Knock. Knock.
The guest room door opens slightly. Miranda's head peeks in. "Yes?" Her vision is blocked by a wall of shopping bags.
"Ah, yes! The clothes!" She swings the door open wider. "Thank you, baby!" She grabs the bags and closes the door again.
"Leila! The bags are here! I'll open them, okay?" Miranda's high-pitched voice carries through the room.
"Okay. I'll be out soon," Leila calls back from the bathroom.
Miranda hums as she opens the bags, commenting on each item she pulls out.
"Oh wow! This is a nice bag!"
"Ah, these shoes look comfortable! Good choice, Leila!"
"Oh, look at this… a T-shirt? Is this Thea's? It must be. Definitely not Leila's—she never wears T-shirts."
The bathroom door opens and Leila steps out. "What are you going on about, Mir?"
"Oh, you know me. Just admiring your things."
Leila walks over to the bed where Miranda has laid out the items. She quickly picks a few pieces of clothing. "Good thing Thea and I are about the same size." Then she hurries back to the bathroom, worry tugging at her.
In the bathroom, Theo is not having a good time. For him, showering is always a horror show. Back home, he would draw a bubble bath just so he wouldn't have to see Thea's body. And if he had no choice but to shower, he'd cling to his sponge like a lifeline, making sure there was always something between his hands and her skin. It was the only way he could keep from feeling like a pervert.
And now… he had to share a shower with Leila. Even though he kept his eyes screwed shut the whole time, it didn't make things any better. If anything, his stubborn insistence on staying blind and scrubbing with the sponge only made Leila more worried. He had tried to argue for separate showers, but Leila brushed him off.
"We're both wet, and should get out of these clothes now. We're both women. And you still have your physiotherapy in two hours. Let's not waste any more time."
And with that, Theo's fate was sealed.
As if that wasn't bad enough, Leila had said she would watch Theo put on the pads, just to make sure he rememberedhow.
Now he's sitting on the toilet bowl with his eyes still shut, knowing Leila could return at any moment with the clothes and pads. His head hangs low as he wonders how on earth he ended up in this situation.
He hears the door open and lifts his head, eyes still shut.
"Thea? Why are you still closing your eyes? Are they hurting you? Should we see an ophthalmologist? Good thing we're already going to the hospital—I'll add that in," Leila decides, not giving Theo the slightest chance to protest.
"Mother, please put on your clothes first." Theo's voice comes out whiny, almost pleading.
Leila sighs. "Alright, alright. I don't see why you're so insistent. Do you find my body disgusting? Is that it? Well, I'll admit things aren't as perky as they used to be, and—"
"Mother!" Theo's desperate voice cuts her off.
"Fine! I'll put on my clothes." Leila quickly slips into Theo's new yellow summer dress—the very one she had begged Theo to wear when summer came.
"You can open your eyes now."
"Are you sure you're decent?" Theo double-checks.
"Yes, Miss Montrose. I'm decent," Leila replies, clearly annoyed.
Theo carefully opens his eyes, cautious not to glance anywhere he shouldn't. When he finally looks at Leila, he manages a smile. "You look fresh and beautiful, Mother."
"I know! I picked this dress for you—it'll look better on you. I'll wash it once we're home." Leila exhales in exasperation. "Now, here. Let me see you put on your pad." The dreaded words finally leave her lips.
Theo looks stricken, so defeated that Leila can't help but laugh. "Why are you staring at me like that? Come on, go on!"
Theo takes the underwear and pad, glaring at Leila as he struggles to put them on—still refusing to look down.
"For heaven's sake, Thea! Are you really going to attach your pad without even looking? Are you so ashamed of your body that you won't look at it yourself? What's so bad about your body?" Leila's patience thins. Then she suddenly gasps. "Oh! Did he tell you your body is ugly? Has he seen your body?!" Her voice jumps an octave.
Knock. Knock.
"Everything alright in there? Do you ladies need any help?" Miranda's voice filters in from outside.
"No!"
"NO!"
Theo and Leila shout in unison.
Startled, Miranda backs away. "I was just trying to help…" she mutters before returning to folding and putting away the new clothes.
Leila sighs, pinching the bridge of her nose. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have yelled." She looks at Theo, her voice softer, pleading. "Thea, please. Tell me. Did he say that? Did he tell you your body is ugly?"
Theo's mouth opens and closes, but no sound comes out.
Seeing this, Leila takes it as confirmation. She clasps her mouth with both hands. "Oh my god! He did! I'm going to tell Arthur to kill him! No—I'll wring his neck myself!" Her eyes blaze with murderous intent, growing darker by the second.
"What?! No!" Theo blurts, then quickly lowers his voice. "No, Mother. No."
He sighs, gathering his words carefully. "For as long as I can remember, no man or boy has ever body-shamed me."
He hesitates, his chest tightening. "And the only reason I don't look at my body is… because… it feels foreign to me." His voice falters. He's not good at lying, he doesn't want to lie, but he can't tell her the truth either.
"Foreign?" Leila repeats, confused.
"Yes. Foreign. This body doesn't feel like mine. You could say… I'm still adjusting to it."
Leila blinks, struck silent.
And then, in the next breath, she melts. "Oh my god, Thea! Forgive your mother. I'm so insensitive! I'm sorry!" She rushes to his side. "Here, let me help you. You still need to learn how to wear the pad yourself, but I'll show you."
She quickly demonstrates as best as she can without making Theo look down at his body. Theo finds the whole scene both hilarious and endearing. More than anything, he feels grateful—grateful that Leila believes him completely.
With Leila's help, Theo gets dressed quickly. He's wearing a very light pink silk blouse with silver embroidery. When Theo first saw it, he couldn't help but like it. The fabric felt unlike anything he had ever touched—soft, cool, almost weightless. He never thought he'd enjoy a pink feminine blouse so much that he half-believed it was Thea's taste, not his.
For pants, he wears plain white bootcut cotton trousers. They fit him like a glove, giving a flattering silhouette. Theo also likes how comfortable they feel and how easy it is to move around in them.
The overall look gives off the impression of someone fresh, young, feminine, fragile—yet ready to face the world. His white hair is still damp, wrapped in a towel by Leila.
Leila looks at Theo with glistening eyes. "You look stunning, Thea. Wait until Liam sees you."
Theo's eyes widen. "Mother!"
Leila chuckles. "What? Don't tell your Aunt Miranda I said this, but that son of hers? He's the perfect partner for you."
Theo can only laugh in defeat and roll his eyes.
Leila giggles. "Come on, let's dry your hair. If we don't get out soon, Miranda will break the door down."
As if Miranda can hear Leila, she's knocking the door again. "Ladies, are you really okay in there? I can hear you talking. Why don't you chat out here? It's more comfortable."
Theo and Leila burst out laughing hearing that.
"We're coming out!" Leila raises her voice.
Then she steps out of the bathroom with Theo following behind her.
"Oh! My! Lord! Thea! You look beautiful! Come here! Sit here! Let me dry your gorgeous hair!" Miranda drags Theo to the dressing chair.
"Auntie Miranda, please. I can do it myself." Theo tries to refuse.
"Nonsense!" Miranda already takes out the hairdryer and plugs it in. She turns to Leila. "Are you going to refuse too?" Challenging her.
Leila laughs lightly and shakes her head. "Absolutely not! I need to dry my hair as well. So, you dry her hair. I'll dry mine. Then we'll finish at the same time."
Miranda nods firmly. "It's good that you still remember that refusing me, is futile!"
Both Leila and Miranda laugh merrily. It reminds them to their younger days.
Theo can only obediently sit there, face facing the mirror and observe Leila and Miranda interacting with each other. And for some reason, it gives him a sense of peace and content. He can feel his heart warming up.
Miranda is a really good friend to Leila. They must've been best of friends. Only the closest friend can give you such a freedom kind of feeling.
Knock. Knock.
"Mom? Are you in there?" A voice is heard from outside the guest room.