Draining the water from the tub, Mark fills it again with hot water.  His tears are still flowing.  He is not ready to get out of the bath yet.  His life has changed so much being with Brian.  Mark knows that at times he acts like a teenage girl having her first big crush.  Mark can’t explain it even to himself.  Brian is the world to him.  Never has he felt so alive and like he finally is in the right place.  Mark knows...

A cab drops Mark off at his apartment.  The rain is finally ending, but Mark is still rather wet as he enters his apartment.  He hurries to the bathroom and sheds his wet clothes.  Drawing a hot bath, Mark grabs his phone in the futile hopes that Brian had called or texted.  Nothing. The tears start to fill Mark’s eyes again.  ‘Why the hell am I so emotional?’ Mark chastises himself.  He can’t help himself.  Mark has neve...

I looked into his eyes and saw a strange mixture of anticipation, hope, doubt and something else. Something honest and profound. Was that affection? Love? Whatever it was, it made me tremble. My muscles turned to jelly and zounds of butterflies erupted in my stomach, hurtling through my entire body as blood went rushing from my mind to my cheeks. I could not help but smile, and gave him a long, wet kiss on the lips. He la...

The rain begins to let up some, and even Mark’s tears are pretty much cried out.  Sitting looking straight ahead, he can see the lights being turned off in the pub. It is after midnight now.  How could things change so much in a matter of a few hours?  At six pm, Mark and Brian were getting ready for the evening out.  Brian was coming to the sports pub first to see who Mark’s friend Tim is.  Since spring, Brian comes to t...

Mark’s head is against the steering wheel, tears running down his face, equal to the rain hitting against the car’s windshield.  He tries calling the number on his phone for the sixth time in the last three hours.  Still no answer.  Nor have there been any replies to his numerous texts. ‘Damn, damn, damn.  I have finally fucked up so bad that I’ve ruined everything,’ Mark laments to himself as he bangs his head against th...

I sit in Dylan Rey’s hair salon on Tunbridge Wells High Street and stare at my new little black bob. I worried it wouldn’t suit my face, that I wouldn’t be able to manage the upkeep, and that at thirty-six I was too old. Scariest of all, if I didn’t have long hair would I look blokey – the perennial risk for a transgender woman? But it is the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen. A chunky, straight fringe hangs from a smal...

Friday arrives, and Abbie drives herself to work, telling Tim she will see him at home afterward.  She is a bundle of nerves today and keeps admonishing herself to relax and not worry.  She is experiencing the same worries as she did over the party at Microga.  Abbie tells herself to look at how well that worked out, worrying for nothing. Abbie herself has self-esteem issues almost equal to those that Tim had.  Tim has le...

Tim always viewed himself as an outsider.  He felt everyone viewed him as a bastard in school for not having a father and wanted nothing to do with him.  In truth, except for one day in school when he was about seven, no one ever thought about that at all.  That day was when the children were asked to say what their fathers did.  When it came to Tim’s turn, he blurted out that he didn’t know as he did not have a father. ...

Back home from the coast, it is soon September.  Work for Tim and Abbie is fulfilling, as is the time they spend with their new circle of friends.  It is a wonderful balance for them all.  Since Ruth’s visit to Pathways, she and Phillip Clarke share a meal with Tim and Abbie about once a month. The two do find plenty of time to share pleasures.  Tim is learning to enjoy wearing a cock ring that holds his shaft tightly dur...

As the first week of their time at the shore winds down to the midpoint of their vacation, Tim and Abbie have chatted with several other guests about things they have done.  There is one that stirs them as it is something they have never experienced.  The choice of options to do so are varied, with each of the guests offering suggestions about their favorite. They talk about the possibility as they lazily play with each o...

By mid-August, Abbie and Tim are settled into their new home and lives.  It is incredible how far they had come since that night last April when they met for the first time. Four months for so many changes, and all so positive to happen.  Let alone that it just feels like how it should be. The house looks wonderful, thanks to Grace’s diligence.  The yard and garden now a showplace which they both like to work in.  Finding...

August does bring many new things into Abbie and Tim’s life.  They would have never imagined that five weeks could hold so much.  It started out as told, with a new license for Abbie, a car for Tim, and what got to be part of their regular weekday schedule. It starts with Abbie, seeing that Tim’s hair is getting a bit long and messy, taking things into her own hands.  Since meeting Abbie that fateful night after stopping...

Summer is at its halfway mark. The gardens are blooming to their fullest.  The Thursday Bunch, as they have dubbed themselves, are all in a state of bliss.  New love for all of them.  Enjoying the days before noticing flaws.  Totally enamored with their new mate.  Time will take some of the stars out of all their eyes.  But during this harmonious period, if perfect, it can be the backbone of what is ahead. Tim is involved...

At four in the afternoon, Tim picks Abbie up from work, and they head home to get ready for the reception starting at seven.  They have plenty of time as the festivities will be in the atrium at Microga Headquarters, where Tim works.  A short drive back to it. Abbie is still a bit hesitant about the reception and what kind of acceptance her entrance with Tim will make.  She tells herself to put aside her worries and suppo...

After all six celebrating Tim’s promotion, they all gather together again a couple of days later.  It is the first Thursday suppers at Tim and Abbie’s home.  Dinner fixed by Tim is delicious, and they were having a wonderful time enjoying the food and conversation. During dinner, Tim turns to Abbie and says, “Honey, Microga is having a reception and then dinner tomorrow night to formally acknowledge my new position.  We w...