MirabileLectu

 “Alright, careful now, there’s a bit of a step here.”

A soft giggle echoed through the darkened house, quickly muffled by a hand clapped over the offending mouth of the indistinct figure that had uttered it. The two figures froze in the middle of the sitting room, hands clasped together and bodies held in absolute concentration as they listened intently for signs that they had been discovered. Thankfully they were answered only by silence, and after a moment of tense alertness they both relaxed slightly and began to creep towards the stairs once more. The taller figure was leading the way, guiding the smaller through the darkness by the hand and relying on memory alone to get them to safety. The house was nearly pitch black at this time of the night, the occupants either sound asleep or safely ensconced in their rooms, and the man picking his way with utmost care through the room had absolutely no desire to disturb them.

“Ok, we’re just about to the stairs now” Martin whispered as quietly as he could manage in Molly’s ear, hoping that she would be able to contain her giggles this time. They had stayed out at the pub for far longer than he had intended, caught up in talk and laughter and the joy of finally seeing each other again after three long weeks apart. It was Molly’s first time in Fitton, and she had managed to scrape together enough vacation days to come and stay for nearly an entire week. Now, with the buzz of just enough alcohol to make them delightfully tipsy and the electric promise of what was to come singing in their veins, Martin felt at once both wonderfully alive and absolutely terrified of being caught.

It wasn’t that he didn’t want his housemates to meet Molly - well, not exactly. He certainly wasn’t ashamed of her or anything ridiculous like that. Most days he could hardly believe how lucky he was to have found a woman as beautiful and brilliant and kind as Molly, and at almost all times he found himself so bursting with happiness that he wanted to shout it out to the world. But not tonight. Tonight was the first time that Molly was going to see where he lived, and the first time that they would spend the night together anywhere that was not her flat. In fact, this week would be the longest time that they spent together so far, and the very last thing that Martin wanted was for it to be ruined at the start by one of the nosy and overly chatty students to interfere in any way. The very thought of one of the students telling Molly an embarrassing story about him, or even talking about his life at all was enough to make him cringe in horror and it was certainly not what he wanted tonight. No, introductions could be saved for later. Much later.

But, just as they were creeping down the hallway of the second floor and Martin thought that they were in the clear, the worst occurred. Having forgotten all about the unnaturally creaky floorboard that was smack in the middle of the hallway, Martin managed to step directly on it and set off a groan that was loud enough to sound like the house was going to shake itself apart. He froze, but it was too late. The sound of startled college student came through the bedroom door next to them, and before he could do anything but turn and stare the door was jerked open to spill light into the hallway around Colin in a rumpled t-shirt and pajama pants, scratching his head and looking extremely confused. 

“Martin?” he asked with a sleepy yawn, squinting into the darkness. “Is that you mate?”

Repressing a sigh, Martin turned to face the young man and prayed that he could get through this conversation quickly and get on with more pressing matters. “Yeah Colin, it’s me. Sorry to wake you, I’m just getting in a bit late.”

Unfortunately, Colin seemed to have caught sight of Molly standing behind him in the dark hallway. “No worries, I was studying for an exam anyway. Who’s that with you?” As if on a cue, sounds of life starting coming from the other bedrooms surrounding them, and one by one curious faces in various stages of tiredness began to poke out of their doors to see what was going on. In a matter of moments the hall was flooded with light as he was put under the intense scrutiny of not only Colin but Seth and his girlfriend Kathy, Olivia, Rupert, Lizzie and her sometimes-boyfriend/sometimes-not Darren, and the poor sod Fitzwilliam whose parents had been far too enthusiastic about Jane Austen for his good. Every eye was turned on them, every eye taking in their clasped hands and jumping to the obvious and inevitable conclusion.

Martin could feel his face turning bright red as the silence grew to astoundingly uncomfortable proportions, and when he heard a giggle escape from one of the girls he was fairly certain that he was going to melt into a puddle of shame right then and there. But before he could stammer out an explanation or excuse to aid their escape up the stairs, Molly stepped forward into the light and said brightly “Hello there everyone, I’m Molly.” Every single face swiveled to look at Molly in surprise, Martin’s included. “It’s nice to meet you all finally.”

The tension broken, students surged out of their rooms to come and meet the newest addition to their household. The girls flocked around Molly, jostling to meet and greet and say hello, while the boys hung back slightly and looked her up and down in what they assuredly thought was a subtle manner that could not have been more obvious. Molly handled it all with grace that was likely born of the several glasses of wine she had drunk with dinner, laughing and shaking hands and sending Martin a quick smile to reassure him that yes, this was alright. Seth gave Martin a quick nudge and a thumbs up, winking with a lascivious grin and sending another flush blooming across his cheeks at the implication. Any hope of privacy or secrecy was long gone, but somehow with each smile and happy pat on the back that he received, Martin found that he cared less and less about propriety as a glow of camaraderie and previously unknown friendship spread through him. The fact that Olivia leaned over to Molly to whisper “Make sure you take good care of him, he deserves it” in a voice so loud that everyone was sure to hear didn’t hurt either.

At last everyone was satisfied that Molly was in fact a decent human being, and that she was indeed welcome in their home. Several more knowing grins and winks were sent Martin’s way as they made their way towards the staircase, and Martin was even able to send a wink or two back they way they had come. But just when he was sure that they were in the clear and would finally be able to get some privacy for the evening, the cluster of students was disturbed by the sudden arrival of the last member of their assembled family. Dennis, ever the standard for laziness and slobbery in the house, wandered up the stairs sleepily from the kitchen clad only in a bathrobe that had been left wide open for anyone who cared to look. He took in the scene before him with a yawn and a disinterested stare, only raising an eyebrow in slight curiosity as he looked over at where Martin and Molly were standing together on the stairs. With another yawn, he turned towards his room and mumbled “You know, ‘s just not fair really. Why should you get the hot one when you don’t even try?” With another yawn, he muttered over his shoulder as he disappeared into his room “Good on ya, mate.”

As Martin fled up the stairs towards his room, a helplessly giggling Molly trailing behind him, he was not sure whether or not to be insulted or pleased at Dennis’s comment. But when Molly pushed him up against the wall with an enthusiastic kiss the moment they entered his flat, that question disappeared entirely to be replaced with matters of a far more pressing and entertaining nature.