Chapter Two: Hickey

***

Ophelia:

After our... talk, Luke helps me finish up a couple math problems and then drops me off at home just before dinner.

My head is still swimming. Get it together, Ophelia. I just can't stop thinking about it. He was almost... he could've gotten a...

A boner.

Oh gosh.

There was definitely a little bit of... you know. Um. Erection? But I wasn't sitting close enough to that part of him to really feel it, except I did see a bit of, erm, bulging in his jeans.

Is that supposed to scare me?

Because it doesn't.

Okay, maybe it does just a little.

It just makes me so... warm. More than warm, actually, but, anyways.

I have to focus on my English essay after dinner.

No thinking about... boners. Or kisses. Certainly not about Luke's mouth, or his hands, or his lips or tongue or that beautiful face of his.

Or, other parts of him.

"Hey, pumpkin. How was school?" Mom calls from the kitchen as I walk past on my way to my room.

"Same as always," I sigh.

"How dreadful," she remarks dryly. "Where's my kiss?"

I roll my eyes but fight back a smile. Can't come home from school without giving my mother a peck on the cheek to say hi.

Maybe I'm too old for it. But she doesn't ask for much so I guess I can indulge her.

I toss my bag onto one of the barstools and trudge over to the other side of the island, to where she's busy stirring something on the stove.

She puts the spoon down and pulls me into her arms for a quick hug and I plant one on her cheek as promised.

"So how's that essay goi—" She cuts herself off and the bright, easy smile on her face morphs into bemusement. Her eyebrows furrow, her eyes narrow.

She's looking at me funny.

Why is she looking at me funny?

A small herm. "Did you... go to Luke's house after school?" she inquires casually.

"Yep." I hope I'm not blushing from the memory of... all that happened earlier.

"What did you guys do?"

Okay, now I'm definitely blushing. "He helped me with my math homework."

"I see." She sounds... preoccupied. Now she has that look on her face that she gets when she's thinking hard about something.

I follow her gaze and it looks like her eyes are fixed below my chin, somewhere near my neck.

"What's wrong, Mom?"

She takes a deep breath and then lifts a hand up to sweep away some of my hair. I feel her fingers drift over a spot on my neck. It tickles.

I look down but, obviously I can't see my own neck so I have no idea what she's staring at.

"What else did you do, besides math homework?"

I bite my lip, not meeting her eyes. "We hung out. You know."

She arches an eyebrow. Doesn't look very impressed.

"Hey, Mom," Darcy greets loudly as he walks through the front door. Mom turns her attention away from me for a second as my brother strides towards us. She gives him a small smile but still looks a little... upset? Is she upset?

He's like a foot and a bit taller than both of us but he still wraps an arm around Mum and gives her hair a small peck.

"Hey, Fee. How's it—"

He glances at me and then his eyes go so wide they look like they're about to bug out of his skull. He coughs, stares at me.

"What? What's going on?"

"Is that... a hickey?"

"A wh—" Oh.

Oh, frick.

Crap.

Crap.

My hand flies to the spot on my neck that Mom was touching earlier.

Oh my God.

No.

There's no way my face could get any redder.

"Hey, you three. What's up?"

Dad.

My face gets redder.

"Fee has a—"

"Darcy!"

"—a hickey." He shakes his head, looks at me like I'm some kinda alien. "Luke. That assh—"

"Watch your language, son." Dad rounds the island towards us so we're all standing huddled near the stove.

I might die.

It's possible to die from humiliation, right?

I watch as my parents exchange a loaded look that I can't even begin to decipher.

My dad clears his throat. "We'll... finish this conversation after dinner. You two go wash up and come back in ten."

I hurry away from there like they're infected with the plague.

***

Luke! You gave me a hickey
And I didn't even know, and now
my entire family is freaking out
Help!

Oops
Sorry?

😑

Shit
Darcy is going to kill me

My mom is going to kill me
And then she'll kill your dad

Damn
Oh well

Shut up

Do my eyes deceive me?
Did Ophelia Kathryn Stone
just use a big-kid swear?

Sleep with one eye open, Loo

That's it
I'm going to tickle the crap
out of you for that one

Boo hoo
Gtg for dinner
Bye

Bye Feelz

***

Melanie:

"Gavin," I hiss quietly, flipping the stove off and leaning a little against my husband for strength.

So help me God.

My baby girl has a big, fresh red hickey on the side of her pretty little neck.

And she didn't even know it.

"Breathe, baby," he advises dryly. He still calls me baby, a couple decades and two kids later, and it somehow always makes me feel younger than I care to admit I am.

Not kids. Teenagers. Adults.

Damn, I'm getting old.

"We... need to talk to her, Gavin. Today. What am I supposed to say?"

Ophelia is my baby girl. She's always been so... pure and innocent.

She's studious. Always has her head in the books. She reminds me so much of myself at her age, and I never gave boys a second thought in high school. Or, until maybe the end of grade twelve, I think...

Except obviously I'm a terrible mother.

Of course she needs the talk. That's what I get, for thinking that the little boy who she grew up with, who's like a brother to her and a son to me, isn't anything to be worried about.

He's Dylan's son, for heaven's sake.

I really should've known better.

"You haven't... talked to her at all?" Gavin arches an eyebrow at me and it makes me feel even shittier.

A laboured sigh falls from my mouth. When Darcy hit puberty, I left it to Gavin to give him the spiel.

I've always been so close to Ophelia. Made it so clear to her that she could talk to me about anything, trust me with anything. She's never been difficult or closed off. We have an amazing relationship. She often comes to me for advice, about anything and everything.

Except she's... oh, I'm going to get a headache.

She's sixteen and she has a boyfriend and she's fooling around with him, and I haven't talked to her about sex since the short conversation we had about womanhood when she got her first period.

I sincerely hope that, at least, Dylan has spoken to Luke.

Actually, no. Imagining Dylan's version of sex-ed does not give me any reassurance whatsoever.

"You spoke to Luke, didn't you?" I ask him. "After her birthday, when he told us he wanted to take Ophelia on a first date?"

I keep my voice down and stand close to Gavin to avoid being overheard. All the parenting books I read back when I was pregnant and when the kids were little talked about being consistent with your partner about messaging.

Gavin and I have no problems communicating. We're the perfect team. Always a united front. We've been excellent parents.

Or so I thought.

"Sure. I told him they couldn't stay out past ten. That he better be serious about my daughter and treat her right." He looks down at me, cringes. "But, Mel, babe, I didn't talk to the kid about... you know. He's like our third child, I never... damn."

Neither of us really imagined it was more than a cute, childhood flirtation. Quite adorable, actually. Luke has always looked out for Fee, since... practically forever. He's been as much of an older brother to her as Darcy. In fact, often more kind and patient than Darcy.

The thought of Ophelia and Luke being... sexual with each other is just disconcerting.

I need to talk with my daughter.

***

Ophelia:

This is so embarrassing.

When we're finished cleaning up after dinner, Mom and Dad tell me they need to talk with me.

Thankfully, Darcy makes himself scarce. Although, he's probably gonna give me an earful later.

Mom tries putting a friendly smile on her face but I can tell that she's definitely... perturbed.

She makes the three of us some tea and we go sit in the living room. I take a seat in the big comfy armchair while they sit side-by-side on the love-seat across from me.

They're going to talk to me about... sex.

I want the entire earth to just swallow me right here and now.

I tried covering up the... hickey... with some concealer but I know my attempt isn't very effective.

The idea that Luke's affection, his kisses, left this mark on me is oddly... salacious. Makes me feel kinda dirty but also kinda... powerful? Mature? Hot? That's weird, right?

Well, mostly just dirty and ashamed when I'm sitting across from my parents.

I just sip my tea and don't meet their eyes.

"Ophelia. Sweetheart. I... I'm sorry we never had this conversation with you sooner," Mom begins.

Dad looks super uncomfortable right now and I honestly don't blame him. He and I have never talked about boys. I don't even mention my period or pads or anything around him because it just seems weird.

I'm his little girl, you know?

"Obviously, you're sixteen. A teenager. You're not a kid anymore, pumpkin." She smiles a wry little smile, almost to herself. "And... you're dating. You and Luke are dating. So, there are some really, really important things we need to talk to you about."

I don't say anything because like, what would I even say?

"Fee. Baby. I don't know how much you know about... some things. I know they gave you sex-ed in school but I'm still gonna... cover all that important stuff again, okay? Just to make sure we don't miss anything."

"Oh God. Please skip the part where you tell me where babies come from, Mom."

She and Dad both crack a small smile. "Thank God. Sure, we can skip that part." She takes a gentle breath to steady herself.

Mom's turning fifty-one in the new-year. When I grew up I always thought that she was the most beautiful woman on the entire planet. But I know she thinks she's getting old and I also know that talking to me about sex doesn't make her feel any younger.

"Fee. Obviously you know about kissing. And..." She hesitates but Dad puts a hand on her knee and gives it a small squeeze and she looks a little more collected. "Kissing and... that stuff, it can feel really good. But, it can also... change to other things before you even know it and so it's really important for you, and Luke, to... set boundaries for yourselves. Talk to each other before you cross other lines. Know about... if or when things are getting out of hand so you can stop before you do something you might regret."

I'm blushing so hard right now. It's like, exactly what Luke was just telling me this afternoon.

I gulp. "I... know that Mom. Luke and I are good at talking."

A funny, secret little smile lights up Dad's face. Is Mom blushing?

"That's good, princess," Dad says. "Your mom and I never used to be very good at... talking."

Mom gives his arm a smack.

"Ew, Dad."

"Yeah, ew, Gavin."

He chuckles. "Ophelia. I remember when I was your age, Luke's age. I know that sex seems like an exciting idea, or something that you're probably curious about. But, take it from me, kiddo, you're still young. You have a lot of time ahead of you to be thinking about all that grown-up stuff. Sex... makes things complicated. It's a distraction. It makes life messy and it's a really, really serious thing." He gives me one of his crooked Dad smiles. "And I know you probably hate hearing grown-ups say stuff like this, but you won't understand how serious it is until you're a lot older and have seen more of the world. That's just the truth, baby. So... coming from someone who knows very well how complicated sex can make things, I'm asking you to make some smart decisions, okay princess? You're the smartest kid I know. Sex has... consequences. Lots of consequences."

Mom nods her head in agreement. "No matter what kind of birth-control you're on or how safe you are, there's always a risk of pregnancy. You have such a successful future ahead of you, pumpkin, and pregnancy is not something that should ever happen before you're at a place in your life when you're settled down and able to comfortably support a family."

I can't help but snort at how ridiculous the entire idea is. "I'm not going to get pregnant, Mom. That's..."

Definitely not the kind of thing I would do.

"I know, honey. I just have to say it anyway. And... here's another important thing. I know when you're in a relationship, you want to make the other person happy. I know you'll want to do things to make Luke happy because you care about him a lot. But it's never okay to do something you're not completely comfortable or sure about just because you think it'll make him happy. When it comes to your life and your body, you're the one that matters. You're allowed to be selfish about the decisions you make for yourself, about your boundaries. Make sure you're honest and clear about what you want, even if it seems awkward to talk about it, okay?"

Everything they're saying seems like it's straightforward and makes a lot of sense but I can tell that they're really serious about it.

"I get it. Thanks Mom."

"Good. Um..." She looks at Dad, purses her lips together. "What else do we want to say to embarrass her?"

"Birth control? Condoms?"

"Yeah," she agrees, looking back at me. "Even if you decide you're not planning on having sex anytime soon..."

"That's the right decision, Ophelia," Dad jokes. He's probably only half-joking, actually. "Abstinence until you're... thirty? Thirty-five?"

"Okay, Daddy."

He winks at me. "I knew you were smart."

"But sometimes..." Mom continues, "When you're sixteen and have hormones and... all that stuff, things can happen when you didn't plan for them to happen and it's important to be safe just in case." She looks like she'd rather have a root-canal that talk to me about safe sex but she's forcing herself to do it anyways. "Always use a condom. That's the only hard rule I have for you, Fee. You're still too young to consider all the complicated consequences of unprotected sex, so, don't ever think it's okay not to use one. And, I think we'll have to visit Dr. Meyer this weekend and... get you on the pill, or, an implant... we can talk more about that later." She takes a deep, heavy breath. Puts her hand on Dad's shoulder. "Anything else, Gavin?"

Dad raises one of his brows and tilts his mouth to the side like he does when he's thinking. "Hm... well, Fee. You're gonna probably learn this the hard way but, boys are idiots. They're stupid and sometimes they don't think with their brain, but with, you know. Other body parts." He shrugs in a what-are-you-gonna-do kinda way. "Girls are smarter," he acknowledges, giving Mom a little nudge. "I learned that the hard way. Relationships are... hard work, princess. You won't always agree, you'll fight, there will be problems. But just be honest and kind and smart and remember that we're always here to talk to, okay? It's always okay to come to us for advice. We just want you to be happy and safe. If you mess up, don't worry about getting in trouble. Just keep talking to us, okay?"

"Okay."

My face is still so warm.

Having sex. Birth control. Condoms. Relationships.

I guess I'm really not a kid anymore.

"Love you, pumpkin."

"Love you guys too. Can I go now?"

"Yeah," Mom says. "Actually, wait. I should just say that... hickeys are... um. Well... not really something you want to show people, okay? So, make sure you either, um, cover them up, or..."

"Don't get them at all," Dad advises, standing up. Enough sex talk for him, I think.

I gulp. "I'll... be more careful?"

"Good. Okay. Now, go work on your essay, sweetheart."

I've never been so happy to write an essay in my life.

***

Melanie:

"Hey, doll." His voice crackles a little through the phone. "What's up?"

"Your son gave our daughter a hickey."

He chuckles. "Amateur."

I count to ten in my head to calm down. "Dylan. Seriously. Have you spoken to him? About, you know..."

"About sex?" There's laughter in his voice. "How incompetent do you think I am, darling?"

Ouch.

"What did you tell him?"

"I told him that if he hurts Ophelia, or has sex with her before she's thirty, he'll be signing my death certificate."

My turn to laugh. "Good." A pause before I breathe, "They're not kids anymore, Dylan."

"I know, darling. It's bloody frightening. When did we get so old?"

"I don't know. I really don't know."

I can hear the cheeky smile behind his next words. "If Fee is anything like her mother, you mustn't blame poor Luke for misbehaving, because it will have been her fault."

I scoff. "If Luke is anything like his dad, it will be entirely his fault."

"Stop flirting with my wife, Dylan," Gavin calls from the bathroom.

"She started it, mate."

Ophelia is in so much trouble.

***

A/N:

Share your embarrassing, anti-climactic, or non-existent sex-ed story here.

XOXO Ami

***

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