Truth

"I like it." The words are barely a whisper, coming mid-exhale, before the smarter part of you brain can kick in and stop you. "I mean, I think I do. I saw a video or two, and I..." You trail off, not sure what else to say. You try to justify this to yourself as something to not be embarrassed about, but you can already feel your face practically glowing red.

The room is quiet for a few long seconds, until Natalie practically jumps on you, hugging you tight. You're taken aback by her reaction, eventually hugging her back, although gentler. Not entirely sure why she's suddenly so affectionate, you decide to let her take the initiative. Eventually, she does let go, sitting back on the floor, facing you.

"Sorry, I wasn't trying to mock you, I just thought..." She sighs, looking down at the ground for a second, before meeting your gaze again. "Maybe you'd just find it funny, or... I dunno?"

"Well yeah, that's what I thought you were doing. Why..." You gesture vaguely back-and-forth between the two of you. "Why this now, though?"

"Because I know how much it sucks for... y'know... people to make fun of you for this sort of thing. Why do you think I dumped Kevin?"

Kevin: One of Natalie's exes. Rugby player? At least, his physique reminded you of one - maybe a tad below average height for a man, but built like a truck that specialized in pulling other trucks. You don't think you ever really spoke, but you don't remembering sounding stupid. Though you were like 10 when they broke up, so you don't remember much. But...

"Wait, weren't you 15 back then?"

"16. Ish. But yeah, that's probably why he was such a dick about it." Natalie didn't seem too phased by your question, so you make the point a bit more clear.

"Yeah, but isn't that a bit early to get into... fetish stuff?"

"I guess? I mean, I just thought getting some fluffy handcuffs would make things interesting, but he freaked out. And of course, then I didn't have a boyfriend, so I... explored." She turns to you, curious "What about you?"

"Like I said, I watched a few videos, maybe a year ago, but..." You hesitate again, not sure how to phrase it. This is still sorta weird territory for you, and you're not all that comfortable discussing things fully. "I had fun, but it was so intense that I never really went back. I mean, the walls around here aren't all that thick!" The joke doesn't really land. Neither of you really believe it.

"Huh. So you've never really done anything?" Nat looks at you curiously again.

"Again, It's not like I've had anyone to do it with."

"Not even a bit of self-bondage?" Natalie gestures as though she's tugging on handcuffs.

"Once or twice, I guess, although I didn't do anything complex; I mean, what if I get stuck? Or someone walks in on me!?"

"All part of the fun." She winks at you. "Though, I do get what you mean. Clive is a bit creepy." Clive: Stepdad. For now. Basically correct. There's nothing evil about him or anything, he is just a bit odd.

"I'd be more worried about Mum finding me."

"Why, what's she going to do, spank you? Clearly that sends out the wrong message..."

You laugh in unison, deflating the tension that'd built up over the last few minutes. There's a few moments of silence again before Natalie resumes talking.

"So what part of it interests you? Dominating or being dominated?"

Despite how open the last few minutes of conversation have been, you're still a bit surprised to hear Nat describe it so frankly. You laugh a little, before giving an uneasy reply. "I have no idea. You?"

"I like both, but prefer to be in charge. Though I guess most people would say that. But..." She pauses, putting the TV on standby before turning to you again, "Why don't we find out what you like now? You don't have to be alone or worry about anyone walking in on us?"

"What do you mean?" You're pretty sure you know what Natalie means, but you'd rather hear her outright say it.

"Well, we've got nothing else to do, why not make a game of it? See if you like tying people up? Or being tied up?"

You stammer, still caught a bit off guard at how forward Nat's being. You've been willing to go along with the conversation so far - if only so you've got something to do - but this is a step beyond just talking. Though, you can't think of a good reason to say no, either. I mean, Nat's still your sister, she's not going to do anything too weird, right? "What are you thinking, specifically?"

"Well, lets say we take turns tying each other up and trying to get out - Nothing too complex or long, say 15 minutes to get out. Loser has to take a forfeit." You're about to ask again, when Nat carries on. "I mean, I'd rather decide the specifics as we go, and we can just stop playing if we disagree. Right?"

It's a bit of a tough choice. It could be fun - way more fun than watching crappy movies again - but you still can't shake the feeling that this is all just a bit too odd for you.