Harry dropped his bags in his apartment and put his hands on his hips. The tall, thin boy of nineteen surveyed the room that would be his for the next three years of college. It was basic, it had a bed, a desk and some shelves on one side of the room with a small-ish wardrobe on the other. A small en-suite occupied the space next to the door. The window over the bed looked out onto one of the main walkways to the college campus. Looking out of the window it seemed impossibly big. Turning around he started as he caught a glimpse of movement in the corner of his eye. Turning fully, a little too quickly, to see a tall, beautiful, blonde girl standing just outside the threshold. Her bright blue eyes locked onto him with an intensity that sent a shiver down his spine.
"Hi there," she said, melodic and warm, "I'm Emily. Looks like I'll be living across the hall from you."
Harry's heart skipped a beat as he struggled to find his words. He managed a clumsy smile and extended his hand, "Nice to meet you, Emily. I'm Harry."
Emily's hand was delicate and soft as they shook hands, sending a wave of warmth coursing through Harry's veins. It took him a moment to realise she had been talking away and mentioned something about a campus tour followed by drinks later in the afternoon.
Harry stammered, "Oh, um... campus tour? Drinks?" His mind was still spinning from the unexpected encounter.
"Yes!" Emily exclaimed, her eyes lighting up with excitement. "A bunch of us from the building are going along to the scheduled campus tour this afternoon to get familiar with our new surroundings. There are drinks organised in the main bar on campus for when that wraps up. You should come! I could do with the company. I don't know anyone at all at this university, yet."
Harry's heart swelled with an anticipation he couldn't quite place and he couldn't help but feel an instant connection to Emily. Her confident yet approachable demeanour made him feel at ease as if they had known each other for years. He nodded eagerly in response, unable to resist the magnetic pull she seemed to have on him.
"I would love to join you!" Harry managed to blurt out, his voice filled with genuine excitement. "What time did you say the tour starts?"
Emily giggled, "I didn't, but everyone is meeting in the lobby at 11.30. I'll let you get settled and hope to speak to you later."
She gently brushed his arm as she turned to leave and walked into her room directly opposite Harry's. He watched her hips sway and past her, he could see her room was the mirror of his and she was already unpacking her belongings as two large suitcases lay open on the floor.
Snapping out of his trance before he got caught staring at Emily and her bags of clothes, Harry turned back to his room again and feeling very much like his father, muttered "right" and started to unpack his belongings.
An hour or two later, after a quick shower, Harry tried to tame his unruly hair in the en-suite mirror, his mind kept wandering to Emily and he couldn't help but think their being neighbours was meant to be. He had to fight the urge to masturbate to the image of his fit neighbour while he was in the shower. Giving up on his hair, he splashed some water on his face, dried himself with a towel and then grabbed his spray. After a quick spritz, he made his way out of the door, grabbing his phone and keys on the way. As he pulled the door closed and locked it, he found himself face to face with Emily as she had done the same with her door.
"Looking good Harry," she smiled.
"Uh, thanks," he stammered before saying "you're looking good too."
He kicked himself at how lame he had sounded.
"Shall we?" she said, already heading to the stairs.
They chatted about their courses and their hometowns as they sauntered down the stairs. Emily was excited to be studying engineering and very interested to learn that Harry was doing nursing.
"I bet you'll have a whole bunch of girls to choose from in a nursing class," she laughed. Harry laughed nervously with her too as they made their way into the lobby.
As they entered the lobby, Harry was taken aback by the small but bustling crowd of students gathered. The air buzzed with excited chatter and nervous laughter. Emily grabbed his arm, pulling him through the throng towards a group of students huddled near the entrance.
"Hey everyone!" Emily called out, waving to the group. "I'm Emily and this is Harry, he has just moved in across from me. We're on the third floor."
Harry felt all eyes turn to him, and he managed a shy wave. "Hi everyone," he said, his voice barely audible above the din.
A tall, lanky guy with messy brown hair stepped forward, extending his hand. "Hey man, I'm Tom. Nice to meet you."
As Harry shook Tom's hand, he noticed Emily's fingers still lightly resting on his arm as she chatted to someone else in the group. The warmth of her touch sent a tingle through his body, and he found himself hoping she wouldn't let go.
Eventually, they were joined by a girl named Claire. A tall black-haired final-year student who was to be their tour guide. She was very attractive with large breasts and it seemed that everyone else was finding her as good-looking as he was.
Claire led them across the sprawling campus, Harry found himself only able to be half-listening to the information being shared. His attention was divided between the grand buildings surrounding them and the animated conversations happening within their group. There was also Emily, still by his side, who was engrossed in a discussion about the engineering department with a petite brunette named Sarah. Harry couldn't help but admire how easily Emily seemed to connect with everyone, her laughter ringing out occasionally and drawing smiles from those around her.
The group meandered through tree-lined paths, passing by the imposing library with its gothic architecture, the state-of-the-art science complex, the lush sports fields and various other buildings such as the main canteen. They even managed to spot the medical building in the distance where Harry would have to trek for his lectures. Harry struck up a conversation with Tom and another guy named Mike, both of whom were studying business. As they chatted about their hometowns and shared their initial impressions of the campus, Harry felt a sense of camaraderie building. The nervousness that he had felt at not knowing anyone was quickly disappearing.
As the afternoon sun began to dip lower in the sky, casting long shadows across the campus grounds, Claire continued to lead the group towards a quaint, ivy-covered building nestled between two larger academic halls.
"And this," she announced with a flourish, "is where our journey ends. The Burrow, one of our cosiest student bars on campus."
The group filed into the dimly lit interior, the scent of polished wood and years of spilt beer hitting their nostrils. The walls were adorned with vintage posters and faded photographs of alumni, giving the place a warm, lived-in feel. Harry's eyes were immediately drawn to the gleaming bar top, where rows of colourful bottles stood at attention behind it with three bar staff in full flow.
Claire turned to face the group, a mischievous glint in her eye. "Alright, freshers," she said, reaching into her pocket. "As a welcome gift from the university, you each get two free drinks. Make sure to make the most of them. I hope I'll spot you around and feel free to send a DM to the student support Instagram if you have any questions. Have fun." She turned around and Harry stared at her ass as she left. Emily, who he hadn't noticed next to him, nudged him, winked when she knew she had caught him checking out Claire and then grabbed his hand to bring him to the bar.
"What are you having?" she asked simply.
