It was Friday. At about 8pm, I was about as dressed up as I cared to be at that point and getting anxious – I didn’t want to go clubbing too late, as the most interesting things happened earlier in the evening – so I went and knocked on Loll‘s door to ask if she was ready yet. I didn’t always go along with Loll, but she would inevitably turn up at some point, so it seemed like a good bet.

Loll was also dressed up, but cotching on her bed with Jimmy and Aimz. I liked all of them, as well – Jimmy was always a good sort (he asked me not to turn up my music once, as I was in the room above him and he’d managed to pull) and I’d once had a sex dream about Aimz (although I wasn’t about to tell her that), but seeing all three of them together made me feel warm. And maybe a little jealous. I hadn’t had a good hug for a while.

“This is inherently a bit sexual,” someone said (it may have been me).
There was a general murmur of assent.
“I don’t know,” said Aimz. “When I’m on a bed with my boyfriend, we’re usually not just lying here like this. I’m by his side. Or underneath him. Or on top.”
Everyone giggled.
“Whatever works for you, I suppose,” I shrugged. “Everyone agree?”
“I wouldn’t know,” put in Loll, unexpectedly, “because I’m a virgin.”

My initial reaction was to put in something like, “cool, I’m a virgin too.” Throughout year 12, that had been my standard answer. Things had taken a shift in year 13, and now I was at university, I was once again not having any sex, but most definitely not a virgin. For a few seconds, I felt slightly thrown; Loll was looking at me expectantly, clearly waiting for some sort of reaction.

She must have noticed my slightly thrown expression.

“Are you judging me?” she asked. “Judging me because I’m a virgin?”
“Oh, no…” I responded, adding “no, no, no, no, no…” to clarify my answer. “No judgement here. I mean, you’re, what, 18? 19? There’s no reason for you not to be a virgin, really.”
“You’re not a virgin,” said Aimz, “and you’re… well…”

I didn’t wait to let her finish her sentence, and to this day, I still have no idea how it was going to end. I may have liked Aimz a lot, but she could be a little tactless. Mind you, that’s why I liked her.

“…just out of a long-term relationship,” I supplied as an alternative. “I wouldn’t have ever had sex if I hadn’t gotten a girlfriend a couple of years back. Although I still maintain that happened accidentally, so…”
“You’re not judging me?”
“No!”
“What, really?”

At which point, and quite uncharacteristically, I took charge of the situation, and steered us clear of these dangerous waters.

“I’m going to the club,” I said. “If you guys want to join me, then come on.” The three scrambled off the bed, in some sort of coordinated ruckus. “And let’s not talk about Loll’s virginity any more, shall we?”
“Virgins unite!” interjected Jimmy, holding Loll’s hand aloft in a show of solidarity, at which point every turned to look at him.

“What?” asked Jimmy, nonplussed. “Are you judging me?”