Page 55 of The Purest Fake

“No, that’s when I began to have my own relationship with God, and not the one my father told me about.”

“I think faith has a different meaning for everyone,” she says.

I nod. “Exactly. There’s no one-size-fits-all.”

“That’s a relatable way to explain it. So can I ask when you lost your virginity?”

And there it is.I guess it was only a matter of time before it was bound to come out.

“I haven’t yet.”

Her eyes flash wider and then she composes her expression. “For real?”

“Yep. I’m being one hundred percent honest with you despite it being embarrassing as fuck.”

“There’s nothing to be embarrassed about, Cooper.”

“It’s not the norm for a guy my age.”

“That might be true, but all that matters is that it’s right for you,” she says.

I pinch the bridge of my nose. “I didn’t mean for it to happen this way, but the longer I went without having sex, the weirder the situation felt. What was a girl gonna think when I told her?”

“I’m a girl and you told me. Do you want to know what I think?”

“I don’t know, do I?”

She smiles reassuringly. “I’m impressed by your restraint. It takes a lot of strength to go against the grain, especially in college when your peers are applying pressure. How did you deal with that?”

“I’ve never really cared what other people thought. It’s more important that I’m true to myself than it is to impress someone else.”

“You’re mature beyond your years.”

I laugh. “Sometimes I feel ancient compared to everyone else.”

“Where do you stand on the idea of premarital sex now?” she asks.

“I’m not against it, that’s for sure, but I’m worried I’ll embarrass myself.”

She begins pulling pins from her hair and dropping them on the table. When they’ve all been removed, she combs her fingersthrough her thick, dark-brown locks. “How far have you gone with a girl?”

“Not far.”

She turns sideways on the couch so she’s facing me. “Was I the first kiss you’ve had?”

My eyebrows pinch together in a frown. “I’m not that inexperienced.”

“Have you touched boobs before?”

“Yes.”

She leans forward. “Have you touched a vagina?”

My teeth scrape my bottom lip and I shake my head. “No.”

“You must jerk off a lot,” she says, giggling.

I shrug. “What’s a lot?”

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