“I thought you weren’t attracted to me!”“I wasn’t,” he agreed. His response was almost automatic and the tone of his voice was leveled, meaning he didn’t even think twice about what he said and I didn’t know why I wanted to hit him in the face at the moment.I cast my disappointment aside and tried to keep a straight face. I’d deal with my feelings later. Right now, he cannot suspect that I was feeling even a little bit fond of him!“Then why would you even suggest a kiss as a punishment to get even with me when I hit you?” I asked, keeping my voice as cool as possible.Nick shrugged. “You said I’m Nicholas Atkins and according to you, I’m interested in every girl I meet. And you just called yourself a girl. I mean, you’re unlike any of the girls I’ve dated before. I usually go for tall, curvy babes with long legs and supermodel looks. The chances of us ever getting together are from nil to maximum five percent. Kissing was probably the worst thing that we could do with each other. I

I tried my best to stay out of Nick’s hair. I locked myself up in the room so I would not have to see him or talk to him. I didn’t want to keep on frowning at him, or make it so obvious that I was ignoring him. He didn’t deserve that. It was not his fault that I’ve never been attracted to a guy before.I was raised unconventionally. Growing up with two lesbian parents, I never knew what it was like to explore being a girl. I loved my parents so much and I have always idolized them. Their relationship was something I found to be ideal, thus, I never thought about exploring what it was like to date a guy. It never even crossed my mind.My father was the reason why I have major trust issues with a guy. Brett had always treated me like a boy. So did his friends. I have always believed that I would never put my trust in a guy. I would never fall in love with one. The only guy who challenged these beliefs was Nicholas. And he was not even aware he was doing it.He didn’t say anything. In fa

She had curly, platinum blonde hair and she was wearing a tiny skirt and a blouse that revealed her flat abdomen. Her skin was tanned, as though she spent regular hours under those sun tanning capsules.She touched his arm and gently pulled him to her. Nick responded by touching her chin and whispering something to her, which made her laugh giddily. The sight made me want to puke in disgust. I felt as if the knot in my stomach tightened painfully and I felt the urge to run to Nick and punch all his teeth down his throat.You filthy womanizer, you fucking idiot! But of course, I could only scream at him inside my head. Nicholas had every right to do what he does best: pick up easy girls dressed like bitches in heat!“So, how does this work?” Brett asked. “Are you going to stand by his car and wait for him to finish with that girl, or is the girl going home with both of you?”“I am not sure. I guess we’ll find out,” I replied.“You can always catch a ride with us. If you have his house

I went to bed half past three in the morning after two glasses of whiskey, thinking that would make me tipsy enough to give me a good night’s sleep. But after an hour in bed, my dreams turned into nightmares. Nothing changed much. I still go back to that night. The man and my father visited me in my dreams again. As usual, I was waiting for Nicholas to save me. But tonight, he never appeared. As if he’d forgotten to save me, or perhaps, he’d given up. I bolted up from bed, wide awake. Tears were streaming down my face and I was shaking in fear. I was quick to reach out to the space beside me, hoping to be in the comfort of the arms that rescued me that night, and each night afterward. But all I felt was the cold and empty sheets over the soft, unoccupied mattress. I hugged my legs to my chest, resting my head on my knees. I realized that this was the stupidest thing I’ve done all week. I should have known that I wasn’t ready yet. Because of my stupid pride, I have forgotten that my w

“You mean the girly side of me?” I asked in an annoyed tone.“The equally stylish side of you, with a little bit of finesse. I’m not going to ask you to wear skirts but let’s just say that maybe you should try to make Nicholas think twice next time he calls you ‘brother,’ ‘boy,’ or ‘boyish.’”“Really? This is about Nicholas again?” I was starting to get mad.“Come on, Ken Clarke!” Terry was getting a little frustrated now. “I didn’t say chase him or seduce him. I just said, make him look at you twice. You like him. You’re denying that. But one day, you’ll admit it to yourself. And trust me, when you do, you will want him to see you as you are. Not as a little brother or as an androgynous roommate, but as the beautiful girl that you are.”I stared at Terry for a long time, unable to believe what she just said, and unwilling to admit that she might be right.Am I ready to admit it to myself? Do I want Nick to see me as a girl? Do I want him to be interested in me?I took a deep breath.