Tomboy

The rest of the weekend crawled along uneasily for the three. Jodie continued his routine but he constantly seemed lost in thought and only spoke when he was asked a question he couldn't get away with answering silently. Saturday, Eric tried to ask Jodie about what was bothering him but Jodie refused to respond to any question about what had set a gloom upon him. His nightmare had left him shaken, and he found himself reevaluating everything, every high five, every fist bump, every hug, every kiss, and conversation he had with Eric.

Lauren just did her best to make her friend feel better, keeping her friend to her routine of makeup and dressing in her corset, watching sappy drama movies and sharing ice cream with her on the couch. Her attempts provided little distraction from her own worries and job woes. One good thing to come out of their mutual sadness was it gave the girls time to get to know each other better. Jodie found he had to do very little editing to his life so Lauren wouldn't realize who he used to be. After hearing about some of the things she had suffered from her parents, finding out she had a **** problem in the past was not a surprise. Lauren wished now more than ever their mother was here to talk with Jodie. She knew all too well the importance a good parent played in one's life. She also knew from experience that parent needn't be your own.

Eric hid his dreary mood from the girls as best he could but it was harder for him than he let on. He was a fixer, he wanted to fix whatever was bothering Jodie but she wouldn't even tell him. That morning had been the first time since they started sharing a bed that they didn't wake up wrapped around one or another in some way. His small bed may as well have been ten acres wide for how empty it felt to him. Sunday he tried apologizing, Jodie's only response was, "what for?" She did have a point, he didn't know what he was apologizing for but he hoped it would help. He knew she wasn't mad at him since he wasn't sleeping on the couch that weekend. But the longer Jodie was sad the more he blamed himself for not helping her.

Tiffany had tried to reach Jodie directly several times when she didn't respond to her in the group chat. Even Janet began to worry for her. Finally Lauren told them Jodie was just under the weather.

Monday morning, hours after Eric had kissed her goodbye, long after breakfast and meds, Jodie's phone rang for the tenth time that day. Finally he picked up, "Hello?" He croaked barely lifting his head off of his pillow.

"Jodie. Hey, it's me." It was Adam.

"Is everything okay?"

"Well I'll be honest, not really." Jodie's throat clenched, after all of this was he getting fired anyway?! "This new girl they got to replace you is just god awful." Somehow he felt relieved he was still secure in a job he didn't want. "I swear if she wasn't on probation I would kick her ass to the curb already. She has no idea how to make a decent cup of coffee. She can't type for shit, and I'm not even sure she knows her alphabet." Adam growled, Jodie could just picture him clenching his jaw and cracking his knuckles as he often did when angry.

"Is that really the reason you called?" Jodie's voice was filled with snark. He hadn't meant to say it but between his mood and his meds his lips had become awfully loose.

Adam didn't hear it as the indignant question it was from an annoyed employee, but rather a playful comeback from his girlfriend. Adam laughed, "No I guess it's not. I actually find myself missing you."

"You saw me Friday."

"Yes but... not in your usual position." He smirked.

"Well, hopefully I'll be back later this week." Jodie was completely exhausted and missed the dual meaning of Adam's words.

"Good. I can't wait."

"Me either." Jodie rolled his eyes, "besides I gotta, like, pay off my surgery anyway since, like, my insurance doesn't kick in until next month." Jodie briefly wondered if he didn't pay would someone come and repossess his breasts?

"Don't worry about that. I'll take care of it."

"What?"

"I was going to HR later anyway. Might as well make it official right?" Adam smiled nervously, thankful he was behind a phone. He had slept with many secretaries over the years but Jodie would be the first he would classify as his girlfriend. That thought alone made him nervous. He didn't do relationships, but there was something about Jodie that made him want to try.

"Okay. I got, like, a doctor's appointment coming up soon." Jodie left out that it was scheduled for Wednesday so Adam might end the conversation.

"Okay, I'll let you get ready for that then." There was a long pause before he spoke again, "Jodie?"

"Hmm?"

Adam thought better of it, he didn't want to say it on the phone but face to face, under candlelight at the most expensive restaurant. "Feel better soon. Okay?"

"Okay."

Adam hung up before taking a sip of his coffee and immediately pouring it into the trash. "Simply awful."

Tuesday, Jodie was beginning to feel better, though he still dressed as masculine or conservatively as possible, which with his wardrobe wasn't much beyond one pair of fuzzy blue pajamas. After an attempt to cook on his own while Lauren had gone out to meet "someone" his only masculine clothes were ruined by splattered flour. As he stood in his room in just his makeup, green panties and matching bra a thought occurred to him that he couldn't believe he hadn't thought of before. That evening when Eric walked into his apartment he was shocked to see Jodie wearing one of his old jerseys. The shirt hung more like a short dress clinging to her hips in a way Eric had only fantasized about.

"What's uh...what's going on?"

"Just doing laundry." She bent at her waist as she pulled a handful of clean clothes out of the dryer. Jodie was completely unaware of the peep show she was giving Eric or that her perfect ass was perfectly on display.

Turning Jodie placed the basket on one hip and Eric saw for the first time how his old shirt clung to her new chest. "My...jersey?"

"Oh this? Like, I figured it wasn't a big deal since Lauren was 'out'." Eric was too stunned to even think what she could mean, "Is it okay? Do I look totally stupid?"

"No." Eric's voice filled with lust.

Jodie, of course, had become accustomed to the looks of lust from men lately, especially in Eric. "I think we should talk."

"No talk." Eric slowly closed the distance between them and slid one arm around her waist and the other held the back of her head as he kissed her fiercely. Some part of Eric knew they should have a frank discussion and be open with their feelings but that part of himself was not in control. Eric wanted nothing more to ravage her right then and there. Nothing in the world would stop him from taking what he wanted. Needed.

"Wait." Jodie pushed a hand against Eric's chest stopping the large man in his tracks, "we need to talk. About us." She looked up at Eric with her soft, pleading, blue eyes.

Eric sighed, "Okay."

Not feeling comfortable sitting so close to Eric on the couch for fear she might lose control they say across from one another at the table. "We've, like, um... you kiss me a lot now."

"Am I bad at it?"

"No! No. You're great actually. That's... actually kind of the problem."

"I don't understand?"

"Eric...so much has changed...in crazy ways I never dreamed of." Didn't she?

"Good things though."

"Some are. Yeah." Eric frowned, had he been wrong? Was Jodie only pretending all this time? They had never truly discussed their feelings for one another since all of this started. "Eric, you're my best friend." Eric braced himself for a monster sized gut punch. "I don't want to lose you but I also want to be honest with you and how I feel." Already Eric didn't like this. "You deserve so much better than a guy with tits."

"You're not. You're a beautiful woman."

Jodie blushed, "When you say it I almost believe it."

"Then I won't stop saying it." Eric smiled.

Jodie cleared her throat, "I know this all started because I screwed up but I...well, like, I love... being with you. I was thinking since, like, we're pretty much... together for now we could, um, like, keep going. Once this is over of course you can get a real girl if you want. I can even help."

"What if I just want you?"

"I'm... I'm not...I don't like guys...but...um," Jodie swallowed hard, "...I don't know if it's something that's, like, always been there, or something new, but like, I like like you."

Eric smiled, "I don't either. I just know I like like you too." Jodie returned Eric's smile as she held back tears of joy. She may have lied a little. She didn't just like like Eric. She believed she loved him, but she had never felt love so she couldn't say got certain. Only that her chest would explode if they didn't kiss again soon. Did he love him? Or did he love her? Would they work out? What would his mom say? That would come later, right now she wanted to revel in the fact she was actually dating her best friend.

Jodie stood, tucking her hair behind her ear, "then...I think I should get back to folding clothes." She said as she walked by Eric only to be pulled into his lap where she erupted into a fit of screams and girlish giggles she hadn't realized she was capable of.

"Think again, babe." Eric kissed his girlfriend passionately for several minutes. Between her fits of laughter she had wrapped one arm around Eric's shoulders and another cradled his head as their kissing became more when he lifted her up and laid her back down on the table. Eric's excitement had returned along with something more. Relief? Joy? Love? He felt more confident than ever if he told her how he really felt she would reciprocate, but not now. Lauren is right. The moment needs to be perfect. He would come up with a plan later. Right now his only thought was if the table would hold.

They would find out later that it did not survive when setting up for dinner they lost a large bowl of ziti.