[TG Caption] The Date Who Recognized Both (Patreon)

I arrive early because I need time to become Elise before Mara sees me. The plum dress, warm-brown wig, and feminine photographs on my profile are real, but I am still a man who removes all of it before leaving home. I rehearse the confession beside the candle until Mara sits down and says she already knows. She recognizes my hands from the bookstore, where she once helped a nervous man choose a novel. She also recognizes the confidence in Elise's messages and says neither version felt dishonest.