"Five?" Claudia repeated incredulously, nearly spitting out a mouthful of blue slushie as Lloyd sniggered away alongside her. They were sitting in a park close to the centre of town, the one that didn't have much equipment: the main attraction wasn't so much a climbing frame as a tree house, with a wavy orange slide decending into a giant patch of mud. They were sitting at the top of the ramp that led to the 'house', holding a slushie each and watching the distant traffic roll by on the road, enjoying the surprisingly nice April weather.

Poking his straw into the remainder of his own drink Lloyd nodded. "That's what Daisy told me. When I asked Simon about it he just said 'I'm not telling you shit like that', but the moment it happened I had a text from Daisy," he explained, before chuckling softly. "She was so happy. Broke my heart."

Claudia offered a sympathetic smile, slowly stirring her drink-- his unrequited crush on their other friend had been going on for at least two months by now, and every time he talked about it he was always so down. So, to try and distract him, she went soaring straight back into disbelief. "But five dates? What did they do at the end if they didn't kiss?" she asked instead, and suddenly snorted a stiffled laugh. "Oh shit, I can just imagine them sort of awkwardly standing there, and finally someone extends a hand and says 'nice one! Same time next week?'"

Lloyd dissolved into sniggers in moments, before straightening up to do some acting of his own. "'Belter of a day! Maybe next week we'll even hold hands!'" The grin and the wink at the end was what really tipped it over for Claudia, and she had to put her drink down to keep from spilling the contents over the two of them when her laughter had her shaking.

It took a while for the both of them to calm down after a few more cracks, with Claudia holding her sides while Lloyd tried to catch his breath. "Five dates..." Claudia eventually mumbled yet again in disbelief, before shrugging. "Well, that's kind of sweet really."

"I thought you didn't like kissing," Lloyd teased, only for Claudia to scoff as she picked her drink back up.

"Just because I don't like it doesn't mean other people can't enjoy it," she replied, before smirking at him. "Isn't that a bit of a dick move?"

"I dunno! Usually when people don't like something, they don't like other people doing it either!" he tried to defend himself, and Claudia started sniggering again.

"Look, I know I'm an asshole, but I'm not that much of an asshole."

He chuckled along with her, swilling the melting remains of his drink around the bottom of the cup. "Have you ever actually kissed someone? Because I still don't get how you can't enjoy it-- kissing is fucking amazing."

She grimaced at the thought alone, which made him giggle despite his best efforts. "It'd probably be different for someone I really liked, but the two people I've made out with just made it awful. Too much tongue," she grumbled with a shake of her head.

"Damn, I don't mean French kissing, I mean just making out. No tongues," he clarified, and cast her an incredulous look. "Seriously, they both frenched you right off the bat?"

Claudia grimaced again with a shudder and a nod. "I didn't know what I was doing. I was so embarrassed."

"Just bite 'em next time."

This at least made Claudia chuckle again, but Lloyd wasn't done. He turned to face her a little more, his jacket slipping from his shoulders completely. "Serious though, kissing is super fun."

But Claudia pulled a face, shaking her head as she stirred her slush a little more. "Why, though? Saliva is gross. And what do you even do with your lips?"

"It's not gross when you really like that person. I mean like really really like," he replied, making a squeezing motion with his free hand for emphasis. "And there's nothing to it. When it happens, you just know what to do. It's amazing."

Watching him closely Claudia nodded slowly, before looking down into her drink again with a thoughtful pause and a wary half-smile. "... What if it isn't, though?"

"What d'you mean?" he replied curiously, completely unaware to her growing concern on the subject.

"Like... What if you find out you still don't like kissing?" she asked softly, before drawing her knees up to her chest and looking solemly out across the park. "What if you never like anything like that? What happens then?"

Chewing softly on his straw Lloyd mumbled a quiet 'oh', and paused for a moment in silence himself. "...Maybe they're not the right person, then. Maybe with the right one, it'll be ok?"

"Or it'll just be awkward," she grumbled, casting her gaze down back into her slush cup. They were sat in silence for a few uncomfortable seconds, before Claudia thankfully spoke up again on a slightly different subject. "What was it like going out with Daisy? I know it was only for a week, but still."

He rolled his shoulders in an awkward shrug, humming softly. "Uuh... Well, I really liked her so I asked her out. Took her to watch this really dumb movie, and we didn't really have anything to talk about afterwards because it was terrible," he explained, before chuckling softly. "Oh shit, I gave her a really awkward kiss too."

"Yeah?"

He sniggered slightly. "It was so stupid! It was going so badly and I didn't want her to think I was some dumbass who couldn't do dates right, so I went and I kissed her." He ran his hand across his face with a soft groan. "Oh god, we were at the bus stop. I didn't even get her mouth properly, and I think I was holding my breath."

At least now Claudia was sniggering, and he nudged her gently to get her to stop. "No, no: I'm sure it wasn't that bad," she tittered, taking another sip of her slush. "It's a bit different from what Daisy said, but--"

"Whoa, whoa wait: you can't just say that and then not say what she said!" he quickly cut across, and she grinned deviously.

"She said you cut her off mid-sentence, and then hardly spoke the entire bus ride back."

He held his head in his hand as she rolled into a full giggle, shaking his head softly with an embarrassed smile. "Oh my god... I think I blanked it out. Why did you bring this up?"

They laughed about it for a little, before a question came to Lloyd's mind. "Have you been on any awkward dates? You've heard about mine, so now you have to tell me about yours!"

"Eh, I haven't really..." she mumbled with a soft shrug, making him gape.

"Seriously? Not one?" he asked, and she shook her head. "Why not?"

"No one's asked?"

"Haven't you asked anyone out? Ever?" he exclaimed, and she shrugged again with an awkward smile.

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

"'Don't really' what?"

She was frowning now, looking back into her cup and poking at what was left with the straw. The ice was melting fast thanks to the warmth of her hand, and she could sip up a bit more easily. "I dunno... Why do you ask people out?"

"Me personally?" he asked, and she nodded. "Uh... Well, I don't know. I like them, I think they're hot, I wanna make out with them and stuff. Y'know, the usual."

It felt like a good explanation, but when he looked Claudia's way again he found her nibbling on her straw with a frown. Something definitely wasn't right. "What's wrong? These are really specific questions, Claudia."

She glanced at him, peered awkwardly at the ground, then sighed as she put down her cup and laid back on the floor of the shelter. "I don't know... When you get a crush on someone, do you... y'know..."

"Know what?"

She pulled a face, her cheeks flushing slightly. "Or when you think someone's hot. Like, bang-able. Do you... do you actually get turned on? Like, just seeing someone sexy makes you feel like that?"

It finally clicked what she was trying to say and he couldn't help but laugh a little. "I mean, I don't get a boner for every lady I see but yeah, of course! I mean, who doesn't?"

He was still chuckling a little when he looked back at her with an amused smile, but she was anything but. Staring up at the roof of the shelter she looked more concerned than before; this subject was clearly heavy on her mind. A little bit confused Lloyd took a moment to think, before daring to softly ask "You... you don't feel that?"

She replied with the slightest shake of her head, which only confused Lloyd more. Lying back like her he stared at the roof of the shelter, at all the grafiti scrawled on the wood, and tried to understand what she was implying.

"You get what I'm trying to ask, right?" she asked softly. "I never get how people are always like 'I couldn't help myself' and stuff. I genuinely always thought stuff like sex was a choice thing, and people were just making up the whole 'primal urges' part."

"'A choice thing'?" he repeated, almost completely lost. He'd never considered not being attracted to someone; it was hard to get his head around it.

"Yeah, like... stuff like that is weird. I always wondered why anyone would do anything like that, and then I guessed it must be because you really like the person, right? It would make sense that you would for someone you really liked."

She sounded so sad, and when he looked over at her he found her features matched her voice almost perfectly as she stared wistfully at the roof. "I've kissed people I thought I liked, but then... Is there something wrong with me?"

"Maybe you just haven't met the right person yet?" he replied gently, but that didn't seem to make her feel better.

Still, she forced a smile at his positive attempt. "I hope so..."

"I'll say this though: that explains why you suggested we hang out here," he said eventually, gesturing to the wooden shelter around them. She gave him a confused look, and he couldn't help but laugh in disbelief. "This is a hook up spot. People come here to bang."

She sat up like a shot, running a hand through her hair like she expected something to be in it. "What? Why-- this is a kids' play park!" she exclaimed in a high pitched squeak, perching on the edge of the platform instead while Lloyd burst into full blown laughter.

Still clutching his arms around his middle he managed to sit up as well, a little red in the face. "Well, when the 'urge' strikes...!" he tittered, before making a penetrative gesture with his hands that had Claudia exclaiming another flustered 'oh my god' before grabbing her bag and drink and escaping down the ramp. Calling after her Lloyd was still laughing as he grabbed his things as well, and she quickly came back to help when he fell down the last part of the ramp.

Throwing their cups in the bin on their way out they started making their way back to school. Apologising profusely for his comments at the slide shelter Lloyd had finally calmed down his laughter, though much to his relief Claudia managed to chuckle a little bit about it too. Ducking through the clock tower tunnel a thought struck him. "Maybe you're just not interested?"

"What?"

"Like, that's a thing, right? Not being interested in sex. Not celebesy like monks and stuff, just... not doing it. Right?" he asked, though he felt he was trying to confirm it more than anything. The whole concept was completely alien to him, so he was trying his best to understand.

Claudia huffed a sigh. "But it's weird. Sex is like the one thing everyone sort of has in common, you get me? Someone's always attracted to someone else." Folding her arms she grumbled as she glared at the floor. "Why do I have to be the weird one?"

"Well, whoever you fall for-- if you fall for anyone: I'm sure it won't matter to them at all," he reassured her with a nudge. "Sex isn't everything in a relationship."

"No, but it's like one of the main things. Who wants to be with someone who doesn't want to do... that?"

He could hear the sadness starting to creep back into her voice, and quickly brought an arm around her shoulders. "It'll mean they'll like you for you, right? You have to admit that's pretty romantic."

"Oh my god, you absolute sap," she groaned as she nudged him away again, but at least she was laughing about it. She even managed a small smile as they walked through the school gates. "...It's a nice thought though. Thanks, man."