Hailey led me to her bed, where I got my breath over the next few minutes while she held me. It felt good, warm and comfortable, not sexual, really, but intimate in a way Hailey and I had never been before.
Eventually, Hailey spoke. "I know you sacrificed a lot for me, but I'm going to have to ask you to do something else."
"OK" I was feeling too good to be defensive. "What?"
"If we're going to try to be a couple, we need to be equals. That's what always creeped me out about hets, is the idea that someone has to be in charge. And we can't be equals if you have that ring. People in relationships fight, you know. Lesbianism isn't some magic formula for people always getting along. And what if you make some awful wish while you're mad? And even if you didn't, that fear would always be there. I really, really like you, and, secretly, I always thought you were better suited to be a girl anyway. But you have to get rid of that ring."