Page 29 of Perfect Blend

“Hey, you okay?” Dave appeared in my line of sight.

“Totally.” I’d never felt nervous about being the center of attention. This was something else.

He squeezed my bicep. “You don’t have to do this.”

“Of course I’m going to do this. Iwantto do this. With you.” I placed my hand over his.

His smile softened. Even with all the makeup and no facial hair, Dave’s smile melted me to my core. “Yeah?”

The role reversal shook me. It felt like yesterday that I’d checked in with Dave before the drama class where we’d performed. I was supposed to be the one comfortable in front of crowds.

“Absolutely. You can’t ditch me that easily. Worried I’m going to kick your ass in lip-syncing?”

He grinned. “I’d like to see you try. Now, let’s get dressed.”

“You just want to see me with my clothes off.”

Dave leaned into my space, and his breath tickled my ear. “Hopefully, I’ll get to later.”

A shiver raced through me. “Looking forward to visiting your ‘foot spa.’”

Before I knew it, we stood in the hallway near the stage while the act before ours was finishing.

“You ready?” Dave asked. He was transformed—a sexy twin sister with long, straight hair, thick lashes draping over his blue eyes like a curtain, and dark-red lipstick promising dirty things.

My feet already hurt. My face had about a pound of makeup on it. The wig made me sweat, and the dress itched. But I’d never felt more alive. “Born ready.”

I glanced around, and the bar employee acting as a stage manager stood with her back to us. I took my chance to quickly press my lips gently against Dave’s. Nothing wild enough to mess up the makeup, but I needed that connection. The bangs on his wig tickled my forehead, and his hip felt different under my hand with the curve of his padding.

As we pulled apart, we stared into each other’s eyes.I want this. I want to be here every year, doing this with Dave.There had to be a way I could have it all.

“You’re up,” the bar employee said.

I straightened my dress and ignored my swelling feet.

“Our last act is the anticipated return of Barbara Ista with a debut performance by Ven T. Latte. Be sure to shower our final two queens with love in the form of cash tips for charity.”

Dave winked at me, then strode onto the stage with the presence of Madonna.

The next few minutes were a blur of lights, cheers, trying not to fall on my ass, and catching Dave’s eyes as I put everything I had into lip-syncing my heart out. If I was going to be a drag queen for the night, I was going to sell it and enjoy the hell out of it. We strutted around each other, almost prowling, as “The Boy is Mine” blared over the bar’s sound system.

The song ended with Dave and me standing, fake breasts pressed to fake breasts, staring into each other’s eyes. Raucous applause damn near made the building shake. Dave beamed at me. I already wanted to do this again.

I grabbed his hand and turned to the crowd. As we bowed to the standing ovation, we kept our tight grip on each other.

Mabel came on stage wearing a gold sequin gown. “What a finale. Let’s have another round of applause for Barbara Ista, Ven T. Latte, and the other performers tonight.” She pulled the microphone away from her face and clapped.

The employee helping backstage walked to the side of the stage and handed Mabel a piece of paper and a gift bag.

Mabel studied the paper and smiled widely. “Great news. It’s a record year for the drag show. We raised over five thousand dollars to support trans youth! Thank you all for your contributions.”

As the whoops and hollers wound down, Mabel spoke again. “Before we close the show and start the dance party, I want to take a moment to thank the creator of our amateur drag show fundraiser. Dave, the beloved owner of A Whole Latte Love, has been pivotal to growing our little Pride celebration to the statewide destination it’s become.” She laughed. “I often forget he hasn’t lived here his whole life. It’s hard to remember a time he wasn’t such an important part of our community.”

Dave’s eyes glistened, and I squeezed his hand.

“The annual drag show has been his pet project, and because of his efforts, we’ve donated over twenty thousand dollars to LGBTQIA2S+ charities.” She paused for the loud applause and cheers. “On behalf of the Dahlia Springs Chamber of Commerce and Pride Festival Committee, I’d like to present you with this small token of our appreciation.”

I dropped Dave’s hand to clap for him.

---