ONE.
A pair of fingers snapped in front of Katy's face and she came back to reality with a jump. Shit, she'd been daydreaming, again, her eyes were open and she was facing forwards but she hadn't taken in anything for, well, who knew how long? Katy looked around to remind herself where she was. Right. University. In the big lecture theatre with a couple of hundred other first year students. In the real world it was a wet Wednesday morning and Katy was supposed to be learning biochemistry. She turned to the owner of the snapping fingers sitting next to her.
"Sorry," Alison whispered. "You looked like you were a million miles away. Anywhere good?"
Katy suddenly felt flustered, as if Alison would be able to tell what she'd been dreaming about from just the look on her face. She shook her head at Alison. She hoped the red blush spreading over her face wasn't too obvious. She'd been thinking about Oliver, again.
Katy focussed her attention on the lecturer at the front of the theatre. She hoped she hadn't missed too much. Katy was a model student, usually, and she liked biochemistry, it was one of her favourite subjects, but she just couldn't seem to concentrate today, her mind kept wandering back to that unknown person's bedroom that she'd shared with Oliver. The lecturer was waving a laser pointer at a complex looking diagram. Katy had no idea what he was talking about. Shit, fuck, shit.
Oliver was too innocent a name for what he'd done to her, Katy decided. He'd looked innocent too, not Katy's usual type, too thin and too nerdy, more captain of the chess club than captain of the rugby team. Not that Katy had ever managed to get with the captain of the rugby team, or any of the rugby team for that matter, but she liked big men with large hands and broad shoulders. Oliver had taken her by surprise.
She'd met Oliver at the party last Saturday. Katy had wandered into the kitchen to top up her drink and Oliver had looked up and they'd made eye contact. She'd turned away, but then she'd looked back at him. She'd hoped they'd make eye contact again, that it'd be the start of some eye-flirting, but Oliver had been way ahead of her, when she'd looked back he'd been heading over towards her. He'd walked right up to Katy and he'd introduced himself, just like that. He hadn't been creepy or aggressive about it, like so many guys that age are, he'd just been friendly. It hadn't even felt like he'd been hitting on her. Maybe just a bit.
Oliver had been easy to talk to. He'd been smart and funny and he'd been so confident, and not in a showy or an arrogant way, he'd just seemed perfectly at home in his own skin. They'd clicked as they'd talked. Their conversation had zipped back and forth like a tennis rally. He'd kept making her laugh and soon she'd been smiling at him like a smitten schoolgirl.
"You're doing it again," Alison whispered.
Katy jumped a second time. Fuck, this was getting ridiculous.
"What are you smiling about?" Alison said. "Is this to do with the party? Why won't you tell me what happened?"
"Not now Alison, I'm trying to listen." Katy made a show of focussing her attention on the lecturer.
"Liar. You're going to have to tell me what happened eventually."
Katy pretended to ignore her.
They'd talked for so long Katy had forgotten about everyone else at the party, her universe had shrunk to include only herself and that charming boy. Her face had started to ache from all the smiling and laughing. She'd realised she liked him. Katy hadn't remembered moving towards Oliver, or him moving towards her, but suddenly they'd been so close she could feel the heat of his body. Katy had become so aware of him, she couldn't stop looking at his chest, and his arms, and his long fingers. She didn't know if it was the alcohol or the laughter, or perhaps both, but Katy had felt impulsive. She'd felt a surge of excitement. She wasn't usually like this, but she'd leaned towards Oliver and she'd kissed him.
Katy had felt Oliver's body stiffen in surprise, but only for a second, and then he'd kissed her back. His lips had been soft and full and they'd made Katy feel light-headed. He'd slipped his tongue into her mouth and he'd run his hand down her back and squeezed her bum so hard it had made her gasp.
"Are you sure you're OK?" Alison was looking at Katy again. "You're all red. You look like you've been running. Do you want some water?"
Katy shook her head irritably. The heat from her face had spread to her chest. She rubbed her thighs together and felt how wet she was. Alison looked like she was about to ask Katy another question, but then the lights dimmed and the lecturer began playing a video and she was saved, for now.
Katy needed to stop thinking about Oliver before she got herself any more excited. She tried to focus on the video, but she'd missed too much and it made no sense to her. She tried thinking about something else, something other than Oliver, if she couldn't follow the lecture anymore she could at least do something productive. She started making a mental list of what she needed to buy at the supermarket on her way home after university. She thought about the feel of Oliver's mouth against hers, about the way he... Oh fuck, it was hopeless.
Katy had pressed herself again Oliver as they'd kissed, and he'd pressed back. She hadn't cared if people were watching, all she'd wanted was to kiss this funny, sharp, unusual boy. But then Oliver had broken the kiss and he'd stepped back. She'd felt disappointed, but he'd given Katy a grin that made her knees weak and then he'd taken her hand and led her out of the kitchen.
The bare skin of his hand had felt electric against hers. They'd slipped away from the noise of the party and they'd headed upstairs. Neither of them had been to the house before, neither of them even new who's party it was, and they'd opened doors and peered into rooms until they'd found an empty bedroom with a large double bed.
Oliver had switched a bedside lamp on and Katy hadn't stopped him. She'd wanted to see too. They'd stood and kissed and then they'd fallen onto the bed together. She'd been so nervous her hands had trembled, but there'd been no awkwardness and no embarrassment. They'd looked at each other and grinned. They'd kissed and pulled themselves into each other. They'd run their hands over each other's bodies. Katy had put a hand up his top to explore his stomach and his chest. When Oliver he'd put a hand up her t-shirt his fingers had brushed over the sensitive spot beneath her bellybutton and her whole body had jerked involuntarily. As they'd kissed and groped each other Katy had realised she'd started dry humping his leg.
The lights came back on and Katy was back in the lecture theatre on the wet Wednesday morning. She felt loss at being torn away from Oliver, even if it was just a daydream. She looked at her watch. There were still twenty-five minutes of the lecture left. No time at all, usually, for a diligent student like Katy. But not today, today Katy was a mess and she knew she wouldn't be able to endure another twenty-five minutes of this. She began to pack her note pad and pens into her bag as quietly as she could. Alison noticed and gave her a questioning look. Katy winked at her, then before Alison could react she got up and began to squeeze her way past the other students sitting in her isle. They glared at Katy and muttered their annoyance at her as she passed them.