Laughing drunkenly, we all but crashed through the door to Nora’s flat: as she had said, her room-mates were away for the weekend, so it was deserted. We stumbled through the darkened apartment until we reached the door to her bedroom which, after fumbling a bit, she opened.

“Welcome to my kingdom, Princess Lily!” she announced, spreading her arms wide. “A glorious one hundred and thirty square feet of pure chaos! Dare you explore this dangerous realm?” She lowered her voice, and whispered: “It’s normally not this untidy, I swear.”

I giggled, and gave a mock curtsy. “Why, Queen Nora, you are too kind. Would you be so courteous as to show me the sights?”

“But of course,” my girlfriend replied with a grin. “Shall we start with the bed?”

She stepped forward and swept me up in a bridal carry; I gave a small yelp, blushed furiously, and hid my face with my hands as she carried me past the threshold and flung me on the bed.

“Here we are, my princess,” she said. “But I have to say, you shouldn’t be wearing shoes in bed.”

I pretended to frown. “Will you help me take them off, then?”

I laid down in the bed, and lifted my feet up; Nora slipped my shoes off, and tossed them to the side.

“Hmm, these are such lovely feet,” she commented, giving the left one a kiss.

“No, don’t,” I protested. “They’re smelly.”

“The only thing I can smell is you,” she rebutted; she dropped down on the bed, pinning me in place, an arm on each side of me, looking down at me. “And you smell like flowers.”

My blush deepened, but I smiled at her. “I really love you, you know.”

“I do,” she said, with that charming smile of hers. She reached up with her hands, and caressed my chest. “Your blouse is in the way.”

I looked up at her. “Should I take it off?”

“Please do.”

Slowly, I reached up with my hands and unbuttoned the blouse, then spread it open wide to reveal my bra.

“Mmm,” Nora said. She put a hand on my back, fumbled a bit, but then expertly unhooked my bra and pulled it down to my stomach. “Cute.”

“I’m sorry they’re not that big,” I said. “They’re still growing.”

She shook her head. “No, they’re the perfect size.” She leaned down, and planted a kiss on the top of my right breast, making me shiver. Then she lifted herself up, and looked at me in the eyes, a mischievous grin on her face. “What do you say? Are you ready to go further?”

I nervously bit my lip, but nodded.

Nora grinned even wider, and lowered herself onto me; the weight of her lithe body on mine felt really good.

“Good girl,” she whispered in my ear, and she kissed me deeply.

Girl.

The word suddenly burned through my brain. It registered even through the alcoholic fog that clouded my mind.

Somewhere, as if from a distant memory, another set of words flowed upwards:

Rape by deception.

I turned my head to the side. “Nora. Nora, stop. Please, stop,” I said, lifting my hands, and trying to push her away. “Stop,” I repeated.

Nora stopped immediately; she pulled back, and raised herself to a kneeling position on the bed. “Baby, what’s wrong?” she asked. “Are you okay?” She frowned. “Did I do something wrong?”

I felt tears well up in my eyes. I shook my head. “No,” I replied. “You did nothing wrong. You were… You are fantastic, Nora.”

I looked up and locked eyes with her. “I’m the one who did something wrong. I’m the one who is wrong.”

Nora’s frown deepened. “What do you mean? Lily, what’s wrong?”

I tried to take a deep breath, but it turned into a choked sob. “I… I’ve been lying to you, Nora. I’ve been lying to everyone.”

As the tears started falling from my eyes, I admitted the truth.

“I’m not a girl.”