I felt alive and wanted and special and filled with bliss. University had turned out to be the best place ever. Tom ran his finger down the length of my spine as I was sprawled out on my front. The single bed in my room barely had space for us both, with Tom pressed against the wall on his side. ‘I know you’re watching me,’ I said. I could feel the heat of his stare. ‘You have a beautiful back. Perfect skin.’ He kissed the length of it. But then I sighed, suddenly filled with apprehension. It came out of nowhere. ‘What if this is all too fast?’ I rolled over, pulling the sheet up under my arms. I felt self-conscious. It was still light outside and the curtains were open. I was overly anxious. Things that felt this good were usually short-lived. ‘What do you mean?’ I sighed, not wanting to push him away. But I needed to be sensible too. ‘I mean, what if we’re rushing into things, Tom. It’s only our first term here after all.’ I had my parents’ voices in my head, of course, telling me to take things steady, that it was easy to let emotions rule my head.
