“Oh shit. It’s just you.” Their face paled as they picked up their phone to check the time. “Fuck. I am so sorry, David. I got so absorbed in my project, and I completely forgot to set an alarm to get ready.”
Reaching forward, I grabbed their wrist and gently pulled them into me. “Shh, princess, it’s okay. I was worried something had happened. I’m relieved the only thing that happened was you getting distracted.” As soon as the words left my mouth, I remembered how I got inside.
Turning them around to face me, I pulled them tight against my chest. Ellery squirmed against me.
Grabbing their chin, I forced their gaze to mine. “I’m going to let it slide today since you’ve been sick and seem extremely frazzled, but princess... if I find out your door is left unlocked again, I’ll make sure you spend a whole afternoon writing lines. I will not let my princess leave themself vulnerable and unprotected. Do you understand, darling?”
Ellery’s throat bobbed as they swallowed. “Yes, Daddy. I’m sorry, I forgot... I was so excited to sew again after being sick, but it slipped my mind.”
“I know, princess. But it’s unsafe.” I kissed their forehead and then smiled mischievously. “And if it happens again, I’m sure writing lines for a few hours straight will be a fantastic reminder.”
Ellery shivered in my hold. “How did you make that sound so hot?”
“Oh, I promise, darling, if I have to punish you for not locking your door by writing lines, you won’t find it very hot.”
“That doesn’t sound very hot at all.” Ellery’s lip jutted out in a pout, making me chuckle. “That’s the point, princess. Now come on, we have a date!
About an hour later, Ellery and I were walking into their favorite Italian restaurant. It may have only been a few days, but I was already well aware of my princess’s addiction to pasta, and I was more than happy to enable it.
Ellery had kicked me out of their room so they could get dressed and surprise me, and when they’d come back out, it had been all I could do to keep my hands off them. They’d chosen a soft, oversized purple sweater that went to about mid-thigh, with tight black leggings underneath. Their eyes had a light purple sparkle on the lids, making them pop, their cheeks were a beautiful rosy pink, and their plump lips were topped with a wet, shimmery lip gloss. It made me want to suck their lip into my mouth and lick it clean.
When we entered, the host led us to a secluded booth in the back, and for that I was grateful. Crowded, loud restaurants were my nightmare, but it was a weekday, so thankfully it was quiet. Ellery took a seat at the booth, and I slid in next to them.
When I went on dates, I usually sat across from my partner so I could see their face without constantly twisting and turning. But with Ellery, I desperately wanted to be beside them no matter what. Simply having them next to me settled my soul.
“Hi! My name is Katie, and I’ll be your server for the evening. What can I get you to drink?”
Ellery leaned into my side as I faced our server with a smile. “I’ll have a water.”
Katie nodded and turned toward Ellery. “How about you, miss? What would you like to drink?”
My head whipped toward Ellery. Their face was flushed, but the euphoric smile that was now present was blinding. Their voice cracked slightly when they tried to speak, but they recovered. “I’ll have a Sprite,please.” I turned slightly so our server couldn’t see my face and cocked an eyebrow at Ellery. “And a water, please.”
“You got it!”
Pleased with them, I squeezed their thigh as Katie walked away to get our drinks. When I turned to look at them, their smile was softer, and they seemed to be lost in thought. I was struggling to figure out how they were feeling. They looked happy but also confused.
“Do you want to talk about it, princess?” Grabbing their hand, I threaded our fingers together and gently squeezed. Ellery squeezed back and let out a shaky breath. “Is it okay that I liked that?”
Still keeping our fingers intertwined, I brought my free hand up to their face and tucked their hair behind their ear and smiled. “Of course it’s okay, darling. Did you like being called Miss?”
Ellery hummed thoughtfully and shook their head. “Not necessarily. Miss isn’t something I’d want to be called regularly, but the fact that she assumed I was female and not male... I liked that.”
“You mentioned during our discussion that you were considering other gendered terms you’d like to use. If you’d like, someday when you’re feeling more feminine, I can use different pronouns so you can see how it makes you feel. Would you like that?”
Ellery’s shoulders slumped in relief, and the tension from their smile was gone. “I’d really like that. I’m still trying to figure out what works for me. I thought I’d only use they/them, but now I’m not so sure.”
Humming thoughtfully, I traced small circles on the back of their hand with my thumb. “Gender is a spectrum, and it can be a bitdifferent for everyone. Focus on what makes you happy and feel like the best version of yourself. The rest will follow.” Their eyes were full of gratitude and affection.
“Do you want to let me know when you’d like to use different pronouns, or would you prefer me to check in every morning and ask your preference for the day?”
Ellery looked at me like I’d hung the moon, and it made my chest puff up with pride. “For now, I’ll let you know when I’m ready. But eventually, if I discover I like using different pronouns, then I would really love for you to check in with me.”
I understood Ellery’s struggle on a deep level and was proud of the bravery they showed. “Thank you for telling me, princess. I’m proud of you.”
“Here are your drinks... What can I get you both to eat?” Being so caught up in talking to Ellery, I forgot to check the menu. Just as I was going to tell the server to give us a few minutes, Ellery spoke. “I’d like the spaghetti and meatballs, please.”
While spaghetti wasn’t what I’d normally order, there was no harm in switching it up. “I’ll have the same.” Katie took our menus and flashed us another one of her friendly smiles. “It’ll be out shortly.”
