Page 96 of October
“Molly,” Juliet began as she leaned back in. “You need to talk to her. You need to tell her what happened.”
“And see a shrink, apparently. A therapy app just isn’t enough for someone like me with my issues.”
“Anxiety?”
“Like my dad,” she said with a shrug. “I think it’s just hitting me more now because of Fin. It’s never been like this before. You know me.”
“I do. But so does Finley. And I don’t think she’s going to give up on you when you tell her what happened. I’d be flattered. Does that make me sound bad?”
“You’d be flattered if I faked an orgasm with you?”
Juliet laughed and said, “No, but I’d be flattered that I mattered so much to you, that you got that nervous. I’d want to try again and help you through it.”
“You’re taken, Jules. Don’t let Gwen hear you talk like that.”
“I love Gwen. Had this happened our first time, I’d want her to tell me so that we can work through it.”
“It’s sex. It’s our first time. We shouldn’t be working through it.”
“Okay. I know you’ve had bad first times before. You know that’s what happens, like, ninety percent of the time. It’s like, ‘No, not there. Over there. No, too hard. Not hard enough. Higher. Lower now. Let’s try again. Sometimes, it just takes me a while,’ and all that. We’ve all had that kind of sex before, especially the first time you’re with someone.”
“Was it like that with Gwen?”
“No, but she’s just… I don’t know. I was nervous, but I wasn’t anxious. I haven’t been in love with Gwen for years, though. I haven’t been in meetings with Gwen’s girlfriend or watched her kiss that girlfriend in the parking garage. I imagine, that’s part of what you’re dealing with here.”
“Yes,” she said.
“Finley deserves honesty, Molls. You know that.”
“I know,” she agreed. “And I’m going to tell her if she doesn’t already know.”
“You should. And you should be able to talk about all of this with her. The thoughts, the feelings, and the faking it.”
“Here are your pancakes,” the waitress stated, setting down their plates in front of them.
“Faking the test results,” Molly lied. “For the pregnancy test. No, that sounds awful, too. I didn’t mean that.” She looked up at the waitress.
“Your life, honey,” the woman replied before leaving them alone again.
“God, you are terrible at lying,” Juliet said, laughing.
“Andsex, apparently.”
“Sorry, I forgot your bacon.”
The waitress had turned around when someone else had handed her the side plate with four strips of bacon on it.
“You heard that?” Molly asked her.
“I heard nothing.” The woman winked at her.
“She’s getting a huge tip,” Molly said when the woman left.
“Hey, there’s a barbecue at Elisa and Myra’s today. Gwen and I are going. Everyone’s going to be there, from what she told me. We’re bringing Carly so that she can play with Buster. You should come and bring Finley.”
“To a barbecue with, like, a bunch of people who will think we’re a couple?”
“Aren’t you?”
