"To lick her."
My frown deepens while I tilt my head to the side and glance at the TV. "Down there? With his tongue?"
Jules nods, sucking at the colorful straw before answering without letting go of it. "Yep. It’s called oral sex."
"Why would someone do that?"
She lets go of the straw. "Well, because it feels good," she then explains, looking at me as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
Of course I know that sex is basically just that: the most natural thing in the world. Something completely normal. My mother explained to me how it works, but her descriptions gave me the impression that it’s some kind of necessary evil in order to get pregnant and have children. She never even slightly hinted that it could feelgood. Not to mention all the things that apparently come with it, or that oral sex is even a thing. So I’m confused and shocked in equal measure. But there’salso curiosity. Because both the movie and Jules’s explanations speak a different language than my mother.
When she picked the movie, Jules insisted it wasn’t just to show me the hormone-fueled behavior of young men. She claimed it portrayedmany aspects of growing up in a lighthearted and funny way.
Since I’ve never been to high school, let alone a party, I can hardly judge that. But it seems as if the average teenager has to go through a lot in this world, and I’m not quite sure if it’s a curse or a blessing that I missed that.
Thanks to Jules’s easygoing and, above all, patient manner, however, I stopped feeling uncomfortable an hour ago. No matter what I ask her, she answers in detail and without making me feel inexperienced, which I am. And although some of her descriptions initially disturbed me a bit, I became more relaxed over time and my questions became more detailed.
"Have you ever been licked?" I ask.
"Sure. It’s really great. Well… Of course only if your partner knows what they’re doing. Unfortunately, some don’t." She takes a sip of her beverage before leaning over to look at me with a grin. "Oh, and if they use their fingers, too, it can bepretty damn good," she adds in a conspiratorial voice, winking at me.
I’m not sure if I like the idea of that, but even if it’s truly as good as Jules claims, I’ll probably still have plenty of time to get comfortable with it.
"I’m going to get another drink," I declare, climbing out of bed.
Jules sinks deeper into the pillows. "Okay."
After taking a bottle of water from the refrigerator, I go to the stairs and look down. The first floor is dark, but strange sounds reach my ears. Shouts. Male voices talking over each other in a chaotic mess. Then there’s whistling, followed by angry screaming.
It sounds like there are a lot of people in the basement.
My curiosity urges me to go downstairs, but Cole’s words ring way too loud in my ears, which is why I go back to my room.
"Jules?"
She’s tapping away on her phone as I lie down beside her. "Hmm?"
"What’s going on down there?"
She’s just about to take another sip but pauses in her movement. Then she lowers the glass again and looks at me. "Cole didn’t tell you?"
"No."
Jules grimaces. "Then I can’t tell you, either. It’s on him to do that," she explains, only raising more questions.
I’ve never asked for anything I wasn’t supposed to have. My mother’s word has always been law, and I’ve never dared to doubt it or even beg for anything. But my curiosity is killing me, so I don’t back down.
"Jules,please. I swear I won’t tell him!"
She shakes her head while her expression remains unchanged. "No. Not a chance."
"Is it something bad?" I keep probing.
Jules squirms visibly. "Sophie, please stop. I’m really not good at turning down someone I like."
Her words make me pause. What Cole is doing right suddenly becomes secondary.
"You…like me?" I whisper.
