Page 66 of Daydream

I slide into the red leather booth, poised to plead my innocence and offer some half-assed excuse when Cami gasps. “You got laid last night!”

“What?” I say, voice squeaking. “No, I didn’t!”

“Then why are you glowing?” Aurora says, leaning in to look at me.

“Maybe it’s the body shimmer stuff from yesterday. Maybe I didn’t wash it all off,” I say as they inspect me like I’m a zoo animal.

“Liar. You had thatI had an amazing orgasmwalk when you came in here. Is that why you’re late?” Cami says. “Was it Henry?”

“Of course it was Henry,” Aurora says, sporting the widest grin I’ve ever seen. “Look at those pink cheeks. I want to know all the details, but also, it’s Henry, so I kind of don’t want to know all the details. Can you kinda filter the details specifically for me?”

“I want all the details. No filter, please,” Cami adds.

I shrug, because what else am I supposed to do? “There isn’t anything to tell.”

“Having integrity is no fun, Halle,” Aurora says, pouring me a glass of water and nudging it in my direction. “Can you at least tell us if you’re happy?”

“I’m happy.”

Cami fans me with her menu, which normally I’d question, but I can practically feel the heat radiating from my face. “And were you safe?”

“I honestly didn’t have sex last night, guys,” I say, lowering my voice so as not to disturb the other Blaise’s patrons with my recently established not-solo sex life. “I haven’t had sex ever, actually. But I’m happy, and I guess I do feel a little like I’m glowing.”

Aurora looks like I just won some kind of competition. “I’m so happy for you, but also, kind of grossed out because it’s Henry and it feels a bit like finding out my brother is doing it with my friend. But really happy for you! I bet he was sweet, right? He likes you so much. No wait, don’t tell me if he was sweet. I don’t want to know.”

“Ignore her, tell me if he was sweet,” Cami adds, leaning on her hand.

I know I’m blushing, but I also feel really good. “He wasreallysweet, and patient, and told me we didn’t need to rush because he knows I’m a virgin. You guys are honestly not acting how I thought you would to that news, by the way.”

“What news? You saying you haven’t had sex before?” Cami asks, putting her menu fan down. I nod. “Why would we? It isn’t a big deal. And penetrative sex being considered your first time is a heteronormative thing. My first sexual experience was with a woman. Plus I believe in science and, not to get too deep on you over breakfast, virginity isn’t a medical concept.”

It’s the second time I’ve been told something similar recently. Aurora is nodding along with her until she finishes speaking. “That,but also, Will sounds like he was a dick, so I wouldn’t have wanted to fuck him, either.”

“This conversation is enlightening,” I say, taking a sip from the water glass in front of me. “So many people have made me feel weird about it. The girlfriend of someone on Will’s team once said to me,Aren’t you worried about him cheating on you if you’re not keeping him satisfied? Ironically, her boyfriend cheated on her.”

Aurora’s eyes widen. “Why do people care so much about what’s happening between other people’s legs? It’s so fucking weird. Like, yes, I’m your friend and I want to know all the things going on with you, but,Jesus, I’m not going to try to tell you what to do with your own genitals.”

“Please don’t say genitals so early on a Sunday morning,” I plead.

“Did Will make you feel weird about it?” Cami asks. “I’m totally down to do something I won’t verbalize to make sure he never has a professional hockey career or, like, any happiness in his life, if he did.”

“I feel like if I answer that honestly I’m going to end up being an accessory to a crime.”

“You can only be an accessory if I tell you what I’m planning,” Cami says with a wink. “I’m sorry he was so bad to you, Hals. I hope you know there isn’t some kind of deadline for this stuff. Without sounding like a bumper sticker that I’d definitely buy if I had a car, bodily autonomy includes the things you don’t want to do as well as the things you do want to do. I’m so happy Henry is a good guy and he’s experienced, too, which will help make it easier for you.”

I’m happy Henry is a good guy, too. For some reason every time he comes up, I want to bury my head in my hands and kick my feet excitedly. Never occurred to me that him being experienced would be a benefit. “He is. I do want to have sex with him. I just don’t want to rush into everything all at once, y’know? I’m nervous.”

“Not to sound like your mom, but did someone give you thebirds and the bees talk? Do you know how to be safe?” Aurora asks, and honestly, it feels a little like I’m being quizzed by my parents right now. “And y’know, arranging tests and things? Do you take birth control?”

She looks so genuine, but it’s hard not to laugh. This is not how I imagined breakfast going. “Yes, someone gave me the birds and the bees talk. I’m not on birth control because I worried that Will would see it as a green light before I was ready. I should probably look into it before we start, right?”

“Maybe to just decide if it’s something you’re interested in? Not everyone takes it. If you need help navigating them, I’ve literally tried them all. I have killer periods, so I’ve been on it since I was fourteen,” Cami says.

“And if you decide you want to get some, I can go to your doctor with you,” Aurora adds. “I once had to try to get the morning-after pill in some random-ass village in Switzerland in broken Italian so no conversation about contraception fazes me now.”

“I—” I’m so confused. “I have so many questions. What were you doing in a random Swiss village?”

“I lived alifebefore Russ turned me into the responsible and refined woman you see sitting before you.” Cami looks as confused as I feel. Aurora’s pre-Russ life is well documented online, so it’s not hard to imagine. “Okay, I still literally have no idea how it happened. I was supposed to be in Italy. There was a guy from my dad’s work that I liked to get into trouble with. It’s a story for another time. Anyway… we’re talking about Halle and Henry. I hope we’ve made you feel okay with what we’ve said.”

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