CHAPTER 23
Anthony wandered the women’s floor of the department store, feeling as out of place as he had in the men’s section.
Of course it didn’t help that sales associates kept stopping them with puzzled expressions, since they were currently surrounded by a sea of dresses.
Cameron always responded to their offers of help with, “We’re just looking right now.
Thank you.” That left Anthony free to connect with any of the options around him, which in theory, should have been a delight or at the very least a relief.
This is what he wanted. Right? His boyfriend was taking him to prom.
Anthony only had to decide what to wear.
Nearby, a couple of girls his age gasped and cooed over something silky and red. When they noticed his stare, they turned away warily.
“What about this one?” Cameron asked, taking a shimmering pink dress off the rack. “It’ll go nice with your lips. I mean… usually.”
Anthony was wearing black lipstick today. He was feeling more goth than girl, especially in the current environment. Annie was still inside him, as she always was, but being here didn’t make him feel any closer to her. Somehow the opposite was happening.
“I think it’s pretty,” Cameron said, considering the dress. “Doesn’t hurt to try it on.”
“I guess not,” Anthony replied. “Let’s find another option first.”
They went from rack to rack until he located a frilly dress in black that resonated with him somewhat. Although the silver sparkles were a bit much. They took their two choices to the nearest dressing rooms, where an employee balked at them.
“Are your girlfriends already in a stall?” she asked.
“I’m his girlfriend,” Anthony explained, feeling a thrill.
The woman looked him up and down. “But you’re a boy.”
“A man, actually,” Cameron said. “We both are. Can we have a fitting room now? He’d like to try these dresses on.”
The woman shook her head. “You’ll have to go downstairs to the men’s department.”
“With these dresses?” Anthony asked in confusion.
She shrugged, her eyes wide. “That’s the store policy.”
“Fine,” Cameron snapped. “Let’s go.”
Anthony had to hurry to keep up with him. They rode the escalator, his boyfriend fuming on the ride down.
“It’ll be more fun this way,” Anthony assured him.
Cameron clenched his jaw a few times before nodding. He took the lead, guiding them to the formal area of the men’s department, since it was the closest equivalent. As they passed by suits and button-up dress shirts, Anthony slowed. “We could always choose an outfit for you as well.”
“Sure, but I want it to go with whatever you end up wearing.”
“Spoken like a true homosexual,” Anthony said in approval.
Cameron laughed and relaxed. They went to the changing rooms which, like those upstairs, were guarded by an employee, this one male.
“Do you need those returned to the rack?” the man asked while eyeing the dresses.
“No,” Cameron said. “My boyfriend is going to try them on.”
The employee laughed, like it was a joke. When they remained somber, he shifted uncomfortably. “You can’t do that.”
Cameron bristled. “Why not?”
“Because… You just can’t.”
“That’s fine,” Anthony said, eyeing the dresses. He wasn’t sure he liked either of them.
“No it’s not!” Cameron growled. “I want to speak to the manager.”
“Oh. Okay!” The employee seemed relieved by the request, rather than intimidated. “I’ll be right back.”
“Are you sure you want to do this?” Anthony asked once they were alone.
“There’s no reason you can’t try a dress on if that’s what you want. I refuse to believe they have a rule about it!”
Anthony eyed him a moment, remembering the optimistic young man with bowl-cut brown hair he’d first met a year ago.
Cameron was so different now. That hair had grown out and was shaggy, but more than his appearance had changed.
He was quicker to anger. The boy next door had a chip on his shoulder.
Yes, he was going through a lot at home, but Anthony worried that he was partly to blame for the change in attitude.
“Wouldn’t you rather go to prom with a boy?” Anthony asked gently. “That’ll cause enough of a stir as it is.”
Cameron clenched his jaw again. “I want you to be happy.”
“I want the same thing for you.”
“Then let me be supportive without questioning it all the time!” he snapped, grimacing immediately after. “Sorry, I just…” Cameron rustled the dresses he was holding. “I’m so sick of people getting in our way.”
“Yeah,” Anthony said with a sigh. “Me too. You didn’t deserve to get detention.”
“I don’t care. I’ll spend that hour each day thinking of you.”
Anthony felt a surge of affection for him. “Maybe I’ll get in trouble too, so we can be together. Hey, would it be weird if I asked you to prom, even though I already accepted? I’ll pull a Jimmy Hartford. That should get Preckwinkle’s attention.”
Cameron shook his head. “A what?”
“Jimmy Hartford. Remember freshman year? He had the entire cheerleading team do a routine to ask his girlfriend to prom, and he was dressed up like one of them. Wig and all. If I remember right, he made the front page of The Lion’s Pride Post.”
“The school newspaper?”
“Yup.”
“He did all that, and I got detention?”
Anthony blinked. “Hey, you’re right! That’s not so different from a legal precedent. I wonder if he got in trouble.”
“We could ask him.”
“He would have graduated by now, but maybe we can track him down.”
Their discussion was interrupted when the employee returned, trailing a pudgy man. The manager, presumably.
“Can I help you gentlemen?” he asked.
“Yeah,” Cameron said. “We’d like to try on some clothes, but apparently, that isn’t allowed.”
“Those are from the women’s department,” the manager stated, as if that clarified matters.
“They sent us down here,” Cameron shot back. “Personally, if I was running this business, I wouldn’t care where my customers tried on clothes.”
“That policy is in place as a safety consideration,” the manager replied.
“Fine. We’re men who want to try on clothes in the men’s department. What’s the big deal?”
The manager turned to the employee, who squirmed.
Cameron checked one of the price tags. “Two hundred dollars is a lot. Does your store not need the money? Because I could just as happily spend that somewhere else.”
“We’d hate to inconvenience you,” the manager said, his tones much more cordial. Political stances tend to sway with the scent of profit on the breeze. “I’m sure we have a booth free. Right this way.”
Anthony waited until they were in the privacy of a dressing room before allowing himself to laugh. “Who are you?”
“Your boyfriend,” he replied, jutting out his chin. “And I’m not going to let anyone mess with you.”
Anthony smoothed down the flannel shirt Cameron wore, his strong chest heaving beneath it. Whatever happened to all of those doofy dress shirts he used to wear?
“I mean it,” Cameron said when seeing the mirth in his eyes.
“I know you do.” Anthony pecked him on the lips.
His boyfriend still wasn’t appeased. “I don’t get it. People like that never seem to bother you, when usually, you’re one of the most judgmental people I know.”
Anthony pulled back. “Wow.”
Cameron winced. “Sorry.”
“No, you’re absolutely right. I can be too judgmental.
That’s something I’m working on. But when it comes to situations like the one we’re in now…
” He shrugged. “I needed years to come to terms with myself. And that’s just the gay part.
I still haven’t figured out the rest. So I can’t expect total strangers to understand it either.
Not instantly. And for the record, I like when you speak your mind. It’s really hot.”
“I’m just getting started,” Cameron said, smiling ruefully. “Take off your clothes.”
Anthony snapped to attention. “Yes, sir!”
The flirtatious mood passed as he struggled to get the dress on.
He started with the black one, since it resonated with him the most. Anthony turned to face himself in the mirror and felt awkward.
He wished his hair was longer. Or that he had a wig.
At the moment, he looked very much like a boy, despite the elegant evening wear.
“Help me get it off,” he muttered before Cameron could say something nice.
The pink dress was next, which lacked the puff and frills of the other.
The fabric clung tight to his body, except the chest area, where it was despairingly loose.
Anthony hadn’t considered that when they decided to go shopping.
Otherwise, he might have brought Silvia’s bra along.
Then again, he had no idea what Cameron would think about him wearing such a thing.
He was tempted to suggest that this whole charade was a bad idea, before he remembered how that had irritated Cameron.
His boyfriend wanted to be supportive. Anthony needed to let him, because it all—including the indignation on his behalf—came from a place of love.
“What do you think?” he asked. “I’d need to stuff a bra to fill out the front.”
Cameron took this in stride, nodding in approval. “You’ve always been pretty in pink.”
Anthony inspected himself in the mirror. The dress was better than the black one, but not by much. “It looks like something Mindy would wear.”
“Isn’t that a good thing? She has great taste.”
“Yeah, she’s very stylish, but it isn’t me.”
“Okay,” Cameron said patiently. “Let’s try something. Close your eyes.”
Anthony complied.
“Imagine your fairy godmother shows up and waves her magic wand to create the perfect dress for Prince Charming’s ball.”
“I’d rather see him wave his magic wand,” Anthony murmured.
“Seriously,” Cameron said with a titter. “This is a dream-come-true moment for you. When you look down, what do you see?”
Anthony tucked his chin. “You know the dress from Carrie?”
“Uh… The one that gets covered in pig’s blood?”
“Exactly!” Anthony opened his eyes. “Except not actual pig’s blood, because that would be depressing. And probably smell bad. But something along those lines.”