TGIF

It was Friday night and I emerged from the library. Out of the dim lights and into the moonlight, I wrapped my scarf around my neck and began my walk across town to get home. The temperature had dropped a fair few degrees since I had been outside last and I was regretting my choice out outfit that day, as it provided much less warmth than the weather called for. I quickened my pace and shoved my hands in my pockets for warmth. Finally I made it back to my college. I walked through the Plodge and stopped to talk to the porter for a few minutes.

‘What do you have going on tonight then? Busy Saturday?’ He asked.

‘Ehh, I don’t know. I usually like to stay in and watch telly or something on Saturdays.’

‘You’re turning into an old maid, little miss.’

‘What old maid do you know that goes out Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday? I’ve had a busy week, John!’

‘Fair enough. When do you go to school, then?’

‘Exactly. This partying has got to stop.’

He chuckled, ‘Somehow I don’t see that happening.’

‘I should at least cut back a bit now that term has started and all.’

‘Fair point.’

I sighed. ‘Well, I’m off to grab some food and then dunno. Maybe just go to bed.’

‘At six?’ He laughed.

‘Mind you, I could probably fall asleep right now.’

‘Alright, well whatever you do, have a nice evening love.’

‘Cheers John, you too.’

I wasn’t actually hungry, so I went to sit in the JCR and write for awhile until the urge to eat hit me. I walked in and turned on the lights. Empty. Perfect, I thought. I sank down into one of the large settees and pulled out my notebook and the copy of the Times I had nicked from my department library. I know you’re worried, but I took it about half an hour before closing time. I’m sure it wasn’t missed, so calm down. The notebook sat unopened in my lap as I flipped through the news mindlessly until I got to my favourite section – Times 2. I heard two people walk in but didn’t look up as I was engrossed Caitlin Moran’s celebrity watch.

‘The soda machine is just there.’ Recognising the voice, I looked up to see Al directing someone towards the sodas.

‘Thanks so much.’ They said.

He had noticed me and was looking in my direction. ‘Oh, no problem,’ he said briefly looking back to them before walking over to me. ‘Hey.’

‘Hello. How are you?’

‘Yeah, I’m good. Just been busy with work. You know, the usual.’ He paused. ‘Why are you sitting in here alone?’

I shrugged. ‘Dunno. It’s comfortable.’

‘Do you always do your work in the bar?’

Reading Times 2 and writing my next blog post was hardly work, but yes I do always work in bars and pubs. ‘Maybe. It’s more comfortable than the library. Less tension and better lightly.’

‘Ah yes, this is true. So, are you going out tonight?’

‘I don’t know. I’m quite knackered. You?’

‘Yeah, I think so. There are a couple of things on tonight. I’ll probably be in here for a bit before I go out though.’

‘Sounds fun. Maybe I’ll see you later then.’

‘See you later.’

‘Bye.’

He walked out and I resumed reading my paper. The next part, though absolutely absurd sounding, is completely true.

No more than ten minutes after Al had left, the next person to enter the JCR was Fox. I don’t know who was more shocked. Probably me, considering that the last two guys I had slept with from college had walked into an empty JCR in reverse chronological order. What are the odds of that?

I hadn’t seen Fox since watching him walk out of my room over a month earlier.

‘Hello!’ I said, standing up to greet him.

‘Hi there,’ he said in his thick accent, walking towards me. I went to hug him and he kissed me on the mouth.

Steady on, mate I thought, but ignored the awkwardness and sat back down. ‘When did you get back?’ I asked.

‘Umm, two days ago.

‘Good break?’

‘Oh yes. It was very good.’

We talked about our breaks and I quickly realised that a month at home hadn’t helped his English in the slightest and didn’t exactly allow for the most stimulating conversation, but for the most part I was enjoying talking with him. It was very easy to make him laugh and he had a cute laugh, so that was a plus. I had been out the night before and was flagging a bit. I yawned. ‘Sorry, I need caffeine.’

Fox nodded. Then, without hesitation, he stood up and walked across the room towards the coffee machine. He turned back towards me. ‘You want coffee?’

Is this actually happening? I thought. It may have been a small gesture, but it was so sweet. I voiced one random demand and was immediately obliged.  ‘Um, yeah. That would be great, thanks.’

‘What kind?’

‘A latte, I suppose?’

‘Okay.’ He pressed the button and watched intently as the machine spewed out the coffee, then walked over slowly, watching the full cup as he took careful steps. He placed it in front of me and beamed.

God he was cute. ‘Thanks.’

‘It is no problem. I will be right back. I need the toilet.’

‘Okay.’ I said, staring at the coffee, amazed at how vocalising a desire had resulted in exactly what I wanted.

Shortly after, Fox returned. ‘How is the coffee?’

‘Very nice.’ (I always feel like that statement should be followed by “I liiiiike!” but I would never publicly speak in a Borat voice. It’s more to do with the fact that I’m shit at accents than the fact that I like Borat.)

‘Okay. Maybe I get one as well.’ As he got up and went back to the coffee machine I wondered why exactly he had come into the JCR.

‘So, what are you up to tonight?’ I asked as he sat down. We had been talking for an hour and he made no indication that he would be leaving soon.

‘I do not know. Going out maybe? Where are you going?’

‘I don’t know if I’m going out yet.’

‘Well if you do maybe we can go together?’

‘Yeah, sure.’ I said, slightly unsure about that, as Al would be making his way back in the next hour.

A group of boys I know walked in and they came and sat around Fox and I.

‘Alright?’ Dale asked. (Short for Airdale Terrier because I googled large dog breeds as Dale is quite big and I like the name Dale.)

‘Hey you!’ I said. I hadn’t known Dale for long, but he is hilarious and such good chat. At first glance he looks like a mix between a hipster, a rugby player, and an absolute boffin, but as I got to know him I realised that we have almost identical tastes in everything cultural. And did I mention that he’s bloody hilarious?

Fox decided to excuse himself and left to go home and change. ‘I smell.’ He reasoned.

‘No you don’t!’ I said, as I was sitting next to him. I paused, then leaned in to smell his shoulder. ‘Oh, forget that last part actually. You should probably go shower.’ I winked at him and smiled, but it still took a couple seconds for him to realise I was taking the mick.

‘I will meet you back here, yes?’

‘Okay,’ I said, worried I had just potentially agreed to a date.

The bar opened and I got up to get a drink with the group of gentlemen I had been sitting with. We talked about music for the better part of an hour and as one of the guys was lamenting over never seeing Oasis live before they broke up, Al walked in.

‘You really weren’t missing much, their show was just okay.’ I lied. Oasis were phenomenal live.

‘What?!’ Dale said. ‘Oasis are phenomenal live!’

‘I know that, but I’m just trying to make him feel better.’

‘Oh. Yeah, sorry about that mate.’

‘I was at that festival in Paris they were headlining but didn’t perform at because they broke up right before the show!’

‘Ooh, unlucky.’ I said.

Al walked up, ‘You’re still here.’

‘Well observed.’ I replied. He joined in the conversation about Oasis. It seemed everyone but the unlucky friend had seen them live.

‘I met Liam once, actually.’ Dale said.

‘I don’t think we’re making the situation any better.’

‘Yeah, can we please stop talking about Oasis now?’ The unlucky one pleaded.

We had been there for about an hour and it was another good half hour before any one else came into the bar. The six boys and myself continued to talk about bands that were family and trying to come up with any that didn’t end in drama.

‘Jackson 5?’

‘What?! NO. What’s the opposite of functional?’

‘They made good music, though. Hanson?’

‘Hardly a band. I don’t even care what’s happened to them.’

The list went on and we continued to drink the horrible wine the bar had to offer. The only redeeming quality of its taste we could come up with was, ‘Well … it’s cold.’ If temperature is how you judge a wine, that’s probably bad. Once it started warming up it may as well have been petrol. But being on a budget, as most students are, we suffered through. Bored with white I walked up to the bar. ‘How’s the red?’ I asked.

‘He just ordered a glass,’ the bartender said, indication towards Al, ‘Ask to try his.’

This didn’t seem like a socially acceptable option for me just at that moment, so I just went for my own glass of the finest Merlot my college had to offer. It tasted like pennies.

‘Mmm. Delicious,’ I said, sarcastically.

‘Told you to try his,’ the bartender said.

‘Not very nice, is it?’ Al said, noticing what I was drinking.

‘No, not at all, but it beats paying for drinks in a club later.’

‘Valid point. Cheers,’ he said, holding his glass up.

‘Cheers.’

Al finished his wine then announced, ‘Right. I’m off.’

‘Where to, mate?’ Dale asked.

‘There’s a party at Jesus I want to go to. Want to come?’

‘Nah,’ Dale said. ‘I’ll drink the cheap booze here first then head off to a club I reckon.’

‘Okay, well I’m gonna head.’ Al said. He had extended a vague and general invitation to people, but not one directly at me, and I was having a good time where I was, so I gave it a miss. There was also the matter that Fox was going to meet me there as well.

Fox showed up shortly after Al left and was eager to head out. Everyone else on the other hand, was content to stay where we were. After another hour of delaying Fox’s clubbing schedule we finally consented to head out, despite the fact that all I wanted to do was go to bed.

Once we were in the club it was worth the trek and redbull I had necked before leaving college. Although they played stereotypical cheesey songs, it was a good sing-along night. At one point Fox leaned in to say, ‘I think maybe tonight I’ll go home alone.’

This was completely out of the blue, as he had been at my side all night and I had actually been contemplating how to ditch him and go home. This would certainly make it much easier, so win-win. ‘That was my plan as well.’ I responded.

‘Oh, okay.’

‘Want another drink?’

‘Yes.’

We went to the bar, and as Fox had bought the last two rounds, I ordered and paid for the next one. As I handed him the drink he said, ‘I have not given you money yet.’

‘I know, don’t worry about it.’ And never was there an easier transition to friendship.

Earl showed up and immediately increased the entertainment value of the evening. We danced, we sang, we left, we made some horrible culinary decisions, then we headed back to college. Walking through the gates and towards our rooms there was a figure ahead, leaning against the wall, smoking. As we approached it turned out to be Al. Fucking hell. How is he EVERYWHERE I go? I thought.

‘Hey, how was your night?’ I asked.

‘Well fun. Yours?’

‘Yeah, it was good. It’s fucking freezing out, though.’

‘You guys,’ Earl interjected, slurring. ‘I,’ he said elongating the word, ‘am drunk. I need my bed.’

‘Alright love, see you later.’

‘Bye.’

I sat talking to Al for about fifteen minutes. ‘Is this where you live?’ I asked, indicating towards the building he was leaning against. We had gone back to mine when we slept together, so I had no idea where he lived.

‘Yeah, it is.’

‘Nice one. I still have to walk across college to get home.’

‘Unlucky.’

‘Tell me about it, I’m so cold.’

We talked some more and as I was mid-sentence talking about something unimportant, Al interrupted whatever I was saying with a kiss. It caught me completely off-guard. I wasn’t even sure that he liked me until this point, as we hadn’t spoken much after we hooked up until this night. We kissed for a bit and then stopped to talk some more. Eventually I said, ‘Well, I guess I should be going.’

‘I guess.’ He said, pausing. ‘Or,’ he said, pausing again, ‘you could stay at mine.’

‘Okay.’ I said, without hesitation.

He took my hand and we walked to his room.

‘Can I borrow a shirt to sleep in?’ I asked once we were inside.

‘Of course.’ He handed me an oversized t-shirt.

‘Actually, I prefer dress shirts.’ His face went blank with confusion for a moment. ‘I’m kidding,’ I said, grabbing the shirt.

We stripped down and got into bed. He sighed. ‘I’m so knackered. Is it okay if we have sex in the morning?’

I laughed. ‘Yeah, that’s fine.’

He was lying on his back and wrapped his arms around me as I rested my head on his chest. He kissed the top of my forehead and I looked up at him. He kissed me again on the mouth this time and we kissed for awhile. He smelled like sweet biscuits. Our kissing eventually got slower as our exhaustion took over. ‘Sleep time?’ I asked.

He nodded, kissed me once more, then fell asleep as soon as he rested his head back on the pillow. We fell asleep, layered one on top of the other, my head on his chest and leg wrapped around his waist. I woke up in the middle of the night, a small puddle of dribble having collected on his shirt below where my mouth was. Well that’s charming, I thought. I turned over and Al instinctively turned with me, wrapping his arms around me in the big spoon position.

At some point throughout the night our body heat made contact under a down duvet unbearable and we separated, lying back to back. In the morning cold we resumed our initial position, my head resting on his chest again. I kissed him at one point.

He groaned. ‘Uhhh. Spooooon.’ Smiling, I turned over. ‘This is comfy,’ he said as he dozed off again. And it was. Despite feeling his morning excitement pressed against my lower back, I was content to sleep more. As was Al, apparently, as we slept for another hour before our sleeping turned into half-awake foreplay. As it does. We were still very much at the point where we could have easily ceased the dozy caressing and gone back to sleep, but instead we continued with a steady game of stop and go touching and feeling.

Finally, after being aroused enough we began kissing and stripping off t-shirts and pants. I stopped, as we lay facing each other side by side, my legs wrapped around him. ‘Do you have a condom?’ He nodded. ‘Want to go and get it?’ He nodded again then got up and crossed the room to get one. He returned to the bed and straddled himself on top of me. My favourite part of sex is the very beginning, it’s an exciting, rushing kind of feeling. The final act is a different kind of pleasure, that definitely feels better, but the beginning is still my favourite.

I have to wonder sometimes where boys as good in bed as Al learned their tricks. Is it a woman’s responsibility to teach their lovers? Because I know he didn’t just pluck these moves out of the sky. Either way, the point is that Al is fantastic in bed, and clearly knows what he’s doing. After half an hour of one of the most intense sex sessions I’ve ever had, we were left lying side by side in mirrored positions, out of breath on his bed. It took a few minutes of lying there in silence before I realised I was just staring into space. I turned my head towards Al. ‘Do you know what time it is?’

He turned his head so it was resting on mine. ‘No.’ After a moment he got up and walked to his desk. Picking up his phone he said, ‘Shit.’ It was well into the afternoon.

‘You’re having a laugh.’

‘I wish I was,’ he said, picking up his boxers and putting them back on.

‘Oh no. I have to go, I need to be at the library about two hours ago.’

‘Agreed.’

I got dressed as he went and sat at his desk, shuffling through papers and organising his life. Not working on all cylinders, it took me awhile to get all my layers on. It didn’t help that my legs felt like jelly either. I took one look in his mirror and noted, ‘There’s really nothing to be done about my hair.’

Al turned to look at me. He started laughing at the state of my hair, which looked like something you could only achieve with a lot of hairspray. ‘Impressive. You can use the shower if you like.’

Having seen the toiletries in his en suite I politely declined his offer. ‘I have to go back to mine anyway and it’s not far, so I’ll just shower there.’

‘Fair enough.’

I walked to him and he tilted his head up towards me. I bent down and kissed him. ‘Goodbye.’

‘Bye.’

Next time: The Al-SAO-Dale love triangle!