When Kate walked into the office, a brief silence fell over the main floor. Her body had changed enough to draw attention. Her breasts were fuller, rounder. Her waist had slimmed, and her hips had become more pronounced. Her white shirt was open just enough for anyone looking to notice she wasn’t wearing a bra. The short skirt clung to her curves like a second skin, revealing most of her legs. Her high heels clicked confidently with every step, drawing even more eyes.
Male heads turned. A few jaws dropped. She could feel their gazes burning into her back as she walked to her desk. That’s when the comments started.
“Whoa, Kate, did you join a gym or something?”
“That’s quite the... outfit for a construction engineer.”
“Trying to distract us from project deadlines, huh?”
She smiled awkwardly, tossed out a few sarcastic replies, and tried to focus on her computer screen. But her skin crawled, and she thought to herself: "Why did I ever think working with men was tolerable? They’re all pigs."
The one bright spot in her day was Lisa. Kate insisted on working closely with her all day. Lisa was happy—she admired Kate, almost seeing her as a role model. By mid-morning, they were chatting like old friends during their coffee break. Kate found herself leaning in closer than necessary, laughing a little too loudly, brushing Lisa’s arm during conversation. It wasn’t calculated—it just felt natural.
At lunch, she reached over and gently tucked a strand of hair behind Lisa’s ear.
Lisa blushed, clearly startled. “Um... thank you.”
Kate smiled. “Sorry. Force of habit.”
Lisa returned the smile, though a little hesitantly. Kate didn’t notice. She had already made a quiet assumption: Lisa must be gay. Just shy about it.
Then a message lit up her phone. It was from Stella, explaining Dr. Crowley’s ultimatum. Kate responded quickly with reassurance, telling her how proud she was. But what she didn’t write was the flood of anger rushing through her veins. How dare he threaten Stella—her Stella? Another arrogant man, trying to put a woman back in her place.
The world would be better without men running everything, Kate thought. Better still if they were just... subservient. Or, even better, absent. Kate envisioned a society populated only by lesbian women. This would be a paradise.
Throughout the afternoon, Kate’s attention stayed fixed on Lisa—watching her every move, reading into every glance, every hesitation. When Lisa complimented her shirt, Kate felt a warm rush. Kate thought: "She’s interested, she told herself. She just doesn’t know it yet."
And Kate understood that—she had spent so long repressing her own desires. If not for the Cult’s videos, she’d still think she was straight, blind to the joy of female attraction. As she was thinking about it, she realised while she kew she had several boyfriends, she couldn't remember any of them: not even their name, nor their face.
Finally, when Jack O’Brian came into the office to check their work, Kate felt a strange pang of jealousy as she noticed Lisa smiling at him.
At the end of the day, as they said goodbye in the elevator, Kate gently kissed Lisa on the lips. Lisa froze for a moment, startled, then gave a forced smile.
“Kate... that’s nice, but I’m not—”
Kate interrupted her. “I know. It took me a long time too. But one day, you’ll be ready to come out.”
Then she stepped out of the elevator before Lisa could explain the misunderstanding.