Chapter 36

You know that moment you wake up and remember that yesterday wasn’t a dream? Yup. It was that moment. 

I had gone to bed early last night, right after K left. It’s not that I slept. I didn’t. Instead I ran through all of the memories I’d made with K. Meeting her for the first time in The Coffee Exchange. Our private book club. When she swapped for the first time and surprised me with a kiss. Making out in the bookstore stacks. The mind-blowing sex. Serenading her with karaoke. The look on her face when she broke up with me. And repeat.

This wasn’t my first breakup. When Daniel’s brief high school girlfriend dumped him after prom, that hurt. But at least he kinda saw that coming. No matter how inevitable I knew that it was, it still felt like it came out of nowhere.

I knew I’d eventually need to get out of bed today. I had to work tonight. I just didn’t know how to face the world.

All I had left was this gift she had given me. Her body. Her life. A cynical part of me wondered if she had used me. Or had I used her? Did she steal my life, or did I steal hers? No matter how many times I went over it in my head, I couldn’t reach any conclusion other than that we both got exactly what we wanted.

The breakup was mutual. 

At least that’s what I kept telling myself.

What if I called her up and told her I was OK if she swapped into guys? I’d gladly put aside my non-attraction to men if I could be with her again.

Then I realized how stupid that sounded. It wasn’t fair to either of us.

And I cried again.

Sometime in the morning I decided I really wanted to talk to someone. I couldn’t talk to anyone in the Guild as they had no idea that K and I had permanently swapped. They didn’t know I was D. Then while replaying my short relationship with K, I remembered my sister. Maybe I could talk to her?

I grabbed my phone from the nightstand, found Alyssa’s number and texted “she broke up with me.”

No, wait. I didn’t want to do that. But I couldn’t unsend, so I rolled over and cried myself to sleep again.

* * *

A knock on the door woke me up. No—a banging.

Willing myself out of bed, I trudged to the door in order to make the cacophony stop. I opened the door to find my twin sister standing there holding grocery bags.

“You weren’t answering your phone,” she said, pushing her way into my apartment.

“I was sleeping,” I said, rubbing my tear-crusted eyes.

Alyssa put down the bags and hugged me. “I’m so sorry, Kay.”

“I loved her,” I replied. “So much.”

“I know you did.”

After our hug, she rummaged through the bags she brought. “I brought my patented breakup kit. Mac and cheese. Ingredients for grilled cheese sandwiches. Spray cheese. And some cheesy chick flicks.”

“That’s a lot of cheese.” 

“I know. Only the best for my sister.”

“I have to work tonight.”

“Then we’d better get started,” she said, taking the ingredients over to the stove.

“Hey, Aly?”

“Hmm?” she replied, pulling her cheese collection out of the bag.

“Thank you. I really appreciate this.”

“That’s what sisters are for. Now, first order of business—Kay, please go put on some pants. It’s freezing in here.”

I looked down and realized I was only wearing an oversized t-shirt and panties.

* * *

After I put on some flannel pajama pants and a hoodie, I plopped down on the futon in front of the TV. As I tucked my legs under me, Aly brought me a steaming bowl of mac and cheese and placed it on my lap.

“I made it just the way you like it, with extra butter and heavy cream instead of milk,” she said, as she sat down next to me. “So, what happened?” 

Food first. I took a bite of the comfort food. The cheesy warmth filled my soul. I felt better already. But what to tell Aly? She wouldn’t believe the truth. That’s part of the reason I didn’t want her over. But I’m going to get asked this question for at least the next few days, so I better come up with a believable story. “Umm… we agreed to see other people.”

“But why?”

“I think we just wanted different things in our relationship. She felt she was holding me back.”

“Holding you back? That should be your choice, not hers. What a bitch.”

“She’s not a bitch.”

“She hurt my sister. I don’t care if she’s a saint. She’s a bitch.”

“I still love her.”

“Yeah, that happens. Doesn’t change the fact she’s your ex—and a bitch.”

I grimaced at her. I don’t think I was winning this conversation.

“There are other girls and guys out there,” she said. “I can hook you up. Or maybe Alex knows someone?”

“I dunno. I just came out of the closet five days ago for my now-ex. I think I should take time for myself to see how that changes what I look for in a potential date. Before I rush into anything.” 

“Gosh, Kay, stop being so mature and reasonable. You just got broken up with. Be angry! Scream! Throw something!”

I giggled. “I spent all night and morning alternating between sad and angry. But this mac and cheese is making me feel all happy and loved.” I took another steaming spoonful.

“Good. It’s important to remember that you’re loved. That I’m your sister and I love you and will always be here for you.”

“Thank you Aly,” I said, nudging her with my knee. “That means a lot more to me than you know.”

Alyssa took the can of spray cheese, tilted her head back, and sprayed it directly into her mouth. She then handed me the spray can, and with her mouth full of cheese, asked, “Now. Which movie do you want to watch?”

I took a hit off the spray cheese too, then handed the can back to her. “What’re our options?”

Today was Day One of being Kaylee. Well, technically it’s Day Six, I think, but until this morning, I was D, role-playing Kaylee. Now I’m just Kaylee. There’s no more D. There’s no more swapping stone. No more Guild. No more college. I’m not even a guy anymore. Hell, I’m not even trans anymore.

I’m now Kaylee. I have a job. A twin sister. And… all the possibilities in the world.

* * *

Three days had gone by. It was now Friday, and without the Guild and K, I was Kaylee uninterrupted. I had started to get used to my new life.

It helped that I had a job to keep my mind off what I gave up. I added a few extra shifts and have been working every night this week.

Last night I even stayed late to help some of the staff decorate the restaurant for Christmas. The holiday cheer was certainly making my lonely isolation weigh heavily on me.

It’s not that I was completely isolated. Aly and I have been talking on the phone every day now. When I told Penny that I broke up with Sydney, she promised me another brunch date next week. I think she may have let it slip that I was single again because Sean, one of the waiters, asked me out. I declined of course, citing that I wasn’t ready for dating again. 

Of course, that reminded me that I, “Kaylee,” came out as bi only a week ago. But I had zero intentions of ever dating guys. So maybe I’ll come out as lesbian after some time has passed from my initial outing on Thanksgiving.

I wasn’t scheduled to work tonight. While I was considering taking a shift anyway, Penny encouraged me to take some time for myself. So, here I am, at home. Alone. With my stacks of books. Did K really read all of these? I scanned the shelves in my apartment to find something to read, narrowing it down to two fantasy novels.

Before I was ready to settle in for my quiet evening with a book, there was a knock at my apartment door.

Who could this be? I didn’t think it would be Aly since she had said she was busy this weekend. I doubt Dad would come over unannounced, and Penny doesn’t know where I live - at least I don't think so.

I opened the door, and to my surprise, Daniel was standing there. Daniel, my former body. Awkward doesn’t begin to describe how I felt staring at him on my porch. Like a character from one book, showing up in a different unrelated book.

“D-Daniel,” I sputtered. “Hi.”

“Hey, Kaylee,” he said, timidly. 

“Why are you here?”

“Well, I’m the one with the car,” he chuckled. “And we figured you didn’t want to see Sydney. So here I am.”

“We?”

“Listen. The Guild is having a going away party for Jasmine and Gabriel. They want you there.”

“Me?” I asked. “Umm, but I’m not part of the Guild.” Not anymore at least.

“I know. Neither is James. But we all consider you a friend. And we want you there.”

I let out an audible sigh. He mentioned they thought I didn’t want to see Sydney. He must know about the breakup. “I guess you heard that D and I broke up?”

“Yeah, we heard. I’m sorry about that.”

“Wouldn’t it be awkward? You know. Me and my ex at the same party?”

“Then don’t interact with her,” he said, as if it was the easiest, most obvious solution in the world. “I know Jasmine and Gabriel want you there.”

I wanted to reply with, “It’s not that easy,” but sensing defeat I said, “you’re not going to take ‘no’ for an answer, are you?”

“Nope,” he grinned.

“OK, I guess,” I replied. “But, I don’t have anything to wear.” Last-ditch effort to get out of this.

Daniel looked at me, smirked, and put his hand on his hip. “Girl, don’t give me that,” he said in a very effeminate tone. It was striking to hear that coming out of my old voice. “Don’t treat me like I haven't been a girl too and used that same excuse to get out of shit. Get your cute little butt in there and pick out a dress.”

“OK,” I said, nodding. Frankly, it was kinda scary to hear that tone coming from Daniel, so I backed into the apartment to do what he said.

“If I were you, I’d dress to make her jealous.” He winked.

“We’ll see.” I don't think I own anything like that.

Daniel cleared his throat, and his voice returned to its normal masculine tenor. “I’ll um… wait outside. For your privacy. But I’ll be here - unless you want to drive yourself.”

I suppose I could drive myself. Having my own car there would help facilitate a quick getaway. But a nostalgic part of me was eager to ride in my old car. “That’s fine. We can ride together.”

“I’ll be right out here,” Daniel smiled, stepping outside the door and shutting it between us.

I scanned my closet. Make K jealous, eh? Flipping through my dresses, I pulled out a little black number and held it up against my body. Short. Low cut. Perfect.

I stripped out of my comfy clothes, put on some sexier panties and a bra that wouldn’t be visible under the dress’s neckline, and then slid the little black dress on. Finding a pair of black shiny pumps, I put them on too. I checked the mirror and… Wow!

I didn’t know I owned this dress. The V-neck really enhanced my modest boobs and the hem was scandalously short.

I looked sexy and couldn’t keep the smile off my face. Grabbing my purse, keys and coat, I then joined Daniel outside.

“Wow,” he said. “Damn, girl.”

“You said ‘Make her jealous’,” I explained while fishing the lip gloss out of my purse and applying it.

“I did. You’re making me jealous.”

“You have a girlfriend, Daniel.”

“I didn’t mean to date. I’m jealous of you. Someone get me the stone!”

I smirked. “I’m not in the Guild, remember?”

“I remember,” he said, opening up the passenger door for me. “Your chariot awaits, m’lady.”

I laughed to myself. My former car is about as old as a chariot. “Why thank you, sir,” I smiled. “Where to?”

“Well, we couldn’t get a party room in the Student Union on short notice, so we settled on Jasmine and Morgan’s apartment.” He got into the car and we drove off towards the campus.

* * *

It had only been four days since I was last at Jasmine and Morgan’s apartment, but walking towards it still felt odd. Like I haven’t been here in forever. Like I was an outsider.

Daniel walked into the apartment first, holding the door open for me.

The moment I stepped into the apartment, the people inside yelled, “Surprise!”

“What?” I said in confusion. “What is this?” Everyone else was there. Everyone else from the Guild: Jasmine, Gabriel, Antonio, Morgan, and Sydney. James was there, too. “I don’t understand?”

Across the living room wall was a banner that read, “Good Luck, Jasmine, Gabriel, and Kaylee!”

“It’s our going-away party, silly,” Jasmine laughed.

“But,” I replied, “I was never part of the Gu—” It was then I realized K must’ve told them.

“D, I told them,” Daniel said. “It was only fair.”

“Yeah,” Antonio added. “K was really broken up over it. Actually we all were. We couldn’t let you go without a proper send-off.”

I turned back to Daniel. 

He smirked. “I couldn’t lie to them. Not after everything you’ve been through.”

I cocked my head. “K?”

“That’s me!” he grinned.

“You’re Daniel?”

“Why are you so surprised? I kept saying my next swap was going to be a guy. It was only fitting to swap into Daniel to get a taste of the person who gave me this awesome gift. I’m glad you picked that dress by the way. It’s new. I actually bought it for you, before… you know.”

“That was clever, D,” Antonio said. “Trading away your spot in the Guild—and the university—so K could get in. I just wish you would’ve told us.”

“That’s because you would’ve talked us out of it,” Daniel said to Antonio with a smirk. He then turned back to me. “Sorry I lied to you. If I told you right off the bat I was K, I was worried you would shut the door in my face.”

Would I have? I dunno.

“Leave her alone, K,” Jasmine giggled. “She’s mine now.” She took my hand and led me into the living room. 

Someone started playing music on their cell phone.

“D… I mean Kaylee,” Jasmine said. “I’m so happy for you.”

“I don’t know what to say.”

“Say you won't be a stranger,” she replied. “Say we’ll be friends forever.”

“We’ll be friends forever, Jasmine.”

She hugged me, squeezing the air out of my lungs. After the hug we sat down. “So what’s new, Kaylee?”

“Other than… you know?” I asked.

“Other than that.”

“I’ve just been working.”

“I am not looking forward to getting a job,” Jasmine mused.

“It’s not too bad. It’s my first.”

“How are you doing?”

“I’m fine,” I said, a bit ambivalently.

“If you need to talk, I’m here. If you just want a girls’ night in - or out. I’ll be here for you. Or your place. But I’d need a lift.”

“Thank you, Jasmine. I appreciate that. My twin came over Tuesday morning and helped me with the breakup. But it would be nice to talk to someone and not have to lie about what actually happened.” 

“I can be over tomorrow if you want. I could grab a tub of ice cream?”

I smiled. “That would be nice. Something with chocolate, maybe?”

She nodded, but the look on Jasmine’s face said she had something else on her mind. “So Kaylee - I want to run something by you.”

“Run something by me? What is it?”

“I really love Lauren. And I see us getting serious. But if we’re going to be serious, I need to be truthful.”

“Oh. What were you thinking of telling her?”

“The partial truth. That me and the former Jasmine swapped places.”

“She might not believe that.”

“Well, we’d have to do what we did with James and… K. Prove it to them.”

“I can’t imagine what Lauren would do.”

“I wish we would’ve told her from the get-go. So much wasted time with her thinking the Guild was some crazy S&M cult.”

“She wasn’t ready to listen yet.”

“I know. But, this could end poorly.”

I looked up at Jasmine and felt all of the pain I had from the past few days resurface. “It could.”

“But this is the right thing to do, isn’t it?”

“It is,” I admitted. “If you love her, and expect her to love you back, she needs to know who you are.”

She placed her hand on my shoulder and smiled.

I wondered if that conversation was for my benefit or hers. I had done the right thing being truthful with K. Thankfully K had the benefit of already knowing the Guild existed. Lauren will have no such privilege.

We both joined the rest of the group who slowly started flowing into the living room.

Sydney came around, passing out filled solo cups of liquids of unknown origin.

I took a sniff. “Whoa!”

“Syd, stop trying to get us drunk!” Jasmine giggled.

The next person to see me was Gabriel. He came over and gave me a big bear hug, picking me up off the ground and twirling me around. “I’m so happy for you, Kaylee.”

“I’m happy for you too, Gabe.”

“You did a speedrun of the Guild experience,” he said. “You figured out your gender and preferred body in two and a half months! It took me a year!”

“It took me three years!” Jasmine added.

“It feels longer than that,” I admitted.

“It tends to do that,” Gabriel replied.

“We should really include that in recruitment,” Daniel said. “How many members have come out as trans now?”

“Let’s not get ahead of ourselves, K,” Morgan said. “You haven’t even had your first Guild meeting. We still have to go over the rules with you.”

“Sorry,” he smirked. “I’m just super excited.”

“I know you are,” Antonio said. “But I’d like to discuss and vote on new recruitment strategies first.”

“For what it’s worth,” Sydney affirmed, “I think you’re right. We need to include trans people in our strategy.”

“No business discussion tonight,” Antonio huffed in frustration. “It’s a party!”

Suddenly I felt my arm being pulled.

“Hey, girl,” James said. “I want you to try something.” 

I didn’t say anything as he pulled me into the kitchen and over to the stove.

“First of all,” he said, giving me a hug. “I’m so sorry about K.”

“Thanks,” I replied. “It’s OK, I guess.”

“But you're good otherwise?”

“Yeah. Yeah, I am.”

“And congrats. Damn, girl. You look fine. It’s a shame I don’t swing that way.”

I giggled. “Thank you. I think.”

“But seriously. I’m glad you found yourself. It’s like my baby girl is all grown up. Here. Try this chili.” He pulled a wooden spoon out of a pot, held it over his cupped hand, and brought it over to me.

I took the spoon and took a small bite from the chili.

“Dang… that’s good,” I replied.

“The secret is cranberry sauce!” James bragged.

* * *

A few hours later, the party was starting to wind down. Antonio and James were the first to leave. Morgan fell asleep on the couch holding her drink. Gabriel came by and took the solo cup from her limp hands before she spilled it.

I was getting a little buzzed, and tired. My body language was definitely putting out “I’m ready to go” vibes.

“Can I drive you home?” Daniel asked me. “Or do you want to wait for Sydney?”

I thought about it. I had been mostly avoiding Daniel the whole night. Once I learned he was K, I did the normal just-broke-up thing and kept away from my ex. Sydney looked like she was in the middle of a conversation with Gabe so I decided it wouldn’t hurt to take Daniel up on his offer. “Sure, you can drive me home.”

We each got our coats, and I picked up my purse. We said our goodbyes. He held the apartment door for me, and we headed into the cold night.

The air was colder than usual, making me regret the short dress I was wearing.

We rode to my apartment in silence. When he pulled up to my apartment, I could tell he wanted to say something, so I hesitated before opening my car door.

“I’ve missed you,” he said.

“It’s only been three days,” I replied.

“I know. I didn’t consider how much this would hurt. You didn’t call.”

“Was I supposed to?”

“No. I guess not. I didn’t want you to disappear from my life.”

“Aly forbade me from calling you for at least four weeks. Standard breakup procedure, she says.”

He chuckled. “You’ve been talking to Aly?”

“She’s my twin. She’s been really good to me this week.”

He sighed. “This just proves we made the right decision.”

“Oh?”

“I wouldn’t have reached out to her if I was still Kaylee.”

“You wouldn’t? But she’s your sister.”

“Yeah, and I hadn’t really forgiven her after all these years. You forgave her for me. And you forgave Dad.”

I looked at her in hurt confusion. “I didn’t know I wasn’t supposed to do all of that.”

“No, it was OK. Like I said. You were better at this than I was. I’m sorry. We should stop talking about this. I just like talking to you.”

“It’s OK,” I replied. “I would still like to talk to you too. Even if it goes against what Aly says.”

“But I want to give you space, too.”

“Well, don’t give me too much space,” I chuckled.

Daniel didn’t laugh at that and instead looked concerned. 

“What I mean is it’s been hard and lonely,” I explained. “I was going to settle down with a nice book before you came to my door tonight.”

“Listen,” he looked at me. “Kaylee. Please don’t shut yourself down. Please don’t bury yourself in your books. I know that’s what the old Kaylee would have done.”

“The old Daniel would have as well,” I admitted.

“That’s what happened after the whole Nick and Aly betrayal. I shut down. Moved out. Buried my head in my books and job for years. I want you to live your life. Go places. Do things. Date people. Write stories about your adventures.”

“You should do the same.”

“I will. But I want to make sure you’re OK. I love you too much to watch you hide yourself. Please, promise me.”

“I promise.”

He looked at me and forced a smile. “Can I ask you for something?”

“What?”

“May I have one last kiss?”

I cocked my head, “Are you OK kissing this face?” I pantomimed a circle in front of me.

“Only if you’re OK kissing this one.” He rested his chin on the back of his hands and smiled and blinked his eyes playfully.

“You’re weird,” I giggled.

“So are you,” He stuck out his tongue.

I then realized we were in each other’s original bodies. It wouldn’t be intimate like our first kiss. But maybe that’s a good thing? I do owe him. So much. “Yes. You can have a last kiss, K.”

We both leaned closer. He caressed my cheek and I closed my eyes.

Our lips touched for the last time.

* * *

One Month Later

I laid down on my bed and then answered the phone. It was from Morgan, but I knew it was really K. We called each other most mornings until last week, when the holidays took precedence.

“Hey,” rang Morgan’s voice.

“Hey, you,” I replied.

“How was your Christmas and New Year’s?” she asked.

“I got so many cute clothes!” I gushed. “I’ve never been gifted girls clothes before. Mom couldn’t understand why I was crying.”

“Aww. That’s so sweet. I got a car.”

“A car?”

“Well, Morgan got a car. It’s used. It’s old. It has a CD player. But it’s totally awesome. What else happened?”

“Aside from that, I spent some time with Aly and Alex. Went bowling. Went to the movies. Last night for New Year’s, Alex tried to hook me up with one of their enby friends.”

“Oh?”

“Unfortunately, they just weren’t that interesting.”

“Sorry.”

“How was yours?”

“Well, I came back to campus for New Year’s. Went out to a club. A $100 cover, but it covered food and champagne at midnight. I still have a hangover.”

“Sweet deal. Who’d you go with?”

“It was a double date between me and Chloe and Daniel and Kristy.”

“Really?”

“Yeah.”

“You did a double date on New Year’s Eve?”

“It was Chloe’s idea. She invited me, then invited Daniel and Kristy as a thank you for hooking us up.”

“Cool. Are you and Chloe a couple?”

“Nah. M doesn’t want Morgan in a permanent relationship just yet. So the Chloe thing is casual. I think Chloe prefers that too. So you didn’t kiss the enby friend when the clock struck midnight?”

“Absolutely not! We had zero in common. Except having Alex as a friend.”

“Oh, Kaylee, I’m sorry you didn’t have anyone on New Year’s.”

“It’s OK, K. I’m fine.”

“Are you sure?”

“I’m positive. I’ll date when I’m ready. Are you ready for the semester?”

“I’m stoked. I haven’t decided who I am going to be yet. Antonio wants me to take it a week at a time. I want to be everyone.”

I chuckled. “For once I agree with Antonio. Take it slow.”

“I just want to make up for lost time.”

“I get it.”

“I just picked up a new book. Another lesbian romantasy. Are you interested in reading it with me?”

“Sure. That'd be fun.”

“Oh, hey - gotta run. Jasmine and I are going to brunch. Talk tomorrow?”

“Sounds good. Enjoy!”

I put my phone down and wondered what I was going to do with the day. I had to work tonight, but otherwise had the afternoon free.

I recalled what K had told me after the party. About making the most out of my new life. True, I could do whatever I wanted now that I’m Kaylee. But who do I want this new Kaylee to be? I learned so much from the Guild. I enjoyed the natural leadership of Antonio. The sexual confidence of Morgan. The fierce loyalty of Gabriel. The sweetness of Jasmine. Even blank slate Sydney taught me so much about myself. I had been all of those people at one time. 

So who am I as Kaylee? Maybe I don’t need to know right away.

I stared at the laptop bag propped against my nightstand, then suddenly thought of something I could try. Perhaps before I seek out new hobbies for the new Kaylee, I try out an old hobby from the old Kaylee?

* * *

As I entered The Coffee Exchange, the door made its familiar jingle. I hadn’t been here since breaking up with K. Actually, I hadn’t been here since becoming Kaylee, either.

I sat in Kaylee’s usual spot, took my jacket off and pulled out my laptop from its bag. 

Before I was able to log on, a steaming cup of matcha latte was placed in front of me. 

Standing there was the smiling Natalie. “Hey, stranger. I got you your usual.”

“Oh, hi, Natalie,” I said. “Thank you.”

“I wasn’t sure if you were coming back,” she said, with a concerned look on her face.

“Oh, well, you know. With the holidays, I didn’t really have any free time.”

“I hear that,” she replied. “I wanted to make sure I paid you back for that wonderful dinner.”

“Oh, you don’t owe me anything,” I said, making a dismissive hand gesture. “That was all Luigi.”

“But still. We fellow service workers gotta have each other’s backs. This coffee is on me.” Her smile disarmed me.

“Oh, well, thank you - you really didn’t have to.”

“Where’s your friend?”

I paused and my smile faded from my face. “My umm.. friend?”

“Yeah, you used to be together with her all of the time.”

“Oh. Well. Um. We broke up.”

Natalie's eyes widened and she turned red with embarrassment. “Oh my God. I’m so sorry. I didn’t realize. I’m sorry for bringing that up.”

“No, it’s fine,” I replied. “It happened before the holidays.”

“Oh, well… still. I’m sorry again. I should go back to the counter before I embarrass myself anymore.”

“Natalie, you’re fine. It's OK.” I smiled.

“Well, there’s a customer waiting anyway.” She smiled back at me and left to tend the counter.

I turned my focus back to my laptop. After logging in, I pulled up a blank document.

I recalled what K told me after the party. 

“Write about my adventures?” I mumbled. “What adventures?” I chuckled. “The only real world experience I have is unbelievable. It’s practically fiction. It’s…”

I started typing the title.

The Secret Guild of Body Swappers.

It’s fiction. Nobody would believe it. I can write from experience. And it would be tantalizing and fun.

I kept typing. “Daniel was not muc—” Wait, no. I don’t want to use real names. I backspaced and replaced it with “Darren.”

“Darren was not much of a nightclub goer, but he found himself in the clubbing district of his city anyway.”

I closed my eyes, smiling as nostalgia washed over me.

Before long I had a whole chapter finished. I asked Natalie for my tab and started packing up my laptop. Natalie left the paid receipt on my table and walked away with a smile. “Bye, Kaylee!”

“Bye, Natalie,” I replied. I picked up the receipt. Sure enough, I owed nothing. But then I saw a phone number and Natalie’s name written on it with a heart. I looked back towards her.

Natalie gave me her number? Was she into girls too? Was I ready to move on and date again? 

The cute barista with sapphire blue hair looked back to me and our eyes met. Her face turned bright red as she feverishly started scrubbing the espresso machine.

Maybe I was ready to date again? I put her number into my purse and waved to her as I walked out of the door.

She waved back. What was the rule for how much time to wait before calling someone’s number?

* * *

Antonio, Morgan, Sydney, and Daniel were briskly walking down the street, weaving around club-goers, each of them dressed in their best club attire.

“So tell me again about who we’re following?” Morgan asked.

“Hold on,” Sydney replied, pulling up his profile on her phone. “Corey Franklin. 20. Junior. He’s in the marching band. Total egg.”

“What makes you say that?” Daniel asked.

“Of the people I talked to,” Sydney said, still reading from his profile, “Corey displays the stereotypical egg traits. He has cosplayed as a girl for the past two Halloweens. His favorite video game characters are all women. He always chooses female D&D characters.”

"And you think he’d be a good candidate to take over Sydney after graduation?" Antonio asked.

"I found someone who checked all of the boxes," Sydney replied. "Music major. Potentially trans. Minimal family life."

"What about women candidates?” Antonio asked. “I'd like us to get back to three and three." 

"I've found one potential girl," Morgan said. “A Delta girl. One of Ella and Lauren’s sorority sisters.”

“Oh, that’ll be fun,” Daniel remarked. “We’ve never been in a sorority before.”

"I’m still looking for another. Jasmine’s helping me look too." 

“Looks like Corey and his friends turned into Club Q,” Antonio observed. 

The four entered the club and grabbed a table near the back. They studied Corey. 

Corey watched longingly as his friends started dancing amongst themselves, only stopping to check his phone. At least once per minute.

“Do you want drinks now or after we talk to him?” Sydney asked.

“After,” Morgan said. “In case she has a preference.” She leaned into Sydney. “Are you ready?”

“Yup,” Sydney confirmed. “Let’s do this.”

“Good luck, ladies,” Antonio said. 

Morgan and Sydney sauntered over to Corey.

As they got closer, Corey looked up at them, then looked away. He assumed the two hot girls were not here to see him. Until they were at his table.

“Hi,” Sydney said. “Corey, right?”

Corey looked at Sydney with passing familiarity.

“We ran into each other at the Music building,” Sydney said to jog his memory.

“Oh, yeah,” he said. “Sydney, right?”

“Right,” she said. “And this is my friend, Morgan.”

“Hi,” Morgan said, offering her hand to Corey.

“Nice to meet you,” Corey said, shaking Morgan’s hand timidly.

“So what brings you out tonight?” Sydney asked.

“My friends dragged me out,” he replied.

“I was telling Morgan here that you run a D&D group.”

“I love to role-play,” Morgan said, leaning over the table with a suspiciously wicked grin on her face.

“Yeah, It’s totally a fun time,” Corey agreed enthusiastically.

“I don’t get it,” Sydney said, feigning ignorance. “What is it about role-play that is so exciting?”

“Being someone different,” Corey responded. “It’s fun to be untied from who you are in the real world. When you’re role-playing, you can be anyone.”

“That does sound pretty fun,” Sydney said, winking at Morgan.

“When can we join?” Morgan asked.

“Join?” Corey blurted. “Well, uhh… I typically have a game on Tuesdays. But occasionally I’ll host a game just for beginners.”

Morgan leaned into his ear. “How do you feel about starting a game… now?”

“Now?” Corey gulped.

Morgan smiled devilishly. “Do you want to join an exclusive club?”

Author Notes and Acknowledgements

Thank you for reading!

Wow. When I started writing this in June 2024, I didn’t expect it to finally finish a whole year and 20 weeks later. Seriously — two Halloweens have passed since I published Chapter 1!

What started as a fun erotic tale to complement the darker Cate Fox and absurd Suitable Crush quickly became one of my more popular stories. And I appreciate everyone who shared it around multiple Discord servers. Nothing gives me more joy than readers discussing my stories.

Why did I end the story here? Well, this is the end of D’s story. Our protagonist isn’t in the Guild, and isn’t even D anymore. I’m confident she will have many new adventures as Kaylee. I’m also confident the Guild will continue to have more adventures and get into some trouble as they always do. Whether or not those stories are written by me. I already know of one Guild fanfic that was waiting for the main story to finish, and which I’ll be linking to next week.

And who knows? Maybe we’ll see Guild characters in the larger Emily-verse, in future stories.

As I do every story, I want to thank my editors - ETSD and Elron, and new for this story, Penelope Moore. Without them I don’t think I’d still be doing this. Or maybe I would, but the stories would be littered with typos. They provide such an invaluable service to me. Plus, I get that instant feedback on whether the next chapter is any good or not. They always have my ear when proposing character backgrounds and crazy plot developments and let me down gently when I am too eager to share a very rough draft.

Thank you to all of my readers. It’s no secret that I do this as a hobby for you all. I love to see your thoughts, feedback, theories, and fan-art. Keep them coming!

Lastly, you can leave a comment here, or reach out to me via Discord.

You can find the links to my Discord, my website, my BlueSky, and all of my other stories free and premium at my Linktree (https://linktr.ee/tfemily).