Jane sputtered into her coffee, setting the cup down and putting a hand over her mouth so she didn’t just spit it everywhere. Oh, she should’ve seen that one coming. Most people didn’t ask, so she didn’t have to think about it, but Summer definitely wasn’t most people.
Once she had finally swallowed, she shrugged. “I wouldn’t be able to tell you, honestly,” she said. “We haven’t done too much more than kissing. I think he’s afraid of offending me, and I’m afraid of offending him.” She chuckled and rolled her eyes. “He might also be afraid of hurting me. He squeezed me too hard when we were making out on the couch and I had bruises for a week and a half. He doesn’t know about the bruises, but he knows it hurt.”
Summer dropped the doughnut like it burned her and hit herself in the forehead. “Don’t you two even talk?” she said, under the hand. “Good grief, Jane. Look, I’m not going to say this to hurt you, but seriously, I never thought of you as a coward.”
Summer dropped her hand and looked into Jane’s eyes, her face very serious. “You’re not doing yourself any favours being afraid. You say he’s sincere and honest and wonderful, so hold on to that and be honest back to him.” She leaned back in the chair, arms folded. “You’re serious about him, right? Do it right from the beginning.”
Jane raised an eyebrow. “I am not a coward,” she said. “We talk all the time, but we talk about things that are a bit more pressing than sex. He’s got enough to worry about without worrying about literally breaking me.” She rolled her eyes.
“It’s more complicated than that, okay? And besides, I’m not in any rush, and neither is he. It’s not like we haven’t done it just because we’re both nervous. It feels… I don’t know. It feels right taking things slow with him.”
Summer rolled her eyes right back. “I didn’t say jump right into bed. I said be honest. If you talk about everything, then let everything include why you think he might be offended. Or ask him why he thinks you might be offended.”
“Jane, I’m really serious about this. I — you’re my friend, and I don’t want to see you hurt because the two of you fumbled around trying /not/ to hurt each other.” Summer looked away, at the city skyline, her mouth crimping. “I tried that. I won’t let what happened to me, happen to you. I just won’t.”