Perfection takes time, and Nadia learned that intimately. She puckered her plump lips as she applied the lip balm. These soft lips were hers. She loved that. With each stroke of the eyeliner pencil, confidence oozed as she tilted her head back to see the results of her craft.

She stretched and yawned, every taut inch making her acutely aware of her body. The woman staring into that mirror was Nadia. "Looking beautiful," she whispered. She grabbed the hem of her dress and spun around, an excited giggle escaping - post-relationship therapy after Anita's rejection.

Her cellphone vibrated on the sink. Her soft hand enveloped the device as she unlocked it to read the text from her friend checking in. Her face softened with a smile, feeling a warm pang in her chest at the concern.

"Sorry! How about tomorrow? I'm not feeling good tonight," she typed back. It was a lie, but her friend had no idea about Samir's secret life as Nadia. Returning her attention to the mirror, she adjusted her pink neckline to ensure her soft mounds were prominently displayed. This body was a source of pride.

Unlike Anita, who thought her disgusting, this was Nadia - unapologetically herself. Tonight would be unforgettable. A girl's night out to prove she was more woman than Anita could ever be.

Nadia moved her cellphone into the air, angling to capture her best assets in the frame. The flash popped as she hit the photo button multiple times, capturing a woman completely happy with herself. Reviewing the photos with a giggle, she hit send without checking the recipient - a mistake, as it went to the last person she texted: her friend.

"I bet she'll be jealous," Nadia chuckled, tucking her phone into her hand as she moved away from the mirror. She grabbed her Louis Vuitton purse from the nightstand - Samir never spent money on himself, but Nadia loved to splurge. Taking her keys, she prepared to paint Chicago red.

When no response came, Nadia paused at the door. "Anita would've responded by now," she muttered, unlocking her phone screen. In that moment, she saw the truth: she hadn't sent the photos to Anita, but to her friend. "Dammit!" Worse still, the read indicator showed her friend had seen it and not responded yet.

Panic set in. She could lie - claim to have a woman over. Her friend would believe it; that was very Samir. But another thought emerged: "Why should I hide?" After deleting several attempted lies, inspiration struck. She typed simply: "Yeah, I am on X-Change, and proud of it." Now she could only wait, wondering what her friend was thinking - and if they would see her the same way Anita had.