effortless beauty

Daniel woke up in Emily's bed, his body draped in one of his old t-shirts that Emily had "borrowed." The shirt now hung loosely on his smaller frame, falling almost to his knees. He glanced over at Emily, still fast asleep beside him, her hair a mess of curls sprawled across the pillow. He thought back to the wild night before, the memories blurred by the wine.

After admiring Emily for a moment, Daniel slipped out of bed and went to the bathroom, still getting used to the different sensations of his new anatomy. Finishing up, he poured himself a glass of leftover wine from the night before and started to cook some eggs and bacon. The sizzling bacon soon drew Emily out of bed.

"Good morning," Emily said, wrapping her arms around Daniel's waist from behind and kissing his neck. "I like the way that shirt fits you now. It's kinda cute."

Daniel smiled. "And look at you, waking up looking perfect as usual." He showed her a photo he had taken of her sleeping before he got up. "See? Effortless beauty."

Emily laughed, a light blush coloring her cheeks. They sat down to eat their breakfast and started to discuss their plans for the day, mainly their meeting with Ms. Kelly at 10 AM.

After breakfast, Daniel quickly showered and then joined Emily in the bedroom, sitting down on the bed unsure of what to do next. Emily glanced at the clock and then back at him. "Daniel, we don't have much time. You need to blow dry your hair before it dries."

Daniel grabbed the blow dryer, pretending to know what he was doing. Emily watched for a few seconds before taking it from him. "Here, let me do it. We need to hurry."

As she styled his hair in the same way she had the day before, Daniel looked around, feeling a bit useless. "What are you going to wear?" Emily asked, eyeing the pile of clothes they had bought the previous day.

Daniel shrugged. "I have no idea."

Emily rummaged through the pile and pulled out a dress. "This will be perfect for the coffee shop vibe," she said, handing it to him. "And the best part? You don't need to wear a bra with it."

Reluctantly, Daniel took the dress from her. Feeling as if wearing what Emily picked out allowed him to hold onto his man card a little longer, he decided to wear it. "What do I wear with it?" he asked, not realizing it was a dress.

Emily, checking the clock again, responds with a slightly annoyed tone, "It's a dress, Daniel. We need to get going."

The thought of wearing a dress made Daniel uncomfortable, but he went along with it, swapping the oversized shirt for the flowy dress.

Emily glanced at the clock once more. "Sit down quickly, we're running out of time," she said, grabbing her makeup bag.

Emily swiftly filled in his brows and applied some lip gloss. "This is a hack for a no-makeup look," she explained as she worked.

They hurried to the door, Emily tossing a pair of shoes, sunglasses, some jewelry, and a bag at Daniel. "Wear these," she demanded. Daniel didn't hesitate. He knew in times like these it was best to do as Emily said.

As they rushed to the cafe, Emily's phone rang. It was Ms. Kelly. Emily answered and after a brief conversation, told Daniel, "Change of plans. Ms. Kelly wants to meet us at the park instead. It's a nice day, so she'd rather be outside."

They got Ms. Kelly's coffee order and continued to the cafe, ordered their drinks, and then headed to the nearby park. Daniel carried the drinks, feeling a little self-conscious in his outfit but he noticed how different it felt compared to the outfit from the day before. The dress was flowy and breezy, and he could feel the warmth of the sun on his chest and shoulders. There was something liberating about it, and for a moment, he wondered why women didn't wear dresses like this all the time.

As they arrived at the park, Daniel's comfort seemed to be expressing itself as confidence as Emily turned to Daniel. "You look great. Pose for a picture!"

Daniel tried to pose naturally, but Emily wasn't satisfied. "No, pose like a girl," she instructed.

Feeling a mix of frustration and silliness, Daniel struck an exaggerated pose. Emily snapped the photo, giggling. "Cute!" she said.

"Let me see it," Daniel requested, but Emily shook her head.

"No time. We have to find Ms. Kelly," she replied, laughing at the irony.

They walked into the park, searching for Ms. Kelly. Daniel's heart raced with anticipation as they finally spotted her sitting on a bench under a large oak tree.

TO BE CONTINUED...

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