“That was the sweetest imposition I could have asked for, Yossi. I was really flattered. Just out of curiosity, what do you think would have happened if you did hold my hand a little while?”
“I would have kissed you, and if you had kissed back, I would have wanted more.”
“An honest answer, and quite flattering. Yossi, I shouldn’t be embarrassed at being so pure, but I’ve never kissed a boy. Not properly, that is. Just a couple of stupid games of spin-the-bottle.”
“What’s spin-the-bottle?”
Wow. I never thought I’d be out-virgined by a boy. “What I said, a stupid game played by junior-high kids. Now what exactly would have been wrong with you kissing me?”
“If you ask me a question in physics, I’ll give you one of three answers: yes, no, or Heisenberg. Jewish law is never so simple. There are specific ritual prohibitions, such as sex with a Jewish woman in a state of impurity. There are others more obviously in the realm of morality, such as the ban on adultery. According to the Rambam—Maimonides—only marriage to a non-Jewish woman is forbidden: ‘Do not marry them; to not give your daughter to his son.’ If we just had sex? I wouldn’t get any special honors for it, but technically it might not be so bad.”
“Yossi, we’re talking about kissing, not having sex! And what do you mean, ‘not so bad’? Give me some credit—it might be pretty darn pleasant.” Why not talk about having sex with Yossi? My body may have been a temple, but just then it was itching for a virgin sacrifice.
“Lexie, I’m terribly sorry, of course I wasn’t implying anything of the sort. It’s just the old slippery-slope argument. You’ve got to admit that being in college greases it up pretty thoroughly.”
I had a vision of Yossi and I covered in oil, happily screwing our way down the side of a mountain. “Well, it’s a good thing we’re just talking on the phone. I’ve got a pretty good reach with my right-hand slap.”
“That’s just what I wanted to say. It is a good thing we’re not having this conversation face-to-face, and I don’t think we should meet any more outside of chem lab. It’s entirely my fault, Lexie. Since the other day I’ve had a hard time thinking about anything other than what might happen if we keep getting together in person. I’m not presuming anything on your part, God forbid, just telling you what’s inside my own head. Look at it this way: if we don’t actually meet we’ll be freer to say whatever we want in email or over the phone.”
“Yossi, you’re absolutely right. You’re my very best friend right now and I’d hate to give up talking to you. So if we’re free to say what’s on our minds, let me go first. I’d never slap your face, Yossi, no matter what you say. I desperately wanted you to kiss me, and I wasn’t particularly worried about where things might end. I probably shouldn’t tell you this, but I’ve been put on the Pill because of an irregular period. I’ve also had trouble thinking about anything else.”
There was a gasp, then silence on the end of the line. “Wow. Lexie, could we talk again a bit later? This is a lot for me to absorb right now.”