"Not exactly," she answers, after a brief pause. "I've often wondered how other people feel about it—men; other women; virgins and whores. I suppose because I haven't experienced a lot of it myself, I wonder... But it's informed by curiosity, and not my own desire."

She feels self conscious admitting it. She suddenly coils a wirey, dark curl of hair around her finger in a rare, anxious gesture. "...I sometimes feel that I want to understand. I feel like I'm—" She can't find the words exactly. She drops her head with a little chuckle, raising her palm. "—defective, maybe. Sexually."