Julian

III. March, Ch. 32

     She adjusted her sitting position, preparing herself for a story.

     Might as well. She knows everything else. "It was Molly, my first girlfriend."

     Calvin finished all the wine in his glass. A conversation like this required it. "It was a typical deflowering scenario. We talked about it for weeks, her parents were away..."

     "Were you her first, too?"

     He nodded. "We were both sixteen."

     "And how'd it go?"

     Calvin felt the first symptoms of discomfort kick in. There was nothing left to do but power through. "Horrible. I guess she expected me to know all the mechanics of intercourse, being the man and all."

     "Didn't you and your old man have 'The Talk'?"

     "My father was not one for fornication. He wasn't one for a lot of things."

     "I see. So, what happened?"

     He sighed. "Well, when it was all over, Molly... turned on me."

     "She turned on you?"

     "She sat on the bed and started crying. I mean, really crying. Sobbing, even. She was inconsolable."

     Genevieve's voice remained soft. "Why?"

     Calvin shrugged. "I don't know. To this day, I have no clue. I asked if I hurt her, if she felt forced or guilty or embarrassed. She just told me to leave."

     She brushed a couple of loose hairs on Calvin's head. "How did that feel?"

     Calvin was quiet for a minute. He was coming face-to-face with a problem he didn't want to deal with. "I thought the worst thing that could happen was her getting pregnant or her parents walking in on us. I was wrong. Crying the way she did after I made love to her was."

     "You loved her?"

     "Yes. Maybe. I don't know."

     Calvin crossed his arms to keep himself warm. His frustrations bubbled up to the surface. "Why do women expect men to be sexual know-it-alls, but refuse to tell us what they like? Do they think we're mind readers or something?"

     Genevieve giggled. "No. We just think that if we tell you, we'll look promiscuous. We want to remain pure and innocent in your eyes. Maybe that's what happened with Molly."

     He shook his head. "I don't think she realized how much that affected me."

     "Did it?"

     "Yes. I know I'm not the most affectionate guy in the world, but it would have been nice to, I don't know, hold each other and talk afterwards. Or watch TV. Or have ice cream. I don't know. What do normal couples do post-coitus?"

     "There's no such thing as a normal couple."

     Calvin tried to laugh, but he was too worn out from their deep conversation.

     "But that does explain a lot," said Genevieve.

     Alright, enough sob material. He smirked at her."You mean it's a good enough excuse for my prude behavior."

     She smacked his ribs with the back of her hand. "Yeah, good enough."

     Her light-handed hit struck a sensitive spot. He laughed inside a wince.

     Genevieve eyes glowed with mischief. "Don't tell me you're sensitive there."

     Don't you dare pounce on me. Calvin couldn't handle Genevieve's hands on any sensitive, unexplored parts of his body. "No."