing.

"I had a wonderful time, Brent," Megyn told him. "And I'm really glad I listened to Andrea."

He put his arms around her and said, "Me, too."

They just held one another for a good ten seconds before one last, short kiss.

"If you don't give me your number, it'll much harder to call you," Brent told her when the kiss ended.

"Oh, gosh. I forgot. Yes, that would make it impossible, wouldn't it?"

"Difficult but not impossible."

"Oh?"

"I'd find you. And I don't care how long it would take. I would find you."

"Then let me save you a lot of time," she said as she held out her hand for his phone.

Danny saw them and said, "We took care of that two hours ago."

"We're taking it slow over here, okay?" Brent said, never taking his eyes off of his teen angel.

They all said goodnight then got in their cars leaving the girls alone for the first time since they went inside hours earlier.

"I think I'm in love," Andrea said, pretending to swoon as she started the car.

Megyn didn't say anything, and that confused her.

"Didn't you have a nice time?" she asked.

"Yes. Maybe...too nice," Megyn said in a kind of whimsical tone.

"What? How can it be too nice?"

"Let's not talk about it now, okay? I just want to hold onto these memories a little while longer."

"He's gonna to call you," her friend assured her. "And Danny's going to call me, too."

"Right. Of course they will."

Megyn still couldn't believe what had happened, and was mentally preparing herself not to be too disappointed when it didn't. Andrea bubbled on and on about Danny the whole way home, and didn't seem to mind that Megyn had so little to say.

Back home Megyn took another look at herself before getting undressed and wondered if the price she was paying was too high. But she realized that if she was paying a price there must be something she could get in return, and as she thought about Brent being who he said he is, she concluded it might be more than worth the cost.

The next morning, which was closer to mid-day, she woke up thinking about him and the previous night while she lay in bed. She'd been out cold for hours, and when she reached for her phone she felt her heart skip a beat. When she saw two texts from Brent, it raced as she sat up to read them.

"I just wanted to tell you that last night was quite possibly be the best of my life, and no, I'm not exaggerating. I can't wait to see you again, Megyn. Please let me know when you're up so I can call."

"Oh, my god," she said quietly as she opened the second text.

It was sent 45 minutes later and said, "I've never met anyone like you before. I've dreamed of meeting a woman like you, but until I saw you, I wasn't sure one existed. Now I know the woman of my dreams is real."

Her head was now spinning as her heart continued pounding.

"How can this be real?" she asked herself. "We just met. It...it can't be real. Can it?"

She reread both texts twice then said, "But why then does it feel so real? And more importantly, why does it make me so happy?"

Megyn needed a friend and hoped Andrea was up.

"Hey," came the sleepy reply.

"I woke you up, didn't I?"

Andrea opened an eye and saw the clock.

"Yeah, but I need to get up. So...what's going on?"

Megyn dumped it on Andrea. All of it.

She was halfway through a cup of coffee when Megyn finally asked, "What should I do?"

"What you've been doing," was her friend's simply reply.

"Which is...what?"

Too tired to laugh, Andrea did her best to explain.

"Let's start with the transformation since you spent a lot of time on that. In the past, you believed that you were being true to yourself by dressing and looking like...you, right?"

"Yes."

"But you were never really happy, were you?"

"No. Not really."

"Now, after trying something you always thought would make you miserable, you're happy. So why wouldn't you embrace what's working for you and stay with it?"

"Okay. That's true, but what about Brent?"

"What about Brent?"

Andrea was driving her crazy, and Megyn was exasperated.

"He's...a kid!"

"Megs? Brent is not a kid. At least not like any kid I've ever seen. He's a grown man who, according to everything you just said, is mature, conscientious, thoughtful, and kind. Oh, and honest to a fault. Lastly, he's a United States Marine. So tell me again, in what way is he a 'kid'?"

Megyn was even more frustrated because Andrea was right. She wanted to say something to prove she was wrong, but the truth was, everything she said was true.

"I hate you," Megyn said, admitting defeat.

"No. You hate being wrong, and that's okay."

"But...it's SO hard to change!"

"It's simple, Megyn. Do you want to be right, or do you want to be happy?"

That was rhetorical, and Megyn knew it.

"Okay. You convinced me."

"No. What happened with Brent convinced you. You just needed me to reinforce it."

"I love you," Megyn said, a smile appearing on her face.

Andrea smiled, too, and told her best friend she loved her, as well.

"So...what's next?"

"Well, I have a date with Danny, and you have a date with Brent. So...duh!"

Both of them laughed then agreed to call one another when they knew when and where they'd be going. With their handsome, younger men.

When she was alone again with her thoughts, Megyn reread Brent's texts then got ready to send him one.

"I had a wonderful time last night, Brent, and if you'd still like to call me, I'm up and about."

She hit send, and as she was setting the phone down it rang, startling her.

"Hi!" Megyn said cheerfully when she saw his name.

"Good m...afternoon," Brent said, a smile on his face. "You doing okay?"

"Yes. Just fine after a good night's sleep? You?"

"Yes. Danny and I just finished a ten-mile run, and I feel like a million bucks."

"Ten miles? Are you serious?"

Brent laughed and told her they ran together 4-5 times a week.

"Do you run ten miles every time?"

"No. We mostly do five, but anything from 3-15 is fair game."

"Oh, my word! Fifteen? You run fifteen miles?"

"Occasionally, yes. I take it you don't run?"

"I feel like such a slug," Megyn told him without answering his question.

"Do you swim or ride a bike?" Brent asked with no hint of anything but curiosity.

"Um...I know how to ride a bike," she replied a little sheepishly. "Does that count?"

"Tennis? Badminton? Chess?"

Brent was being playful, but Megyn was feeling guilty.

"Yes, not really, and not at all."

"Maybe we can play tennis one day."

"It's been a long time, but I've wanted to get back into it," she said before adding, "I played in high school and wasn't too bad."

"Then I'll look forward to that. And speaking of looking forward, do you mind if we double date with Danny and Andrea?"

Megyn felt better and smiled.

"Not at all. That sounds wonderful."

"So...do you like sushi?" Brent asked in a hopeful tone.

"I love California and shrimp tempura roll and the big shrimp themselves," Megyn offered, hoping her disdain of most other raw fish didn't come through.

"Ah. So you're an ebi girl," Brent said with a little laugh.

It took Megyn a second, but she realized 'ebi' must be shrimp in Japanese.

"Yes. I'm not big on, you know, raw eel and...."

"No raw fish. Got it."

He then asked her, "You up for another late night?"

She laughed then reminded him she was old and needed her beauty sleep.

"Old. Please. Gimme a break. And the one thing you do not need is beauty sleep. Trust me."

"I do. Trust you," Megyn said sweetly, loving that she felt like he was someone she could trust.

"How about 8 o'clock?"

"Eight sounds perfect."

"Danny's driving, and I'm sure Andrea will give him your address, but if you could let me know yours...."

She gladly gave him the information, and before he hung up she asked him a question.

"Was what I wore last night really okay? It wasn't too...childish?"

He'd told her pretty directly he loved it, but she was still kind of wrestling with the enormity of this sudden change.

"Megyn? I have a...type. I know that's shallow, but it's the truth. And to be, well, truthful, you couldn't have looked better to me. So I guess the more important question is, 'Do you feel comfortable, you know, dressing like that'?"

She smiled and told him she did. What she didn't say was, "As long as I'm with you," which was what she was thinking. When Brent said 'goodbye' she went to her room and looked through the other outfits she'd bought and decided to be even bolder. As she looked at an outfit that would have been anathema to her just a few days ago, she found herself getting excited to wear it.

"For Brent," she said out loud as the feeling of new love washed over her. For once she didn't think about how old she was or he wasn't. She just wanted to be with him and for him to think she was beautiful.

Andrea called an hour later and said she just got off the phone with Danny.

"He called right after we hung up, and we've been talking the entire time!" her friend bubbled.

"I had a very nice call with Brent myself."

"Megyn? I think I really like this guy."

Megyn thought for a moment then said, "Yeah. Me, too."

Andrea squealed, and while that wasn't normally Megyn's thing, she did, too.

"Are we out of our minds?" Megyn asked when they got quiet.

"Maybe, but it's been so long since I really liked a guy, I don't care."

Again, Megyn replied with another 'me, too' comment before they squealed like teenagers again.

Megyn was ready by 7:30 and drove to Andrea's where her friend was almost ready herself. When Andrea saw her, she nearly squealed again.

"Look at you! You look amazing!"

"I look like I'm...12," Megyn said, a look of concern on her face.

"No you don't," Andrea said, which made Megyn feel better until she said, "You look at least 16."

"Ugh! You!!!" Megyn said as Andrea laughed then told her again she looked great.

She had another short skirt on which was difficult enough. This one was black, and below it she was wearing white, thigh-high stockings with a top that was very similar to the pink one she wore the night before. This one was white with a v-neck but otherwise the same. It hugged her body like a glove and accentuated her boobs in the front and her tight waist in the back.

She wore a pair of white sandals with it and even put a black and white bow clip on her hair in back. The craziest thing was that she felt young and sexy, and if Brent complimented her there was no telling where the night might take them.

Lastly, she had a black choker around her neck which completed the look, and Andrea told her again the whole thing was very cute.

"And sexy!"

She didn't have to wait long as the doorbell rang at 7:58.

"Can you get it, Megs?" Andrea called out as she removed the last of the big rollers in her hair.

She went to the door, closed her eyes and prayed neither of them would say anything about her looking like...a little girl.

"Hey!" Brent said as he came in first.

He had a bouquet of flowers to hand her but stopped and gave her the once over and then a twice over.

"Oh, wow. Megyn, you look...stunning!"

"Hot as hell!" Danny said as he walked in and saw her just as Andrea came out.

"Speaking of hot. Hot...damn!" Danny said when he saw his 'girl'. "Brent. Check her out!"

Andrea was wearing a short, brown leather skirt with a dark-green knit top and some gold hoop earrings, and she looked sensational.

Both Brent and Megyn said, "Wow!" together when they saw her.

Andrea pirouetted as she said, "Thank you. Thank you. Don't hate me cuz I'm beautiful!"which caused everyone to laugh.

Danny then handed her a bouquet, and Megyn thought she saw her best friend start to tear up as she hugged him with her free arm and thanked him.

"Danny's crazy about her," Brent said very quietly as he leaned Megyn's way.

"She really likes him, too."

"Huh. Fancy that. And I really like you," he told Megyn as he turned to face her.

"Hmmm. Then I guess it's unanimous, because I like you a whole lot, too."

He moved closer then leaned down and kissed her.

"Mmmm," she moaned softly when his lips met hers.

Danny was in the kitchen nuzzling Andrea's neck as she filled a vase with water. Megyn saw her stop, turn around, then put her arms around his neck and kiss him. Danny wrapped his arms around her, and the kiss got serious.

"Wow. He really does like her, huh?" Megyn said as Brent put his arm around her shoulders while they watched.

He looked at her then said, "He does. And just so you know, he and I are a whole lot alike."

"Yeah? Same for Andrea and me," a very happy Megyn told him as she put her arm around his waist.

"Oh, yoo-hoo! Excuse me?" Brent called out, interrupting the kiss that taken on a French quality.

"Oh. Sorry," Danny said, having forgotten they were even in the room.

"I'm not!" Andrea told them, a huge smile on her face as she turned around and finished with the vase.

"Okay. Are we ready?" she asked after sliding the trimmed stems into it.

"Let's roll!" Danny said as they headed for the door.

Megyn couldn't believe how happy she felt as she and Brent sat in the back holding hands, talking quietly, and occasionally laughing and/or kissing. By the time they got to the Buckeye Karaoke Junkies Bar and Restaurant, Megyn knew where he was born and raised, what he enjoyed doing, why he went into the Marine Corps, and why he wanted to make it his career. So far there wasn't a single thing she didn't like about him, and the fact that he was very intelligent, drop dead gorgeous and an amazing kisser were just icing on the cake.

"Karaoke, huh?" Megyn said when she saw the sign. "Does that mean someone might be singing tonight?"

"That depends."

"On?"

"On whether or not my best girl will sing with me."

"Oh, no. Not me. Uh-uh. I am a terrible singer!"

Andrea was listening and couldn't help saying, "You don't have to sing, Megyn. You can be a Robert Palmer girl."

Both of them loved his song, "Addicted to Love" and had seen the video with the heavily made up girls pretending to play musical instruments many times. It was all faked, but guys all around the world didn't care. Even those who didn't like the song watched to see his girls swaying and gyrating--even when they were out of synch.

"Hey! Are you calling me a bimbo?" Megyn asked as though she were offended.

"What? No. I'm just pointing out that with Brent's voice and a fake guitar, you two could bring the house down."

She looked at her friend then said, "No. Check that. You'd need a whole lot of deep-red lipstick and a ton of eye makeup. Still, you'd be quite the hit."

"I think she's perfect just as she is," Brent said in her defense even though it was all in good fun. "And you could join us, Andrea."

"Oh, yeah!" Danny said. "I want to see my girl rocking the air guitar!"

An hour later they were doing just that to "Addicted to Love" as Brent did an amazing job with Robert Palmer's voice as well as the the way he handled a microphone--stopping and staring at the camera during a musical pause. And they did bring the house down as the crowd demanded more.

While performing, Megyn was holding an electric guitar someone handed her when Brent dragged her onstage with him. She was standing almost still, just barely turning, while staring into a fixed point in space just like Palmer's guitar babe. Some of the patrons were already well lit, and one guy who'd been hootin' and hollerin' yelled, "You are so fucking hot!" which caused the place to explode with applause and whistles.

When they stepped down off the stage they drew a standing ovation. Brent stopped Megyn then bowed which made the crowd roar. She, staying in character, deadpanned the audience and did a little parade wave. The same drunk guy hollered out, "If you ever get tired of dating a little boy, Daddy here will take good care of you!"

There were some 'oohs' as people waited to see what 'Robert Palmer' might do, but he didn't have to do anything as Megyn called back, "Daddy? Don't you mean...Grandpa?"

The guy was probably 40, but the place went nuts, and the drunk guys friends razzed him hard.

"You guys were fantastic!" Andrea said as they rejoined her and Danny.

"She's not kidding. You guys, um...rocked!"

At around 11pm Danny pushed Brent to go back up with Megyn, but he wouldn't do it unless he and Andrea joined them. When they got on stage the cheering was even louder. When the song "Simply Irresistible" began playing the place exploded.

There wasn't a lot of space, but there was enough for the two women put their arms around one another and 'shinny walk' like the Palmer girls. The whistles were deafening, and the music was amazing. Danny couldn't sing, but he played a mean air guitar as the girls again imitated 'The Girls' and got another standing O when they finished.

On the way home, Brent drove, and the quiet in the car, in comparison with the Karaoke bar, was almost eerie. Megyn looked over her shoulder and saw the couple in the backseat whispering and cooing, and that made her smile. Moments later she stopped smiling when she heard Danny say, "God help me, but I'm falling in love with you."

She tried not to react, but Brent heard it, too. He glanced her way and smiled as Megyn cautiously shrugged her shoulders a bit and furrowed her brow as if to say, "What was that I just heard?"

Brent reached over for her hand then said, "Don't freak out, okay?"

He said it very quietly, and Megyn assumed he was referring to Danny's comment. What he said next did freak her out.

"I'm falling for you, too, Megyn."

Her eyes opened so wide it made Brent regret what he'd just said even though he meant it. The reason it freaked her out wasn't because they barely knew one another. Rather, it was because she was thinking the very same thing before he said it. She would have never said those words for fear he'd think she was desperate or maybe even insane, but she was definitely thinking them.

"I just scared you, didn't I?" he asked, a look of sadness on his face.

She squeezed his hand then told him, "No. Not at all," before confessing what she'd been thinking.

The sadness disappeared and was replaced by a smile that caused Megyn's body to react.

"So we're okay?" he asked.

"Okay? We're more than okay."

She laughed quietly then told him, "You had me at hello."

He laughed, too, then reminded her he didn't say 'hello'.

"And for the record, you had me at first glance. I fell for you the moment I saw you."

He lifted her hand up and kissed it then looked her way.

"Now I'm really gonna scare you."

"You can't," Megyn assured him as she waited for his words.

"I love you, Megyn. I know it's early, but...."

She pulled her seat belt off, moved as far left as she could, and put her arms around him and kissed his cheek.

"I love you, too, Brent."

And no matter how crazy that sounded, it was true. For all of them

******

The two new couples continued dating the rest of that year as they got to know one another in well, rather intimate detail. They double dated, they hung out as a group, and they were at each other's place as often as work and school allowed.