'It sounds like you're progressing well in developing nonsexual intimacy with other men."

"It does seem that way." Never mind the event that precipitated this friendship. 

"I'm sure we can all agree," she says mildly, "that it would be unfortunate if I had to tell Lev's parents that he is homosexually active."

"That would indeed be unfortunate." She wasn't going to have sex with him anyway, she's slutty, not stupid. She does not say this. 

"You are conflicted about your recovery, but Lev is committed to his. What do you think about that?"

"I think Lev's personal history and mine are very different. Unless I've misinterpreted the question, which I might have." 

"Many homosexuals have conflicted feelings when their former sexual partners decide to try to pursue heterosexuality."

She shrugs. "I like kissing him and will miss doing it but it's really not my place to make that decision for him and I'm doing what I can to help. He's getting a lot better at metalworking." 

"I am pleased you decided to be honest with me, Ghost."

It was pretty obvious that you already knew, she doesn't say. 

"I'm trying to act in good faith." 

"I'm glad. --Do you think it will help Lev in his recovery if his closest friend continues to be a gender-confused homosexual?"

"...I'm not sure where you're getting the idea that Marlo is gender-confused." 

"I was referring to you."

I think I'm actively helping, actually, if I'm a girl then he has ever been attracted to a girl in his life. 

"Then I think he doesn't get to make that decision for me, just like I don't get to make that decision for him." 

Christine continues her Sisyphean task of convincing Ghost that being straight is better than being gay.

And Ghost remains extremely unconvinced! 

When the session is over, she calls in Marlo.

"...Honestly," she says, "I was not expecting you to be the person whose conversion was most difficult."

"I imagine," he says, not unsympathetically. "I assume it would be a breach of confidentiality for you to tell me who you were assuming it would be?" His money's on Sasha but Asher is a decent runner-up. 

"Yes, it would. --I'm not going to lie, I'm not sure what to do with you. Normally, by this point in the program, people like you have run away with Ron." 

"I'm not trying to fight you, I'm happy to stick the session out." He files away the casual familiarity with Ron to ask about if there's a natural moment. 

"You're not going to fight me, you just have no intentions of even trying to be heterosexual and there is nothing I can do to change this."

"It sounds silly when you put it like that, yes, but I do mean it." 

"So I suppose we can do what you like with the rest of the session."

He nods. "Out of curiosity, how do you and Ron know each other?" 

"He's my brother."