Page 23 of Unexpected Adventures

“Hey,” I say, trying to defend my choices.

“No, I meant that in a good way. You always were the cautious one. You followed the rules to the ‘T’. How could I not know this? Why have you never told me before now?”

“Sex never really came up in our conversations. I mean, you always told me about boyfriends, and I told you about guys that I sorta liked. It’s not like I could just blurt it out during one of our conversations and say, ‘Hey, sis, by-the-way, I’ve never had sex with a guy’.”

“I guess I just assumed with at least one, you went all the way.” She looks at me with earnest. “So how far have you been with a guy?”

“In real life?” I tease.

She giggles. “Yes.”

“Uh, second base, I think.”

“You think?”

“Well, I can never remember that analogy! I’ve had a guy feel my breasts before. Isn’t that second base?”

“Yes, it is.” She stops to think for a moment, which makes me nervous. “So how many guys have felt your breasts?”

“On purpose?”

“Abigail Josephine!”

“Oh brother, I’m just trying to insert a little levity. You know, lighten the mood? It’s not every day I talk to mybaby sisterabout my sexual exploits. Or lack thereof, in my case.”

“I’m sorry. I’m just trying to help.”

“Stop apologizing. And I appreciate it, I guess. Although I don’t know what help you’re going to offer. Should I be scared?”

“No. Now, back to the question. How many guys have you gone to second base with?”

“Including Shaun, which was really brief by the way, so not sure that it really counts, but, that’d be a resounding two. Um, wait, let me think… yep, two.”

“Only two guys have felt you up?”

“Oh, please don’t word it like that. And yes, two. How many guys should I have let feel me up?” I hang my head, wanting to give up on this entire fiasco. “Never mind, please don’t answer that. Let’s just stop. This is sounding really pathetic.”

Denise lifts my face so that I have no choice but to look at her. “No, honey, it isn’t. Just because you’re inexperienced doesn’t make you a freak. It doesn’t make you pathetic.”

“Gee, thanks,” I say, giving her an exasperated look.

“Now, listen. It’s clear that there’s something between you and Shaun. He definitely has the hots for you. And I don’t think it’s the kind that says, ‘I’m going to get in this girl’s pants for the weekend just because I can’. He reallyfeelssomething, otherwise, I think he’d be acting much more … slimy, like being demanding, pushy.”

“This is really scary.”

“It can be. But it can be a good thing too. When your stomach flutters, your pulse races, your skin tingles just at the mere thought of him caressing you.”

“Wow, yeah.I was feeling a lot of that between last night and this morning with Shaun, that’s for sure, which is crazy, given that I’ve just met him. Is that how it is for you with Jim?”

“Jim is it for me, Abbs. I truly believe that. Despite our age difference, something clicked between us, and I’m going to take full advantage of it. Meaning, I’m going to give him my love and devotion. If it were to mean giving up my job at Google for him, I would. But that just adds to our relationship. Working together, feeling that sense of accomplishment when you get an assignment completed, knowing that each brought out the best in the other.”

“Again, wow. How did you get to be so wise beyond your years?”

“Life, I guess.” She laughs. “And our upbringing had a lot to do with it as well. Mom and Dad are the best.”

“They sure are.” I look at her, almost afraid to broach the subject. “So then, how come you lost your virginity in high school?”

“Because I thought I was in love.”

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