CHAPTER 1: I’m a Guy!

PART 1

Mike Dieter was a wealthy nineteen-year-old. His father was Charles Dieter, a renowned executive of a prosperous beauty cosmetics multinational who had practically neglected Mike since the boy could remember.

Despite this, Mike grew up as a humble and kind-hearted child, possessing a unique androgynous beauty. With skin as pink and pale as snow, platinum blonde hair, and deep blue eyes like the sea, Mike’s delicate features often caused him trouble. Feeling self-conscious about his feminine appearance, Mike decided to keep his bangs long enough to cover his face, ensuring that no one could recognize him, least of all the girl he had been secretly in love with for over five years.

“Mike! Over here,” Andrew called out to his friend, waving as he entered the classroom.

Andrew was Mike’s childhood friend, and over time, they had become the closest of friends. Unlike Mike, Andrew was an attractive young man with a compelling masculinity. With emerald eyes and copper hair, he was quite a sight.

“Still hiding behind your bangs?” Johnny asked, lifting Mike’s fringe slightly as he joined them.

Johnny, like Andrew, was a sex symbol in their group of four. With broad, muscular shoulders, full lips, and penetrating grey eyes, he easily captured women’s attention.

“He’s self-conscious about his face, though if he were a man, he’d be just as insecure,” Andrew added with a smirk that was half mockery, half exasperation.

“What a welcome. If you weren’t childhood friends, I’d think you hated me,” Mike remarked, taking his seat and pulling out his books from his backpack.

“Come on, come on. After all, if Mike were a woman, we’d all be head over heels for him. And that’s a reality we must admit,” Oscar added jokingly, taking his seat and gaining the support of the rest of the group.

Oscar, the last member of the group, was the least known after Mike. A know-it-all with glasses and no notable attractiveness except for his brains, but the friendship they all shared spanned years. Despite their varying levels of popularity, they were never seen apart.

“You bunch of idiots!” Mike shouted, embarrassed by his friends’ comments.

“Admit it. You’re practically a woman. You cook, dress well, pay attention to every detail, and you’re quite feminine…” Andrew continued, intending to tease Mike.

“Not to mention delicate,” Johnny added.

“You’re the perfect man/woman for both sexes,” Oscar continued, further inflaming Mike’s anger.

“That’s how things are, my dear friend,” Andrew said, pushing Mike’s patience to the limit as he rested his arm on his friend’s shoulder.

“Shut up!” Mike retorted angrily.

“Come on, come on. We were only joking,” Andrew said, patting his friend on the back. “By the way, Emily is celebrating her birthday tonight.”

“And?” Mike raised an eyebrow skeptically.

“Well, of the four of us, as you might expect, only the two most popular ones have been invited,” Andrew continued, proudly pointing to himself and Johnny.

“And?”

“The thing is, Johnny already has a partner, but I haven’t been able to find anyone.”

“After you hooked up with Emily and then ditched her for someone else, no girl at the university in her right mind would agree to go to that party with you,” Mike inferred, looking at his friend.

“Not just from the university, but from the city,” Johnny added.

“It’s well known how rich her family is and how crazy she is,” Oscar said, twirling a finger around his temple with a whistle.

“Crazy and rich is not a good combination,” Johnny declared, making a negating gesture with his hands.

“Andrew…” Mike raised an eyebrow. “Tell me what you want.”

“Remember that time in the first year of secondary school when Johnny’s sister dressed you as a girl? I was just wondering if… would you be my date for the party?” Andrew asked, joining his hands in a pleading gesture.

One of Mike’s greatest weaknesses was Diana. The girl he had secretly loved for years. A sweet, self-made woman with strong principles. But what he loved most about her was her smile. A smile that shattered every part of his body, reaching his most vital muscle, shaking every limb and weakening his legs, speeding up his heart and warming every corner of his being. A smile that made him wake up every day, making him believe in people again.

“All right,” Mike agreed, embarrassed, as he reluctantly took the photos from his friend’s victorious and gleeful fingers.

“You’re too kind, Mike,” Oscar said, covering his smiling mouth with his hand.

“Good morning, Mike,” a shy voice said from behind the young men.

“Good morning, Anna,” Mike responded to Anna’s greeting as she suddenly ran off, leaving everyone stunned.

“Do you know that Anna is smitten with you?” Johnny broke the silence caused by Anna’s reaction.

“She’s known since we were in primary school, but he only has eyes for one of the most beautiful girls at the university, whom he has zero chances with. And speaking of the queen of Rome…” Oscar subtly pointed to the door through which Diana and Emily were entering.

If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

The two girls, renowned as the muses of “1-D”, were known as the most beautiful in the entire faculty.

Atlanta, the most prestigious university in the Midwest, was where the children of the world’s most powerful politicians and magnates received their education.

And at this university, despite not having a special surname or the economic level of her peers’ parents, Diana, among all the girls, stood out, especially to the male students. A girl with fine features, a round face, a curvaceous figure, and ebony skin. With full lips, a feline but shy gaze, and a jet-black wavy mane, Diana was the weakness of many men at that academy.

“There’s no doubt about it, zero chances, my friend,” Andrew muttered through gritted teeth as the girls passed by them.

“Let’s get on with the class,” the professor announced as the bell rang, signalling the students to take their seats.

Half an hour into the class, boredom was palpable in the air. Mike, sitting two rows behind Diana, nervously fiddled with his pen, glancing from a distance at the girl who made his body falter just by her name. When he noticed that she, with a subtle turn of her head, diverted her attention to him, making their eyes meet, time seemed to stand still. A few seconds that felt eternal, during which his heart stopped beating. Those deep black eyes observed him with curiosity and a hint of mischief. A playful yet tender gaze.

Mike wasn’t sure how to react in such situations. If he kept looking, she might think he was a creep, but if he looked away, she might think he had a problem with her. However, he didn’t expect the radiant smile she gave him moments later, which caused his body to freeze for a few seconds, losing control of all his limbs, and as a result, the pencil he had been playing with fell.

imagen [https://i.postimg.cc/Y0prvHw2/P-gina-5-1.jpg]

“Mike!” the professor called out at the sound of the object hitting the floor.

“Yes!” Mike replied, standing up from his seat, blushing.

“Caught in the act,” Andrew murmured, suppressing his laughter.

“Since you have time to stare at girls, why don’t you solve this exercise for me?” the teacher asked, amid the laughter and muffled murmurs of his classmates.

As time went by, Mike worked on the exercise while unable to stop thinking that he had no chance with Diana. That she was elegant, refined, kind, and feminine. And it was impossible that someone like her could be interested in a man who seemed incapable of dealing with even a fly.

“It’s just an impossible love,” he convinced himself with bitterness deep in his heart as he dropped the chalk on the edge of the blackboard and began walking back to his seat, avoiding Diana’s gaze.

“Perfect as always,” the professor praised Mike as the class came to an end.

With the chime of the twelve o'clock bell, students scattered to meet their friends and enjoy lunch in the expansive English garden provided by Atlanta’s facilities.

“What are you staring at?” Mike asked his friends, who were sitting on a bench, eyeing him impatiently.

“You know why we’re looking at you,” Oscar replied with a mischievous smile.

“No, I don’t,” Mike retorted, avoiding their gazes.

“Don’t play coy,” Johnny added, leaning back on his outstretched arms.

“Thankfully, I’ve made more than enough this time,” Mike muttered after a deep sigh, opening his lunchbox to reveal its contents.

Despite his own thoughts, Mike possessed many talents, and among them, his cooking skills stood out the most.

Due to his father’s frequent travels, Mike spent long periods alone. Although his father provided him with every comfort and large sums of money, he deemed it a waste to hire a catering service or a cook for just one person. Thus, Mike began his culinary adventures at a young age, starting with Asian cuisine and progressing to Mediterranean, eventually becoming quite a chef.

Spanish tortilla skewers, shrimp and squid bites, spring rolls accompanied by goat cheese balls, and carefully sliced rye bread. As he did every day, Mike prepared a hearty lunch for all his friends, who, spoiled by his cooking, always left him with no food. Over time, he had learned to make extra.

“This is delicious,” Oscar moaned in pleasure as he tasted the food.

“The girl/guy who marries you will be very lucky,” Johnny teased, grabbing another piece of tortilla.

“Before I forget, come by my place around six in the evening,” Andrew told Mike, brushing his hands clean.

“Six o’clock?”

“My cousin has taken a personal beauty course; she’ll help make you look even more like a woman than you already do,” Andrew said with a mischievous grin, considering what Mike was willing to do for a few photos.

Meanwhile, not far from the group of young men, another meeting of the opposite sex was taking place.

“I don’t understand why that oddball Mike can’t take his eyes off you. Doesn’t he realize he has no chance with you, or what?” Emily spat with a look of disgust. “He never lets anyone see his face; he even hides it behind his bangs when he’s working out. Just thinking about him gives me the creeps.”

“To me, he seems like a very attentive and kind young man. From my perspective, he’s not weird at all,” Anna corrected her friend as she ate an apple. “Don’t talk about him like that.”

Anna was the epitome of angelic beauty. With golden blonde hair cut to her neck, her sky-blue eyes perfectly complemented her pale, pink skin, and her small but full lips made her look flawless. For a long time, Anna had harbored feelings for Mike; she had known him since they were children, but she had never had the courage to confess her feelings.

“Well, if you’re going to act like this, why don’t you just confess already instead of nagging us, Anna?” Emily leaned toward her friend, pressing her.

“That’s…”

“That’s…” Emily repeated mockingly. “That’s because sometimes you’re just as odd as he is. Too many years together with him have made you scatterbrained.”

“Don’t be harsh, Emily,” Diana interjected in a calm tone.

“It’s just that sometimes she gets on my nerves. Let’s change the subject before I get even more annoyed.” Emily left half-eaten apple on the bench and stood up, placing her hands on her hips. “I’ve talked to Derek…”

“You didn’t…?”

“Exactly,” Emily answered Diana, cutting her off with a victorious smile. “I told him you’d be willing to go to my birthday party with him.”

“You know I’m not interested…”

“You’re not interested in anyone. Yes, I know. But it’s time for you to go out with a guy, girl. Besides, he’s really eager to meet you. You can’t turn him down.” She leaned in, pleading with her friend and making a pouty face.

“Fine…” Diana agreed reluctantly, knowing how stubborn Emily could be when she had an idea in her head.

∞∞∞∞ ∞∞∞∞

Hours passed, and the sunset lights began to appear on the horizon. As expected, Mike returned to his luxurious yet solitary, cold, and empty apartment.

His father had embarked on another business trip, as indicated by a note left on the dining table alongside a large wad of five-hundred-euro bills. As was his custom, Mike crumpled the handwritten note and tossed it from a distance into the trash.

In the complete darkness, he made his way to his room, turned on the desk lamp, removed his backpack and placed it on the edge of the bed, then collapsed onto the bed.

A multitude of thoughts swirled in his mind, with the idea of dressing as a woman to accompany his best friend to a party where the girl he liked would be, feeling like the worst decision he had ever made.

Without moving from his position, he used a hand gesture to unzip the front pocket of his backpack and retrieve the photos he had agreed to go through with this madness. As soon as his eyes made contact with Diana’s images, his heart took a leap, quickly plunging him into utter sadness. For deep down, he knew that Diana was, and would never be, for him.

imagen [https://i.postimg.cc/dtVQvwB4/P-gina-9-Ingl-s-1.jpg]