Book III. David's third year at college
[Books I and II should be read first. Those readers who are familiar with gay history will be aware that the era in which this story takes place was one in which the dangers of AIDS had not been realized. So you will realize that we were rather farseeing in our use of condoms. In fact to some extent, our use of condoms was related to minimizing mess rather than protection from viral diseases. However our lack of indiscriminate sexual contacts was of course also a protective factor of some importance. Note also that this is "highbrow" porn, featuring academic life, culture and religion as well as sex].
Chapter 33 David
Soon it was necessary to move from Jon's flat back into college. Of course this time I did not need to take all my possessions, just all my books, my (unused) bedlinen, most of my clothes, but not all, and a duplicate set of toiletries. In the time that I'm writing of, not all college rooms had been modernized, but as a Scholar, I was entitled to an en-suite room. The staircase was in one of the oldest college buildings, dating from the 17th century, so the floors were irregular and the steps crooked. It had cost a lot of money for the college to put in plumbing, central heating, electricity, telephone wires and category five cable into a listed building. If I wanted a phone, I would have to pay the college a large extra sum, which Jonathan very kindly offered to pay for me. Not all the furniture in the room was new, the old furniture being quite substantial was still perfectly serviceable, but the room was large, and because it had been modernized, it was well heated. Fortunately the bed was modern and comfortable. The en-suite bathroom was small but adequate, toilet, washbasin and shower, shelf space and a towel-rail. Jon was impressed. "Much better than the grotty room I had as an undergraduate" he said.
"Yes but you were a Commoner" I replied. "These old rooms have stout walls with good sound insulation. We'll be able to make love without the occupants of the adjacent rooms hearing anything. I should have this room for six terms" I said, "though of course I'll be back in your bed for the period outside term, unless I go home." Camford terms were so short that students who needed library facilities needed to spend several weeks in Camford out of term time, and college rooms were often not available, due to the conference trade.
The academic structure of the Chemistry School was unusual. The bachelor's degree could be obtained in three or four years. All undergraduates took the third year examinations. Those not intending to become academics or professional scientists could get a classified honours degree after three years. Those wishing to take their studies further did a fourth year, essentially a lab research programme. They did not get a classified degree on the basis of the third-year exams, they had to wait a further year and write a short dissertation on their laboratory project to get their class. If they continued their research through the two short vacations and two months in the summer (an extra 20 weeks) they could also get a Master's degree.
A consequence of this was that in the third year there were more lectures and less laboratory work, so I could actually spend study time in the science library or in my room. Another result of the return to college was that Jon and I only ate together at lunchtime in the lab canteen, and at the twice-weekly dinner when Jon signed in to dine in Hall. Tom and Steve had also moved back into college and shared a double room on another staircase. I often ate dinner with them when Jon was not dining in college. Sleeping on my own took a short while to get used to, and I missed Jon at times. I also tended to drink more, as the college beer cellar had excellent beer (though not open pub hours), and was conveniently near my room. I also had a very kind and helpful bedder, who washed up as well as cleaning the room and making the bed. I kept a framed photograph of Jon by my bed, which must have told her that I was gay.
My evenings were pretty much as they had been in the second year, I went out with Jon twice a week, and Saturday was still sex and swimming day. I still only saw him on Sunday evenings, even though he had got rid of the financial chores of his family business.
Sometimes I would sign out of dinner and eat with Jon at home, especially if one or both of us urgently needed some sex. Fortunately the days when I spent all day longing for a fuck were relatively few, otherwise I would never have got any work done. I was in my final year of basketball. I decided that I would not play in my fourth year.
That academic year was notable for a big influx of women undergraduates. My tutor Dan C told me that it had not been deliberate policy by the college admissions tutor, it just happened that the women applicants got extremely good A-level grades. To the amazement and pleasure of the chemists, there was even a first-year girl reading chemistry. In Hall, the women students tended to sit together, unless they were particularly gregarious or had formed a relationship with one of the men. But the chemists of all years went out of their way to welcome Carol, to make sure that she sat with the men chemists. She was bright, self-assured and quite attractive, though not strictly beautiful. Not all chemists sat together to eat of course, and many signed out, sat in other groups or went into the early, less formal dinner sitting. Carol opted for formal dinner most nights, in that way she met more men. She quite deliberately sat next to a different man each night so that she might get to know them. When my turn came to be sat by, she said to me "You're one of the gay ones aren't you?"
"Yes" I said "you will only see my boyfriend on Tuesday or Sunday nights, because he's a Ph.D. student. You will be safe with me. Women like gays because they don't constitute a threat or a temptation." She told me that she came from an academic family, her father was a professor at Oxbridge, but a modern linguist, not a chemist. She had a sister at Southampton University. I invited her for a quick tête-à-tête cup of coffee in my room after dinner.
"Okay," she said, "but I have to leave at 8-30 to go to a meeting."
"No problem" I said.
Jon had insisted on buying me a sophisticated Italian coffee machine, because he said that he needed decent coffee on his visits to college. I made coffee and we sat and chatted. She told me that she was thinking of joining the choir. She was an alto, we were short of altos, so I encouraged her to approach the Organ Scholar. I found it difficult to decide whether she was attractive or pushy. She was very good company though, and obviously destined to have a great time in her four years in St Boniface's.
To me she represented a great challenge to my sexual identity. She was great fun to be with, but I couldn't see myself in bed with her. My experience is that most men think of women in sexual terms----what are they like naked etc, and indeed I felt similar feelings myself, but in my case I got the same feelings, but stronger, with an attractive man. In particular whenever I looked at Jon's hair and figure, I felt a stiffening between my legs.
Just before 8-30 Carol left. After she had gone, I settled down to some work for an hour. I had a half completed essay to finish. At 9-30, I rang Jon at home. He answered promptly and I said, "It's your fag boy speaking. Would you like to come round for a fuck?"
"You or me?" He asked.
"You" I said, "tonight I want to do it."
"Okay, I'll be around in 10 minutes" he replied. My cock started stiffening the minute I heard his voice, and it was like an iron bar by the time that I heard his footsteps on the stairs. "I brought my bike inside", he said, "in case I stay late. I'm not spending the night though, the college single beds are not big enough for two of us."
