Educating Laura Ch. 05

"Let's see how we get on," Ali assured him, with a kiss. After a year of being professional around the guy, she seemed unable to keep her lips off him. Not that I could blame her.

"Sure. Aye, we'll manage. Like we'll manage with them two for the next few days and couple weeks. And you're allus welcome to pop down, stay over even after you're back at college, Laura. Don't want you getting lonely before term starts."

"Thanks." I really was touched. And a bit relieved. I wasn't too sure how I was going to fill the four weeks before term started -- temping agencies would probably just tell a student to fuck off, seeing as we weren't allowed to work during term-time. On the plus side, the three eight-week terms a year made it easy to find holiday jobs.

"Eh, trot down to the Chemistry library. Or your Materials department. There's always bored and frustrated grad students around in the common rooms, happy to have tea with anyone and rant about their work. You can get right ahead with your courses." Richie slithered to the side, so he wasn't squashing me so much, but spoke towards my ear. "Look at you. Look at the sex ratios on your courses. You'll not be lonely at all, if you don't want."

I had planned to start working through second-year topics, but Richie's assumption that that was normal, not just for a sad lonely sack, convinced me: I would work as hard as I could for the next few weeks. And then perhaps have more spare time for my various hobbies, like doing lighting in the theatre, and, let's face it, drunken parties and finding someone for sex.

Though phoning up Richie would be a grand fallback option. I wondered if Ali would ever do anything with me again. Or Andy, for straightforward satisfaction?

Ali chuckled. "You reckon the more work Laura does, the more attractive she becomes? I mean, she's got well fit over this summer, and even has Sam's respect, now..."

Richie's body was still keeping me warm. I objected to Sam, whose stocky bull-dyke style hadn't really appealed ever, and while I now respected a lot of what she did, I couldn't say I liked her at all. She'd probably say the same about me.

Rich agreed with Ali, though not thinking about the same type of work. "A girl looking like Laura, actually interested in listening to your woes about your PhD project? They'll be buying her coffee, then cake, and then a drink in the pub and then... well. In swarms!"

"I've never heard the departmental library common rooms sound so attractive! But yeah, they'll be better than being in my room."

"You do that, love. Call me and I'll be asking for sympathy, too," Andy said.

"Qué?"

He blushed, way more than when getting his cock out. "I'm startin' a degree, next month."

"Hey, good on you! What in?"

"Youth work management, basically. Sociology and shit."

"Ooh, you've got an ology, you're a scientist!" I quoted the famous ad.

"Huh," Richie said. I prayed he wouldn't say anything rude about sociology, and kicked him on the calf. He poked me back, in my sore bottom, then let his hand fall between my legs as he continued, "What's that mean? Is it, like, learning the theory and business to go with what you already do? Set you up for running your own Outward Bound centre?"

Andy nodded. "Yeah. I can keep working here until I graduate, then I'll get a place somewhere not in the city. Hopefully more fucked-up kids rather than middle-management fuckers, but let's see how the job market goes. And if this daft bampot can hack it, aye."

Richie snorted. "You're a bright geezer. You can do it. Call Laura if you need help on essay styles. Actually, Al, you've got your degree, you know that sort of stuff, don't you?"

"You mean you don't? An actual failing?" I needled him.

"I write facts down. With a nice logical flowchart. None of your 'however' or 'whereas' bullshit."

"Good luck with your thesis, then," I observed."

"Facts, diagrams. No flowery language. It'll be fine! Besides, it needs to be simple -- external examiners likely don't speak native English."

"Fair point. Andy, don't worry! You've got work experience, unlike the teenagers you'll be with. Sorry if they seem horribly young. They'll grow up."

"Oi!" Richie assumed I was speaking about him, and poked my arse again. I wriggled until his hand was nicely nestled back between my legs.

"Sorry, I wasn't actually referring to you!"

Andy interrupted our bickering. "Be good to have you two brainboxes at my back. Three, even," he included Ali.

"Like history essays will be relevant, she snorted."

"It's all about seeing all round a situation, innit? More useful to me than their science stuff, learning more and more about tinier and tinier bits of things," he told her.

"I'll do what I can. You can read my job applications," she said.

"You're looking for a new job?" Given the Jude and Sam and Ali situation, I supposed it shouldn't have surprised me.

"Kinda. Was thinking of some sort of project management, less physical effort. Wear a suit, even."

She glanced at me and winked suggestively. Yes, I'd be happy to see her in a suit and assist her out of it...

"Who knows how we'll be getting on by Christmas?" Andy mused.

I groaned. I didn't want to think of Christmas holidays, working all hours to stay out the way at my sister's place, where I clearly wasn't welcome but they didn't want to abandon me to the streets.

Ali said, "If you're thinking like that, then you'll have to spend Christmas with us. Or me? Do you visit your mam, Andy?"

"Nah. Maybe for Hogmanay. Will be us two for Christmas, and aye, Laura, if you like. Rich, come too if you want."

"Thank you, but I'd best stay with the folks. They like the traditions. I could come down after, though, when the trains start on the 27th?"

"Yeah, do that."

"One big happy family," Ali purred.

I laughed. "Incest: a game for all the family! Besides, you're hardly old enough to be our parents!"

Ali retorted, "Hey, if Richie's just nineteen, Andy's... OK, only ten years older, scrap that. Whatever. Are you going to be my good girl? Come to Daddy? Come for Daddy? Be part of my family?"

It was overwhelming, the idea of a home I was welcome in. An actual merry Christmas. People, a family, to belong to, even just for the kinky sex.

I burst into tears.

Richie lifted his hand to wrap round my back. Ali scooched over to lie by my other side and help keep me warm.

Andy looked awkward, then passed me a wad of toilet roll to blow my nose on, and threw a sleeping bag over the three of us. He lay down by our heads, his face a foot from mine.

"Hey, Laura love. It's hard, innit? Making your own family, your own people? Bet you don't trust us yet. I'm not asking you to. But, honest, love, mi casa est su casa." He affected a terrible Spanish accent. "And I'm serious about Christmas." I wondered what he'd done for the previous one. "You can cook, after all."

I laughed weakly, blew my nose, and collapsed again, shaking and sniffling.

"It's OK, babe," Ali told me, gathering my naked body in her arms. "You've got all the extra endorphins and emotions from your kink comedown. That's why you need to be wrapped up warm and cared for."

"About time all of us were wrapping up warm and thinking of sleep," Andy observed. "Here's another sleeping bag for over you."

I nodded, still shaky, and buried my head into Ali's soft smooth shoulder. "How do I know what emotion's real?"

"They're all real. Contradictory and changeable fuckers! Now, you need to sleep, but remember, you've had an emotional night. You're lovely and gorgeous, right, lads?" They agreed. "See, you are. I'll watch Andy fucking you later, I'm sure. And you were great fun to play with. I think you enjoyed it too?"

"Oh god, yes!"

"Good. You were so good for me."

"Um. Ali?"

"Hm?"

I had to get the word out. "Mistress?"

"Oh god, how am I to get to sleep now? Yes, my lovely darling babe?"

"Can we do some more... like, if I'm staying at yours another night?"

There was a flicker of a glance to Andy. "Hell yes, babe. So much I'd like to try. Oh Andy -- can we pick up all my gear from Jude's tomorrow? It's all packed."

"Sure. It's not far. Any other errands, while we have the van?"

Ali laughed. "See if we can buy any furniture to upgrade your shit? I'm warning you guys -- it's a solid roof and there's a bathroom and bog, but otherwise it's not much posher than here."

"Hey, I've got coins for the electric meter!" Andy protested.

"We'll be fine," I told him.

"Like you say, it's a roof over our heads," Richie said. "It'll be warm even at night."

"OK. Night night then, love." Ali gave me another kiss, which with her naked body pressed to mine turned into gentle lovemaking, Richie's longer body buffering me on the far side.

"Mm... I'm OK, now."

"Night, 'sister'."

I chuckled and snuggled down to sleep. Richie seemed almost asleep already, his rougher skin still against my legs.

"Night, guys." Andy called over to me and Rich, but I could feel from how Ali turned that she was getting a more intimate wish goodnight.

We were a cosy nest of birds, lying together among all the bedding of dubious cleanliness. Family? Definitely an improvement.

I'd fallen asleep quickly and happily. I did wake up once, around five, and realised the best option would be to step outside to piss, as fast as possible.

So I stepped carefully over Richie, luxuriating in being able to stand up straight. The crisp night air made every hair on my body stand up as I crouched on the grass. Despite the cold, I took an extra moment to appreciate the view across the river, illuminated by a full moon, and the thousand stars that were visible.

It was magical, just as my evening with the others had been, and just as the next months promised to be.

I tiptoed back inside, where breath was making condensation trickle down the walls, and squeezed back between Ali and Richie, shivering until their body heat warmed me up again. Just like puppies or kittens. And just like them, we could be a family that fucked. Maybe we needed a better word than family? But no, part of my mind had latched onto the idea of having my own family which wanted me, and wouldn't let it go.

Chosen family, then. Good. I'd happily work to keep that.

That decision stood me in great stead over the next twenty-odd years.

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End of this tale for now. There will be more chapters following from these events, but who knows when -- sadly the day job has to take priority. In the meantime please vote, comment, and look at some of my other stories.

Laura and her uni friend Adrian are the main characters in a story taking place 18 years later -- told in both 'Smoking Hot' or 'The Bet: Quit Smoking, Win My Body'. Choose which to read depending on whether you want three chapters from Laura or that plus an extra 100,000 words from Adrian's perspective, including a lot of gay sex.

Ali appears about 8 years later as a main character in Wheelchair Bound? (that story placed in the 2021 Valentine's contest).

Richie appears about 10 years later in the second and third stories of the 'I Say Ass, You Say Arse' series.