Kat stared at her reflection in the mirror for a long time, wishing she had someone to talk to, someone to get advice from. She went back to the mall for the second day in a row but this time to buy a dress, hoping that if she got something to look pretty in, it would trick her into feeling confident. It wasn't working. The red dress did nothing to calm her nerves. Neither did the make-up she spent way too much time on.

Her heart hammered against her chest so hard she could feel in through her entire body. She set her hands on the cool surface of the bathroom counter and dropped her head down, taking a deep breath. Her phone rested on the counter and she picked it up, running her thumb over the screen to unlock it.

The only person she would even consider asking for advice would be Frida but Frida was under the impression she was with Nex. Nex made sure Frida was under the impression Kat wasn't a virgin anymore, taking away the only person she felt she could talk to about something like this.

Kat sighed and looked up in the mirror again, feeling like everything was off. Her hair wasn't right, the dress wasn't right, and despite her best efforts, somehow even the makeup wasn't right.

Am I supposed to be this nervous to have sex? She thought.

Her phone buzzed and she glanced down to see a text from Jason.

Jason: I'll be there in ten minutes, babe. You ready?

Kat bit her lip and wondered if a text had ever been this hard to answer. She desperately wanted to call Frida and ask for advice but part of her already knew what Frida would say if she knew the truth. It was the same thing she'd told her for years, ever since Frida first had sex at sixteen.

Virginity doesn't mean anything. Just get it over with. The first time won't be that great but it'll be good after that.

Kat sighed and shook her head, her thumb hovering over the "call" button on Frida's contact. Technically, it was just assumed that she wasn't a virgin because Nex was living here, she could claim that wasn't true without twisting the story too much. She breathed out shakily and hit the button, bringing the phone to her ear and closing her eyes to try to relax.

"Hey Kitty Kat," Frida answered. "Did Nex like the lingerie?"

Kat sighed and sat on the edge of the bathtub, smoothing out her dress. "He hasn't seen it."

"Are you okay?" Frida asked. "You sound weird. Is something wrong?"

"Um," Kat said, swallowing hard. "I just... I just wanted to ask you something but it's kind of awkward."

"Oh give me a break," Frida said in a tone Kat could practically hear the eye-roll. "You can ask me anything."

"Were you... Um... Were you nervous to have sex the first time?" Kat asked, her voice dropping to a whisper. Nex was just in the living room and she wasn't keen on him hearing this conversation.

"Well, yeah, I think every girl is a little nervous. It's not like any education on the matter properly prepares you for what it's like," Frida said. "Why are you asking me that? Haven't you and Nex..."

"No," Kat sighed.

"Oh my God," Frida squeaked. "He's living with you and you haven't had sex? Damn girl, that's restraint. He is a mighty fine specimen."

"Uh, yeah," Kat said, darting her eyes away. "But I mean... How do you know if you're ready? I mean, how do you know if it's too soon?"

"Well... I don't know, Kat," Frida sighed. "I think it all depends on you. If I'm being honest, I wasn't very sure I was ready my first time but I don't regret doing it. They always say you remember your first time but meh, I wasn't ever really that girl that was super hung up on the first time being special. I more remember my first time having good sex rather than my first time at all. But, as you know, we were raised very differently," she laughed. "I mean, I love my uncle and auntie but our parents were polar opposites as far as this kind of thing. Sex was never a hush topic in my house like it was in yours."

"Did you love Daryl?" Kat asked, biting her lip. Daryl was Frida's first.

"Uh, no," Frida laughed. "I can tell you I thought I did but I also didn't really know what love was at that age. I cringe thinking back on me in high school, I was so never that mature girl. That was you Kitty Kat, not me. I was the wild one that made poor decisions and didn't think things through. You've never been like that."

"You've always told me I need to loosen up more," Kat pointed out.

"You do need to loosen up more," Frida agreed. "Kat, do you want to have sex tonight?"

Kat paused. Did she? "I think so," Kat said, trying to keep her voice even. "You said to get it over with, right?"

"I mean, only if you want to," Frida said. "If it was me, I'd get it over with. But you're not me. How long have you known him?"

Kat was grateful she didn't know much about her and Nex. She could easily answer a question like that with the truth about Jason.

"I mean, for a year," Kat shrugged. "But we've only been dating a little over two months."

"Do you trust him?" Frida asked.

"Yeah," Kat nodded.

"Well, I don't know Kat. I can't tell you what to do," Frida sighed. "If you trust him and you want to, then do it. Nerves are normal. Hell, I still get nervous when I have sex with a new person for the first time. I can only tell you what I would do, and I'd do it. But it doesn't really matter what I'd do. You just have to do what you think is right for you."

Kat nodded and got another notification. A message from Jason saying he was here. He was here and she really didn't want Nex to answer the door.

"Thanks Fri, I gotta go," Kat said. "I'll call you later."

"Hey, if you decide to do it and want to talk after, call me, okay? Doesn't matter the time, babe."

"Thanks," Kat smiled. "Bye."

She hung up and stood, glancing in the mirror one last time. She added a touch of lip gloss then rushed out to the closet and grabbed some strappy black heels Frida made her buy once. Once she was all done she grabbed a long jacket and slipped it on, hoping to escape Nex's notice. She walked out just as he was about to walk into the bedroom. His eyes did that thing where they darted up and down her, making her feel naked even though the jacket was covering her dress.

"You look nice. Are you wearing a different perfume?" He asked, tilting his head to the side.

Kat nodded, biting her lip and darting her eyes away. Nex regarded her curiously.

"What're you so nervous about?" He asked suspiciously.

"I'm not nervous," Kat said, laughing in a way that said she most definitely was.

"Right," Nex said, not believing a word. "Well when you inevitably get home at elven on the dot, we were planning to play a drinking game. You want me to get you some more wine or will you not join in the fun?"

Kat almost bit her lip then stopped herself, remembering she put on lip gloss. She wrung her hands together and looked at him nervously. "I um... I'm not... I'm not going to be home by eleven," she stammered out.

"Sure you aren't," Nex said, rolling his eyes. "You and mister 'I own nothing but khakis and polos' are always home by eleven on the dot. So what, getting wild and going to come home at eleven-thirty instead?"

"No," Kat breathed, darting her eyes away. "I'm not coming home tonight," she muttered quietly.

She didn't want to look at him but he was incredibly silent. After an excruciating several seconds, she finally dared to look over and he was just staring at her with an unreadable expression. Kat darted her eyes away again but she could still feel him staring. He grabbed her hand and cupped her face, turning her to face him.

"Don't," he said, frowning. "There's something not right about him, kitten. I can tell with people and there's something off about him."

This was the part that was so hard with Nex. She couldn't tell when he was messing with her and when he wasn't. Just yesterday he'd nearly convinced her he saw her pastor with a woman that wasn't his wife and had a great big laugh about it. It wouldn't be the first time he lied about someone just to mess with her.

Jason never gave her any reason to think he wasn't a good person but Kat also didn't know much about dating or guys. But he was always nice and a complete gentleman, respectful towards her. He hadn't pushed her further than she wanted to go, which could only mean this was another one of Nex's pranks.

Kat sighed and stepped out of his embrace, pulling her hand out of his. "You're just saying that because you like messing with me."

"No I'm not," Nex clipped, flexing his hand. "I'm saying it because it's the truth and I don't want you to get hurt."

"I'm not going to get hurt and it's not your business, it's my choice isn't it?" Kat pointed out.

"Don't do it, Katherine," he snapped. "I'm telling you it's a bad idea. Don't just get it over with. Wait until you find the right person."

"Who do you think is the right person? You?" Kat challenged.

"No, kitten, maybe I'm not, but even I would be a better candidate than him," Nex spat.

"I'm not doing this with you," Kat said, shaking her head and walking towards the front door.

"Katherine," Nex growled, appearing in front of her and setting his hands on her shoulders. "If you go over there with him then I'll just have to follow to babysit you."

"Don't you dare," Kat hissed. "I will never forgive you. It's none of your business. It's my life and you have no say in it."

"You want me to just let you go be stupid and get hurt then?" Nex said, his eyes starting to turn red.

"I want you to stay out of it," Kat snapped.

Nex narrowed his eyes and balled his fists. He took a step towards her and then the doorbell rang. He growled, glaring at the door. Kat rolled her eyes and moved around him but he grabbed her again.

"Fine," Kat groaned, squaring her shoulders and facing him. "Look me in the eyes right now and tell me I mean something to you," she said, setting her hands on her hips. "Tell me you're not just messing with me and part of you truly cares for me because last night you snapped at me and told me you couldn't care less about me, did you mean that? Do I mean nothing to you? Because if that's true than that means you're just messing with me again and you don't actually care."

Nex couldn't answer. He did say to her last night but he didn't mean it. Her seeing his true form and reacting so well affected him so much he'd lashed out at her. Kat stared at him, waiting for an answer, an answer he couldn't seem to give her. He couldn't admit the real reason he snapped at her.

"Tell me you're not just messing with me," Kat whispered, looking in his eyes to see if she could somehow figure out the truth. "Tell me you're being honest because you genuinely care and are genuinely worried and I'll stay with you instead of going."

Nex opened his mouth to speak and nothing would come out. He'd never in his life admitted to caring for anyone and the level of which he cared for her was disturbing. The doorbell rang again and his eyes darted to it, wishing he had his usual abilities so he could just set Jason on fire right now.

Kat glanced back at the door then over at Nex. "Say something," she said, frowning. "If you're being real with me, really real with me, I won't go. But you have to be honest with me, Nex. I can't take the back and forth so if I mean something to you, say it now and if any of you has any respect for me, don't you dare lie to me then laugh about it later. It's really not fair."

He stared down at her and couldn't say the words. They stuck in the back of his throat with a giant lump because he never thought he was capable of caring about a human so much, to the point it scared him. He wasn't supposed to be able to feel this way about anyone. He wasn't good for her and he knew he wasn't. He swallowed hard and said nothing. Pain flashed across Kat's face and she tried to move past him, only to be stopped again.

"Don't," he said, his expression softening, his hand wrapping around hers. "Trust me, kitten. Don't go with him. Don't let him have you."

"I don't trust you, Nex," Kat said, yanking her hand away. "I can't. One second you're lying and the next you're not. One second you're messing with me and the next you're being genuine. You act like you care about me one minute and the next, you tell me I mean nothing to you. One second you're cold with me and the next you're..." She stopped and shook her head. It was too much. She couldn't figure out what was real with him and what wasn't. "Just drop it. This is happening whether you like it or not."

Kat went out the front door, slamming it behind her, leaving Nex fuming and glaring at the door. He took a step towards it, seriously considering following after her. He heard the door open and the car start. He took a step towards it then growled and went out the back door instead.

Kat tried to calm herself but Jason could tell something was wrong. On the drive over, he set his hand over hers and looked over with a smile. "Don't be nervous," he said, squeezing her hand. "You look really beautiful tonight."

Kat smiled and nodded and although she was nervous, that wasn't even the problem anymore. Nex had no boundaries and no consistency. She wondered how on earth they would ever find a way to send him home and ignored the little tug in her heart at the thought of him not being around anymore. She shouldn't want him to stay and part of her knew it was selfish to want that. This wasn't his home. He didn't have his puppies here. He didn't have anything important to him here and she shouldn't want that for him.

They arrived at Jason's and he had a nice, romantic candlelit dinner waiting. The dinner would've been amazing but now that they were in his house, her frustration towards Nex faded and nervousness at being with Jason took over, leaving her unable to eat that much. She picked at the food and wondered how much she might end up embarrassing herself since she didn't know the first thing about being good at sex.

"Is something wrong with the food?" Jason asked.

"No, no. It's perfect. Thank you," Kat said, smiling.

Jason chuckled and shook his head, rising from his seat. He took her hand and pulled her up, kissing her softly.

"Relax, gorgeous. Come on," he said, pulling her out of the kitchen and into the hallway.

Kat held her breath as they walked down the hallway to a room at the end. He opened the door to reveal his bedroom and Kat's heart started racing, nerves taking over.

"Jay?" She said quietly, looking at the bed apprehensively.

"Yeah?" He said, turning to her and setting his hands on her hips, leaning his head down to be closer to hers.

"I um... I've never done this," Kat admitted, blushing.

"Honestly, I kind of got that," Jason said, bringing his hand up to cup her face. "But it's okay. Don't be nervous. I'm prepared."

Kat nodded and tried to smile. Jason wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into a hug. "Hey, if you want to just sleep and nothing else, that's totally fine. We don't have to do anything if you don't want to. No pressure, babe."

"No, I want to," Kat said, looking over at the bed then up at him.

Just get it over with.

They moved toward the bed and Kat grew more nervous with every piece of clothing that was removed. Nerves are normal, she reminded herself. Except they didn't feel normal. She wasn't relaxing at all and her mind started racing so much she couldn't even try to enjoy the moment. He was hovering over her with practically nothing between them and she seriously considered telling him she wasn't ready but he spoke before she could.

"Are you okay? Do you want to stop?" He asked, kissing her lightly on the lips. "You can tell me if you want me to stop. I care about you, Kat. I don't want you to be uncomfortable and you seem pretty uncomfortable. I'm patient, babe. I can wait for you. You're worth the wait."

His words eased some of her tension. He cared about her enough to notice she was nervous, to stop. He stared down at her, giving her a reassuring smile that made it easier for her to smile herself.

"Let's not," he said, pressing a quick kiss on her lips and reaching for a blanket. "You don't seem ready and I don't want to push you."

More of Kat's tension eased at that. Part of her was afraid he wouldn't take it well if she changed her mind and the fact he did made her think Nex was wrong. Jason was a good guy and Frida was right, virginity didn't mean anything, she was making a bigger deal out of it than she needed to. If she just relaxed, it would go smoother.

Jason started to get off her and Kat set her hands on his hips. "No. I don't want you to stop," she said, shaking her head.

"You sure?" He asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I'm sure," Kat nodded.

"Okay," he smiled. "Tell me if that changes," he said, kissing her and settling between her legs.

Kat tried to relax but Frida was right, the first time hurts, even though he had lube, there was still a sting when he started. Kat closed her eyes to try to relax and it was over a lot faster than she thought it would be. It didn't feel terrible but she definitely didn't understand why people liked having sex so much. Then again, didn't Frida tell her the first time was always like that?

Jason lifted off her after he was done and sat back, glancing down at the sheets with the little bit of blood on the sheets. "Definitely a virgin," he chuckled.

Kat frowned in confusion, starting to pull her legs together as she suddenly felt uncomfortable.

"Wait," he said, reaching over to the nightstand and grabbing his phone.

"What are you doing?" Kat said, clamping her legs shut.

"A favor," Jason answered, taking a picture of her naked body with the blood on the sheets.

"What?" Kat said, clamping her legs together again. "What are you doing? Delete that," she said, sitting up and reaching for his phone.

"I don't think so," Jason said. "God, I started to think you weren't a virgin. You were so easy," he chuckled.

Kat felt the blood drain from her face, feeling confused and exposed. She reached for the blanket and covered herself, feeling slightly sick at the sight of the blood.