The House Share

The House Share

ONE

I wasn't anything like Donnie or her friends. They were hot girls, and fully aware of it. They all loved a night out. Donnie especially was a party animal, and she made no secret of her extracurricular activities when the music stopped.

I was the absolute opposite. Studious. Christ, I read economics and watched the Discovery Channel. The idea of Love Island and The X Factor was abhorrent to me.

As for girls in general, they were kind of a mystery to me. I'd had the odd date but never turned it into anything serious. Not even a second date in most cases. I knew it was my own fault. I lacked the courage to press home any hint of them wanting more. Even a goodnight kiss was something I couldn't do as I just could not read the signals and lived in fear of rejection.

Amazingly, I wasn't a virgin. That was lost to a friend of my Mum. Twice my age, married, and drunk. Since then. Nothing.

I'd reached the dizzying age of twenty-one being the nerd in the corner with a book and a Star Wars DVD collection. Adult life bemused me. It was something I remember as a child thinking it impossible to cope with. Getting a job, marriage and children all seemed far too complicated to my eight-year-old self struggling through school lessons. As an adult, I'd managed one out of three. One more than I'd expected wasn't bad I reasoned.

Leaving school at eighteen meant a job in a supermarket stacking shelves. It'd provided money and promised career advancement. A promise that'd fallen by the wayside as surely as my attempts to woo the cute little blonde on Stock Control. I found out just prior to leaving that the shift manager was knocking her off as his bit on the side. He was married with kids and a bit of a lothario by all accounts. But still seen as a better option than me.

Six months ago I found another job. A call centre on the edge of town fielding queries and orders for an internet provider and mobile phone company. It came with the added bonus that I got time off from my uni studies.

As for girls there. There were a good few, but only Donnie had taken an interest in me. Around my age, but so far out of my league as to be stratospheric. And yet somehow we had struck up an unlikely friendship.

Friendship was as far as it went though. We chatted, lunched together along with her two friends, and teamed up on social club events. I took the teasing about being a virgin in good humour and occasionally I managed to score a few points back. What there never was, was a hint of interest in me beyond friends. With the raging need of youth to go forth and multiply it was painful when I saw her leering at other people and telling me of her adventures on clubbing nights. It hurt. But I accepted it.

My first day after training had been daunting. Talking to customers in a shop was one thing. Actively fielding calls or even worse, cold calling to persuade them into upgrading contracts was stomach-churning.

Amongst all of my worries, catching my first sight of Donnie had been a bright spot. I remember being struck by her hair the most. Ash blonde locks that just reached her shoulder, but with a layered chunky look which made it appear messy and styled all at once. Perfectly imperfect bedhead hair.

I think Donnie had seen that nervousness and threw me the occasional smile through the first few hours to encourage me. By late morning she was in full flow with her act, sitting on my desk telling me how to calm my nerves as we took a coffee break. The main thing I remember was her crossed legs right in front of my face with a skirt that only made it halfway to her knees.

"Think about something nice." She said.

I was. Her legs.

"Have a little fantasy running in your head. One where you're the hero."

"Ha. I can be Luke Skywalker."

"Mmm.

Perhaps something a little more adult where you get the girl, but she doesn't turn out to be your sister.

Incest is frowned upon in this galaxy.

You got a girlfriend?"

That was a bit forward, but great. A spark of interest, I hoped.

"No. In between."

In between one lonesome shag and old age erectile dysfunction.

"Mmm.

You should meet my friends. Not that you'll be dating them. They bat for the other side. That's them, over there."

She pointed out a darker-haired girl, with good-sized tits and a waif with freckles sporting richly coloured, wavy red hair. Both pretty.

"Becca's the brunette and Haley's the ginge. Don't let the red dye fool you.

I think you'll like them.

Come and have lunch with us."

"Okay. I'd like that."

I would. Donnie was hot as fuck. I knew exactly what fantasy was going to calm me before my next calls.

Lunch was a walk along the road to a little bakery and coffee shop. Hot sausage roll and a latte while looking out over the canal.

The two girls were nice. Into each other, but that didn't stop my eyes looking.

"We share a flat in the Lakes Development. Expensive and small." Haley told me.

"We're looking for somewhere bigger." Donnie added.

"Not that I'm there a lot. Work and clubbing. So many boys in the world. So little time."

I hoped I was being assessed as one of them. I soon learnt that like everyone else she didn't view me like that at all. So as the weeks went on we settled into a comfortable friendship which I accepted, if reluctantly.

Perhaps if I was braver, I'd tell her I fancied her and things might be different. But that was just something I couldn't do. Never could. I always hoped girls would make their thoughts clear, or make the first move instead of expecting me to interpret signals that might as well have been an alien language to me. Never happened.

We did do a few nights out as a group for drinks. Once we went for a meal and a club. One night I got to dance with each of them. Skimpy outfits and a bit of body contact, Becca butt rubbing my groin, me with my hands on Haley's hips, and a big hug at the end. Very nice for a sexually frustrated young man.

Donnie was the one who stayed aloof on the dance floor, but I got a lot of teasing from her away from it. She seemed very keen to test my tastes, pointing out various girls she thought I should go chat to.

"What about that one?" She shouted over the deafening music.

I saw a blonde in a short dress. She wasn't small.

"Too fat."

"Yeah, but massive tits. Fat girls always have massive tits. Bet you'd love a tit wank."

"Donnie." I exclaimed in horror.

"Okay. Not a titty guy.

The brunette behind her?

You're not getting your cock between her tits but nice legs. Can't beat having a nice pair of legs wrapped around your neck. Ask Haley."

"Better."

She was slim, similar to Donnie. But she was right about the tits. There weren't any.

Donnie leaned closer and I smelt her perfume. So much of our attraction is in scent. Not the splashed-on kind. The natural pheromones and body odours we all have. It's there all the time, even when it's disguised by citrus fragrance. It was having its effect now.

"So tell me. Who's the most fanciable girl here?

Which hot young thing would you like to sink your cock balls deep into?"

I was so grateful the other two came back right then and ended that conversation before I had to make a choice between potentially insulting Donnie by choosing someone over her or looking like a creep by telling the truth. A no-win situation.

So that was it. We were friends. Work colleagues. Occasional clubbing partners. Never lovers. I was happy with that, I suppose. At least I had people to socialise with and perhaps I might get an insight into the mysteries of the female brain that'd help me elsewhere.

What I didn't expect was that they saw me as such a good friend. Perhaps it was because I was classed as safe. Not a good thing to be considered at twenty-one. But when Donnie picked me from everyone else at the call centre as a possible flatmate for her and the others I was quite taken aback.

"Look at the place. A four-bed detached for two grand a month."

"That's a lot."

"Not split four ways. Five hundred each. I 'spose technically we only need a three bed what with Haley and Becca sharing. But just in case."

"It is lovely though."

I flicked across the pictures of a big house on Rightmove. It did look like an inviting idea. Not the usual young person digs with IKEA furniture. It was more upmarket. Middle class.

"Just one question."

"Shoot."

"You're girls. I'm a guy."

"Well look at you. All up to date with your Ladybird Book of the Birds and Bees.

Have you got to the bit about pee pee's and foo foo's yet?"

I rolled my eyes.

"What I mean is. Why me? Wouldn't it make more sense for it to be another girl?"

"Yeah, but that would mean Janet from Accounts and she's... let's face it, boring as fuck."

"And I'm not?"

"Well, yeah you are. A bit.

Joking.

No. You're fun. A good laugh.

You're still not getting in anyone's pants, but we can all be mates together."

"And what if I wanted to bring someone home? For the night?"

She looked at me with faux disdain.

"You? Seriously.

You think that's gonna happen?"

She gave me a look up and down that dismissed my ability as surely as I doubted it.

"Look. It's fine. I'll be.... Well, I don't live the life of a nun.

And Haley and Becca, they're at it like rabbits. So you wanna bring a boyfriend home? Go right ahead."

"Funny."

The house did look smart. Room for four cars, not that any of us had one. There was both a living and dining room. Two en-suites and a family bathroom. It had a garden. Nothing fancy, just a smart patio and a lawn area with a few small trees.

It was a dream of a house. More than any of us could afford alone, or even as a pair. It would take all four of us to finance without breaking the bank."

"So what do you say?

It'll get you out of mummy and daddies."

"That's true. Time I had my independence."

That and I rather liked the idea of sharing with the girls even if it'd never be sharing a bed.

Donnie went on.

"It's costing us three a fortune where we are at the moment and we have to share a bathroom. We could just about do this on our own but with you, we'd all have money in our pocket."

I nodded slowly. It was a big commitment for someone like me still living at home. But it would be a step to independence. Five hundred wouldn't even get a room anywhere else.

"What about bills?"

"Split four ways. Equal.

We can set an account up and have the money moved automatically on payday. No arguments then."

"Fair enough."

"That a yes?"

She looked so hopeful it would have been hard to say no.

"Yeah. Okay.

I want to go see it first."

"None of us have seen it yet. Now you're in, I'll call the agency and arrange a viewing.

Aw Paulie, I could shag you.

Actually. No, I couldn't. Let's just stick with a thank you."

The four of us went straight from work to meet the Letting Agent. A woman in her early thirties. Not a classically pretty face but she had something about her I couldn't help notice. And her trouser suit clung to her body in ways that made it hard to look at the house.

"You'll like this. It's been extensively remodelled inside. As you can see, the kitchen now lives in the extension, making room for the second reception which has been set out as a formal dining room."

It wasn't something that would be used big time but it was nice to have the space.

We followed her tour attentively. At least Donnie did. Me only when I wasn't assessing how much I liked her arse. In those tight pants, it jiggled seductively as she climbed the stairs in front of me.

Haley and Becca were wrapped around each other as usual. I don't think they saw much of the house. Too busy staring into each other's eyes.

"All the furniture you see is included.

The owners have moved abroad, work commitments, so everything stays."

Finally, she talked us through the lease conditions and we agreed to pop by the office at the same time after work the next day to sign.

"You liked her didn't you."

Donnie gripped my arm almost like a girlfriend as we walked back.

"Who?" I felt my cheeks heating.

"The agent."

"She was okay."

"Aw come on. I saw you looking at her. Bet you were thinking about poking her buttonhole on the bed.

Rent, buy or fuck. Now there's a TV show for evening prime time."

I sighed at her jibing me.

"We went to judge the house, not the Estate Agent." I reminded her.

"So what did everyone think?" I said loudly to include the other two.

"Thumbs up from me." Becca replied.

"And I go where Becca goes." Haley giggled.

She was definitely the child among us.

I know Mum wasn't too impressed when I told her my housemates were three girls. After that, she kept on about taking precautions no matter how much I said it wasn't like that.

In her mind, it was one big orgy scene with her little boy being led astray by wanton sluts. No such fucking luck.

Dad reacted like a good solid man and kept grinning until it earned him a slap and a good telling-off.

"Pack it in, unless you want to be sharing with them."

Not sure that was the most discouraging threat to a middle-aged man.

My Mum's best friend, Alison, was there when I announced it. It was nice that she was supportive and told my mum it was time for me to venture out into the world and find my own way.

"He's not your little boy anymore." She told her.

"He's a man now." Her eyes glanced ever so momentarily at me.

I still felt like a child mostly. In one way I was a man. And that was thanks to Alison over two years earlier.

"It's time he had his independence." She said.

So that was it. I was officially moving in with three girls. I might be sheltered and inexperienced but I wasn't blind. Donnie was hot as fuck. So were Haley and Becca though sadly my pee pee was a barrier to those two rather than an attraction. As platonic as it was, it did raise my cred at work a little. The nerd living with the three hot girls.

People make all sorts of things up in their heads when guys are friends with girls. Just as shame it was only in their heads. And mine in my private moments. The reality was different. We were more brother and sisters.

Haley and Becca got an en-suite by default. Me and Donnie tossed for the final one. I lost. But then the bathroom was right next door to the room I did get. And it was big. And luxurious. After some threats of fitting a combination lock or charging, I did agree the girls could use it occasionally to soak in the big tub. Showers are great, but girls especially do like to soak with their candles occasionally. I didn't mind so long as they didn't mess with my stuff and left it clean.

We moved in straight after work on a Friday. None of us had a lot to take and Dad collected the girl's things in two trips after dropping my stuff off. My first priority was getting my prize movie poster up on the wall.

The next order of business was a takeaway. We were too busy to cook and time was getting on. We settled on Indian and I called it through.

"Okay. I'm calling a House Meeting." Donnie declared taking charge.

The others groaned.

"Can't we all be trusted to clean up after ourselves?" Haley said.

"We've been sharing that tiny flat for a year without a problem."

"New start. New house rules.

And we have newbie with us." She said with those mischievous eyes glancing my way.

More teasing incoming.

"I'm a tidy person." I offered.

"But can you put the toilet seat down? Or lift it before you piss?"

"I'll call you when I need help with my aim."

"Ew... fuck off. I'm not touching your tiny todger."

I smiled as I always did and buried pointless thoughts of her hand on my dick.

Donnie went on telling us not much really. We'd be responsible for our own spaces, and clean as we go in the kitchen. And once a week on a rotating basis we'd hover and clean the rooms we shared. All pretty normal.

"You have to wear a French Maid outfit from Love Honey when you dust."

I poked my tongue out at her.

"Mmm. Long tongue you have there."

Haley sniggered.

"Shame your dick's not as big." Donnie smirked.

"Okay. One last thing. Respect each other's spaces. Stay out of my room and buy your own condoms. Oh, that's right, I'm the only one who needs them. Sorry." She said looking straight at me.

I didn't bite.

"That's it. Our new home is declared occupied."

What I quickly discovered about 'remodelled' was that upstairs wasn't the same as the original layout. Walls had been moved, rooms changed around. The positive was the addition of those en-suites and the bathroom that probably hadn't existed when the house was built. The er ... positives were that the wall separating me from Haley and Becca was plasterboard which came with an unexpected bonus.

"Uhhh. Uh.

So good."

I moved the bed the next day to put my headboard on another wall. It didn't stop me from hearing them together but it did make it less intrusive when I was trying to sleep. I also used the music on my phone a lot more before I turned the light out.

I did consider mentioning it but decided against it. It would be impossible to stop completely unless they became nuns, and it wasn't fair that they worried about me every time they got down and dirty. Which was a lot. A hell of a lot. Most nights. And a little sneaking off in the day at weekends.

Besides, I'm sure they could hear me moving around and work it out for themselves. That's assuming they cared about being heard.

TWO

Of course, living with the girls did send my imagination into overdrive and I was constantly on the lookout for a sign I might offer more than friendship in someone's mind. I didn't have any hopes for Haley and Becca. They were more into each other than any guy. I was sure they weren't what you'd call genuine lesbians. More the Lipstick kind. There was certainly a connection that held them together, but I still felt it was a phase they'd go through before finding boyfriends and going their separate ways. I just didn't think it was going to be me that'd point either of them in a new direction.

Donnie was a different matter altogether. She made no secret of her love for cock. Even to the point of openly telling us all about the porn she watched. I wouldn't have been surprised if she had a few OnlyFans subscriptions.

Then there was the way she looked at me. Always studying me with a critical eye as if undressing me in her mind. Yet every hint I'd be open to more if she made a move on me had been politely rebuked. I say, politely. It was generally with that piss-taking manner she had about her.

In my head, I'd seen living in the same house as a way to get closer to her. Show her I was boyfriend material. I imagined us together as a couple. At least I did in my dreams. I was soon to learn that every day would come with fresh disappointment, just like the previous six months.

The following Friday night after moving-in day was a celebration. I'd expected to be home alone while these three went out partying. But somewhere along the way, someone had decided we should get the beers in and cook a meal together.

It wasn't exactly a housewarming party with music and dancing. Much more low-key and quite pleasant. At home, I'd probably have been in my bedroom reading or watching TV. Here I was with friends. We talked about work, as you do when you're employed in the same place, our plans for the future, and politics. That was a mistake. Neither me nor Donnie were exactly what you'd call far-right fascists, but Haley and Becca were way left of us. I guess their lifestyle should have been a hint. But I didn't expect or want a lecture on global warming and the plight of some imaginary invalid living on fifty pence a week with an outside toilet, coz ... capitalism. We quickly changed that subject.