Chapter 32

The twins had very kindly invited us to attend the Valentine's Day party being arranged by the Bristol medical school students; we had replied that we would of course be delighted to accompany them in our roles as official girlfriend and boyfriend, subject to the usual provision of board, lodging and an enthusiastic bedmate for the night.

Julie phoned Sheila at the beginning of that week to check that we were still on for the party; she was told in no uncertain terms that the twins also expected energy and enthusiasm from us, and that we'd better not turn up on their doorstep too exhausted for a weekend of passion!

We had naturally had our own little Valentine's celebration in Cardiff on the 14th itself, which was a Thursday, but we were also very much looking forward to the Saturday. It would be good to go out to a proper event, and have a break from routine.

Sian and Malcolm had gone out for a romantic Valentine's meal together, which was becoming a bit of a habit; they had just celebrated Sian's birthday the week before with a posh meal. Malcolm's summer holiday earnings were obviously coming in handy to pay for all these treats.

Julie and I were delighted that Sian and Malcolm were turning into a definite couple; they both looked a lot happier for having that special someone in their lives, and it was evident that they really enjoyed each other's company as well as sleeping together. They shared a keen sense of humour, and they were both benefiting physically from their mutual love of hill walking. Sian was noticeably leaner and lighter with no puppy fat at all, Malcolm had put on a little bit more weight to match the summer upper body muscle, and you could tell that they were both very comfortable in their new skins - and with each other.

Julie and I had agreed that we would pass on the inflated prices of a restaurant Valentine's dinner, but had dragged Vee out with us for a drink to mark the day; she was going up by train on the Friday to stay with Jeff in Manchester for the weekend, but she seemed rather more optimistic about the coming passionate reunion with her fiance than I thought was healthy.

Jeff's track record for romance was decidedly patchy, in my humble opinion. He hadn't sent her flowers or a Valentines Card, and I knew that Vee was upset by the lack of contact, even if she had claimed in his defence that they were saving money for when they were married. He hadn't even written to her in January to check that she was recovering from the injuries that his drunken brother's bad driving had caused.

Despite this, Vee still seemed to love him. The rest of us were convinced that she could very easily do better for herself, but she had her pride, and we knew better than to risk her temper by criticising Jeff in her presence.

We all grinned as we returned from the pub; there was the unmistakable sound of energetic shagging coming from both bedrooms on the first floor - our neighbours Monica and Sarah were also clearly making the most of the occasion with their boyfriends. I wondered if our landlady had any idea just how many men were staying overnight in her women-only house?

Mind you, we saw surprisingly little of the girls downstairs; they kept themselves to themselves, and other than occasionally passing them on the landing and saying 'Hi', there was no socialising. That suited us fine; the fewer people who knew that I lived with Julie, and that Malcolm was with Sian most nights, the less chance that Mrs Hughes would hear about it and challenge us.

Julie and I had packed a bag before we went off to our Friday lectures, and she was ready and waiting for me when I got back to the flat at ten past four. We quickly headed for the station, and managed to get on the train before the weekend rush really started.

To our surprise, we found Jen and Hamish already in the flat when we arrived in Clifton. They had only just got there, having had a slightly shorter train journey from Reading, and Adrian was busy making them a pot of tea. He grinned as he got two more mugs out of the cupboard. I shook hands with Hamish and Adrian and hugged the three girls; Julie kissed everybody.

It turned out that the twins had phoned Jen during the week and invited them to the party as well, and they had elected to stay at Caledonia Place, rather than spend the two nights together at Hamish's parents' house quite so early in their relationship.

"We've heard that it's a really good band, and last year's Valentine's Party was apparently amazingly good, so we thought we might as well go mob-handed."

"Yeah, Dad said that the student entertainment committee always try really hard, and that if I ever got an invitation to attend one of their functions, I should accept before they changed their minds!"

Jen was absolutely glowing; I was delighted to see her looking and sounding so happy. All the previous strain and worry about being on her own at University seemed to have left her; she now appeared to be a confident woman in love. I was really chuffed, and told her how pleased I was to see the difference the last month had made in her.

"You're looking really good, Sis! Hamish is obviously doing you a lot of good, and it's great to see you! I had no idea you were coming."

"We were really pleased to be invited - we needed a change of scene and some company - we didn't leave his bedroom last weekend, nor mine the weekend before! If we aren't careful we'll be developing rickets or scurvy, through not having seen daylight for too long!"

Hamish blushed at Jen's public announcement of their active sex life. I hoped that he realised that he was among friends, and that in the presence of no other people on God's Earth would she have said something like that.

"Well, Sis, if you are very, very good, and stop trying to embarrass poor Hamish in front of his friends, I'll take you out in daylight to Bristol Zoo on Sunday, and you can see if you can spot Johnny Morris!"

"That's a great idea, Jon - Mum and Dad used to take me there as a treat sometimes for Sunday lunch; they do quite a good one in the cafe. Never did see Johnny Morris, though!"

"He's probably nocturnal unless there's an 'Animal Magic' TV camera team around!"

Sheila showed me the vase containing the dozen red roses that I had 'sent' her for Valentine's Day and kissed me for them; they looked very similar to the rather expensive bunch that I had bought from the florist for Julie on Adrian's behalf, and she remembered to thank him for those.

As it was just past six o'clock, and therefore now Opening Hours, Adrian and I took Hamish out to the pub for a quick glass of beer, so that the three girls could discuss and decide the sleeping arrangements. They said that they would join us shortly.

Hamish seemed a little wary at first to be drinking in the pub with the brother of the girl he was screwing, but I tried hard to put him at his ease again, by telling him how delighted I was that Jen seemed to have found such a great boyfriend.

He seemed to relax a little; I clearly wasn't taking the 'protective older brother' stance that he had feared I might do.

I had thought that Jen was taking a bit of a risk by choosing to stay in the flat and exposing him to our slightly unusual relationships (and willingness to make love in the sight and hearing of other people), but he seemed okay when I warned him that I hadn't seen Sheila for four weeks, and that therefore we might be a bit noisy during the night.

I told a white lie to try to get my point over. If Hamish was going to be embarrassed by the noises coming from the two bedrooms, then it would put a real damper on the weekend. Mind you, I thought that Jen could probably be relied on to persuade Hamish to make love to her, even with her brother in the same flat.

"It's alright for you people with girlfriends at the same university, but Adrian and I have to get what we can when we have the chance! I've got some catching up to do; I haven't had Sheila to myself since the weekend of that dinner! Ditto Adrian and Julie."

He laughed.

"I've only been doing this for four weeks myself, and I don't seem to get enough opportunities either! I'm beginning to understand what you mean!"

The girls arrived, and Hamish and Jen went up to the bar to get drinks for them. Julie and Sheila joined us at the table, remembering to sit next to their 'official' boyfriends. I leant across Sheila.

"Julie, my darling, what's happening?"

"We'll explain later - Jen isn't going to have a drink, and she's going to take him back to the flat for a quickie on Sheila's bed, and then we'll have time to tell you."

Hamish was a little bemused when Jen only bought two drinks at the bar, brought him back to the table, and handed the new drinks to Julie and Sheila.

Then she swigged down most of the beer that was left in his glass, and let him finish the dregs, before accepting the flat keys from Sheila and dragging him off. He looked very unsure of himself, but had the sense not to protest until Jen had a chance to explain.

"Okay, girls, spill the beans! You've been plotting again."

"It's Hamish's birthday today. Jen hoped you two might chip in for his present."

"Which is?"

"She'd like him to fuck both of us, one after the other."

"What! Are you serious?"

"We thought that it was a really nice idea for a present he can remember!"

I thought for a moment. It would be fun for our girls, but it was hugely risky for Jen if Hamish wasn't in to being shared. He was a really nice lad, and I could see him being horrified by the idea; but then, he was eighteen years old, and Julie and Sheila were very tempting...

"Are you quite, quite sure that Hamish will be okay with it?"

"Jen is convinced that he'll go with it, and that it will make things much easier for us all tonight if he's on board with the idea of a bit of experimenting and the knowledge that we're not hung up about people having sex in the flat. She's not going to play with either of you, though; it's just Hamish who is going to get a bit of variety."

"I do hope she knows what she's doing!"

"She says that Hamish was a virgin, and that it will do his self-confidence a hell of a lot of good if he discovers that other girls fancy him enough to have sex with him."

"Hmmm. I can see where she's coming from; it did me the world of good when I realised that Vee fancied me - which is why we made sure that you two had us all that weekend, so that you weren't too hung up on just one person. It's why Sian encouraged Malcolm to have another go with his cousin Elsie at Christmas. Okay, I'm happy to give it a go. What happens next?"

"She's taken him home to get his first come of the evening out of the way, and then we'll join them. Is that okay with you?"

"Of course it is! Do you want us to stay here until you are finished, or can we come and listen?"

"You'd better come and listen, just in case Hamish worries that we're doing this behind your backs - he's the decent type who wouldn't do that. I don't think he has any idea what he is getting for his present, but I'm hoping he'll love it!"

"Be honest, Julie, darling, we're both hoping that we'll love it too!"

The two of them giggled. Clearly Jen had been confiding secrets again!

"Okay, so how long have we got?"

"Jen said to give her twenty minutes start, and then to sneak in really quietly."

"Time for another pint, then!"

Julie and Sheila were obviously quite excited at the idea of trying out Jen's man; I just hoped that Jen was right in her reading of Hamish's character, and that she wasn't about to ruin what was looking like a very good relationship.

We drank our beer and chatted about our studies. The twins had now started accompanying their consultant lecturers on their ward rounds, and were finding it both fascinating and frightening. They were discovering that practical medicine, with real patients, was very different to the textbooks!

Sheila looked at her wristwatch and finished her glass. We followed her example, and I took the empties up to the bar, receiving a big smile from the barmaid. Dad had told me that it was always a good idea to help the bar staff like this, because some other time you'd get served more quickly as a 'thank-you'. As I hoped to become a regular customer, it was worth starting off on the right foot.

It was only a couple of hundred yards to Caledonia Place and the flat.

The four of us opened the street door, removed our shoes, and crept up the stairs, Adrian unlocking the twins' front door as quietly as he could. There was no sound of ongoing passion, so we assumed that Jen had already had her evil way with Hamish, and was now resting and getting him ready for the next act.

Sheila silently opened her bedroom door a crack and saw the two of them lying entwined under the quilt; Jen facing the door. Sheila closed the door again, and she and Julie went into Adrian's bedroom to strip off their clothes and apply a bit of lubricant.

Once they were ready, Adrian and I went into Sheila's bedroom and spoke to Hamish. He jumped as he heard our voices, and would have sat up, if Jen hadn't been lying on his chest. His face lost all its colour.

"Hamish, we hear it is your birthday, so we brought you a present back from the pub. Jen, can you please cover his eyes, as it's going to be a surprise?"

She did so.

The two other girls moved silently until they were positioned one each side of the bed, and then we all sang a quick chorus of 'Happy Birthday' before Adrian and I told Hamish to enjoy his present, and shut the door behind us.

We could hear Hamish's voice for a very short while as he tried to protest, but from the sound of it, some kind of soft female tissue with a pointed end was placed in his mouth, and we heard no more from him.