You do!

You get your fingers underneath it just in time, loving this. ‘And what’s this? Something I shouldn’t be looking at?’

‘It’s – nothing –’ Emma stammers, blushing even harder. ‘Oh, God – please, just shut the lid, okay?’

You relent, still smirking. ‘Hey, I’m only playing, sweetheart. Believe it or not, you’re not the only one who’s ever watched porn in a hotel room.’

‘I – how do you know it’s – it might not be porn!’ Emma bursts out, still red in the face. ‘It might be a, a, a diary entry, or something…’

‘It might be,’ you concede pleasantly. ‘Is it?’

Emma screws her eyes shut. ‘Please, James…’

She’s really embarrassed, and you didn’t mean to upset her; especially not on the night before her birthday. ‘Hey, Em… I’m just messing around, okay?’ Sliding your fingers out, you snap the laptop shut and set it aside. ‘Look, it’s off. And I didn’t see anything.’

Emma makes an unhappy little sound. She’s still not looking at you.

You step over to her, pulling her into a reassuring hug. ‘Hey, hey… what’s all this? You okay, sweetheart?’

‘I’m… I’m sorry,’ Emma mumbles into your chest. You rub her back soothingly through her thin cotton pajama top, a little bemused by her reaction.

‘What for? Hey, I don’t mind you watching porn. Or writing dirty diary entries, or, you know, whatever it is.’ You draw back slightly, searching Emma’s face for hints. ‘It’s okay, Em. And I seriously didn’t see anything, so…’

‘It’s not that,’ Emma manages, still not quite meeting your eyes. ‘It’s… oh, it’s stupid. I shouldn’t have been looking at it, anyway.’

Your curiosity is seriously itching, now. ‘At what, sweetheart? Is it kinky stuff? That’s fine, too, by the way. And I promise I’m not going to get offended by you watching porn without me.’

Emma’s eyes shine uncertainly. ‘Really? I mean… shouldn’t you?’

You have to think about that for a moment. ‘Well, hey, I’d definitely like to try watching that stuff together. But, nah, I’m not so insecure I have a panic attack over my girlfriend seeing another guy’s cock.’ You wink at her, trying to get her to smile. ‘As long you’re not messaging naked dudes on Chaturbate, yeah, that’s fine.’

‘What if…’ Emma’s voice has dropped to a whisper. ‘What if… I wasn’t looking at cocks?’

For a moment, you don’t get it.

Then, all at once, you do –

‘Oh…’ you breathe, squeezing Emma’s shoulders comfortingly. ‘Oh, sweetheart. Seriously? That’s what this is about?’

The tension in Emma’s small body seems to drain out as she relaxes against you. ‘Well,’ she says slowly, ‘I mean… I didn’t know if you’d think that was okay. Me watching other people, and especially me watching…’ She rests her cheek against your chest. ‘Other girls.’