You emerge from the bathroom and see Lee standing there. Whatever the expression on your face is, it causes Lee to look at you regretfully.
"I'm okay," you say, not sounding very sure of yourself. The truth is, you aren't, but you can't bear to see Lee nervous like that. "Can we sit down? I think you ought to know what's been going on. I'm just starting to figure it out myself."
You and Lee sit in the living room, and she listens intently as you explain every change you've noticed in the past two days: every minor bit of hair growth and waistline reduction, every case of mistaken identity.
"...and it wasn't until you gave me this haircut that I finally saw the subtler changes. My eyes and my lips are completely different. Even my nose is smaller."
"I noticed you don't have any hair on your arms, either," Lee says quietly. She sounds as serious as you.
Then you realize something else. "You just reminded me," you say. "I haven't needed to shave in two days. I can't believe I didn't notice I wasn't growing any stubble."
"When I got here, at first I thought you were a girl, and you're right that it's not just because of the hair," Lee admits. "Whenever I look at you, it just seems like the truth."
"Well it's not the truth," you say sternly. You get up out of the chair to punctuate your statement. "I don't have breasts. My crotch is the same. Anatomically, I'm no different from any other man."
Lee's next words sound hollow, like she's processing them as she speaks them. "It's just on the outside. What others see." She appears to be staring at nothing. "You're becoming a girl to others, but not to yourself."
"What does that mean?"
She blinks and her gaze returns to normal. She looks up at you. "I read this book once, about public identities and private identities," Lee said. "It talked about how we all have at least two personas; the person we pretend to be among others, and the person we really are that we never show to anyone. Maybe this is some kind of physical manifestation of that theory..."
As she continues explaining, you sit back down. She talks about different motivations people have for creating false fronts and split personas, how they do it to fit in, or to feel superior or to deal with trauma.
Eventually it gets too complex for you to understand, but just listening to her voice has a calming effect. It feels good to be sharing this with someone else. You don't even think about the fact that the two of you have only just met. Your conversation takes many twists and turns. You end up talking about daily things like what books you read and what actors you like. For just a little while, you forget about your body. All you can think about is how beautiful Lee is, not just on the outside, but the inside. The way she thinks and feels seems totally right. You want to do nothing but get to know her.
Your chat is finally interrupted by Cole, returning from work. Lee says "hi" like nothing is wrong. In fact, you've been so distracted you act casually as well until Cole looks at you and cocks his head.
"Is that you?" he says skeptically.