A cousin’s joy

You take a breath. The eggs are cold. The kitchen is quiet except for HAVEN's ambient hum and Chloe's face on the screen, waiting.

She already knows. She's already there. Just say it.

"Yeah. I'm transitioning."

The words come out steady. Simpler than you expected.

"OH MY GOD I KNEW IT. I KNEW IT. Riley, I literally—hold on—" Chloe's face disappears from frame and you hear her talking rapidly to someone off-screen. "Mom. MOM. Riley's—no, I'm not telling you, it's her thing to tell—no, I'm not—okay FINE." She reappears, slightly breathless. "Sorry. Mom says hi. And that she loves you. And also that she's not listening but she is absolutely listening."

You laugh. It's involuntary and it feels good.

"Okay. Okay. So tell me everything. Start from the beginning. How did you—when did you—was it the house? Did something happen?"

So you tell her. All of it. The lost suitcase. LUXE locking onto you as Chloe. The morning routine protocol. The heels and the dresses and the makeup. How you fought it at first—how you tried to find men's clothes and the cleaning drones took them. How you walked into town dressed like her and nobody questioned it. How it felt.

"Wait. Wait wait wait." Chloe holds up a hand. "You're telling me LUXE—the system I spent THREE YEARS programming my preferences into—dressed you in my clothes every single day and you didn't immediately call me?"

"I was embarrassed."

"Riley. I would have DIED for that content."

"Chloe."

"Sorry. Sorry. Continue. I'm listening. I'm being supportive." She mimes zipping her lips.

You tell her about the job. About Margot. About coming out to her and being accepted instantly. About the friends you've made—Priya, Wren, Janelle. You don't go into the Janelle details. Not yet. You tell her about the therapist appointment tomorrow. About the breast forms LUXE gave you. About how it all started as a trap and became something else entirely.

"So the system that was supposed to be my personal stylist accidentally gave you a gender crisis," Chloe says slowly. "And then you realized it wasn't a crisis at all. It was just... you."

"Yeah."

"Riley." Her voice goes soft. The performative energy drops away. "I'm so proud of you. You know that, right? This is—God, I wish I was there. I wish I could hug you."

"You can hug me when you get back."

"You better believe I'm hugging you. I'm going to hug you so hard your ribs crack." She pauses. "Also—I need you to know something. My friend Suki from college? She's trans. She transitioned sophomore year. She's the coolest person I know and she's going to LOVE you. I'm texting her right now."

"Chloe, you don't have to—"

"Too late. Already texting. She's going to be your new best friend whether you like it or not." Chloe grins, then her expression shifts to something more serious. "And Riley? The LUXE thing. I can fix that when I get back. I can add a profile for you. Your own wardrobe, your own preferences. You won't have to wear my stuff anymore."

You hadn't thought about that. The idea of your own LUXE profile—your own clothes, chosen by you—lands somewhere warm and terrifying in your chest.

"But also," Chloe adds, her voice lighter again, "if you want to keep borrowing my Reformation wrap dress, I'm not mad about it. You wear it better than I do."

"I do not."

"You absolutely do and I have photographic evidence now thanks to that selfie. I'm saving it. It's my new lock screen."

You're smiling. Actually smiling. The kind that reaches your eyes.

"I love you, Chloe."

"I love you too, cuz. Now go eat your sad eggs before they get sadder. And call me after your appointment tomorrow. I want every detail."