Hopeless Romantic

by Francis Gideon

  Katie giggled—downright giggled—when she put her foot in the water. Nick had to bite back his smile, he was so thrilled.

  “You like the pool? Good temperature?”

  “Oh my God, I absolutely love it. It’s just perfect.” She withdrew her foot from the water and attempted to roll up her jeans even farther. The fabric clearly cut into her skin, splitting her tattoo in half. Nick walked up behind her and placed a hand on the small of her back as he sat down on the edge with her. He kissed her cheek and nudged her slightly with his nose.

  “Why don’t you get on your bathing suit and we can get in?”

  “I don’t have one.”

  “You mean you didn’t bring it? I’m sure there are some here you can borrow.”

  Katie gave Nick that look again. Not you, it’s me. “Let’s just say that I have a difficult body type for buying bathing suits. And wearing bathing suits. I doubt anything in a store will fit me properly, and buying online is too expensive for something I’ll only wear a couple times a year. So it’s probably best I don’t stretch anything here out of shape.”

  Nick closed his eyes, blinking back his frustration. Oh, he had wanted this to be easy. To be nice for her. He ran his hand along her neck and over her spine, kissing the embarrassment away. When that didn’t work, he tugged off his own shirt. He stood by the pool’s edge and started to undo his jeans.

  “What?” Katie furrowed her brow. “What are you doing?”

  “You don’t need a bathing suit to go swimming.” Nick was only in his boxers now, his pants and T-shirt discarded in a pile. Katie’s eyes widened as she understood what was going on. She surveyed the backyard and pointed to the white fence of Nick’s neighbours.

  “What about them?”

  “Don’t worry. Old couple. They go to bed at like eight and it’s nearly midnight now. So they’re dead to the world.”

  Nick wandered over to his parents’ porch lights and flicked them off. The only glow remaining was from the kitchen through the back window and the fixtures by the pool. Nick found the dial for the heat on the pool and cranked it up as well. His father would probably kill him the next time the bill came in, but Nick didn’t want to think about that right now. He tested the water with a toe.

  “Just another minute,” Nick said. “Then the water will be perfect. What do you say? Swim like this—with me?”

  Katie eyed Nick up and down, her smile mysterious. She didn’t say anything.

  So Nick went on. “There is no house on the left—only a fence that leads to a road that no one really uses. This late, no one will hear us. Without lights, no one will see us, either. The water will be warm, too. Come swimming with me?”

  Nick extended his hand. Relief flooded his system when Katie took it. She slid her hands around his waist. “Depends,” she said, her low voice whispering. “If I help take off your boxers, will you help take off my clothing?”

  “Yes.”

  “Then let’s go swimming.”

  Nick pushed his fingers up her T-shirt, touching the soft skin of her back. Heat snapped between them like a lightning storm in the air. He hadn’t seen her completely naked yet. He was scared, but also really, really excited.

  She tugged on his boxers, sliding them down over his ass. Her hands cupped him for a moment, as if feeling his curves and etching his body into her memory. She startled him when she dropped to her knees in front of his body, slipping the boxers off his legs. When she took him into her mouth, he was only half-hard. But from her tongue against him, and her hands under his balls, he was soon hard and leaking in her mouth. There was no barrier between them in this interaction; she’d only gone with the condom the first time because they hadn’t talked about their statuses yet. But they’d had that discussion over text messages, and now, she was more than willing to feel him as close as she possibly could.

  “Fuck.” Nick ran his hands over her shoulders, under her hairline, and tugged on the base of her neck. She slowed her movements, kissing his thighs as she pulled away.

  “No fair,” Nick panted. “I want to see you.”

  “Yeah?”

  “Yes. I always do, Katie.”

  She smiled up at him, kissed his thighs again, and rose to her feet. She discarded her shirt along the way. Nick touched her purple bra—a different one than before, this one with straps—before he reached behind her. He was about to complain as he fumbled over the clasp, since he’d never done this before. But by the second try, the hooks snapped off.

  “Your face is hilarious right now,” she said. “You look as if you’ve just cracked a code.”

  “I kind of feel that way, yeah.”

  “Well, you’re not done yet.” Katie bit her lip as she slipped her bra down her arms and tossed it into their clothing pile. Her nipples were already hard, and as much as Nick wanted to suck on them, he slid his hands around her waist. He kissed her, tongues sliding into each other’s mouth right away. When he felt her cock grow hard against his own, he slipped his hand between their bodies. She had confessed to him in a text message that she didn’t mind the word cock, but something like dick was too vulgar and too associated with men for her. But cock or clit was sexy, she’d said. She didn’t mind either one at all. So, in Nick’s mind, he repeated those words over and over again as he cupped her through her tight jeans.

  “Can I touch you?” Nick asked. “Take you out?”

  “Yes.” Katie almost groaned. “I told you you could. Touch my cock. Suck my clit. Fuck . . .”

  Nick dropped down to his knees now, undoing her pants as he went. Her breath hitched as he slipped a hand inside, pushing her thighs apart before he got her pants down over her ass. She was wearing a matching set of purple underwear, soft and silky-smooth. Nick kissed her navel to the beginning of her underwear, before he began to tug it down too. Her cock came forth after some coaxing, and Nick put his mouth gently against the tip.

  Katie made a small noise in her throat. She placed her hands on his neck, encouraging him with a slow trail of “yes, yes, yes” falling from her mouth. Nick didn’t just want to fuck her like she was a guy, even if she had the same parts. He didn’t want to suck her off; he wanted to go down on her. He wanted to lick her clit, and then touch her cock, before they would eventually get in the pool.

  The pool, he remembered. They had originally been taking off their clothing to go swimming, not to fuck around. Nick replaced his mouth with his hand and glanced up at her.

  Katie’s mouth formed a silent O of protest, before she smiled unsurely. “Everything okay?”

  “Yes. Do you want to swim? Or go upstairs?”

  Katie sighed, as if this was a pained decision. Her pants were still halfway down her thighs, not even completely off yet. She stared at the pool forlornly, and then glanced down at Nick again.

  “I want you. Upstairs. There will be lots of time for swimming, yeah?”

  “Definitely,” he said, kissing her thighs. He licked along a patch of freckles, which seemed to hammer her decision home.

  “Then let’s go.”

  Katie gathered up their clothing and then they wandered through the house naked. Their bags were already stashed on the guest room’s chest at the end of the bed, including Katie’s purse. Nick knew there’d be condoms and lube inside, along with anything else they’d need.

  “You okay?” Katie held her arms across her stomach, her breasts still taut and pink from the sudden rush. Nick’s dick twitched with desire. He pressed his mouth over hers as a response, slowly leaning her down onto the bed.

  The feeling of their skin together was hot, addictive; something that Nick had never experienced before. Katie was skinny under her clothing, and she’d told him over texts that she’d always been pretty skinny, but after years of estrogen treatment, her curves had finally started to fill out. Her hips, thighs, and breasts were fuller to the touch—and Nick wanted to marvel at them all. As he buried his face between her legs, taking her into his mouth again, he felt the brush of her tri
mmed pubic hair on his chin. Estrogen made this hair, like the hair that sometimes lingered on her chest or navel, that much softer like her skin. She smelled different too: nothing like a guy. Her body, even her cock, responded in a way Nick hadn’t anticipated. Though she still got hard, she’d warned him that it may never be enough to fully penetrate due to hormone therapy. Nick ran his tongue around her cock and felt her pulse underneath his touch. She was probably as hard as she was going to get, but now she was getting wet. Pre-come collected and ran down her cock. She gushed when Nick did something she liked, and Nick wanted to keep sucking her for as long as she needed. He wanted to see how different her orgasm would be from his own, and then he wanted to make her come again. She’d confessed that sometimes she could have multiple orgasms, like any other woman. Tonight, Nick was more determined than ever to make that fantasy a reality.

  Katie ran her hands up and down his back as he worked. She dug in her fingernails when the feeling became too intense, and Nick pulled back. They worked out a complex system of groans and marks, their hips and mouths another language between them. When she opened her legs more and more, Nick explored between her thighs further. He licked her balls, and soon brushed her ass with a tip of his finger.

  “Good?”

  “Yeah,” Katie said, her voice thick with arousal.

  “Good.” Nick rubbed his finger against her as he kissed her thighs. “Tell me what you want, Katie. Tell me where to touch.”

  “Fuck.” She cupped her breast in her hand and pinned her own hips to the bed in sudden desire. Nick’s cock responded to each one of her undulations. He wanted to fuck her so badly, and from how she responded under him, he guessed she wanted to be fucked too.

  Nick kissed up her body, from her breasts and collarbone to her lips again. “Katie, tell me.”

  “Fuck me, Nick.” She bit her lip after she said it, then laughed. “Oh, fuck me. Please.”

  “I can do that.”

  Katie motioned to her purse, effectively telling Nick to go inside. He got off of her body quickly, not wanting to prolong the time they were apart. He found lube and a condom, and then slid back onto the bed.

  “You came prepared.”

  “Like a good Boy Scout,” she said. “I was one, you know.”

  “Were you now?” Nick teased open her thighs again with his mouth. “You could have fooled me.”

  “For a while. It didn’t last long.”

  “I’m glad you took away the most important virtue, though. Always come prepared.”

  “Uh-huh.” Katie leaned back into another moan as Nick placed his mouth over her again. As he continued to go down on her, relaxing his throat and letting her fill his mouth, he slipped a lube-coated finger into her. She groaned and writhed on the bed, making Nick even more eager to get going. By the time he was up to three fingers, he was no longer using his mouth on her. She grabbed the back of his neck, pulling him forward to her lips again.

  “Nick. Nick. Stop teasing me.”

  With another laugh, Nick put on a condom. “Face-to-face?”

  “Face-to-face,” she confirmed. She lifted her legs and placed one over his shoulder so he could ease into her. Nick let out a low groan as he went deeper and deeper, watching her face contort in passion.

  “Let me know if it’s too much, okay?”

  “Oh, I will,” Katie said between hitched breaths. “But this definitely isn’t my first time.”

  “Well, it’s mine. So forgive me for being careful.”

  Katie furrowed her brows, as if unsure of what Nick meant. When it seemed to dawn on her—this was Nick’s first time with a woman—she smiled. “Maybe I should have been on top and riding you.”

  Nick’s hips bucked at the thought, plunging deeper inside of her. She shuddered, rocking her hips to match his thrusts. Nick tried to move slowly and put his attention on Katie again.

  “Surely, there will be times to try that out later,” Nick said, panting. “Right?”

  “Right,” Katie said, then rocked her body into his again.

  Nick’s ring tone woke him up. He sprawled across the bed in an attempt to grab his phone on the nightstand before it also woke up Katie. When he realized the bedside table was empty, and that Katie was nowhere to be found, Nick shot out of bed. He searched for her in the hallway, the bathroom, all while his phone continued to ring and bounce to voice mail.

  “Katie?”

  When the front door opened and Felix barked, Nick let out a breath. Katie whispered encouraging words to Felix as she took him into the kitchen and got him a treat. She had clearly woken up much before Nick, and being the responsible one, took the poor dog for a walk. She’s perfect, utterly perfect. Nick wanted to greet her, but decided to put on pants first. As he hopped into his jeans, his phone rang again. He found his cell in his pocket and picked up right away.

  “Hello?”

  “You need to not update Facebook with a geo-tag on,” Levi said.

  “What now?”

  “You’re in town,” Levi said. “And how dare you not let us know or grace us with your presence.”

  “What? How did you . . .?” Nick struggled to comprehend the words until he remembered the night before. When he and Katie went out shopping, he’d updated his Facebook status complaining about how hard it was to find baked goods without any eggs. Facebook must have tagged his location, so now everyone knew he was just outside Toronto.

  Which meant, at least to Levi, that he was free to party.

  “So. Welcome home and all that jazz,” Levi said. The din of traffic sounded on the other end of Levi’s call. Nick wondered if Levi was using Bluetooth or saying fuck it with the new laws about handset devices. Both were possible. “We know you’re around now, so Alex, Michael, and I are all going to stop by and take you out to lunch. Maybe even to a strip club that you refused to go to before.”

  “No, no,” Nick said. “I can’t. That’s not good.”

  “It’s no worry, Nick! I know you have that car issue, so I’m almost there. Driving as we speak. Your parents still live around Whitby, yeah?”

  “No. Don’t come here.”

  “Nick, be nice. You’re here and we’re taking you. I know you’re broke, though, so we can cover you. Whatever the cost. We just want to see our friend.”

  Nick ran a hand through his hair. A mischievous tone laced Levi’s voice, making it difficult to know what he was really planning. From what Nick could recall, the bachelor party had been the night before at a club in Toronto. Nick had declined, though he’d felt bad about lying to Alex about why he couldn’t come. The car had factored in, along with his ominous budget. He had yet to tell them about Katie, though, and now that small blot in his story seemed to loom too large.

  When Nick heard Katie’s footsteps on the stairs, he panicked. If she got the door, Levi was not the type to be polite like Bev or his parents. Levi would ask way too many questions, and as soon as he discovered she was trans . . . Nick didn’t want to think about it.

  “You can’t come here,” Nick said.

  “Oh? You got a boy in your bed? Bring him too.”

  “No. I just . . . I’m not even showered yet. You don’t want to hang around with a smelly student who’s been dog sitting. Look. Let me get ready and then I’ll meet you wherever you want. I still feel bad about missing the party last night. But you know . . . stuff.”

  “I do. But how do we know you’ll show up?”

  “Because I want to. And what else would I do? Honestly, the threat of you walking in on me jerking off while I’m alone is enough to scare me to come out. So tell me the club, and I’ll meet you there.”

  Levi laughed. “Okay, okay. I believe you, Nickie. We’re not going to a club just yet, though. It’s not even noon. We’re not animals.”

  “But?”

  “But,” Levi said, “this is more like a drinking lunch. We need to keep the party going from last night, but also to ease into our waking worlds. Alex and I are picking up our tuxes after th
e meal, since, you know, the wedding is under a month away.”

  “I know,” Nick said. “I haven’t forgotten.”

  “Good. Did you already make arrangements for your tux, then?”

  Nick shut his eyes tightly. Levi took his silence for a negative response.

  “Thought so. We’ll grab yours too when we go. We’re all getting dressed together before the wedding anyway, so the tux may as well stay with us,” Levi said. “It’s paid for, though. Right?

  “Yes. That was something I did do.”

  “Hey, good for you. Now come get drunk with us at a pub.”

  Nick wrote down the name of the bar and lunch spot while Levi was still on the line. He tried to make a couple more excuses about the dog and how he’d have to be back periodically, but Levi didn’t seem to register these as excuses. All that mattered—as ever—was that Nick was there and drinking. The rest were minor details.

  If only all things could be minor details with Levi. Nick made his good-byes shortly thereafter and tossed the phone on the bed. After a moment of mentally kicking his own ass, he heard Katie knock on the door.

  “Yeah?”

  “Hi.” Katie cracked open the door, but didn’t step fully inside. She wore a white top—not a band shirt—with skinny straps that tightened around her chest and then flowed over and down her black jeans, almost like a super short dress. Her hair was pinned back, and she smiled at him weakly. Felix pressed past her and into the bedroom, barking once at Nick.

  “Shush,” Nick chastised, and the dog listened. “Good boy. Thanks so much for walking him.”

  “You were sleeping and I didn’t mind. Is everything okay?”

  “Yeah. I just . . . Did I tell you about my friends Levi and Alex?”

  “I think I remember their names. You talk about Tucker—or even Sam from your classes—a lot more.”

  Nick nodded. Sam and Tucker were the quieter versions of Alex and Levi. The thought made him sad, as if he’d replaced his old life without qualm. “Well, Alex is the one getting married soon, and Levi is the other best man.”