a little more normal

I smiled. Despite wanting to go further with Cho his red cheeks and shy smile made my heart beat faster. "Sure." I took Cho's hand, I never realized how small and delicate his hands were, and started towards the living room.

"What are you doing?" He pulled his hand free nervously covering his chest with one hand and clutching the hem of his dress in the other.

"Going to the living room so we can watch TV, like we always do?" Cho shrank nervously away. "Hey, no one else is here. We've got at least three hours." I gave a reassuring smile and this time offered my hand. Cho hesitantly took my hand, obviously fighting his fear of exposure with his trust in me.

I slowly lead him out of my room, allowing him to become comfortable with being dressed as a girl in the light of day outside of my small room. I sat him on the divan, or as my dad called it "the love seat". "Are you thirsty?" I asked Cho who looked so cute as he **** his knees together and pulling his shoulders in, in an attempt to make himself smaller and harder to see. He simply nodded up at me. I released Cho's hand and gave him the remote so he could find something to watch while I found us some drinks.

In the kitchen, I poured two glasses of Gatorade for us, I filled Cho's up 4/5ths of the way and added a splash of vodka, not enough to get drunk and maybe not even enough to catch a buzz, but enough to relax Cho for the next couple of hours. "A bit of social lubricant." As my brother called it. Returning I saw that Cho had settled on a movie. "Thank you." Cho set his glass on the coffee table.

"Coaster."

"Oh, sorry." Cho quickly slid a wood coaster under his glass.

"It's okay, you know how psycho my mom gets about rings."

"Yeah, she's kinda nuts." He chuckled nervously.

I settled in next to him and did the same with my own glass. Every so often our knees would touch and I would cautiously pull it away. I didn't want to rush Cho. I wanted him to be comfortable, dressed this way with me. Ten minutes into the movie and I realized Cho had picked a romantic comedy. I decided I wasn't going to bring it up to him.

An hour into the movie Cho leaned into my chest. I was truly amazed at how one dress, a scrunchie, and some panties transformed my best friend into a beautiful girl. I decided to take a risk and put my arm around him slowly, brushing my fingertips against his smooth skin when I had done so.

Cho didn't protest, he didn't say much of anything other than to comment on the movie, proclaiming the male lead was a jerk when he broke the female lead's heart right before the inevitable reunion where they shared a kiss. Cho sat up, looking away from me and the television. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing." He lied.

"You don't have to do that, you know you can tell me anything." I gently rubbed his back with one hand, sitting up to meet him.

"I know...It's just..." he rubbed his forehead like he always did when he was frustrated. "No one will ever kiss me like that." He shook his head sadly. As much of a virgin as I was, Cho was even more so. He had never had a date, let alone a kiss. I had at least had a kiss. Gina Tompkins on the jungle gym in the second grade. Cho said it didn't count because she pushed me off immediately after. But a kiss is a kiss!

"Hey, that's not true. You're beautiful, anyone would be glad to kiss you."

He turned to face me. He looked as though he was on the verge of crying. "Who?!" I looked into Cho's shining brown eyes, I never realized this was so important to him.

"Well... like me. For instance." I blushed furiously. Did I really just tell him I wanted to kiss him? God, what if I scared him off and now I've lost my best friend!