[TAM: Evening the Odds] Chapters 30 & 31. (Patreon)

Chapter 30: Changing the subject.

A part of me wanted to push the subject and… attempt to ease Emily into what happened today at the rooftop with Megan, but I ended up deciding against it. Better not tell Emily anything until Megan herself figured out what she wanted to do.

“Should you even be telling me this? Don’t go giving me any ideas,” I told her.

Emily blinked, looking… puzzled. Like she had just realized that she was saying stuff she shouldn’t. “Crap, you’re right.”

Maybe… Maybe the Affection Multiplier was getting our relationship to the point she felt comfortable enough around me to tell me stuff like that. But even so, I had to completely change the subject.

“And anyway, can we stop talking about the fantasy of me being popular in this all-girls school? Can I finally ask you why you suddenly wanted to come here or am I not supposed to?”

Emily groaned in annoyance, covering her face with her hand. “I was hoping you didn’t ask.”

“If you don’t want to tell me, I’ll shut up, but it doesn’t seem like you wanted to take the opportunity to have me all to yourself,” I joked.

That seemed to lift her spirits a little. She chuckled before turning serious again.

“It’s… my mom,” she says. “Since we live in this town, I’m still staying with her and don’t live in the dorms. The thing is… my dad passed away five years ago, and since then my mother has had 10 different boyfriends, or at least that’s how many she’s taken home. These days I try to avoid my house as much as possible, especially since my sister moved out.”

“Ah. I guess things get pretty awkward, don’t they?”

“Like you wouldn’t believe. I kinda felt bad for those that came in thinking they’d be my new dad only to be dumped by mom a couple months later.”

“Ouch.”

“Yeah.” Emily sighed. “I’ve always wondered what she finds so fun about it. Is it fun having so many boyfriends or does she like dumping them? I don’t get it.”

“Have you ever had a boyfriend?” I asked innocently.

“That’s a very personal question, Mr. Walker. I’ll only answer if you tell me first,” she said with a teasing grin.

Couldn’t just tell her about Emma, so I had to lie a bit. I shrugged and answered. “Once, in high school. Second worst experience of my life,” I said nonchalantly.

“Seriously? That bad? Why?”

I had to think of how to say it for a moment. “Do you happen to know Olivia Hughes?”

“That bitch? Sure do but wish I didn’t. She’s caused many of my teammates more than a little trouble,” she told me.

“Well, my first girlfriend was kind of like that, but without the pretty face and the killer body.” I sighed and groaned at the bitter memories.

“How did you even get into that relationship then?” she asked in disbelief.

“She came to me and asked me to date her and I was a horny teenager. Still am, really,” I joked self-deprecatingly.

“Gotcha.” She was the one to sigh this time. “Fine, you revealed more than it’s fair for what I have to say. No, I’ve never had a boyfriend. I’ve been in all-girls schools since middle school, so I’ve never had much contact with guys.”

“What about a girlfriend?” I asked, trying to sound as casual as I could.

She shook her head. “Haven’t had a girlfriend, either. I’m not into that, but…” She eyed me carefully for a moment. “Can you keep a secret?”

“Like the best of them, but are you sure you trust me enough to tell me?”

Emily didn’t answer my questions. Instead… “There was a time when I kind of… sort of… had a crush on Megan.”

My eyebrows shot up. Seriously? The plot thickens. 

“Did you…” I coughed to clear my throat. Didn’t want to look too suspicious. “Did you ever act on it?” I asked.

“No. I didn’t think Megan was… willing to experiment and I didn’t want to make things awkward between us. We’ve been close as sisters since we met, so I didn’t want to ruin that by doing something stupid.”

Girl, if only you knew. This was kind of frustrating to listen to, to be honest. I mean, I totally understood and sympathized with Emily’s fears, but to think they could’ve had something going on long ago if they just… No, who knows what would’ve happened. That’s where those fears come from, from not knowing. 

“Do you still feel that way about her?” I asked further.

“Kind of? I’m not sure. I’m just very, very curious,” she admitted, tracing her finger along the edge of her glass.

“Curious of what?”

“I don’t know… what it’s like to be with someone, to have a relationship, to… kiss someone. I’ve always thought that if I was going to experiment, I’d want to do it with Megan, but like I said, I don’t want to make things awkward.”

Well, those are questions every teenager ever has had. I had them up until very recently, until Emma was kind enough to clear them all out of the water. 

I had to stop and think for a moment. Did I want to be bold enough to try something here? The AMA stacked the deck in my favor and Emily’s scores had improved a lot lately. She was even willing to tell me a big secret of hers.

…

“Does it have to be a girl?” I asked her.

She looked down at the floor. “Hell, I’m not even sure of that. I mean, I think I like guys, but when I look at Megan working out…” She groaned. “At this point I don’t even know what I want.”

“Then why don’t you try it with me? The kiss, I mean,” I offered, keeping any joking tone or even hesitation out of my voice. You never convince anyone if you yourself don’t sound sure of what you’re talking about.

Emily’s eyes snapped to me. “What!?” She had a look of utter disbelief. Couldn’t blame her.

“I’m just saying, if you’re that curious, kiss me and get it out of your system. God knows I wouldn’t mind being your test dummy. If you don’t like it you can forget it ever happened. Not sure I’d be able to, but I’d live.” I grinned and gave her an over-dramatic casual shrug.

Emily actually chuckled at that. Good to know she took it well. Her expression then shifted to serious consideration as she stared deeply into her glass.

************

Chapter 31: Emily accepts.

It felt like ages, or more realistically at least 10 minutes, but it couldn’t have been more than a couple. Emily was quiet. She breathed deep and steadily. Heard her click her tongue once, though. Still, after much thinking…

“Okay.” Her voice was barely audible.

“You sure?” I asked softly.

“Don’t ask me that or I might back down,” she told me more firmly.

“Hey,” I raised my hands innocently, “I admit I’d accept more than a few excuses to get to kiss you, but the last thing I want is to make you uncomfortable. If you think this is a bad idea…” 

“God, you really are a horny teenager.” She shook her head. “Sit down,” she said, patting the spot on the bed next to her. It would’ve sounded like an order if her voice hadn’t trembled a bit from nerves.

I left my glass on the desk and sat down next to her on the bed. My own heart was starting to beat rapidly, my ears heating up. Damn hormones…

“Just to be clear, this is just a kiss,” Emily warned. “You’re not allowed to touch me anywhere below the shoulders.”

“Okay. What about…” I almost choked on my own words, so I cleared your throat. “…tongue?”

Emily bit her lip, looking conflicted. “Only if I tell you you can.”

“Perfectly acceptable conditions.” I nodded.

She took a deep breath, turned her body towards me and closed her eyes. “Okay. Whenever you want.”

Oh, she was leaving it to me. It was surprising, and just a bit flattering. The AMA must've been working really well for her to trust me this much.

If this was how she wanted it, going straight for the kiss might feel a little shocking. I first put one hand on her shoulder, then with the other I gently brushed her blonde hair. She stiffened, but soon relaxed against my touch. 

I traced my thumb gently across her cheek, then her lips. Strictly speaking, it was all above her shoulders. Emily’s demeanor began to change, from nerves to anticipation. Couldn’t leave her waiting any longer. I leaned close and kissed her.

It was soft at first, lips barely brushing against each other until I slowly began to press mine firmly against hers. I cupped her cheek, and the faint sounds of our lips meeting and parting seemed to echo loudly inside the dead silent room. I felt my heart skip a beat when Emily started to return the kiss, trying to match my movements. She awkwardly held onto my shoulders, but the fact she was trying to close the gap was encouraging.

She broke the kiss, and my heart sank thinking it was over. But then she muttered, “You can use your tongue now.”

I felt a shiver at my back.

I smiled, put my hand on the nape of her neck and kissed her again. I didn’t slip my tongue immediately, instead building anticipation before I could surprise her. 

Her startled reaction when the tip of my tongue parted her lips reminded me of Megan’s. After a minute, my tongue entwined with hers, the new sensation causing Emily to moan in pleasure. The wet sounds of our make out session almost seem too loud in the tiny shed.

Emily’s hands started to roam down, running along my arms and the sides of my torso before settling in my chest. I kept mine where they were, on the nape of her neck and her shoulder, right where they were allowed to be.

Emily suddenly broke the kiss again, and this time looked at me with wide eyes and ragged breathing. Her face was still close to mine as she whispered. “I… I think we should stop.”

“Didn’t like it?” I asked.

“No! God no! I mean, yes! I…” She groaned and aggressively shook her head. “That was… really… REALLY nice. I just…” She cleared her throat. “I got just a tiny bit… excited.”

“Really? Then I’m flattered.” I smiled but didn’t press the matter. “Okay. If you say stop, we stop.”

“Thanks,” she said with an embarrassed smile. She then swallowed hard. “H-Hey… Things don’t have to be awkward now, do they?”

“Not if you don’t want to. I liked that, but I’m not getting any ideas. We said it was a test, nothing more.” I answered, watching Emily stand up and walk back and forth around the room.

“Right! This was just… two friends trying things out, right?”

I nodded, and for some reason that seemed to tick her off. She lashed out at me all of a sudden. “How are you so calm!? I’m a nervous mess here and you are acting like nothing even happened! Did that mean noth…” She cut herself off before finishing that last sentence. Her face was red. Really red.

I frowned, stood up in front of her, took her hand and quickly put her palm against my chest.

“What are you-!?”

I shushed her. “Can you feel it?”

Emily calmed down and focused until she could finally feel how fast my heart was beating. “I might seem calm, but I’m definitely not. Of course that meant something to me. I can’t kiss a beautiful girl like you and feel nothing.”

Emily stared into my eyes with pursed lips before she hastily stepped away. “Look, I… I better go. I’m sorry I made things awkward. I’ll be back to normal tomorrow. Everything will be. See you.” She took her things, walked to the door and opened it before she stopped as if frozen in place. I stared at her back until she finally turned around, walked up to me, gave me a kiss on the cheek and finally left in a hurry.

I threw myself on the bed and lay there for minutes, unmoving. I didn’t understand what I was feeling. I wasn’t angry, sad or disappointed. Just… upset. Kept questioning if everything I was doing was worth it. Kissing Emily felt amazing, but… 

Megan.

Emma.

…

I actively avoided looking at the AMA to see Emily’s score. Didn’t feel right at that moment.

An hour later Megan sent me a message apologizing for not being able to make it that day. I asked about her grandmother and thankfully she was fine.

I exchanged a couple of goodnight messages with Emma as well and went to sleep. I think I dreamt of being chased that night.