Oxford Blood (5 page)

He gave her a curious glance, and although she’d made an
effort to dress up, she felt frumpy and unattractive next to him. She wondered
if anyone ever managed to have a conversation with him without feeling the same
way.

“Hi, I’m here for the debate,” she said, forcing herself to
sound confident but suddenly feeling acutely conscious of her northern accent.
“Do you know where I have to go?”

For a few painful seconds he didn’t react, but just studied
her intently as though passing judgement. Finally he smiled, and without
speaking, pointed in the direction of the building on the right.

“Oh, thanks, bye then.” Harriet wanted to run but made
herself walk away slowly and nonchalantly. She didn’t glance back until she reached
Olamide, by which time there was no sign of the boy.

“Well I’ve found out where to go,” she said, gesturing
towards the building that the boy had pointed out. “Did you see who I asked
though? He was possibly the most gorgeous guy I’ve ever seen. But so strange at
the same time.”

“I didn’t really see,” Ola replied. “Come on or we’ll be
late.”

At one side of the Union’s garden was a building containing
a fantastically decorated library, a cheap bar and various function rooms.
Opposite this however was its main feature, a large debating chamber modelled
(albeit on a slightly smaller scale) on the previous design of Parliament. It
was hugely full and Harriet doubted they’d be able to get a seat, until she
heard someone shout her name, and noticed Josh sat on the balcony.

“Quickly you two, come up here. There are a few people from
college and we should just about be able to squeeze you in.”

The three most important figures (the President, Librarian
and Treasurer) sat at the front of the room on three throne-like chairs,
dressed in white tie. Harriet wondered what sort of odd society had a librarian
as its second-in-command.

The speakers were a mixture of politicians and other public
figures, and students who either knew a lot about politics and current affairs
or had managed to convince the committee that they did. Harriet enjoyed
listening to them, but by the end was definitely ready for some fresh air and a
drink.

“Apparently there’s free wine upstairs,” said Josh.

Their little group followed the general flow of people,
finding themselves in a large book filled room with several trestle tables
covered with glasses.

The little college group huddled together. Harriet found it
amazing the extent to which she considered people she’d only known for two days
to be good friends whilst the people from other colleges felt like strangers
who shouldn’t be approached without a reason.

Several glasses of free wine later, the drinks party came to
an end. Their contingent decided that the best plan was to go to a pub in the
town.

“I’ve heard the King’s Arms is good,” said a boy that
Harriet vaguely remembered from the club night. “Apparently quite a few people
are going there.”

During the short walk to the pub, Harriet began to realise
how much all the wine had gone to her head. Walking in a straight line was
difficult and her conversation with Olamide far too loud. The pub stood on the
corner of a crossroads, and was very old. Inside, it was predictably crowded,
but they fought their way to the front to reach the bar. Somehow, she lost her
friends in the crush. As she was looking around trying to see them, she felt a
hand on her shoulder.

“What are you having?” drawled a voice by her ear.

Harriet turned to see the tall blond guy who’d shown her
where to go earlier in the evening. He was just as stunning as she remembered
and his beauty seemed even stranger in a normal pub than in the slightly
surreal Union. Between her drunkenness and her surprise, it took her a few
moments to muster a sensible answer.

“Oh thanks. Just a tonic please. A bit boring I know, but
after all that free wine...”

“Gin and tonic it is. Double or single?” He smirked at her.

Normally the combination of the smirking and the pushing
alcohol on her would have disgusted Harriet, but to her annoyance, she felt
amusement and a strong hint of attraction. She grinned back.

“Tonic. Slimline. Believe me, I’m not the sort to give into
peer pressure, even coming from someone like you.”

He was being served by now, and with a smile ordered one
double G+T and mercifully, one plain tonic water. He passed her the latter with
a flourish and gestured towards a relatively quiet corner of the heaving bar.
Harriet finally managed to spot her group. Olamide and Josh raised their
eyebrows but gestured for her to go.

“So, what exactly is, ‘someone like me?’” he asked, once
they’d wedged themselves into a quiet part of the back bar. His voice was
extremely posh, even by the standard of some of the people she’d met over the
last few days.

“As if you don’t know. The sort who firmly believes no girl
will say no. To a drink or to anything else.”

“Oh indeed. I’m a walking stereotype. Entitled. Arrogant.
Think I’m God’s gift to women.”

“Your self-knowledge is outstanding,” she said
sarcastically.

“Well, I find it easier to mock my faults than do anything
about them,” he said with a grin.

Harriet felt once more that uncomfortable combination of
revulsion and desire. “Well, before you give me a full breakdown of your
personality,” she said, taking a sip of her drink to try and keep calm, “maybe
it’d make sense to tell me your name.”

“George,” he replied. “I’m at Christ Church. I do this and
that.”

“Harriet. Lilith College. I’m doing History.”

“I’m so glad to have met you Harriet. I love the Union but
it can get tedious at times. Finding beautiful women certainly livens it up.”

Harriet wasn’t sure how to respond to that, but before she
could say anything, Olamide and Josh came over.

“We need to get back now,” said Ola. “Are you going to
come?” She was looking at George with a mixture of awe and disapproval.

“I’m supposed to go to some choir drinks,” Josh added. “But
neither of us wanted to leave you by yourself.”

“She isn’t by herself though is she?” George said quietly
but firmly. “You know she’ll be fine with me.”

To Harriet’s surprise, both Josh and Olamide nodded.

“Yes, of course she will be,” Josh said, looking a little
puzzled, as though his brain and his mouth weren’t quite connected.

“Harriet, you’d like to stay wouldn’t you? Let me get you
another drink.” George looked at her, his wonderful green eyes staring into
hers, his delicately sculpted lips smiling.

Harriet was torn. It was hard to resist staying with George,
but it probably wasn’t the most sensible choice.

“I’d love to,” she finally managed to reply, “but I really
should get back. Hopefully I’ll see you around here again soon.”

George frowned, looking almost puzzled, confirming her
earlier suspicion that the vast majority of the time he got whatever he wanted.
Before she could change her mind, she grabbed Olamide and Josh and strode
purposefully out of the door.

***

Harriet spent Friday morning beginning to take a look at the
work she’d been set. In all the excitement of freshers’ week, she’d almost
forgotten that, officially at least, she was there to study. Whilst she was
incredibly nervous about her first essay, it was surprisingly soothing to sit
down quietly with an interesting book and have some time to herself after
non-stop meetings with new people.

For the first term, they’d each had to select a period of
British history to learn about. Harriet had chosen the sixteenth and
seventeenth century option – Henry VIII and his wives and reformations;
Elizabeth I showing just what sort of power a female ruler was capable of; the
British Civil War and Charles I being beheaded, and finally, the glamour and
debauchery of Charles II’s court.

The first essay of term was about the reasons for Henry
VIII’s break with Rome. She managed to get quite a lot of reading done, and
felt proud of herself by the time she knocked on Josh’s door to go to hall.

Caroline and Ben were already there. She called Ola to
suggest she joined them, liking the feeling of having begun to have a little
group of friends. They eat the fish and chips that were on offer hurriedly,
talking about their outfits for the coming bop and arranging to meet in Josh’s
room first for drinks.

Harriet was desperate to ask Caroline about Tom’s party, but
didn’t want to in front of the guys. When Josh and Ben went to get puddings,
she took her chance.

“It was fun. Not hugely eventful.”

Harriet took this to mean that Caroline and Ben still hadn’t
got together. “Did you manage to speak to Tom?”

“Briefly. There were a lot of people there and it was rather
loud, so it was hard to have an in-depth conversation. I’m surprised the
porters didn’t break it up to be honest. You know there’s that rule about no
more than ten people in a room at once and not playing loud music after
eleven.”

“But did you at least find out...” began Harriet.

“...whether he’s got a girlfriend?” Caroline finished.
“Well, I tried to ask subtly, and it seems that he hasn’t. I’d better warn you
though, Katie was totally flirting with him and he wasn’t exactly pushing her
away. I’m fairly sure nothing happened, but if I were you I’d move fast tonight
before she gets her claws into him.”

Harriet felt cold. She wasn’t sure she could compete with
the super-glamorous rich girl. Caroline must have read her face, because she
instantly put her arm around her.

“Don’t panic. You’re more than a match for anyone. Don’t you
think Ola?”

“Absolutely,” the quieter girl said. “And we’ll all be there
to give you support.”

Harriet was pleased Olamide was going. She hadn’t been sure
it would be her scene. “So, me and Caroline haven’t shut up about our crushes.
Have you got your eye on anyone?”

Olamide looked down at her plate. “Maybe. But I don’t think
he’ll be coming to the party. I’d probably have better luck catching him in the
library.”

“Oh, who?” asked Caroline, a determined look on her face,
but Olamide wouldn’t reply.

Back at her room, Harriet squeezed herself into the corset
and leather trousers. It was quite an uncomfortable outfit and she hoped it was
going to be worth it. She added lots of eyeliner and mascara, and carefully
drew little whiskers on her cheek. Her hair was straight and sleek, gleaming
like the cat she was supposed to be.

She was the first person to arrive at Josh’s room, and he
couldn’t stop staring at her. He was supposed to be a bee, in black trousers
with a stripy black and yellow T-shirt. Soon after, Ben and Caroline turned up,
both wearing identical ‘bunny girl’ outfits, the basque, stockings and fluffy
tail looking hot on Caroline’s curvaceous body and hilarious on Ben’s muscular
one.

“What?” he said, grinning at her amazed expression. “Pretty
much all the guys from the boat club are going in girls’ outfits. God knows
why, but it’s fun. Don’t you think my little ears are sexy?”

“You look fab,” Caroline whispered to her. “You know who’s
not going to know what hit him.”

Ola reached the room last, wearing a delicate pale blue
dress covered in a butterfly pattern. “Sorry I’m late, I was doing some last
minute reading and lost track of time.”

“Oh, butterflies. I’ve got some sparkly wings in my room
that you can borrow,” Caroline said excitedly.

“Brilliant. I wasn’t sure what to wear and I’m feeling
underdressed next to you guys. Well apart from Josh who just seems to be
wearing normal clothes.”

“I’m a bee,” Josh replied, pretending to sulk.

Someone had bought a pack of lager. They took a can each
whilst Josh put on some music. Harriet could hardly believe how relaxed
everyone seemed with each other after only a few days. So much had happened
that she felt she’d been friends with the group for months.

Finally, at about ten o’clock, there was a general consensus
that they should head over. All the tables had been cleared out of the bar, and
the area by the door had been taken over by a large sound system. The space was
full of people in a bizarre selection of clothing. Some had clearly spent a
small fortune hiring an entire fancy dress shop outfit. Others had made hardly
any effort at all. Most of the women were wearing sexy and revealing outfits,
and strangely, as Ben had said, several of the more sporty men were in
animal-themed drag. There was no sign of Tom

She saw Katie sat with a group of her equally glamorous
friends and wondered whether to try to be friendly and speak to her. Katie
looked amazing. She was dressed as a leopard, in a full body leopard print
catsuit and a weirdly realistic mask.

“It was her costume for some dance show she was in over the
summer apparently,” said Josh, noticing her staring. “She was telling me about
it earlier. Borrowed it from the theatre for the night. It’s a bit over the top
if you ask me.”

Harriet nodded glumly. She’d been proud of her outfit, but
it now seemed makeshift and dull. She had to get to Tom first.

At that moment, he walked in by himself. He was dressed all
in black, trousers merging into a tight black shirt. His usually floppy,
loosely curling hair had been ruthlessly gelled back. He was wearing pointed
ears somewhat similar to her cat ones, and wings similar to the butterfly ones
that Caroline had lent Olamide, but huge, black and ragged. She wasn’t entirely
sure what he’d come as, but he looked fantastic.

He glanced in her direction immediately, clearly studying
her outfit, but didn’t come over. Several people were staring at him. It was
extremely difficult to stand out at a party of this kind, but somehow he’d
managed it. Out of the corner of her eye, Harriet saw Katie jump to her feet
and decided she had to move first. She walked determinedly over to Tom, who was
standing at the bar.