Six weeks. Six weeks of hell or heaven, I wasn't sure. There was no way of getting out of it though. The experiment was a crucial part of my higher degree course and I would have to go, I would have to stay at the research facility and I would have to see Hugh Davis every single day.
On the Saturday our group flew out from Heathrow to Washington D.C. Thankfully, although we all met up at the airport, buzzed with excitement about the upcoming flight, we had all bought our tickets separately and wouldn't be sitting next to each other. The last thing I needed was to have my thigh pressed up against my wet dream of a research partner for 7 hours.
There were five in the group, all of us postgraduate students from Northfield University heading to the world-renowned laser facility to conduct a state-of-the-art experiment into renewable energy. I was the newest, having only started my course a month before. I appreciated I was just lucky, getting to go on an experiment of this magnitude so soon into my studies, so on a professional level I was grateful.
Next in seniority were Cassie and Oscar, second year students, then Lorna and Hugh, both in their third year. Hugh was leading the group. He had helped design the work and had been to the facility before. The rest of the team would be relying on him to show them the ropes.
The in-flight entertainment, consisting of 'Happy Feet 2' on a loop, did nothing to distract me from my current predicament. I had fallen head over heels in lust with Hugh as soon as I walked into the open-plan office on my first day at the University. He moved to shake hands as my tutor introduced him. The heat that rose to my cheeks could have powered the building.
I may have not had much experience in dating or, well, anything like that, but I knew what I found attractive and Hugh was it. Taller than me, by about a foot. Clean-shaven with not a hair out of place. Strong, but not showy. A gentleman. Old fashioned, I know, but the heart wants what the heart wants.
We chatted a little that first day. I met Cassie and Oscar and the four of us went for a tour around the campus. I had only moved to the town that weekend, but they made sure I knew how to get to the shops and where the best pubs were. We talked about all the obvious topics of conversation, where we came from, where we did our first degrees. Hugh joined in, laughing and joking, I stared at him often and nearly tripped over a tree stump.
The group was friendly, but I knew how hard we had all worked to get there, so I could tell there'd be a serious side to things too. I was proven right that first week, after my tutor dropped a ton of reading on my desk, before relegating me to the library for the next few weeks.
Getting off the plane, we met up at baggage claim. Seeing me struggle, Hugh helped drag my over-stuffed suitcase off the conveyor, simultaneously making me blush with embarrassment and desire as his muscles bulged with the strain. I was a weed in comparison. Pretty skinny, pretty short and all together an average guy. My shoulder length brown hair did nothing to help me stand out from the crowd and no matter how hard I tried I would always be a little scruffy around the edges. My sister's friends used to call me cute, but I never knew if they were taking the piss or not.
We lumbered to the bus stop outside Dulles Airport and figured out the route to our hotel. We may have been five highly intellectual individuals, but it took Cassie asking an elderly lady for us to not end up heading in the wrong direction.
Worn down from the flight, yet eager to explore the city, we checked into the hotel and headed immediately out. All expenses covered meant no need to share rooms. Having only met the others a month ago, I was glad not to be thrown in together so soon. I liked my space and, in particular, if I had to share a room with Hugh he could have got awfully molested rather quickly.
The night of my first day at the University I went to bed thinking of him. I remember he was wearing a blue shirt, tucking into pressed chinos. Italian leather shoes and belt. I pictured unbuttoning that shirt slowly. If he had chest hair it would have been sparse, I could have licked his nipples as my hands went to unbuckle his belt. Slipping it out of the trouser loops and letting it drop to the ground, I would kneel, rubbing my face and mouth against his crotch. I bet it smelled good. Clean and masculine. And then ... That was all I needed for my well-used hand and overactive imagination to spew cum all over my bed.
It was obvious, for now at least, the mood amongst the group was positive. Lorna and Cassie were planning a trip to the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum for our first free weekend; Oscar was a secret history nerd, so insisted on including the Natural History Museum and the monuments.
A short walk found us in Chinatown, with stomachs rumbling and an overwhelming desire for Chinese food. Some of the tension I was feeling from earlier passed, as we tucked into steaming bowls of noodles and a mountain of Kung Po chicken.
Lorna was questioning Hugh about his recent breakup from his girlfriend. I had found out about her at the end of my second week. There was a department pub-crawl and Hugh had bought along this stick insect of a woman. Tall, blonde, and highly polished, I developed an instant dislike. She spent the evening trying to turn the conversation onto her English degree, not getting any of the, admittedly nerdy, jokes, and whining whenever Hugh's attention drifted from her for more than a millisecond.
I hadn't known they'd broken up though, so the conversation immediately made my ears prick up. It was the experiment, he explained. She had wanted them to go to Paris for a holiday and when he told her no, his work came first; she'd had a massive fit and ended the relationship. Apparently they'd met through friends of his parents and they'd been more upset than he was.
Learning Hugh was straight and had a girlfriend, although confirming my fantasies as just that, did nothing to quell my lust for him. Hearing that he was now single sent my daydreams into overdrive. The rest of the meal, although, delicious, was now merely a distraction from the dirty thoughts in my head.
The next morning was an early start. The facility was a short walk from the hotel, but we had to have safety briefs, inductions and get site passes before we were allowed anywhere near the equipment. The staff were all accommodating and down-to-earth. I was feeling nervous about being the new kid, but our liaison, Harriet, was keen to reassure me. She explained that they worked long hours here and it could be a really intense environment, but as long as I asked for help when I needed I should be just fine.
The morning was spent laying out the plans for the next six weeks. We were all assigned roles in the experimental areas, laser diagnostics to look after. Having just spent a month reading up on these things, I finally felt I could contribute.
The experimental area was huge, a cavern full of mirrors and metal structures that dwarfed my 5' 8'' frame.
