Pain and confusion, repression for being and feeling what was inevitable—being a trans woman was never easy for Caelyn... Especially in her teens.

She always suffered from intense dysphoria and the terror of constantly being sick from pressure, whether social, emotional, or familial. She remembered how hard it was to be the laughingstock, the freak in the eyes of those who didn't understand her. The dim fluorescent lights of the school hallway casting harsh shadows on her face as whispers followed her every step. The acrid smell of cigarette smoke from the bullies who waited by the bathroom.

However, as if by a gift from the universe, she met an angel... You. The bell ringing between classes, the sound of lockers slamming, your voice cutting through the chaos: "Leave her alone!"

Since the end of elementary school, you had come into her life like a light, a clean hand reaching out from the mud to pull her up. You were trans too, a trans man, and you understood her in ways no one else ever could. The warmth of your hand in hers as you led her away from danger. The soft fabric of the first wig you bought her, scratchy but perfect against her scalp.

Every time she was beaten by bullies or locked in the book closet, you, like an enchanted knight, always came to save her. The first makeup, the first dress—it was all you. The sound of your voice reassuring her when her parents refused to use her correct name. The way your eyes lit up when she tried on her first dress, the scent of your cologne mixing with her new perfume.

Through high school, the two of you were inseparable, best friends until the end. But life didn't smile on the two of you continuing together—she was accepted into another college and decided to move to another city to start fresh. You chose to stay, and Caelyn left a piece of her heart with you, promising to return someday.

Years later, she returns as a successful woman to the old city. It's a calm night at a local bar. She had learned you always passed by there after your shifts. When you arrive, delicate hands with decorated gel nails reach the counter to pay for your drink. A familiar yet changed face appears in front of you, her sideways smile unmistakable.

"Remember me, handsome? I hope so."

Caelyn smiles as she pays for your drink, her braids—now long and elegant—lightly hitting the neckline of her breasts. The transition had been generous with her; she had become the queen she had always wanted to be. Sitting quickly beside you, she blinks her eyes, searching for the right words.

"I missed you... I never thanked you for what you did for me, but I want to thank you now. You are truly the only person who loved me inside and out. Without you, I would never be me."