University Adventures Ch. 01

Partially inspired by my own time at university, this is the story of two friends who embark on a series of increasingly daring adventures. Any comments or feedback are much appreciated, hope you enjoy!

*****

Chapter One -- The Beginning

'Come on Jay this is ridiculous, this has gone way too far.'

Holly stood outside wrapped in a fluffy white dressing gown, shivering slightly and shifting her weight from side to side in an attempt to keep her bare feet warm. Her flat mate Jericho just laughed as he pointed his phone at his uneasy friend.

'Rules are rules Holly, you knew what you were getting yourself into. So, you ready?'

'No.'

Holly hugged herself and continued to peer into the darkness, anxiously looking for any signs of life. Even though it was one in the morning in the middle of December there were still a few groups of students heading back to their accommodation blocks, as well as the occasional campus security van driving around. Her quick nervous breathes turned to fog as they touched the cold night air and her teeth were beginning to chatter.

'There's still too many people.'

'No there aren't, coward,' Jericho was still grinning. 'And you're going to freeze to death soon so let's go.' He walked backwards away from the doorway and into the night, keeping the camera trained on her as he went. 'Come on!'

'Someone will see! Then they'll call security, or the police, I'll get caught, probably kicked out of uni -'

'No you won't, you're going to be absolutely fine. Now move'.

'I hate you.' Scowling, Holly took a deep breath and glared upwards at the sky. 'Ahhh fine!' With that she quickly ripped off her robe, threw it to the side and sprinted straight past Jericho. He immediately turned and followed in hot pursuit trying, with some difficulty, to keep her in frame.

'Slow down man, I can't keep up!' Even with no shoes Holly was already pulling away and disappearing into the gloom. 'Wait for me!'

'Are you crazy? No way,' Holly glanced back furiously. 'You're not the one who's naked!'

***

Things had started three months earlier when Jericho decided to take a quick afternoon shower. It was his first week at university and so far everything was going ok. The lectures weren't too boring yet, the assignments were doable and his flat seemed really nice. There were twelve of them sharing a kitchen and the communal bathroom, and although a couple of people seemed happier chilling alone in their rooms the rest of them were pretty social. They were all planning to go out again that evening to one of the nearby clubs, so Jericho decided to freshen up before the pre-drinks got going.

Two of the cubicles were already in use when he entered and he could recognise one of the girls' voices humming a tune to herself as she washed. After stripping off Jericho tilted his head back under the hot water and entered a little world of his own, daydreaming peacefully until he heard someone else come into the bathroom. He sighed, reached for his shower gel and proceeded to lather himself up, scrubbing his lean body from head to toe. Next he let the water cascade over himself as he rinsed the suds off with his hands, and that was the precise moment the door to his stall was suddenly barged open.

'Shit! Oh my god, sorry!'

Jericho instinctively covered himself, wincing as he did so, and looked up just in time to see a girl quickly turn away and rush out of the bathroom. He pushed the door shut again whilst cursing the flimsy latch, finished his shower, and after covering up in a t-shirt and towel hurried back to his room. As he got changed he bemoaned his bad luck and wondered what the hell his intruder had been thinking. He'd only caught a glimpse but he was almost sure it was his flat mate Holly, and that she had got more than a glimpse of him. They'd spoken a few times, he knew she did maths and was from London, but other than that he didn't know her that well. She was part the group going out tonight though, so now that would be awkward he grumbled to himself, annoyed at the situation. Ah well he thought, checking his appearance in the mirror, nothing to be done now, let's just try and have a good night. Grabbing a bottle of vodka from his shelf he headed out into the corridor to meet the others.

***

A few hours later and Jericho was absolutely finished. Another flat mate Jessica was slumped against his shoulder, drunkenly arguing with Diego about something unimportant as their taxi carried them back to campus. It had been a great night though, despite Jericho's early embarrassment. A few drinking games in the kitchen had got everyone in the party mood, and it was hard to be that uncomfortable around Holly because she seemed to be completely ignoring him, not even making eye contact once. There were plenty of others to have fun with though, especially when they met up with another flat from their block to go into town together. His memories of the club were pretty hazy. He remembered a lot of shots, some slurred conversations in the smoking area, and a bit of music and dancing. The girls had all been looking particularly attractive as they cavorted together under the lights, and the guys looked on longingly. Nothing particularly exciting happened though and now they were all heading home, slightly worse for wear.

'Come on sleepy, we're here.' Jessica nudged him awake and they all clambered out as Diego unlocked the flat's door. Everyone trudged up the stairs to their floor and they began to say their goodbyes. 'Night everyone, let's do this again soon! Love you all.'

'Night guys!' As they all swayed down the corridor everyone peeled off into their separate rooms. Jericho's was the last one down, but he walked past straight to the kitchen in desperate need of some water. Standing at the sink he poured himself several glasses before resting against the counter and checking his phone.

As he scrolled through his messages the door opened and glancing up he saw Holly slipping in. She smiled. 'Hi. You feeling ok?'

She hadn't said a word to him at the club or in the taxi back so Jericho was a bit thrown.

'Uh yeah, bit of a headache but I'll be fine. Had some water.'

'Good, good.'

She walked over and leant against the fridge across from him, her hands behind her back. 'Fun place wasn't it? I'd be down to go back soon.'

'Yeah, definitely.' Jericho smiled back and wondered where this was going. 'You feeling ok too?'

'Yeah fine. Still a bit tipsy but like you said, just needed some water.'

'Yeah.' Jericho was still feeling shy around her and he looked back down at his phone.

'So listen.' Holly bit her lip. 'About earlier...'

'Oh no don't worry, I'm sure -'

'No no it was my fault, I wanted to say sorry! I was in a rush and stupidly didn't notice which shower was in use, and I guess those locks are pretty weak.'

'Aha yeah I think so, especially if you ram them.'

'Yeah my bad, so I am really sorry, and sorry about earlier too. I was feeling a bit awkward about it all but I should have said something.'

Jericho was blushing. 'It's fine really, it was just an accident. It's university, this sort of thing must happen a lot.'

'Are you sure? I feel bad.'

'Yes really.' Jericho took another sip of water and immediately felt worse. 'You're forgiven. I was a bit embarrassed but now it really is fine.'

'Ok,' Holly didn't move. 'You really have nothing to be ashamed of though, just for your information...'

'Right, haha. Thanks.' The pair stood looking at each other and once again silence descended. It was dark in the kitchen and only the moonlight from the windows illuminated their faces, Holly staring quizzically at Jericho who blankly returned her gaze.

'No see I feel like it's still awkward.'

Jericho laughed. 'I promise it's not.'

'No it is.' Said Holly, stepping forwards toward him. 'So I think I need to pay you back.'

'What? What do you mean.'

'Well you know.' Holly stopped in front of Jericho and whispered softly. 'You showed me yours, so I should show you mine.'

Jericho suddenly felt very sober, and despite all the water he'd drank, very dry throated. 'You don't have to, it's all right.'

'No no.' Holly exhaled. 'It's only fair. Then we're even, and tomorrow morning no one will feel guilty or uncomfortable.' Her body was now mere inches from his and he could smell the faint scent of her perfume. For the first time Jericho let him self study Holly's outfit. Along with the standard heels and tight jeans she was wearing a strapless top that left her shoulders bare and hugged her torso snugly, showing off her curves. As she got closer he could see further down the front of her cleavage, so he looked up to the choker around her neck, and then back up to her eyes. Holy noticed the attention and smirked. 'OK then.' Very slowly and deliberately she crossed her arms and reached down to the front of her top, then began to pull it up.

Jericho was frozen. Mesmerised he watched as more and more skin was revealed, gradually revealing her stomach and then the undercurve of her breasts. This was enough to conform that her outfit did not include a bra, but just before she fully revealed herself to him she paused and raised an eyebrow questioningly. He didn't dare breathe. He didn't want to move a muscle in case this magical spell was broken. Satisfied, Holly grinned then readjusted her grip, and in one fluid motion stripped her top off over her head. She shook her hair free and then decided to unfasten her choker too for good measure, which she let drop down over her chest and to the floor. However when she looked up she was surprised to see Jericho with his eyes slammed shut and his face angled down to the floor.

Now it was Holly's turn to be perplexed. 'Umm... hello?'

'Sorry.' Jericho blinked a few times and stared at his shoes, not quite sure why on earth he had just done that. 'Sorry, this is just too weird and I can't look at you.'

Holly stood mouth slightly ajar as she processed what had happened. Still topless she balled her top in her hands and hugged it against her chest.

'I mean bro, I am offering to show you my boobs, no strings attached. My idea, you just have to look.'

'I know, I know.' Jericho was feeling very tired and very confused, but still he kept his gaze averted. 'I just can't. Sorry.'

'You're not into girls, is that it? That's ok obviously.'

'No I am, and I'm sure you look great. I mean no I know you look great, you're stunning, and I'm sure they do too, but...' He trailed off because what good explanation could he give?

'Ok. Ok, fine. No worries.' Holly slouched back against the fridge and ran a hand through her hair in exasperation.

'Sorry.'

'Don't say sorry, you're just being a gentleman, annoyingly. We'll have to work on that. I still owe you though, don't forget.'

'You really don't need to.' Well, thought Jericho, if things weren't too weird between us before they definitely are now. He saw Holly's heels walk past him and back towards the door, and once again he screwed his eyes shut in frustration.

'Goodnight, Jay.' Holly looked back ruefully then turned to grab the handle. Jay? No one called him Jay. Jerry sometimes but never Jay. The kitchen door swung shut and once more Jericho was alone.

'Jesus Christ.' He waited a moment to gather his thoughts, then put his glass in the sink and turned to leave.

'What the...' There lying draped on the floor was Holly's top. He picked it up and walked to the corridor to look around. He knew Holly's room was right down the other end of the long line of doors, as far from the kitchen as you could get. Had she really walked that entire way half naked, when anyone could come out of their room at any time? As if to prove his point just that moment Serena ,who was in the room next to his, came out of the bathroom and padded up to him.

'Hey Jericho, did you guys have a fun night?'

'Yeah it was good thanks.' Jericho smiled weakly as she moved on past him, then leant against the wall and looked in amazement at the discarded item of clothing in his hand. A few minutes later he climbed into bed and reached for his phone again. He hadn't written a message to Holly yet, they'd only added each other a couple of days earlier, so he clicked on her profile and typed.

*hey, think you forgot you top* Sent. He rolled his eyes at himself for such a boring opening line.

Nevertheless her reply was quick. *whoops, will have to come by soon to pick it up x*

Jericho set his alarm and rolled over to go to bed. Whatever he had got himself into with Holly, it could wait until the morning he decided, and soon he fell into a deep and peaceful sleep.

***

'Cleaning love, you awake in there?'

Jericho was startled awake by a female voice. He rushed to his feet in a panic and saw Jules standing in his doorway peering in. She was one of the cleaners for the dorms and once a week they'd come in to clean their rooms, and make sure they weren't trashing the place.

'Just woke up have you?'

'God sorry, yes.' Jericho was very hungover and still tired, although when he looked at the time he realised he'd completely overslept.

'Just I've got a rota to keep to love.'

'Yeah no problem, let me get out of your way.' Jules had been lovely the couple of times he'd spoken to so far and he didn't want to get in her bad books so he ushered her in. As she set too with a hoover he put on a hoodie with some shorts and went to the kitchen in search of coffee. Inside was Jessica and sitting next to her in a fluffy white dressing gown, Holly.

'Morning.' They all chimed, and the girls swivelled in their chairs to face him as he filled the kettle.

'How's the head after last night?' Jessica's voice sounded pretty rough.

'Yeah not amazing, how about you?'

'Awful.' Jessica took a tiny mouthful from her bowel of cereal. 'I want to die.'

Jericho watched the water slowly boil. 'I was having a lie in but then Jules woke me up. I was only wearing boxers too, bit of a shock to the system.'

Jessica laughed. 'Yeah the cleaners are a menace. That's nothing though, I wasn't wearing anything yesterday when they barged in at nine in the morning.'

'You're joking.' Holly turned to her friend. 'What?'

'Yeah so I sleep naked normally, and this was the first time they've come to my room so I didn't know they can just open the door if you don't hear them knock? But they really don't wait around, if you don't let them in quickly they'll just assume you're out and they unlock it themselves.'

Holly was highly entertained. 'That's hilarious, poor you! Did they see anything?'

'I don't think so. Luckily it was Sally so at least it wasn't one of the male ones, that would have been worse, and I think I was fully under the duvet. But I could have been tossing and turning all night, thrown the covers to the side, they could have been in for a treat you know?'

Jericho poured some milk from the fridge and sat down at the table with them. 'What about fire alarms? We've had two already this week, what do you do then?'

'Well I just have to be very quick. I have that really big coat, with the hood? I normally just chuck that on and go out in slippers.'

'What?' Now Holly was interested too. 'You've been lined up outside with us twice only wearing a coat?'

'Guys, it's a big coat.' Jessica finally gave up on her breakfast and pushed the bowl away. 'It saves having to get dressed then undressed again, and we're only outside for a few minutes each time. It is annoying living in halls to be honest. At home I could wear anything I wanted because my family were out so much of the time, but here you always have to be decent.'

'Wild'. Holly got up. 'Well speaking of nudity I'm off for a shower.' She looked straight at Jericho who smiled bashfully and looked away. 'See you later guys.'

Jericho watched her walk out and wondered what she was wearing under her dressing gown, he certainly hadn't seen any pyjamas or underwear poking out from beneath the plush fabric. He turned to finds Jessica looking at him with a slightly amused look on her face. 'So Jericho, you chosen what modules you're doing yet?'

They spent twenty minutes chatting about the upcoming term and then a bit about their respective families. Another coffee and Jericho was starting to feel a bit more human, and when Jules popped her head round the door to say she'd finished with his room he got up to put his things away. As he and Jessica cleaned up his phone went off and he looked to see that it was Holly, and this time she had sent a video. Excusing himself he left the kitchen and jumped back onto his bed, then pressed play.

A very wet Holly appeared, recording herself in the foggy mirror of the bathroom. Her slick hair showed she must have just got out of the shower and wrapped herself in a towel. She waved at her reflection and blew a kiss, before turning away from the mirror and heading towards the door that lead to the corridor. Jericho was a bit disappointed, but then his eyes widened as the camera panned downwards. Just the edge of her towel and her toes were in shot, and after a moment of fumbling the towel fell and lay folded on the floor. The camera then looked up again and showed Holly's outstretched hand push open the bathroom door as she stepped over what was presumably her only form of covering. The showers were positioned halfway along the corridor so although she didn't have to walk quite as far as last night's adventure, she still had four doors to pass on each side before getting to the safety of her room. Less distance, but this time with a lot less clothing too Jericho thought.

The film ended when she approached her door as she flipped the camera and gave a wink down the lens. Sadly only her flushed face was in this frontal shot and Jericho sighed as the video came to an end. He was hallway through his fourth replay when Holly sent through a message.

*still waiting to get even, at this rate someone else is going to get to see it all before you do!*

Jericho had no words. There was certainly a lot he wanted to say but this was unchartered territory and he had no clue about how to respond. His indecision was interrupted with a bang at the door. Jeffery his course mate was here to walk to their lecture together, so after hastily getting changed and grabbing his bag Jericho rushed out to join him, leaving Holly's message on read.

***

The next few days flew by. Fresher's week was well and truly over and the realities of university life had kicked in, with the number of lectures and assignments quickly ramping up. Other than making dinner with the others each night Jericho was rarely in the flat, spending most of his time in the library trying not to fall too far behind on work.

By the time Saturday came he was definitely in need of a break and as a kitchen they decided a night in drinking was the easiest solution. A few games in and everyone was in a very great mood, especially Jessica and Serena who had been working far too hard as well. Holly was also at her flirtatious best and all in all Jericho was having a good time.

'And so it's proper life drawing then, with an actual naked person?' Sean was interrogating Holly about the day she had just had.

'Ok so they're called life models for one,' Holly gestured with a wine glass to emphasise her points.

'And yes, of course they're naked, it's a proper class. I did art at college then I went to a few lessons in my gap year. The art society do them every week so I thought I'd try and get properly into it.'

'Have you got your sketches? I want to see'

'Yeah, be nice though I'm rusty.' Holly fished out her notepad and it was passed around the table.

'Wow you're really good Holls these look great!' Serena was very impressed as was Jericho, you could see she had a real talent.