R + C

A Learning Experience

"Oh good grief," Isaac muttered. Mowgli, the pit bull puppy, had pooped on the carpet. The frustrating part about it was that he had done so not six inches from the puppy pad he and CJ were trying to train the dog to use. Meanwhile, the perpetrator himself was happily trying to jump on Christine, whom he had never met and instantly wanted to play with.

Knowing it had to be done, Isaac gently grabbed Mowgli by the scruff of his neck and went over to the offending pile of crap, lowering the dog's face until it was mere inches from his excrement. Firmly, but without screaming, Isaac scolded his pup, popping him mildly on the behind. "Bad dog! Bad!" Finally, Mowgli was released. His head hung slightly, and his tail was tucked all the way under his body as he scampered over to his bedding inside the travel cage Isaac and CJ had acquired.

Fortunately for Isaac, the droppings were relatively dry, so the carpet did not need to be shampooed, just disinfected. After disposing of the waste, he turned to his guest and bade her to take a seat on the couch, then took his own place beside her, with a fair space between them. "So," he began, "you're feeling experimental, but you don't have anyone else you feel like you can ask, is that it?"

"Well... yeah, pretty much. I mean, none of the guys in my classes seem like a decent prospect. Either they give off the player vibe, or they seem like the closest they've come to kissing a girl is looking at their dad's Playboy collection."

Isaac chuckled at that. "Well, I can't really talk too much. I played sports in high school, so I did kind of run with the popular crowd to an extent, but I had only kissed one girl when I started here at Auburn. College has a way of broadening your horizons, if you will."

"Oh, yeah, I know. I've already tried this with a couple of girls," Christine added somewhat sheepishly.

"Oh ho ho! Well now! That surprises me... though I don't know that it should. I suppose it might be less threatening to approach a girl than a guy. Are you attracted to women?" Isaac inquired.

Christine hesitated, but answered, "I... I don't know. I thought both of the girls I kissed were pretty, but I can't say that I was really attracted to them."

"So why did you do it then?"

"Because... well, okay," she began. "I went on a few dates in high school, even kissed a couple of the guys, but it really didn't do anything for me. Then, there was this day that my best friend and I were supposed to go on a double date to the waterpark, but at the last minute, they weren't able to go, so it was just me and Roxy.

"We had just gotten some food, and after putting my tray down, I remembered napkins so I spun and bumped into her. We kind of caught each other a little bit, and our lips touched softly for the briefest moment... and it was like I'd been struck by lightning, such was the jolt to my system. After that, it was kind of awkward between us for a bit, but then we got back into the swing of things like we always had, because it was the last day we'd get to see each other before she left for MIT."

"And, naturally, you started to wonder if you might be a lesbian, is that it?" Isaac inquired.

"Well, yeah. What else was I supposed to think?"

"A fair question," Isaac responded. Softly turning her face toward him with his hand, he continued, "I do know one way we can see if maybe you like guys," as he leaned slowly down so their lips could merge. The two young lovers began to make out, slowly at first, and then more insistently as Christine got more into it. Isaac's hands were now placed on the back of her neck and the small of her back, holding her close to him as he did his best to work some magic.

Not wanting to overdo it, he pulled back ever so slightly first, before she got the hint and retracted a bit as well, giggling slightly. "Okay, maybe I hadn't really kissed a guy before."

This made Isaac laugh softly. "Well, if you're up for it, we could go in my bedroom and see how much more stuff you might like to do..."
_______________

In the afterglow of her lost virginity, a thought struck Christine that set her a bit on edge. Noticing the change in expression and wishing to console himself that he did not go too far, Isaac inquired, "You don't regret it now, do you?"

Christine let a confused look pass her brow. "Not at all. No, I was just thinking about that kiss with Roxanne."

Relaxing in the knowledge that he was not at fault, Isaac slipped into mentor mode. "Well, you know, you wouldn't be the first girl I've met who is bisexual."

This comment still did not quite sit well with her, however. "I don't know that that is it. I've never been attracted to other girls until Roxy. Something about her is just different."

Smiling, Isaac nudged his lover ever so slightly. "You know, it might just be that you're in love with her because she's your best friend." Then, after a brief pause, "Or, I suppose there is another possibility..."

At that, Christine turned to look at him full on. "What do you mean?"

Hesitating a bit, he did his best to explain. "This really isn't my field, but my buddy Danny said something a while back that got me to thinking. Apparently, there are a few different facets genetically that play into gender, such that people who have female body parts can be chromosomally male, or something like that. It can go the other direction, too, but that's not really relevant for this conversation.

"No, it may be that your friend is, on some level, not female, but male, and your subconscious could have picked up on that, but you'd denied it because they appear female on the outside. Danny said that at least sometimes, a cisgender heterosexual female will find herself attracted to a friend who fits a transgender or non-binary profile, but who has either not come out of the closet, or has not yet had the experience to understand the closet they are in. I admit, I struggle to wrap my head around the notion, and I'm sure I've messed up my explanation because of that, but it's a possibility that you should not discount, based upon what you've been telling me.

"Truthfully, you should talk to Danny about all this sometime when he returns from studying abroad for the semester. He would be able to fill in the blanks more appropriately for you. He's studying genetics, and he's been on the Dean's List just about every time it's come out, so he knows what he's talking about."

Christine's eyes had widened during Isaac's explanation, and she felt her pulse quicken as she considered the possibility. Was it possible? And if so, how could she approach the subject with Roxanne? They had not been in touch since that fateful day the previous summer. She still had Roxy's phone number, but this really would not be the kind of conversation to have over the phone. Christine was not even sure she would be able to broach the topic if they were face to face. She needed to talk to Danny before even contemplating that kind of step.

"Of course, like I said, Danny isn't around this semester to talk to, so probably best not to do anything drastic about it right now. I really don't want to start dating anyone during my last semester of college, because I'll hopefully be getting a job away from Auburn before I graduate, but I wouldn't mind being friends, at least. Especially if we can continue to play on occasion."

Well, Christine reasoned, it would be at least until summer before she would see Roxy again. Maybe having a "friend" around to show her the ropes in the bedroom would not be such a bad thing. "I certainly enjoyed myself with you, that's for sure," she responded. "I guess it wouldn't be too bad an idea to have some fun for the next couple of months."