Chapter Three: Confusion
"Dan!? What are you-?"
"OH GOD, OH GOD" he spluttered, immediately ripping the bra from his chest and dropping it on the floor. "Jodie, wait...!"
"I... That's my bra! What are you even doing in here?"
"Jodie, listen, oh god, it's not what you think!"
"I didn't have you down as a pervert!"
"Jesus Christ, I'm not, I swear, fuck!"
"I should have know you were just like the rest,trying to get in my pants!"
"Please, that's not what I'm trying to do!"
"You entered my room when I was out and went straight for my underwear!" She decided to overlook the small detail that Dan was wearing the bra. It was just a bit too much weirdness for her to handle right now.
Dan wanted to answer back, tell her she had got him all wrong, but what could he say? That since last night he had been having strange urges to start cross dressing?
"I think you should leave."
"Yeah I will, but please just know, you've got this all wrong!"
"Dan-"
"Okay, I'm going," he said with a note of despair. He didn't want to leave it like that but what else could he do? With a quick pace he exited through Jodie's front door and, just as the night before, he was so wrapped up in his thoughts he forgot to call a cab.
He continued walking quickly, dragging his hand through his hair, his heart beating fast. He didn't want to go back to the apartment and so continued walking with no where in mind for half an hour until his feet led him somewhere unexpected.
He had stopped outside Pink Punters.
"Well well, the stranger hath returned." It was Becca, or rather Chris as he was not dressed up in drag. He was smiling at Dan mischievously, somehow seeming to know what was running through his mind.
"Oh... hi Becca." Dan was as surprised to bump into Chris as he was to find himself standing outside the club.
"It's Chris, I'm not dressed up yet you see?"
"Oh... Right, yeah."
"Dear me, you really are a scatter brain. Do you think you could speak one sentence without pausing or 'erm'-ing?"
"Erm..."
Chris raised an eyebrow. "Okay, I'll ask you some simple questions and you answer, okay? What are you doing here?"
"To be perfectly honest, I'm not sure. Since last night, I've... I don't know."
A hefty laugh, so much different from the tinkling giggle he had heard last night, escaped Chris' mouth. "The allure of the club dragged you in I see? And I mean drag figuratively and literally."
"Okay," Dan finally got his head into gear. "Are you coming on to me or... Trying to get me to join your fancy dress club? This is so messed up. What do you want from me?"
"You're the one who's turned up here two days in a row..."
Both men started at each other in silence. Dan knew Chris was right, but somehow felt he was to blame for all of this confusion.
"I came here by accident looking for my friends, you know that."
"Yet here you are again now."
It was the middle of the afternoon and the staff at Pink Punters were setting up for the night ahead. Dan glanced through the glass doors and windows to the people rushing about inside.
"This place, I've never known anything like it."
"Me neither. I got pulled in by the atmosphere. I never thought drag would be my thing but it all happened so fast. I understand how you're feeling..." Chris made a gesture with his hand towards Dan.
"Dan. My name's Dan." He took another glance inside. He caught glimpse of a small stage and an image came to mind. He was standing up on that stage, dressed elaborately in a shimmery silver dress, with a slit down the side running all the way to his thigh, and strappy heels, balancing a pink feather boa between the crooks in his arms. He stepped gracefully around in time to the music, swinging his hips from side to side as men and women watched him in awe. He was rhythmic, he was sensual, he was beautiful.
"Jesus Christ, what am I doing here?" He asked more to himself than Chris as he snapped out of the day dream.
"It's okay, just come inside with me. I can help you. We'll make a drag queen of you yet."
And before Dan could even comprehend what he was doing, he followed Chris inside.