Lea stepped into the boutique and instantly regretted it.

The place was way too nice. Rose-gold racks, moody lighting, soft jazz humming under everything. The kind of boutique where bras weren’t just bras — they were lingerie. Intimate. Intentional. Something to show, not to hide.

She shouldn’t have come in. Not dressed like this — hoodie, leggings, scuffed sneakers. Not with her hair in a messy bun. Not alone.

But she was a freshman now. College was supposed to be about trying new things. Pushing limits. Finding yourself, right? And that’s what this was. Sort of.

There were other shoppers — not many, but enough to make her immediately conscious of the slight squeak her sneakers made on the polished floor. A woman in a sleek beige trench coat was browsing bralettes near the window. Two girls, maybe juniors or seniors, were laughing over a lace bodysuit in the back corner, their heads bent together like they were in on a joke she’d never get.

They looked like they belonged here. Comfortable. Like, lingerie didn’t make their skin prickle with embarrassment just from looking at it.

She told herself it was just a bra fitting. A normal rite of passage. Plenty of girls didn’t know their size until college. It didn’t have to mean anything.

Still, she couldn’t stop thinking about what she’d googled last night. Again.

“Am I just admiring her or actually attracted to her?”
“Signs you’re overthinking your sexuality.”
“Straight girls who kissed other girls and liked it.”
And then:
“How to tell if you’re bi?”

She’d read the forums with the brightness on her phone all the way down. Scrolled through threads about fluidity and “compulsory heterosexuality” like she was doing research for someone else. Not her. Definitely not her.

She hadn’t voiced any of this, of course. Growing up in a tiny rural town where everyone knew everyone else's middle name didn’t leave a lot of space for exploring anything outside the script. Her high school sex ed class had barely mentioned girls at all, let alone what might happen if you liked them.

So no — she wasn’t not straight. Just… curious. That’s what people called it, right? Curiosity. A passing thought. A phase, maybe.

The curtain at the back of the boutique rustled.

“Hey there.”

The woman who stepped out might as well have walked off a magazine cover — all confident ease and long lines. Black jumpsuit, sleeve of soft floral tattoos down one toned arm, smile like she already knew all of Lea’s secrets. Her name tag read Cassi.

Lea’s stomach flipped. “Hi. I, um—” She forced herself to meet Cassi’s eyes. “I think I need a fitting.”

Cassi smiled, slowly and warmly. “First time?”

Lea nodded. “Is it that obvious?”

“Just a little,” Cassi said, then offered her hand. “I’m Cassi.”

“Lea,” she said, and tried not to wince at how breathless she sounded. Cassi’s grip was firm, her hand cool, soft to the touch— and Lea hated how much she noticed.

Cassi gestured toward the back. “Let’s get you taken care of.”

As she followed, Lea tried to keep her gaze respectful, neutral, casual — and failed completely. She didn’t even know what she was looking for — only that her eyes kept drifting over Cassi’s body. But whatever it was, she felt it tighten in her chest. Stir in her stomach.

It didn’t mean anything.

It couldn’t.

The fitting room was smaller than Lea expected. Not tiny, but definitely not the spacious kind you see in movies. More like the kind she was used to — a simple mirror, soft overhead lighting, a narrow bench, and just enough floor space for two people if they stood close. Which, apparently, they would.

She stepped inside first, brushing past the curtain and feeling the warmth of the boutique muffled behind her. Voices drifted faintly from the front — a few customers browsing, laughing softly. It was early afternoon on a weekday, but they weren’t alone.

“Go ahead and take off your top and bra,” Cassi said from outside. “I’ll just be a second.”

Lea nodded even though Cassi couldn’t see her. She slipped out of her hoodie, folding it with more care than necessary, then reached behind her back to remove the pale gray bralette she’d been wearing since high school. It was soft from too many washes, stretched out, offering zero support — suddenly, it felt like a security blanket she was letting go of.

She stood in front of the mirror, arms crossed, heart thumping.

Cassi stepped in, brushing the curtain closed behind her, and in the small space, her presence filled everything. Her scent — warm, clean, with a hint of something earthy — settled around them.

“Okay,” Cassi said gently, letting the measuring tape slide from around her neck. “I’m going to get your band and cup size. You’ll feel my hands under your arms, just letting you know.”

Lea nodded, trying not to overthink how close they already were. Her bare arm brushed Cassi’s. Nowhere to go. Nowhere to hide.

Cassi worked quickly, but her touch was... intentional. Not inappropriate, not quite — just deliberate. The tape slipped under Lea’s bust, then around her back, Cassi’s fingers brushing along her ribs, her sides. The contact was cool, then warm. Too soft to be clinical. Too firm to ignore.

Lea inhaled sharply as Cassi adjusted the tape — not even a full breath, but enough that Cassi noticed.

“Breathe normally,” Cassi murmured. “If you can.”

Lea let out a tiny laugh, high and embarrassed.

“You’re not the first to get a little tense in here,” Cassi added, voice low, reassuring.

It wasn’t the words. It was the way she said ‘in here’. Like this space had its own rules. Its own intimacy.

She moved with confidence, checking measurements, then reaching behind her to hook a few bras over the wall’s single peg. Lace. Mesh. Soft colors that suddenly felt more like suggestions than garments.

“Let’s start with this one,” Cassi said, lifting a delicate lilac bralette. “Wireless, soft-cup. Pretty and comfortable.”

Lea took it with slightly unsteady hands.

“I’ll stay and help you adjust the fit,” Cassi added casually, already stepping back. “This one can be tricky the first time.”

Lea hesitated. “With me in here?”

“If you’re okay with that.”

She wasn’t sure. But she didn’t say no.

The boutique’s soft music filtered through the curtain. So did the murmur of other voices — not close, but close enough to remind her this was still public. This was still real.

She slipped the bralette on. It hugged her gently, unfamiliar but… good. Cassi stepped closer again, tugging at the band with practiced fingers, adjusting the shoulder straps with just enough pressure to make Lea suck in a breath she hoped wasn’t too obvious.

“You’re tense again,” Cassi said, eyes catching hers in the mirror. There was a flicker of something more now — curiosity? Mischief?

Or maybe that was just Lea, reading into everything.

But her skin burned where Cassi’s hands had touched. And in the small space between them, Lea could suddenly feel how little air was left.

Cassi adjusted one strap, then the other, her fingers skimming along the edge of the bralette where fabric met skin. The lace was barely there—soft, delicate — and so was Cassi’s touch. But it still sent sparks through Lea’s chest.

“This one fits well,” Cassi murmured, standing behind her now, both of them facing the mirror. “Supportive without flattening you out. You’ve got a really lovely shape.”

Lea swallowed hard. “Thanks,” she said, her voice thinner than she meant it to be.

Cassi met her eyes in the reflection. “You okay?”

Lea nodded too quickly, then slowed herself. “Yeah. Just… not used to this.”

Cassi smiled, soft and patient. “It’s a lot of touch. I know. If anything feels too much, just say.”

The reassurance helped. But it didn’t cool the heat rising under Lea’s skin. If anything, it fanned it.

Cassi reached around her again, brushing her hands beneath the edge of the band to test the fit. Her fingers skimmed along Lea’s ribs, then up—slowly, carefully—over the curve of one breast. It was a perfectly plausible adjustment. Completely justifiable. But Cassi’s hand lingered for a second too long.

Lea’s breath hitched.

Cassi felt it. She didn’t say anything, just moved to the other side, repeating the same gesture — but this time her pinky slid, just barely, along the underside of Lea’s breast.

“Still okay?” Cassi asked, voice quiet, her face close beside Lea’s now. She didn’t look at the mirror this time. She looked directly at Lea.

Lea’s mouth opened, then closed. She nodded. Again.

Cassi stepped closer, their bodies almost touching now. Her hand grazed up to adjust the strap on Lea’s shoulder, knuckles brushing her collarbone, her throat.

“You’re very responsive,” Cassi said, almost to herself.

Lea felt something coil low in her belly. Her nipples were tightening beneath the lace — she could feel it, and based on where Cassi’s hands were moving, she was sure Cassi could too.

The strap slipped slightly. Cassi reached for it again, tugging it back into place — but this time, as she adjusted it, her thumb traced along the top swell of Lea’s breast. Barely pressure. But intentional. And Lea didn’t pull away.

Cassi leaned in just a little closer. “You want me to keep helping?” she asked, low enough that Lea barely heard it over her own breathing.

Lea didn’t speak at first. She couldn’t.

She gave the smallest nod.

That was all Cassi needed.

The hand on her shoulder slid down, fingers trailing over the bralette’s front. She pressed gently, no longer pretending to adjust anything. Just touching. Feeling. Testing the edges of what was allowed.

Lea’s head tipped back slightly. The mirror showed her flushed cheeks, parted lips, and how her chest lifted with each breath.

Then Cassi’s palm curved around her breast fully, her thumb brushing over the lace-covered nipple. The contact was featherlight — but it sent a jolt straight through Lea, who gasped softly, then immediately covered her mouth with her hand.

Cassi smiled. Not smug. Just knowing.

“You’re not used to being touched like this,” she said, still watching Lea’s reflection.

Lea shook her head slowly. “No.”

“I can tell.” Her fingers slid again — slower this time — tracing the edge of the cup, then slipping beneath it. Skin to skin now.

Lea made another small, choked noise and turned halfway, instinctively seeking out more contact—or maybe just looking for permission. Cassi didn’t move away. Her free hand lifted, brushing a piece of hair behind Lea’s ear.

“I’ll stop if you want me to,” Cassi said softly, one thumb stroking the underside of Lea’s breast now.

Lea looked up at her. She meant to say something, anything — but the words got lost. Her eyes dropped to Cassi’s mouth, lingered. Then back to her eyes.

“I don’t want you to stop,” she whispered.

Cassi’s smile deepened. Not triumphant — just warm. Assured. Like this was always where they were going to end up.

“Okay,” she said. “Then let’s be quiet.”

Outside the curtain, someone laughed. A hanger scraped against a rack. The boutique was still alive with polite shopping noises, a world away from the heat blooming in this cramped little room.

Inside, Cassi leaned forward — her mouth brushing Lea’s neck. And her hand slowly slid downward.

Cassi’s lips brushed Lea’s neck — a slow, open-mouthed kiss that made her knees go soft. Her hand, still cradling one breast, gave a gentle squeeze, thumb circling over her nipple now without pretense. No adjustment. No excuse.

Lea arched against her, mouth parting on a shaky exhale.

The lace of the bralette shifted as Cassi moved, bolder this time. The contact was too much and not enough; her body strung tight with nerves and need. She couldn’t believe this was happening — and yet, part of her had hoped for this since the moment she’d first laid eyes on Cassi. She just couldn’t admit it, even to herself.

Cassi made it easy to say yes without ever saying it out loud.

Behind the curtain, the boutique hummed quietly with life. A register beeped. Someone asked a question about sizing. But inside the fitting room, Lea’s world had narrowed to breath and skin and heat — and Cassi.

She was everywhere at once. Fingers slipping lower. Lips teasing the line of Lea’s jaw. One hand still pressing gently at the small of her back, keeping her close, keeping her steady.

Then Cassi paused.

Her breath tickled Lea’s skin as she asked, voice velvet-soft: “Do you want me to stop?”

Lea met her eyes in the mirror. Her reflection looked nothing like the girl who’d walked in fifteen minutes ago. Her cheeks were flushed, pupils blown wide, lips kiss-bruised and trembling.

She shook her head. “No.”

Cassi smiled — not wicked, but pleased. Like she’d been waiting for that answer.

“Then be a good girl,” she whispered, “and stay quiet for me.”

Lea whimpered — already failing — and Cassi kissed her just beneath the ear, fingers sliding lower, sliding under the waistband of her leggings.

Lea sucked in a sharp breath—too loud—and pressed her lips together hard enough to hurt. Her pulse was already hammering, but now it stuttered, skipped, then raced faster when those fingertips dipped lower, brushing bare skin with featherlight intent.

There wasn’t enough space to move back, and nowhere to go even if she wanted to. The walls of the fitting room curved inward, the thick velvet curtain drawn shut but not sealed—just barely closed enough to offer privacy, not protection. Outside, heels clicked softly across marble floors. A hushed laugh drifted in from beyond the stall. Someone else was trying things on, someone normal, someone untouched by the way Cassi’s palm now cupped the curve of Lea’s hip, warm and sure.

She shivered.

“Shhh,” Cassi whispered against her neck, lips grazing the sensitive spot below her jaw. “Breathe.”

That was easy for her to say.

Lea tried. Inhaled through her nose, exhaled slowly through her mouth, but it came out unevenly, shallow. Every nerve felt lit up at once, like static crawling along her spine.

Cassi’s thumb traced the edge of Lea’s panties, just a whisper of pressure against the seam of her thigh. Not inside yet—not quite, but close enough that Lea felt the promise of it, the slow pull of anticipation low in her belly.

Her hips twitched instinctively, chasing something she didn’t know how to ask for.

“You’re so tense,” Cassi murmured, pressing another kiss just behind her ear. “Let me help you relax.”

Lea swallowed hard, nodding without speaking. Words felt impossible right now. Anything she said would crack open the fragile reality of this moment—that she was standing half-dressed in a fitting room, trembling under the hands of a woman who smelled like vanilla and clean linen, whose voice alone made her stomach flutter.

Cassi shifted slightly, angling them both toward the mirror mounted on the back wall of the stall. Lea saw herself first—wide eyes, flushed cheeks, lips parted and slightly swollen from where she’d bitten them. Then she saw Cassi behind her, dark hair pulled into a loose knot, smoky eyes watching her reflection with careful warmth.

“You okay?” Cassi asked softly, pausing her hand just above Lea’s hipbone.

Lea nodded again, slower this time. Truthfully, she wasn’t sure what she was. But she knew she didn’t want Cassi to stop.

“I’m okay,” she managed, voice barely audible.

Cassi slipped one finger into her panties, slow and deliberate, tracing the damp warmth where Lea was already trembling. When she found that aching spot — just a gentle brush of her fingertip — Lea gasped, the sound catching in her throat, barely muffled by the hand pressed to her mouth.

Her knees buckled.

Cassi caught her with an arm around her waist, steadying her. “Easy,” she breathed, watching her face in the mirror.

Lea couldn’t tear her eyes away from their reflection. Herself, wide-eyed and trembling, mouth parted in silent shock. And Cassi—so composed, so certain—as her fingers moved with gentle persistence, circling, teasing, slipping lower to dip between her folds.

It was too much.

It was exactly right.

Lea squeezed her eyes shut for a second, willing herself to stay quiet, to stay still, but Cassi hummed approval and kissed the side of her neck again, working her open with practiced patience.

“You’re so pretty like this,” Cassi whispered, voice velvety and low.

Lea whimpered, biting her lip hard enough to sting. Another customer passed outside the stall—soft footsteps, a rustle of silk—and she froze, heart pounding wildly.

Cassi slowed her strokes, waiting until the sound faded before resuming, deeper this time. Two fingers now, easing into her, curling just right.

Lea clenched around Cassi’s fingers, her breath hitching in her throat as another wave of sensation rolled through her. Each stroke, each press of Cassi’s knuckles against her sensitized skin sent sparks flaring behind her eyelids. Her body betrayed her—leaning into the touch, hips shifting unconsciously, chasing more even as her mind screamed that this was too fast, too much, too good.

Cassi adjusted her grip, tilting her head to watch Lea’s reaction in the mirror. “Look at yourself,” she murmured, her voice like honey poured over heat. “Watch how beautiful you are when you let go.”

Lea’s eyes fluttered open, meeting Cassi’s gaze in the glass. Her cheeks were flushed deep pink, her lips swollen-looking, parted with every stifled exhale. Sweat had gathered along her brow, her neck, the dip of her collarbone. She looked undone.

And Cassi looked satisfied.

The next thrust of Cassi’s fingers curled tighter, hitting somewhere deeper, softer, and Lea’s knees nearly gave out again. She turned her head sharply, burying a cry into the crook of her elbow, shoulders shaking.

“Shh,” Cassi whispered, pressing closer behind her, supporting her weight. “I’ve got you.”

Lea clutched at the front of the dressing room wall, nails scraping lightly against the wood paneling.

Cassi’s rhythm became steady, relentless—her fingers gliding in and out, each stroke pressing firmly against that sensitive, aching spot. Lea’s breaths fell into sync with Cassi’s movements, trembling harder with every heartbeat, her muscles tightening, toes curling helplessly inside her sneakers. She bit down on her forearm again, tears stinging the corners of her eyes as the pleasure built, rising toward something she couldn't control, couldn't hold back.

Then Cassi leaned in, lips grazing her ear. “Come for me, sweetheart.”

And in that moment, there was no room for denial. She wanted this. She wanted her.

Her body arched, pressing back into Cassi as the orgasm crashed through her—sharp and sweet and endless. Her legs shook, her breath caught, and a muffled sob escaped her throat as wave after wave pulsed through her core. No boy had ever made her feel like this—not this seen, not this known, not this safe while falling apart.

Cassi kept moving with her, slow and steady, guiding her through the final shudders of release. Only when Lea melted against her—boneless, breathless—did she ease her touch, hands gentle now, grounding.

Lea didn’t speak. Couldn’t. Her body was too full of sensation, her mind still catching up to what had just happened.

The boutique murmured quietly on the other side of the curtain—distant hangers, soft voices, a world still turning as if nothing extraordinary had occurred.

But something had. Something inside her had shifted.

Cassi’s fingers trailed delicately up her thigh, then smoothed her panties back into place, easing her leggings up with slow precision, almost reverence. She tucked Lea in like she was putting something precious back together.

Lea’s breath finally began to settle. Her chest rose and fell in slow, shaky waves.

And when she opened her eyes—really opened them—her reflection was still there in the mirror. But something was different.

Her lips were parted, kiss-bitten. Her hair was slightly mussed. Her cheeks flushed with something deeper than embarrassment.

And her eyes—clear now, wide and searching—no longer looked confused.

There was no pretending anymore. No more Googling late at night or telling herself it didn’t mean anything.

She’d let a woman touch her. Had wanted her to. Had craved it.

And now she knew.

She was attracted to women.

No, maybe, no what-if.

Just: yes.

And it didn’t feel wrong. It didn’t feel shameful. It felt like something she’d finally stopped resisting.

She looked at herself, heart still racing, and saw the truth written clearly across her face.

She wasn’t broken.

She wasn’t confused.

She was awake.

When Cassi finally moved, it was to step beside her, meeting Lea’s gaze in the mirror. A small, knowing smile played on her lips.

“You good?” Cassi whispered, her voice tender, gentle.

Lea smiled back shyly. “Yeah.”

Cassi brushed a thumb lightly over Lea’s flushed cheek, a touch more affectionate than necessary. “Good.”

Then, with casual grace, Cassi reached into the pocket of her jumpsuit and pulled out a small scrap of paper and a pen. Lea watched curiously, pulse jumping again as Cassi scribbled something down.

When Cassi met her gaze again, her eyes sparkled with quiet mischief. She folded the paper with deliberate care, then raised it to Lea’s mouth, pressing it lightly between her lips. Lea parted them without thinking, the slip of paper resting there like a secret passed in plain sight.

“Call me sometime,” Cassi murmured, fingers lingering just long enough on Lea’s chin.

Lea nodded slowly, feeling the weight of the paper between her lips as Cassi pulled her hand away. A promise, a possibility. Maybe something more.

“Take your time,” Cassi added softly. “I’ll be right out front.”

Lea listened to Cassi slip through the curtain, the quiet swish of fabric a gentle punctuation to everything that had just happened. Alone, she took a deep, steadying breath and tucked the paper into her pocket, feeling it like a secret, or maybe the first of many secrets she would finally allow herself.

Looking into the mirror again, Lea saw herself clearly, maybe for the first time. Not a different girl, but a truer one. There was no more doubt, no more pretending. Just the quiet, undeniable truth of who she was.

And she knew, with her whole body now, that this was where everything started.