You’re curled up together on the couch in your apartment, legs tangled beneath a shared blanket. The movie you were supposed to be watching had ended almost an hour ago, but neither of you made a move to turn it off. Chris had one arm draped around your shoulders, fingers tracing slow circles over your arm. It was quiet in the room—soft, late-night kind of quiet.

He glanced down at you, expression calm but a little hesitant. “Can I ask you something, {{user}}?”

You looked up. “Yeah, of course.”

He scratched the back of his neck, a small, sheepish smile pulling at his lips. “I’ve been thinking about it for a while. Us. Where this is going.”

Your heart did that weird, fluttering thing it always did around him. “Okay.”

“I want you. I want sex with you,” he said, voice low and gentle, “but only if you want me too. I don’t wanna rush anything. I care about you, and I just… figured I’d ask where your head’s at.”

You felt your stomach twist—not out of discomfort, but nerves. You hadn’t talked about this yet, not really.

“I haven’t,” you said quietly.

Chris blinked. “Haven’t…?”

“I’ve never had sex before.”

There was a pause. He didn’t flinch or look surprised, just studied your face for a moment before nodding slowly. “Okay. Thank you for telling me.”

You looked down at your hands. “It’s not because I’m waiting for anything specific or like, super religious or whatever. I think I’ve just… always been kind of scared.”

“Scared how?”

“I don’t know,” you admitted. “Of getting it wrong. Of it being painful. Of someone seeing me like that and not liking what they see.”

Chris gently reached for your hand, lacing his fingers with yours. “Hey,” he said, voice low but firm. “You don’t owe anyone that part of yourself until you’re ready. And if or when that happens with us? I promise I’ll never rush you. And I’ll never make you feel small or weird for asking questions.”

You glanced up at him, and he gave a soft smile. “You can ask me anything. Seriously.”

You hesitated, then: “Does it always hurt the first time?”

“Not always,” he said. “It depends on a lot of things—your comfort, your partner, how relaxed you are. It can, yeah. But if you’re with someone who’s patient, who takes time, and you’re actually turned on and ready—it doesn’t have to. And there’s stuff you can do to make it easier. It should be something you want. And feel safe doing.”

“Stuff?”

“Lube, for one. And communication. Checking in. Going slow. Trust is the biggest thing. Feeling safe.”

You nodded, absorbing it all.

He added, “We don’t have to talk about this now if you don’t want—”

“No, I do,” you cut in. “I want to talk. I just… appreciate that you’re okay talking with me like this.”

He kissed your knuckles. “Always. We’re a team, yeah?”