Teri Wright sat in the backyard and swung on the garden seat. It was a glorious spring day as she rested back and stared at the clear blue sky. It would already be autumn in London: gale force winds and bad tempered, miserable commuters. She wished she were back. There was nothing for her here anymore. But her visa had been up and they had said no more renewals. She should have found a British boy and got married. Maybe someone might have offered. What - if she paid him? Just for a year or so, long enough to have secured Permanent Residence and then a quick divorce. Isn't that the way it was usually done?

She'd been away from Sydney for four years- three at Uni, on a Commonwealth scholarship, and another year pissing about, working bars and travelling. Time to get a proper job. What as? Her degree in anthropology and sports science wasn't exactly going to get her a City salary. Mum had suggested teaching. 'You're such a good athlete, luv. Why not be a P.E. teacher?' Maybe. Trouble is the kids these days frightened the shit out of her. Suppose she could always get them in the scrum. Not that they'd allow her to play footie. Not in school, anyway.

She missed the ladies' soccer team that she had played for in Hammersmith. Won the Cup last season in their league - fucking great that was! Wondered if they had any woman's teams round here now? Who might know? Maybe Pete- but her elder brother wasn't really into sport. He was a bit of a poser. Fast cars and fast women suited him. Then she remembered Jeff. Jeff Mitchell. Wonder what he's up to these days? He must be twenty-four now? Bet he's married. Probably got kids. She could imagine that. Any girl would snap him up. He was always such a sweet guy- steady, reliable, kind. He'd even put up with her tagging along for years- his friends had really taken the piss about that. Yeah, Jeff would make a great Dad. Teri sighed. Jeff. Never quite forgotten Jeff. Never met a bloke quite like him before or since.

"Teresa?"

"Yeah, Mum?"

"Just go down the shops will you, luv?"

"What you want, Ma?"

"Potatoes. And a few chookie eggs. Oh and a packet of ciggies..."

"Mum! You shouldn't smoke so much."

Maria Wright smiled at her daughter. "Leave me one vice, Teri." Since Joe had died in an industrial accident ten years ago, there had never been anyone else. Over the past few years, she had been so lonely without Teri and since Pete had moved out. It was good to have her daughter back. Maria just wanted someone to look after.

"No worries, Mum. Be back in two ticks."

Teri shoved on her Blundies and dashed out of the door. Maria watched her go. Such a pretty little thing but why did she do so little to show it? She thought of her daughter's short spiky black hair, always a mess - if only she would let it grow; it would be thick and curly, just like her Dad's had been. Maria was a hairdresser. She would so love to get her hands on her daughter's hair and make something of it. And the clothes! Today she was in a pair of shapeless jeans with the knees hanging out, a washed out grey T-shirt and those bloody boots! Sometimes she looked like a teenaged boy. She ought to wear a padded bra for one thing. No bust at all. But there was no telling her. She just wasn't interested.

"When I was your age I had already found Mr. Right and was pregnant!"

"Yeah, mum. And he was actually called Mr. Wright too. I've heard it before!"

Teri ran out of the house, across the veranda and swung round onto the street, jogging up the road to the local mini - market. As she rounded the corner, she ran straight into someone jogging in the opposite direction. The force of the collision knocked her off her feet and she fell back, winded.

"Jeez, I'm sorry. Didn't see ya there...Teri, is that you?"

Teri looked up at the guy in the baseball cap. She screwed up her eyes against the sun and he whipped off the cap.

"Fuck me swinging if it isn't Jeff Mitchell! How ya doing, mate?" He helped her to her feet. How uncanny - she had just been thinking about him.

"Ripper. What about you? Thought you were in London." Jeff asked wiping his forehead and slipping the cap back on.

"I was. Four years. Just got back."

"Beaut."

Teri observed Jeff. He was grinning, his tousled hair plastered with sweat and sticking out where he had jammed his cap on. He was wearing a yellow singlet and a rather small pair of purple shorts, all clinging to his perspiring frame. Teri swallowed hard. Looked like he had filled out a bit since she had last seen him- in all the right places.

"Still playing footie?" Teri asked.

"Always, mate. Got to keep m' figure!" He laughed "And you? Still chasing the ball?"

Teri giggled. "Soccer these days. I can't hack it anymore with you big boys. I'm too small."

"The girlie game- suits ya!" She slapped him playfully. 

"Know of any ladies' teams around here?" Teri asked.

He shrugged. "A few. I'll see if I can get you any info."

"Great, thanks, mate. What you do these days, Jeff? Still live in the area?"

Jeff grinned. "Yeah, sure. Still with m'Dad. I'm a plumber," he added looking sheepish, "Should have been a swot like you!"

Teri raised her eyes. "I'm still fucking unemployed, mate. Least you've got a job. Thought you'd be married by now. Bet you're engaged..."

Jeff looked a little uneasy... "No, mate. No ties, you know me..."

"Not even a significant other?"

He looked away briefly and then turned back smiling; it seemed a little forced.

"There was. A while back, but ya know..."

Teri felt stupid for having been so nosey. Strangely he seemed a little emotional about it. "I'm sorry. My big mouth. Just thought someone would have grabbed a bloke like you by now!" She tried to hide her awkwardness. So, Jeff was still on the market, was he?

"What happened?"

He shrugged. "Just didn't work out. I'm too... I don't know... ordinary, I guess for some people. Not exciting enough. Not exactly, Mr. Cool, ya know." He scratched at his hair beneath his cap.

Teri frowned. "Really? I always thought you were Mr. Big."

"You were a kid. You always think the older kids are cool. Remember that time we skinny dipped at Coogee?"

Teri burst out laughing. "God, yes! I stripped off and everyone howled. Think you'd all forgotten I was a girl!" They both laughed. "How old were we?"

"Dunno. Guess I was about ten. Any older and I think we might have remembered you were a girl!"

Teri grinned. "Not sure. I was still waiting for my equipment to arrive. Seem to remember yours already had. Learnt a lot about boys that day! Mr. Big, hey?" Teri nudged him with a wink.

"The water was freezing. Ya must have had binoculars!" He giggled. "Anyway, how's your love life? No Pom waiting for you?"

Teri shook her head. "You know me, Jeff. Just one of the boys, I am. Look I have to dash. Mum needs some stuff from the shop. Hey, let's get together. Old times, you know. You can but me a VB. I'm sick of Pommy beer."

"You're on, mate. See ya around, luv. Glad you're back."

He ran off jogging backwards, still shouting and grinning as she waved back.

'God, he is so gorgeous. I could eat him up. Hope he calls round. It would be so good to get a bit closer to him...'

Jeff smiled to himself as he ran on. Teri Wright! Hadn't changed a bit. Hardly looked any older than she had done years ago when she had played footie with them. Funny really. Other girls had hung around with them when they were kids but had gradually fallen away when they started growing up. They went all girlie and huddled in corners giggling at the older boys, started wearing bras and having periods. Thought boys of their own age were dirty, smelly and immature. He grinned to himself - but not Teri. Mind you, he didn't think she'd ever worn a bra. Still the same. That butch way of dressing...

"Fuck me!"  Jeff suddenly had a thought. "She's gay! Never realised. She's probably really embarrassed about it, living round here. Bad enough being a poofta but a dyke! Poor Teri. I'll go round one night and take her out. Show her a few places. Someone'll snap her up in no time. She's so little and pretty. Like a young boy."

A few days' later, Jeff was driving down Montgomery Street, coming home from work, when he saw Teri swinging out of her house with a sports' bag over her shoulder. He slowed down and pulled in. "Hey, Teri, mate. How's it hanging?" he grinned.

"Up yours, Mitchell. I'm not dragging any weight around with me!" she replied saucily.

"You off to the gym?" He asked.

"No, swimming. Bus to Clovelly. Thought I'd get in a few laps before it goes dark."

"Ripper," Jeff put the car into gear and then an idea struck him. "Fancy a race? Give me five minutes while I get my togs."

Teri grinned. "I'm not taking you on! You're twice my size. You'll floor it."

"Give ya a head start. Still whoop your ass, though. Got the balls for it?" He teased.

"You're on!" She opened the passenger door and jumped in. "Great wheels, Jeff!"

"Fuck off, Wright. At least I don't have to get the bus. You wanna walk?" 

They laughed and he took the corner, rather recklessly, and pulled up outside his house.

"Come on in. I'll only be two ticks."

Teri followed him into the house and he threw her a Coke before hurrying through to his room to change. He didn't close the door. Teri found herself peering slightly through the part-open door from where she was standing. She could see his naked back as he pulled his T-shirt over his head and threw it on the floor. He unzipped and slipped out of his jeans. Just as his fingers hooked into the elastic of his boxers...

"Hallo, luv! Who are you then?"

Teri spun round and reddened slightly. It was Mr. Mitchell.

"Mr. Mitchell? I'm Teresa Wright. Used to be a mate of Jeff's years ago. We were at school together."

"Teresa? Joe Wright's youngest? I remember you. Little slip of a thing. Played footie - tough little bugger, you were! It's a pleasure to see you again, my love. Call me Harry!" Harry and Teri shook hands warmly.

"Hi, Dad. Just going for a swim. Catch you later. C'mon, Teri." Jeff ran through dressed and carrying a towel.

"See you, Mr. Mitchell, I mean Harry!"

Harry watched the pair run out. He smiled. They looked so relaxed together. Jeff was... well, gentlemanly- opening the door for her, stepping back to let her leave first, seeing her into the car. They looked like a couple- Jeff, big and strong, Teri, small and delicate. How things should be. Harry shook his head ruefully. Jeff was what he was. But there was no harm in dreaming....

Clovelly was quiet when they jogged onto the beach. It was still early in the season and late in the afternoon. There were only a few bathers lapping and a young woman with two children playing on the sand. Jeff and Teri stripped down to their bathers and laid their towels out.

"Last one in's a drongo!" Teri shouted and she legged it to the water, Jeff closing her down. They both dived together, surfacing further down the length. Teri was a good swimmer, fast and slick but Jeff was strong- he was half way down the sea water pool already. She drove back in, swimming as fast as she could but he was treading water and laughing when she reached the sea wall.

"Hey, slowcoach! Ya need some wings?" He joked.

"Shut up, ya creep. You're swimming in the wrong league. Like to see you take on one of the big boys." She shouted back, out of breath with her effort.

"Sour grapes!" He splashed water in her face and dived down, pulling on her legs. She shot down, kicking out at him. He let go and she grabbed him from the back; they wrestled as they surfaced. Hitting the air, they gasped and laughed - he tickled her as they treaded water round each other.

Teri pretended to be catching her breath and saw him back off to give her space. She took her chance and pencil dived down, inverting and shooting straight up between his legs to grab his groin and squeeze, pulling his shorts down as she swam away. That was it - war was declared. She free-styled away from him, hoping that it would take him long enough to yank his shorts up to give her a head start.

Not long enough. He caught her and dunked her head under. When she came up spluttering, he prized off the fastener of her bikini top and swam off, holding it in his teeth.

"Jeff! Give it here! That's not funny!" she screamed.

"You just grabbed my nadgers. Fair's fair. Topless bathing's allowed here. Stop whingeing like a Pom." He waved the little red top around and grinned.

"Jeff! I mean it. Give it back."

"Dare you to flash your tits!"

Teri screeched. "Only if you flash your dick!"

"I'd get arrested. The warden's watching! There are kids around!"

"Chook!" She made a noise like a chicken.

Jeff laughed. "Promise you, later. Not here. If you show your tits, first!"

Teri swam to the shallows and waded out of the water and onto the sand. She turned round and posed for him, hands on hips. "OK. You've seen them. Satisfied? Now give me my top back!"

Jeff splashed out of the water and handed it back. "Better cover those up. Otherwise they'll think you're a bloke," he teased.

Teri was not amused as she replaced her bikini top."Piss off! That wasn't funny." She dived back into the water and began swimming seriously. Jeff watched from the sand, running his hands through his hair. He shouldn't have said that. Girls were sensitive about that sort of thing. But she was small. Tiny little round breasts, not much more than nipples really. Like two fried eggs. Pretty, though. A sudden urge to touch them struck him.

Jeff had had a few girls in his time- most had seen him as a bit of a challenge. They'd offered, he'd accepted and he'd done the nasty. No problems. Once they'd kissed and he'd rubbed himself against them... they usually gave him a pull and a bit of tongue... no problems at all. But no girl had ever made him crack a fat just thinking about her. Ironic really, he thought, as he squirmed slightly in his swim shorts. The only girl he'd ever fancied and she was a dyke!

Teri lapped with her easy crawl stroke and tried to calm herself down. It was always the same. Blokes liked her and she would think they were interested but they'd soon make it obvious that they just didn't see her in that way.  She was sure that a bloke like Jeff would like busty blondes, something to get those big hands of his around, a bit of arse for him to push against. It didn't normally bother her that much. She wondered if maybe she didn't have much of a sex drive? But Jeff made her feel different. He was all man. Those muscles, that butt, not to mention his equipment! From what she had just squeezed it was ...well, sizeable to put it mildly.

Fifteen minutes later, Jeff swam up. "Teri, look luv, I'm sorry. It was a stupid comment."

She treaded water and smiled. "S'okay. You're right. Just the way I am. Maybe I should get implants. Silicone- just like those Baywatch Babes. Bet you like them, don't you, Jeff? Bet they get you right down there!" She reached down to grab his groin again and he backed away laughing.

"No, luv. You look fine to me. Really. Much prefer real girls like you." He seemed a little shy.  For a while they circled each other until Teri suddenly put her hands on his shoulders as she treaded water and Jeff didn't demur. She wrapped her legs around him for support and, although he appeared a little surprised, he continued to rise and fall with her in the water.

Jeff placed his hands around her hips and they bobbed around in the water for some time like that. He felt a little awkward but he liked the sensation of her nearness, the small slender frame draped around him. On a sudden instinctive whim he lowered his head and tasted her lips; she slipped her arms round his neck and returned his kiss. It was deep and gentle, questioning and unsure.

Realisation dawned on him - Jeff was so startled that he stopped dead and they slipped beneath the water until both kicked for the surface and broke away laughing and spluttering. Swimming slowly, they made their way to the shallows and waded out. As they walked up the sand, both were silent, weighing up what had just happened.

"Teri? There's something I should tell you about me..." Jeff began. He seemed embarrassed and Teri realised that he was trying to explain his behaviour in the water.

"Doesn't matter, Jeff. I know. It's the same for me. I understand. Don't know what came over us there. Let's slow down a bit."

"You see, it was just an instinct. I don't usually behave like that with girls. In fact - I'm not, you know, I mean... I don't do it with girls much, I mean, at all really..."

"Jeff- it's OK. I know. Honestly. I'm in the same position more or less. Me and guys...well... we usually just see each other as friends. It's just difficult sometimes. I suppose we just got too close and nature sort of stepped in..."

Jeff relaxed. She knew about him. It was the same for her, more or less. Wonder why she kept making comments about him fancying women then? Must be just trying to save his feelings, typical of her really. But the kiss has been so good. So real. Her lips were soft and sweet, her skin so fine, her body so graceful and slender wrapped around him...

Teri sat on her towel and lay back, thinking about Jeff's words. Was he a virgin? Was that what he had really meant? That was quite a shock. In this day and age? Jeff was such a bloke. He was one of the lads: footie, boozing - a typical working class boy, good looking, too, and lots of fun. How come he hadn't done it? Teri looked over at him sunbathing next to her. Shy. He was a little shy - covered it with jovial good humour - but still shy. She remembered that he had made that comment about the last girl not thinking him exciting enough. He lacked experience and was embarrassed. Poor Jeff. But he was a good kisser. He must have done that before!

It was beginning to cool down with a wind whipping up, so they decided to change. Jeff and Teri gathered their things and went over to the cubicles only to find that all were occupied; Junior Water Babies were changing for their life-saving lesson.

"Come on. We'll have to use our towels," he laughed. Jeff wrapped his towel around his waist, whipped off his swimming trunks, turned round to dry himself and slipped his jeans on.

"Your turn. Want me to hold the towel up for ya?"

He held up her large beach towel and turned his head to the side while she peeled off her damp bikini. She wrapped herself in it and dried off, picking up her underwear from her bag. "Jeff, just hold it again while I get my knickers on."

He obliged but she noticed a slight awkwardness. As she bent down to put her underwear on, she looked up and found him staring down at her. Their eyes met and he turned quickly away. Teri felt her pulse quicken. She pulled on her shorts and T-shirt, and took back her towel.

Jeff stood back as she gathered her things, rubbing his face with his hand. "Teri? Would you like to get something to eat? Maybe have a beer?" Jeff asked hesitantly.

Teri blushed. "That'd be bonzer. I'm starving. There used to be a great chippy near here..."

"...Yeah. I remember. We used to get chips there when we were kids. I think they have a café at the back. Let's take a look..."

They had a meal. Talked each other's socks down. Laughed and giggled like when they were children. Afterwards, they strolled to the Coogee Bay Hotel and bought two schooners. Teri had to show ID because the publican thought she was under eighteen. They giggled some more. It was a great evening and they did not refer again to their romantic interlude in the sea. When it was time to go home, Jeff drove her back and Teri simply jumped out of the van, shouted "Hoo roo, Jeff!" and ran into her house. Sinking his head back on to the headrest, he smiled. Best night in ages.  At the same time, inside the house, Teri leaned her head back against the closed front door and sighed. She wondered if she was falling in love.

Jeff drove home and thought of Teri. He was still thinking of her when he parked and entered the house.Harry shouted something- he mumbled a reply and went straight into the bathroom. Washing his hands after taking a piss, he spoke to himself as he stared in the mirror.

'What the fuck happened there? What's going on in your daft head, Mitchell? She's a girl- a girl who doesn't fancy blokes. You are a poofta. What you need is a good fuck. Some dirty sex to clean out your pipes. Don't start dripping round here just because you want to stick it somewhere.'

Jeff went into his room, stripped off his clothes and threw himself on his bed' lying there he tried to turn himself on. He picked up a magazine from under his bed and turned to the hard core. Christ, some of these guys had dicks like donkeys! He leafed through and jerked his cock but without much interest. What was the matter? He was horny as hell but this stuff just wasn't doing it for him tonight. He needed real flesh. Someone to fuck.. No someone to fuck him- very hard, sweaty man-on-man sex. The kind of sex he never had but sometimes thought of- where he could just lie there and not have to do the chasing or risk the rejections; where he could just be someone else's plaything.

Closing his eyes, he imagined being fucked up against a wall, some big guy taking him from the back, real hard. He gripped his erection and pumped hard, breathing heavily, imagining the feel of a dick up him and someone else wanking his cock. Panting hard, he held his balls and felt himself about to burst...and Teri's naked breasts came into his mind. He cried out and came fiercely all over the bedspread, aware that his father must have heard him. Teri? What the fuck was that about?

Saturday evening, Jeff was lounging around outside the Prinny with a guy he had just met - Dimitri, a cute Greek guy that Jeff had had his eyes on for ages. Jeff was not under any illusions about Dimitri- he was a little tart who was really on the prowl for an older rich Sugar Daddy but somehow even the idea of a bit of mindless sex down a back alley with Dimitri tonight seemed better than nothing. It was yonks since Jeff had pulled. Tonight Dimitri had approached him, dragged him on the dance floor and, frankly, Jeff had been flattered. He didn't usually have much success with the pretty boys; he would never have got up the courage himself to try and chat up someone like Dimitri.

Dimitri was lean and small but a gym freak and his lithe body was well-muscled. Dressed in tight leather pants and a loose white cotton shirt with a frill down the open front, he looked like an extra from a pirate movie. Jeff leaned against the wall with one arm and stroked the exposed thickly-haired chest with the back of his hand. Dimitri laid his back against the wall and purred, his hand rubbing his own groin.

Jeff leaned in to kiss him and Dimitri pushed Jeff's hand down to his crotch, a clear invitation, so Jeff cupped the solid package and felt his own immediate response. He pushed his tongue down the other man's throat and tasted the beer and cigarettes on his breath. Moving closer, Jeff took Dimitri's head in his hands and kissed him more deeply, allowing his lover to have access to his own swollen groin.

"No, mate. Not here. Too public" Jeff gasped as Dimitri unzipped him and pulled at his cock.

Dimitri sniggered. "Thought you wanted action, Jeff. Scared someone will see you?"

Jeff zipped up. "We're on a main road, mate. All I need is a one of the blues to pick us up for cottaging. Come on, down here." Jeff indicated an alley, which led to a nearby garden centre. The two men walked down it: Jeff with his hands nervously tucked in the pocket of his jeans, Dimitri strolling confidently ahead. Once out of sight, Dimitri thrust Jeff against the wall and knelt in front of him; Jeff closed his eyes and let him go, groaning deeply at the rough tugging of his cock and the warm wet suction on its sensitive head.

"Steady on, mate. Don't fucking bite it off," Jeff gasped as Dimitri grazed him with his teeth. The other man laughed.

"C'mon, Jeff. Let's have it rough. Big footie boy like you, thought you'd like a bit of pain," he pushed down Jeff's jeans and dug his nails into his buttocks.

"Fuck!" Jeff shouted and pushed his head away. Dimitri laughed and unzipped his own pants, pulling a condom out of his pocket. "OK, Jeff. If you don't want to play, let's just fuck, hey? You or me first? Ya look like you want to be the boss man.  Like the look of this, do you?" Dimitri stroked his long slender cock, cut and hard. He rubbed it against Jeff's and Jeff responded by jerking his back, kissing the other man's bolt with his own. His momentary hesitation passed; he was beginning to pant for more.

"Bend over, you little bitch, I want your fucking arse..."Jeff muttered.

Lunging forward, he pushed Dimitri against a large green plastic rubbish bin. Yanking down the leather pants, he ran his hands over the small, firm, hairy butt and pulled the condom from Dimitri's grasp. Blowing out rhythmically to slow himself down, he rolled it on and used his saliva-moistened thumb to open up his hole.

"Go on, Jeff! Stick it in. I want it. Christ- you are a big boy..." Dimitri grunted as Jeff pushed in, stopping to give him a chance to loosen up and adjust.

"OK, Jeff, More. No need to be a gentleman..."

Hands on Dimitri's hips, Jeff gritted his teeth and hilted himself. The two men rocked back and forth, Jeff pumping, his buttocks clenched, as Dimitri hitched back against him. Jeff slumped forward and ran his hands round to grab the other man's cock and wank it, fondling the balls with his left hand.

Dimitri writhed beneath him and goaded him with obscenities, reached between his open legs to grab Jeff's hanging balls and massage them as they both felt themselves near.

"Ah...fuck...I'm coming...." Jeff splattered into him in shuddering waves; he felt Dimitri's cock twitch and spill all over his hand and the side of the bin.  Dimitri slumped forward and Jeff fell on top; they lay spooned over as they finished. Jeff nuzzled into Dimitri's shoulder and kissed his neck but the other man shrugged him away.

"Fuck off, Jeff," he swore as he pushed Jeff away. "Just a bit of mutual tossing - don't give me that romantic shit."

Jeff grimaced and looked down, suddenly disgusted at the sordid nature of what he had done. Down an alley with his pants round his ankles, fucking a little tart like Dimitri. Was that what his future was all about? Until he was too old to pick anyone decent up without slipping him some money first like a right old pervert? He threw the soiled condom into the bin and dressed himself, sickened by the semen dripping on his hand, wondering where he could wipe it off.

Dimitri slipped back into his tight pants, his snake hips wiggling into the leather. 

"See you around, Jeff," He lit up a cigarette and sauntered back up the alley; Jeff sank back against the wall and rubbed his left hand down his face, wiping his other hand on the back of his jeans.

Rounding the corner, he turned his back on the Prinny, suddenly uninterested in the scene. Well, he had got what he wanted. A fuck. Funny how it didn't seem so desirable once you'd had it.

Jeff walked on down the street and set off for home. On the corner of Macrae Street, he passed a pub he hadn't been in since he had been a teenager. It had been renovated into one of those theme pubs and still attracted a young crowd and plenty of students. Why not? He needed a drink and was desperate to wash his hands.

He threaded his way through the bar to the men's room, took a leak and washed up, checking himself in the mirror. You couldn't tell. It didn't actually say, degenerate poofta on his forehead. Another guy came in and gave him an odd look; I suppose looking at yourself in the mirror was seen by the hard men as suspect behaviour. Washing his hands and drying, he averted the other man's gaze, unwilling to chance a sudden sucker punch from a drunken yob who wanted to call his virility in question.

The bar was crowded and it took him a while to reach the front. Suddenly he heard a voice:

"Jeff! Over here! Want a beer? I'm just being served!" It was Teri, grinning over at him, her lively little face beaming. He felt a catch in his throat; it was so good to hear her friendly advance and helped to take the bitter taste from his mouth that his recent encounter had left.

"Toohey's please, luv! Thanks. I'll just come round..." Jeff indicated he would join her and he made his way through to help her with the order. "Here, let me pay..."

"No, it's OK. You got it the other day. Great to see you. Do you always come here?" Teri asked, taking a sip from her schooner.

"No, not since it was done up.  Busy, hey? Who're you with?"

"My brother and his girl. Actually I'm a bit in the way. I think they want to pash. Just wait there and I'll take the drinks over and give them a break. Is that all right? I mean, you're not with anyone, are you?" The sudden thought that Jeff might have brought a girl struck her.

"No, I'm on my own. Yeah, join me. I could do with some company. I'll watch your drink."

Teri took the glass of beer and the white wine over to Pete and Chloe, his latest squeeze, said she'd met up with a mate and would they mind if she did her own thing from then on? Pete and Chloe were delighted to see the back of her and she scuttled back to Jeff.

"Right then, everyone's happy. Should we go through? There's a garden at the back and it's a nice night..." Teri led Jeff through to the beer garden where they sat on a bench and it was quiet enough to talk. The evening was warm, the sky was clear and the full moon shone down on them both.

"That's what I missed in England. You never get the sky so clear. I love an Aussie sky. It looks like it goes on and on to the end of the world." Teri stared up and sighed. Jeff thought she looked so pure and shining and it threw the episode with Dimitri into an even worse light; it had happened under the same glorious night sky.

"...It's so easy for blokes. You can just go in a pub on your own and no one thinks anything of it. I have to beg Pete to let me tag along!" He realised that he hadn't really been listening to her.

"Still tagging on after the boys, are ya, Teri?" Jeff grinned as he downed his beer.

"Guess so. Not with your mates tonight, Jeff? Thought you boys hunted in packs."

"No, lone wolf this evening," Jeff tried for a joke but it rang hollow in his ears. He had a sudden image of Teri seeing him ramming into Dimitri and felt ashamed of himself. What would she have thought of him?  He wasn't ashamed of being gay but of having sex like that - like an animal, not like a human being. Jeff thought he'd rather be celibate than go down that road again for kicks.

They chatted easily for an hour or so until last orders were called. Jeff walked her home and they stopped at an all night café for a doner. Strolling down the hill with their kebabs, they giggled and talked on until Jeff dropped her off at her house. "Want to come in for coffee?" Teri asked expectantly.

Jeff thought a moment. "No, I think I'll push off. I'm a bit tired tonight. It's been a funny kind of day."

Teri wasn't quite sure what he meant. She hoped he hadn't resented being stuck with her all evening. But they had had such fun. No, it was probably something that had happened earlier - maybe some girl had stood him up? She smiled at the thought of her good luck, very glad to have been there to pick up the pieces.

"Night, Jeff. Safe home!" Teri called after him as he stuck his hands in his pockets and made his way down the hill.

"See ya, Tezza!" He shouted back, kicking a stone out of his way and strolling pensively home.

Jeff broke away from the pack and ran backwards following the curve of the loose ball.  Eyes fixed on its trajectory he ignored the group of men who were also charging it down. Snagging the ball he clasped it to him and turned to kick it forward when a sudden force struck him, sixteen stones of solid rock, and he fell still holding onto the ball, with the weight of several other large men thudding down on top of him. But Jeff held on.

The whistle blew and the ref intervened. The pile-on peeled away and there lay Jeff, out cold, still wrapped around the ball.

Teri sat at the edge of the field watching the play. Jeez was Jeff a sight for sore eyes in those shorts! He had such beautiful legs for a big bloke. And the butt. She could have written an ode to his butt. And the way his hair always flopped over his face and he would run his hands back to try and tame it or simply shake it with a cute little toss of his head. And how his shorts always seemed a little too tight, especially in the groin area. Not to mention the footy shirt, all scruffy, sweaty and grass-stained, with the collar half up and half down... Teri dreamed on, watching the object of her affections who was oblivious to her presence as he arsed about and ran his little heart out in the game...

At that precise moment, he went down like a ton of bricks. No movement.

With horror, Teri realised that the scrum had peeled off and Jeff was still surrounded by players all kneeling and trying to rouse him. Instinctively Teri ran forward and pushed them all aside.

"I'm First Aid qualified. Let me look!" Teri checked his mouth to ensure he hadn't swallowed his tongue and his airways were clear. Then she felt his pulse- there was nothing to worry about. The coach bent over and handed her a first aid kit. Scrabbling around in it, she found some smelling salts and waved them before his nose. Jeff gasped, flickering his eyelashes as he woke. Teri hadn't noticed before how long his lashes were.

"Jeff? Jeff? Can you hear me, mate?"

Jeff groaned and rubbed his head. "What the fuck happened?" he murmured. Teri helped him to a sitting position. "You took a knock to your head. I think you need to get it checked out, Jeff. A head injury can be dangerous. Come on, I've got my Mum's car. I'll drive you to the hospital." She got to her feet and tried to pull him up but he was a dead weight and not quite fully conscious yet. "Hey, lads, help me!  I can't lift him!"

His teammates raised him upright, somewhat ungraciously, accompanied by a lot of crude comments and innuendo. Teri ignored them and went on ahead while they marched a rather groggy Jeff after her. She was slightly out of earshot of their taunts, delivered in a lowered tone, with some quarter given to the little lady present.

"Hey, Jeff. You been riding the other bus for a change?' Dave sniggered.

Jeff said nothing; his face was white, he felt nauseous and was struggling not to throw up.

"Stuck it up her bum, yet have ya?" Another wit shouted in his ear.

"She's got another hole, you know Jeff? Try it! You might like it!"

"And you won't need lubricant up there. These chicks bring their own, Jeff. Much cheaper..."

"Shut the fuck up," Jeff groaned and promptly vomited on the pitch, his legs buckling. "She's m' mate..." he gasped.

"Mate?" There was a round of crude male laughter; they were not convinced. 

"Christ, Jeff, she nearly wet her knickers when you went down. Seems little Miss No-Tits has got the hots for our Jeffery." Whistles and hoots followed.

" Piss off," Jeff answered, hoping Teri hadn't heard the remarks; it was a bit off for them to talk about her when she was there.

They neared her car, which was parked on the side of the road by the pitch; Teri had the engine on and the air con blowing. Gingerly Jeff lowered himself into the car and sank gratefully back onto the seat, still unsure on his legs and his head throbbing. Lights were dancing before his eyes and he was feeling nauseous again but hoping desperately that he wouldn't chunder up in her car. 'God, that would be embarrassing.'

As they drove off, Teri noticed the jeers and saw the lads waving their bent right arms up, fists clenched in that universal sign of "Get it in, mate!" She grinned and turned to Jeff who was trying to pretend he hadn't seen it.

"I think they have the wrong idea about me and you, Jeff!" 

He blushed. "They're a pack of animals. Real crude buggers. Ya know what blokes are like. Just see every girl as a ... well, you know. Look, I'm sorry you had to go through that. I told 'em you were just a mate. Jesus, my head hurts."

Teri giggled and looked across at him. He looked pale. "S'Okay, Jeff. Boys will be boys. Anyway what's wrong with someone thinking that we're an item? Any girl would be proud of that. Unless they think I'm a bit of a dag..."

Jeff spun his head round a little too quickly and winced at the pain. "No, Teri. You're no dag. Jesus, they were probably jealous. Thinking a bloke like me could pick up a decent girl like you and they can't even... They're just...ya, know, they think they're funny, ya know, because I'm a ..."

"They know about you? You told them?" Teri was rather surprised at that. Most guys boasted of their conquests; she found it hard to imagine one who was prepared admitted he hadn't been with a girl.

"Not exactly, but they sort of worked it out. I mean they are all right about it. They don't understand it and they make the usual jokes and comments. You know, like, they always introduce me to girls for a laugh. Specially man-eaters. Think they'll cure me!" He smiled painfully.

"God, that type of girl would probably frighten you to death never mind cure you!" Teri observed with a grin.

"Too right, mate...Oh, God... Can you stop the car a sec? I'm going to spew..."

Teri pulled up sharply and Jeff flung open the door, throwing up again at the side of the road. He sat head bent for a few moments and began apologising but Teri laughed and told him to shut up and get back in the car and stop acting like a girl. She started up again and they were soon pulling into the car park at the local hospital casualty department entrance.

Jeff was walking steadier now but still leant on her; she staggered under his weight but managed to propel him forward. They spent two hours waiting together there, he holding onto a sick bowl, just in case, and nursing his aching head. Finally he was checked out, pronounced clear of any serious problems and told to take it easy for a few days, given strong painkillers and sent off. Teri drove him home and helped him inside.

"You need to go to bed," Teri insisted.

"Stop fussing, Teri. You're worse than m' Dad. You're driving me mental," He muttered crossly. His head was throbbing so badly and he was tired. The painkillers had yet to kick in.

"Do as you're told. Bed!" She ordered.

"Just leave me on the settee. I'll be apples..."

"No, you won't. Get into bed. C'mon." She forced him to his bedroom and pushed him back onto the bed. He flopped back, eyes already closing. Teri peeled off his damp T-shirt, still sweaty from the game. He'd catch a cold lying in that.  He raised his arms like a little kid, half asleep already. Then she pulled off his trainers and socks. He needed a warm bath really but she'd never shift him on her own. Anyway he was almost fast asleep now. She began to pull up the doona to cover him when her hand brushed against his shorts. They were damp, too. Teri tried to rouse Jeff to tell him to take them off, but he was dead away so she decided to remove them herself and leave him in his underpants. Pulling down his footie shorts she realised, with a shock, that he was naked beneath. Teri's face reddened at the sight of his healthy penis flopping onto his thigh and his solid balls beneath. Reaching out a curious hand, she touched his cock and felt the reaction; it began to harden and rose up from its thick brown cushion of hair.

At that moment, she heard the front door. 

'Shit, Mr. Mitchell! And here I am interfering with his son!' 

Straightening back the doona, Teri dashed for the door but met Harry in the corridor.

"Hi, luv! Nice to see you again. Where's our Jeff? Were you in his room?" There was a note of expectancy in Harry's voice.

"Er, well, yes. He's had a bit of an accident at footie practice. I took him to hospital. They've checked him out. They said mild concussion but no serious harm done. I just put him to bed. He's asleep."

Harry grinned. "He's a lump. It'd take more than a scrum to do Jeff any real harm. But thanks for looking after him, m'dear. Fancy a cuppa?"

Teri shook her head. "I have to dash. Should have brought Mum's car back hours ago. She'll give me a blue as it is. See ya, Harry! Tell Jeff to take it easy. Oh, and here are the painkillers," She pulled a bottle from the pocket of her denim jacket and handed them to Harry, running off to her car with a wave.

Harry watched her go. "What a nice little girl! She'd do for Jeff," he sighed and shook his head. "What a pity! She'd do him a power of good if only he would..." Walking into Jeff's bedroom, Harry checked on his son who was lying fast asleep on his back, an arm thrown above his head and a slight smile playing on his lips.

"What are you dreaming about, ya little poofta," Harry thought to himself with a wry smile as he stroked back the sweaty curls from his son's face. Picking up the damp and muddy footie togs that lay folded neatly on the bottom of the bed, he paused. Folded? Jeff fold his clothes when he took them off? He didn't even fold them when he put them clean in his drawer, the untidy little bugger. Harry wondered. He looked across at Jeff's prone form and then noticed the distinct shape under the smoothed down doona. Raising it slightly, he saw that his son was naked and sporting quite a bolt. He grinned. 'that's my boy!' and dropped the quilt. Then he remembered Teri's words. 'I put him to bed.'

Harry grinned to himself. "Well, well, well! Looks like little Miss Wright has set her cap at our Jeff. You never know, do you?"

Teri was sunning herself in the back garden in a tiny pair of cut-off denim shorts and a bikini top, reading a book and eating an ice block when she heard a voice. "Give us a suck!"

She looked up to see Jeff grinning at her over the back gate. "I knocked at the front but no answer. Wondered if you were out the back. Can I come in?"

Teri bolted to the gate and opened it. "You feeling better?"

"Yeah. Slept round the clock. Woke up starving. No worries. Not enough in me head to do any real harm," he grinned.

Teri laughed. "Want a block?"

"Why not?" Jeff replied and sat down on the swing seat as she ran off into the kitchen. He noticed her cute little bum in the tight shorts and blinked a little. He imagined it golden brown like the rest of her, silky and soft. No, it wouldn't be brown. It would be white, where the sun hadn't reached. White and soft and silky ... Jeff shivered and squirmed in his jeans. He swallowed and blew the breath out slowly and trying to distract himself, he picked up the book that Teri had been reading; it was lying beside him on the garden seat. 'Oscar and Lucinda' He pulled a face and replaced it. Not his sort of read.

Teri returned and handed him the ice. 

"You're a bit of an intellectual, you, aren't ya?" Jeff observed pointing at the book.

Teri grinned. "It's only a novel, Jeff. You should try reading. It might widen your horizons."

He snorted. "Sports page and the occasional dirty mag are wide enough for me, mate. Just can't get into reading. Made up stuff. Don't see the point of it."

"It makes you think about life, your own life. Helps to make sense of it all. Anyway I'm bored. Nothing else to do," she added ruefully.

"Any luck with the job hunting?"

Teri groaned. "Fuck-all. I just put my name down for relief teaching. Sports coach. Just to tide me over. You need a plumber's mate?" They laughed.

"What do you want to do?" Jeff asked.

"Haven't a clue. Earn money. Buy a car. Get my own place. But that's a fucking fantasy at the moment. I'm broke.  No friends. I can't even afford to go out and meet any," she kicked her toe at the gravel on the path.

Jeff thought a moment, chewing on his lip. " I came round to say thanks for the other day. Don't remember much about it. But I know you stepped in. By the way, what were you doing at the field?"

Teri blushed. "Er...just jogging."

"With your car?"

"I had to go somewhere after," she lied. She had been driving past to the supermarket and had seen the game, stopped and spent half an hour perving on Jeff. She could hardly tell him that now, could she? But he seemed to accept her explanation.

"Look, I'd like to thank you properly. I didn't know how. You don't seem like a bunch of flowers kind of girl somehow. So I came round to buy you a beer. But... do you fancy going out for a meal instead? Somewhere a bit smarter than the local pisser? My treat seeing as you're skint."

Teri beamed. "Bonzer. Sure. Jeff, that's really sweet of you!"

"That's me. Mr. Sweet." He laughed, a little ruefully. "Where d'ya fancy? Go up the Cross and see what's new?"

"There's a new Vietnamese on Crown Street. Got a good write up in the paper," Teri suggested.

"Beaut. Pick you up at seven thirty. Let's make a night of it. Fancy a club or something after? Do a bit of dancing?"

He walked over to the back gate and suddenly turned back to find Teri gazing at him in an odd way, like as if she was...well, perving, really. Their eyes met and she smiled shyly. He smiled back and walked round to his van. The image of her face stayed with him; it gave him a warm feeling inside.

"Mum? Can you do me a favour?" Maria Wright was just coming in from work." Chris asked me to babysit and stay over but I've got a date. Can you do it for me?"

"A date? With a bloke?" Maria jumped on her daughter's words.

"Well, of course it's a bloke. Don't sound so bloody shocked." Teri snapped.

"Course, I'll do it, luv. Where you going?" Mrs. Wright was beside herself with excitement.

"Stop sounding like a dog with two dicks, Mum. Just a new restaurant on Crown Street. Then a club."

"Don't be crude, Teresa. I hate that expression. Dinner out and a club? Must be keen on you." Her mother beamed with pleasure. "You're not wearing those bloody jeans again, are you?"

Teri shrugged. "Not the ones with the holes. But I haven't really got anything dressy..."

Maria dashed upstairs and carried down a large box, which she thrust in her daughter's hands. "Here. I bought them for your birthday next month. It was a good offer."

Teri opened the box curiously and pulled out a pair of dark blue flat shoes, like ballet slippers, and a tiny strappy dress; it was white with blue flowers, made of a soft voile - really feminine and pretty.

"I can't wear this!" Teri snorted with laughter.

"Why not?" Her Mum asked. "You'd look a treat, luv. Go and have a bath and wash your hair. Then I'll give you a hand to get ready."

Teri rarely tolerated her mother doing anymore than cropping it but today she seemed more receptive than usual. Maria smiled to herself, 'Whoever he is, she's sweet on him. He's had a real affect on our Teri!'

After her shower, Teri let her Mum scrunch her black hair with a styling gel. Teri had such beautiful hair, thick with a strong curl if she would only let it grow, her mother thought. Fortunately, it needed cutting and wasn't quite as short as usual. The final result, a tousled curly mop was girlish and accentuated her pretty face.

Teri slipped into the dress; it hung sweetly on her slender athletic body. Her tanned golden skin, inherited from Maria's Italian family, looked marvellous against the fresh pale blue and white of the little frock. Popping on the tiny pumps, Teri sat obediently while her Mum applied a touch of makeup and some lip-gloss. Finally she hung a small gold chain with a sapphire drop around her neck that her husband had once given her.

Teri stood up and viewed herself before the long mirror in her Mum's room. She gasped. She simply couldn't recognise the pretty girl looking back at her. Her Mum leaned over her shoulder. "If he's got an ounce of testosterone, he'll be speechless. Oh, Teresa, you are such a lovely girl!" Maria's eyes filled with tears.

Jeff was in the shower when his father came home. Harry poked his head round the door. "More than two shakes and you're playing with yourself, mate!"

"Rack off, Dad! I'm not in the mood." Jeff snapped back.

Harry grinned. "That time of the month is it, Nancy?"

"Piss off," He turned off the taps, tightening them with a knowing look at his Dad, and Harry threw him a towel. "Must be a big date then, Jeffery."

Jeff did not answer. "Suit yourself. Dinner'll be ready in half an hour.

"Don't want any." Jeff shouted back.

Harry put his head round the bathroom door again. Jeff was shaving, the towel now round his waist.

"No dinner? You feeling alright?" Jeff looked snidely at his father and returned to shaving.

"You had a haircut? And you shaved this morning. Twice in one day? He must be special. Does he like smooth skin, then?" Harry teased and Jeff threw a bar of soap at him.

"I'm going out for a meal, if you must know, " Jeff volunteered but rather tartly.

Harry smiled and returned to busying himself in the kitchen. Jeff bustled past went into his room and slammed the door shut. He seemed even more agitated than usual. Harry just couldn't understand why he didn't have more confidence in himself. He was a nice looking lad and those pooftas loved a big manly fella like him. If only he could find Mr Right. He just wanted the lad to have someone who loved him - he could see that he was lonely. Jeff also needed a bit of the other, too. It was a wonder he hadn't pulled it off by now the amount of tugging on the rope that he did. Poor lad. Frustrated. Harry groaned quietly to himself. Not the only one.

Jeff's door opened and he came out into the kitchen looking for his wallet and keys.

"Stone the flipping crows, Jeff! Who on earth is this bloke? Prince Charlie?" Harry stared at his son. Instead of the usual cruising gear of over tight white T-shirt and groin - hugging jeans, Jeff was dressed in beige daks, white shirt and tie and a navy jacket.

Jeff grimaced. "I'm going to a fucking restaurant. Can't wear jeans," he mumbled. His hair, still too long and wavy, definitely looked as though it had been trimmed and tamed; it was shining with health. Harry didn't think he'd ever seen the lad look better.

"Don't wait up," Jeff said.

"Why? Planning an all-nighter? Got your toothbrush?" Harry wiggled his eyebrows suggestively.

"Shut up, Dad. You've got a dirty mind," Jeff snarled and stormed out, slamming the front door behind him.

Harry shook his head. Boy, was Jeff keyed up. He hoped he got a bit tonight. That must be what was wrong with him.

Maria Wright was just stepping onto the footpath when a rather smartly dressed Jeff Mitchell walked up to the house.

"Hallo, Jeff. Are you looking for Teri?"

"Yeah, Mrs. Wright."

Maria put on a rather self-satisfied look. "I'm afraid she's not free tonight. She has a date. With a young man."

Jeff grinned. Maria Wright noticed his smile. What a sweet smile he has! Such a good looking boy! What a waste... "I know, Mrs. Wright. Me!"

Maria's mouth fell open but at that moment her nephew Paolo pulled up. "C'mon, Auntie Ria. We're running late. Hop in." There was no chance to reply.

Jeff rang the bell; Teri was on it immediately. 'Hi, Jeff," she said in a breathless sort of voice. Her eyes widened at the sight of him. He looked so handsome. She had never known Jeff to dress up before. It was usually either his work yakkas, shorts or his jeans.

"Jeff, you look great!"

Jeff meanwhile had been struck dumb. Teri looked fantastic. Absolutely bloody gorgeous. She was like a fragile doll, all sweet-smelling wrapped in some floaty material. Her shoulders were bare, the dress hung so sweetly on her slim body, her long brown legs were fitted into little girly shoes. Jeff had never realised before what lovely hair she had or how chocolate-brown her eyes were...

"Jeff?" Teri asked, a little surprised at his silence.

He mentally shook himself. "Crikey, Teri. I didn't recognise you. You look like a ...girl." They started laughing.

"Rumour has it that I am. Was last time I looked anyway! Shall we get off then?"

It was a date- as simple as that. A table for two in a quiet corner, chilled bottle of Semillon that they had picked up at a Bottle-O on the way, great food. They talked non-stop, laughing hysterically at everything: the old times when they had been kids, what they'd been up to in the years she'd been away, little bits of introspective interludes about their hopes and dreams, the sort of conversation when a man and woman begin to open up to each other and allow themselves to be drawn into each other's lives.

"Met up with any of your old mates since you got back? I mean, girls you went to school with?" Jeff asked.

"Not really. Most are married or with blokes. Many have moved away. Just don't have much in common with them. Grown apart I suppose," she replied rather sheepishly.

'Of course,' Jeff thought 'she would be used to moving round with other girls like her, not straight chicks.'

"Why don't you go over to Leichhardt one night? I'll take you there if you like for a look-see," Jeff suggested.

"Leichhardt? You mean Dykeheart? Not my scene, Jeff. I prefer a more mixed environment than that!" Teri wasn't sure what exactly he meant. Surely he knew that they were all lesbians there?

"Yeah, me too, really. I hate that segregation. I go down the Prinny but it is all the same thing. I don't want to be around that all the time, you know what I mean?"

Teri was not sure she did. Not many straight guys would take their chances in the Prince of Wales, no matter how thirsty they were. A guy like Jeff would certainly not be able to bend over and pick up his change in there without someone making a move! But he immediately changed the subject and she forgot his rather odd comment.

"Didn't you meet anyone special in London?" Jeff asked.

"Not really. There was someone I dated for a few months but there wasn't much passion. I kind of expected more. A few one night stands... you know how it is.... But it's not my scene really." Teri replied, playing with her wine glass.

"Yeah, know what you mean. I want something lasting. More than sex. Friendship. Companionship, warmth, someone to cuddle up to on a cold night. You know, crap like that." He blushed slightly and dropped his eyes; it was an oddly girlish expression on his strong handsome face.

Teri smiled at his sudden coyness. That must be why! 'God, he's actually saving himself for the real thing!' she thought.

"I can't believe you've never had a girl, Jeff. Christ, sorry that was too personal. Forget I said it." she blushed.

Jeff grinned." S'alright. I've been tempted a few times. Ya know, curious, bound to be. I have actually done it with girls to be honest. Once or twice. But it just wasn't the right thing... for me... you know," he exhaled and hunched his shoulders clearly uncomfortable with the way the conversation was going. "I mean, it doesn't seem to work with girls, I can't talk to them like I want to. I mean, except for you, Teri. You're so easy to talk to. I feel really close to you... Shit, now I'm all embarrassed!" He was blushing again and smiling nervously. Their eyes met across the table and a flicker of something passed between them. As quickly as it had arisen, it disappeared again and they both looked away even more abashed than ever.

Jeff cleared his throat."I'll get the bill then," he mumbled.

"It was a ripper of a meal, Jeff. Thanks." Teri gave him a beaming smile. He grinned too, obviously delighted with her comment.

He paid and they strolled up the hill towards Oxford Street.

The club was crowded and they had to fight to the bar to get drinks. Jeff had more success than Teri who was completely swamped by the milling throng. He pushed his way through and returned with two schooners. "I thought I'd get beer- a glass of wine would last five minutes and I'm not going back in that lot for a while," he laughed.

"Let me pay you for them. It's my shout but I could never get through," she shouted above the din.

"No worries. I asked you out. My call tonight. Some other time. When you're flush. When you've got a job," he smiled.

"Thanks, Jeff. You're a real gent."

They stood and drank, leaning on the wall and watching the dancers. The floor was a mass of sweaty bodies moving with the music, many in clinches and writhing together as they danced. One couple were really going at it.

"Christ, has he got her tonsils out yet?" Jeff said indicating the couple in question. The guy was tall and well built with a cute bum in tight black jeans. Teri noticed him and saw Jeff looking closely, too. Then Teri noticed the girl he was with had a tiny skirt and was almost falling out of her top. No wonder Jeff was interested.

"You want to dance?" Jeff shouted.

Teri grinned and nodded. They put their drinks on the shelf running along the wall and ploughed into the crowd. It was impossible to dance apart; Jeff could see Teri would be trampled if he let her go. So he pulled her to him and they moved together. She danced well, light and easy. She was an athlete and very graceful, too. Jeff remembered that she had done a lot of gymnastics when she was at school. The thought of her supple slender body suddenly aroused him.

Teri loved the feeling of being in his arms. Jeff was so solid, so rocklike. It felt safe and secure against him. He moved well, too, and seemed a confident dancer. She smiled up at him and he returned her glance; conversation was impossible because the music was deafening. They fooled about and laughed through several loud raunchy pieces and then a slow number came up, a love song. They were already close, so it was natural to move in closer and they joined the other couples who were smooching on the dance floor.

The feeling of closeness was so good. Jeff closed his eyes a moment and relished the togetherness, this being with a person he really cared about, a good friend. Did it matter that she was female? What was this male/female thing all about? He wasn't sure he'd ever really understood the division. If he liked someone what did it matter what their sex was? He felt Teri rest her head against his chest and he realised how good the feeling of her fragility was. He was usually trying to dance with guys the same size or bigger than him. She nestled so perfectly into him.

Teri felt Jeff sigh and looked up at him. Their eyes met and for a while they stared at each other and then they kissed and it felt right, pressed together on a crowded dance floor and holding each other close. His kiss was soft but not shy. With a surprise she recognised what she had first noticed in the sea. Jeff could kiss. Really kiss. He nibbled at her upper lip and then her lower, slipping his tongue inside her lips to tease open her teeth and then flicker inside to taste her - and then the full kiss. Both of them searching each other, his hands now running through her hair, her arms around his neck, pulling each other close and feeling the heat of the other's body.

The music stopped and they broke apart.  It was hard to know what to say. The kiss had said things that were a long way from anything they had openly admitted to themselves. Jeff led her off the floor, they retrieved their drinks, and he stood in front of her, leaning over her, his hand on the wall above her head.

"Something's happening, Teri. It's not what I expected," Jeff said.

"It's what I want though, Jeff. Really want. I think you do, too," Teri whispered back.

For a while, Jeff thought about her words. He leant back against the wall and chewed on his lip. Was this madness? But she was right. He wanted her and couldn't really think of a single reason why they shouldn't go further. Except for the obvious. He was gay and so was she.

Suddenly Jeff saw a familiar face across the room. Dave from the footie was there with his girlfriend. Recognition dawned on Dave's face and he made a rude sign across the room and pointed at Teri who was fortunately looking the other way. Jeff saw Dave begin to move across. That was it. "Come on, Teri. Let's go." He pulled her arm and they left the club, finding themselves out in the cool night air.

"What's the hurry, Jeff?" Teri asked shyly.

He hunched his shoulders and shoved his hands in his pockets as they walked towards the taxi rank.

 "Jeff? My Mum's away for the night. Do you want to come back to my house?" Jeff looked over and swallowed hard. Did he? Fuck, yes.

"Yeah, luv. Maybe we could have a nightcap or something," he replied, blushing slightly.

"Or something," she whispered as she slipped her arm through his and took hold of his hand in his pocket.

The taxi pulled up at Montgomery Street and they got out. Jeff paid and followed Teri into the house. His hands felt clammy and he found himself loosening his tie as if he needed more air.

"Want a drink, Jeff?"

"Sure."

"Beer? Scotch?"

"Scotch."

She poured a measure in a glass and he took it, wandering around the lounge room looking at photographs and feeling awkward. She did not take a drink herself. Selecting a tape, she put some music on the music system and dimmed the lights. Jeff watched her sit down on the couch and pat the seat, indicating that he should join her. He sat down nervously beside her, perched awkwardly on the edge of the seat.

"Jeff. Relax. More Scotch?" 

He shook his head. "Drank enough already. If I have any more, I won't be able to...." He coughed uneasily. 'That was a fucking stupid thing to say' he thought.

Teri took the drink from his hand. She placed it on the table and pushed him back on the seat. Sitting on his knee, she began to undo his tie; the very act seemed to make him sweat. It felt so sensual as she loosened it and slipped it from his neck, slowly and gently. She bent down and kissed his lips and then he felt her fingers unbutton his shirt, one button at a time. Her head dropped further to his neck and she kissed the soft flesh of his throat; he whimpered. When her small hands slipped beneath his shirt and found his nipples he was helpless. With a sudden movement, he grabbed her buttocks and pulled her in against him and kissed her deeply, running his hands beneath the short dress to cup her tiny bottom and grind her against his groin. They were both breathing heavily. He dragged the dress over her head and leaned back to look at her. Tiny budding breasts and her golden slender body revealed. Jeff groaned and raked his hands over her softness.

"My bedroom... not here..." she gasped and she pulled him to his feet and led him to her room.

The moment the door was closed, they were on each other. Teri ripped his jacket and shirt off him as he kicked his shoes and socks off.  Staggering to the bed, she unzipping him as he unfastened her bra, and they fell back, rolling over, mad with unfulfilled desire. Jeff slid on top and slipped his fingers beneath her panties; she was wet and hot. He wanted to taste her and wriggled down to rip the panties away and bury his head in her. Teri cried out and circled his head with her legs, trapping him against her as he lapped and suckled. Jeff couldn't stand the throbbing in his cock. He was so hard and horny that he rammed himself against the mattress to try to slake his need as he brought her to orgasm. He had never succeeded with the other girls he had been with; they had either finished themselves off that way or had given up, more than satisfied with his cock. But Teri was responding to him in a way he had never experienced with a woman. She was writhing and bucking and screaming his name and then he felt her come, the strong contraction against his probing fingers and the gush of moisture indicating her orgasm.

Jeff felt elated, so proud to have had this effect; Christ, it made him feel like a man. As she calmed and her legs dropped from his neck, he returned to her side, to hold her and kiss her. Suddenly she opened her eyes and turned to him. "I love you, Jeff." He felt the words echo in his head. Love? It gave him a surge of something indefinable just to hear someone say those words, which he so wanted to hear. With a moan, he climbed above her and parted her legs, unable to wait a moment longer to feel her.  And then he remembered. Pulling away he jumped out of the bed and searched for his wallet, pulling out a strip of condoms, ripping one open and throwing the rest on the table at the side of the bed. Teri was lying back, smiling, he snapped it on and came back to her.

"Thanks, Jeff. I'm not on the pill." Teri muttered as he rolled her back and rubbed himself against her warm wet slit.  He tried to enter her but fumbled, she winced and took his cock in her hand and guided it into her; he pushed and sank down and.... The rest was nature. She went with him and they rose and fell against each other. He held himself back, brought himself to the edge and then stopped, revelling in the feel of her and the incredible anticipation that control brought to their lovemaking. They made love with her underneath, she rolled over on top of him and he watched her as she rode him, he flipped her over and took her from the rear, tilting her hips to find her core, amazed at the different feel of her small body and her tight, wet cunt. They sat and faced each other, legs curled around, Teri skewered on him as they kissed and bit and lapped at their faces.

When he could stand it no longer, he laid her back and hovered above her for a moment before plunging down again to rise up and down on her as she wrapped her legs around him and swallowed him deep. He pounded into her arching body until they both finally came in an exhausted rush of passion and fluids. Jeff sank back, sweat-drenched and drained; Teri scuttled in against him. They held each other in silence and stared at the ceiling.

"Teri, thank you. It's never been like that before. I didn't know I could love a girl like that," Jeff whispered.

"Jeff. Oh, my beautiful Jeff, I love you so much." He looked across and saw her face in the moonlight and with a shock of recognition, he realised that he could never feel the same about her. No matter what she meant to him, it was not love for him. A crushing sense of failure came over him. How could he let her down as so many men had let him down in the past? Snuggling down together, she spooned against him and was soon asleep in his arms. Jeff lay awake for a long time thinking about the consequences of what they had done, until finally sleep claimed him too.

Jeff stirred and rolled against Teri's still sleeping body. The warm naked flesh, the curve of her butt resting on his groin, the tiny form encased in his arms awoke his desire before it fully roused him. Rubbing himself against her, his morning erection bringing a pleasant hot flush of blood to the snug comfort of the warm sheets, Jeff began to instinctively arouse his bed-mate. His hands dropped down expecting to play with a cock, but he found instead the soft hair of a female mound. His eyes flickered open, confused and disoriented; he started slightly when he realised who was lying in his arms. The memory of last night returned with a jolt and the shock of finding himself there caused a sudden detumescence in his manhood. But Teri had already begun to respond and she slipped around in his arms to face him, burying against his chest, and dropping her hand to feel him.

The touch restored his hardness; he was a young man and it came naturally. He rolled her over on her back and let her play with him as he returned the favour, lying on his side to masturbate her. Teri arched towards him and parted her legs; he grabbed another condom from the bedside table and they moved together in lazy morning wake up sex.

Maria Wright turned the key in the lock. Paolo had been on an early shift so he had dropped her off early. She walked through to the lounge and saw the whisky bottle open and the glass on the table. But only one glass. She smiled. She must have got the wrong idea about the date. Teri and Jeff were friends. It was good of him to take her out. He was a nice boy, whatever his sexual orientation. They always say gay guys are good friends for girls to have.

She went through to the corridor to change for work and then she noticed Teri's door was open. Something was lying on the floor. Automatically she bent over to pick up the object blocking the door from closing- it was a man's shoe. As she raised it curiously, the door swung open and she saw her daughter lying underneath a naked Jeff Mitchell as they were clearly in the middle of a morning wake-up sex session.

Maria gasped. The couple in the bed froze. Jeff threw himself down and pulled up the sheet as Teri stared in horror at her mother standing in the doorway. Maria slammed the door closed and ran into the kitchen, panting. She couldn't believe her eyes.

"Mum...Mum... I'm so sorry. We didn't think you would be back so soon!" Teri had run into the kitchen wrapped in a man's shirt.

Maria turned to look at her daughter. "How could you? How could you? With him? You might catch something! Oh my God! I can't bear to think of it!"

Teri stared at her mother. "What are you talking about? Mum, I'm twenty-two. I'm not a virgin. Surely you must have realised that?"

"Of course, I did. In this day and age.... But with a man like him?"

"Jeff? I thought you'd be delighted. Not about the sex but about...you always wanted me to find Mr. Right. Mum. He's perfect. He's steady and strong and so good to me and I love him so much... I think I always have..."

"Mr. Right? Jeff Mitchell? Are you insane?" Her mother was screaming at her.

"What have you got against Jeff? Is this because he's just a plumber? Don't be such a snob, Mum. Dad was only an electrician, for God's sake!"

Maria looked at her daughter. "This is not because he's a plumber! It's because he's a bloody pervert. A homosexual. A poofta. How can you sleep with a guy who... sucks other men's private parts!" The two women stared at each other. Teri's face revealed her incomprehension. Maria suddenly realised that her daughter had not known.

"What are you talking about, Mum?" Teri asked in a low voice, but her expression showed that the truth was dawning on her. Suddenly the odd comments Jeff had occasionally made took on a new complexion.

"He's gay, darling. Did he not tell you?" Maria's eyes filled with tears.

Teri ran out of the room into her bedroom. Jeff was standing there half dressed.

"Look, I'd better go. Your Mum's real racked off... I'm sorry if..."

"Is it true? IS IT TRUE?" Teri shouted.

"Is what true?" Jeff asked, unsure what she meant.

"That you are gay?" Teri stood breathless, waiting, hoping for him to deny it.

Jeff stared back. "But you know I am. You said yourself. I mean, you're gay too, aren't you?"

"What? Me? Gay? What the fuck gave you that idea?"

"But you said..."

"I said no such thing! And you never told me. You made love to me as if you meant it. You were just playing games with me. For kicks! Trying the other bus for a change. You complete bastard. Get out! Get out!" She ripped his shirt off, threw it at him and slung on a wrap, running out of the bedroom, crying.

Jeff dressed and slipped out of the door walking along the corridor to the main room. Maria Wright stood there, holding her sobbing daughter. He felt as low as a snake's belly as he saw the disgust in her eyes.

"It was a misunderstanding. I thought she knew. Teri, I really like you, so much. It's not what you think..."

"Just go. Don't dare come back. And keep out of my son Pete's way. He'll kill you if he finds out, you dirty little bugger," Maria spat out at him. Jeff winced and made his way to the front door, feeling tears prick his eyes. How could people treat him in this way? What was so wrong with him? He had never knowingly hurt anyone in his life. He couldn't help the way he was made. But he cared for Teri. She was his friend. The best friend he ever had, if the truth were known. Or he had thought she was.

Harry went out to the backyard before he left the house for his afternoon shift. 

"Jeff? Are you going to sit there all day getting smashed again? What's the matter?'

"Leave it out, Dad. Give me a break." Jeff took a drag of his joint and drank from the bottle of beer as he swung aimlessly on the swing seat.

Harry sighed. "What happened? I thought you'd had a good night? You didn't come home. You must have had a...."

"Shut up, will ya! There's more to life than shagging," Jeff snapped back, leaning back and dragging deeply on his rollie.

"I just want you to realise that..."

"...There are other fish in the sea. Yeah Dad, I know. But they all seem to swim in a different school. Know what I mean?" Jeff laughed bitterly and drained the bottle. He was well along the road. Harry hated to leave his son in this mood but he would probably just drink himself stupid until he passed out. Couldn't come to much harm at home.

"I'll be off then. Get something to eat. There's some roast chicken left in the fridge..."

"Yeah, Dad. Just piss off and get to work. You'll be late."

Harry shook his head and made his way through the house to his car outside the front door. He wondered what had happened. Jeff must have gone home with his latest crush and then been kicked out of bed the next morning to find that all he was wanted for was a quick fuck and a bit of action. But Jeff wanted more. He wanted to relate, not just get lucky. He wanted sex too, of course, he was a healthy young man, but sex seemed empty to Jeff without some emotional bond. These young gays he met wanted hot sex and nothing else. What Jeff needed was a bloke with a woman's emotional dependence on him. Harry was not sure if that was possible.

Jeff breathed a sigh of relief when he heard the front door slam. His Dad gave him the shits plenty but this time he was driving him completely fucking mental. How could he explain that it wasn't because someone had let him down that was making him feel this way? It was because he himself had hurt someone badly - and that felt infinitely worse.

Teri crossed the road as Harry started the engine. She ran up and banged the car bonnet.

"Mr. Mitchell? Is Jeff in?" He saw the pretty little face and the sparkling brown eyes. He thought she looked a little different. What was it? Her hair was in a more feminine style and she had a frilly peasant blouse over her jeans. She was also wearing a little makeup.

"Yes, luv. But he's in a bit of a mood. If he was a girl I'd have to say it was that time of the month. Go and cheer him up. I think he's moping over someone. Go round the back. He's in the yard."

Teri watched the car drive off and shoved her hands in the back of her jeans. Perhaps she should just forget it. It might just make things worse if she tried to explain. But she couldn't leave things like this - and she still had his tie. Her mother had found it under the settee when she was vacuuming and had thrown it out of the back door in disgust as if it were tainted. Teri had retrieved it and kept it in her room for the past week. In fact she had slept with it rolled up under her pillow. It still smelt faintly of his aftershave.

Her mind made up, she strode round the side passage to the back yard and leant over to unlatch the gate. Then she turned the corner into the yard. Jeff was lying back in the swing seat, staring at the sky. He was smoking a riff and rocking slowly, humming some tune to himself. Teri looked at him. He didn't look at all as he had that night, all brushed and groomed to make a good impression. Instead he looked a wreck. Hair unwashed and messy, needing a shave, wearing a ludicrous ensemble of torn T-shirt, tattered denim shorts which were clearly too tight for him and a rather un-fetching pair of workmen's boots. In her eyes he still looked like the most beautiful man she had ever seen. Her breath caught in her mouth and she had to swallow down hard. The memory of his touch and their lovemaking was ever-present.

"Jeff?"

He seemed to jump slightly and looked sharply left; she saw him wince almost imperceptibly but he turned quickly away and affected an air of disinterest.

"What do you want?" He began to open another bottle of beer, flinging the cap from him into the garden.

"This is yours. You left it." Teri extended the rolled-up tie towards him. He took a long drink from the bottle and belched loudly.

"You could have pushed it through door. Surprised you haven't fumigated it. Better wash your hands now after touching it," he replied cruelly.

"Jeff, don't talk like that! I don't think of you like that." Teri took a few steps towards him. He fixed her with a stare, his eyes looked ...bruised.

"...Taken an AIDS test? Had your jabs? I might even have rabies..."

"Jeff! That is ridiculous. No one thinks like that! I am not homophobic. It doesn't matter to me what a person's sexual orientation is. I just didn't know. It was a shock..."

"I didn't lie. I thought you knew. It was a misunderstanding. Christ, everyone round here knows- even your bloody mother knew..." Jeff added, clearly upset.

Teri ran forward and knelt before him, hands on his knees. He turned his head away from her. "Jeff, I've thought about it. Over and over I replayed all the things we said and I can hear it now. I think I didn't want to hear it before. Jeff, I love you. You are everything I have ever wanted in a man. You took me to bed and made me feel like I've never felt in my life before. Why should I have ever thought a man like you would be gay? You don't look or act gay. Except that you are gentle and kind and the best friend a girl could ever have. But I just thought that was because you were my special man. Oh, Jeff, I don't care about the men you've been with. Why should that be any different from the women you might have had before? You kissed me and wanted me. That's all that matters." He sat, his face impassive as she pleaded for him to listen and understand. If they cared about each other, if they brought each other joy- then what was the difference?

When she thought he was not going to reply because he had sat in silence so long, he suddenly turned to face her and raked his hands through his hair. His eyes seemed moist and his face was pinched. "It isn't as easy as that, Teri. I'm not sure that I can explain it to you."

"Try." Teri rose to her feet and put the beer bottle on the ground. She slipped onto the seat beside him and leaned against his arm. He lay back and resumed his staring at the sky, passing the stub of the joint to her; she took a deep drag.

"I am not bi. I am gay. I like men. I like their bodies. I like the feel of them. When I look at a man who attracts me, I want to strip him and taste him. I want him beneath me. I want to fuck him." He looked across at her as if trying to shock her. "I like to be fucked by men. That will never change. I can make love to a woman. I can find your body a turn on. I like you very much as a friend and a woman. But you could never be enough. I want to have sex with men and in the end I would not be able to resist the temptation. But more than that, I want to find a man to be my partner. You could never be my real soul mate, Teri. I feel that inside."

Teri closed her eyes to drive back the tears. "But why? If you were straight, you would still look at other girls.  So you look at men occasionally? Doesn't mean you will do anything. How much closer do we need to be to be soul mates?  Don't you want love, companionship, even a family? I could give you children. No man could give you that!"

Jeff stood up suddenly, sending the swing seat swaying wildly; Teri's foot upending the remains of the bottle of beer all over the floor. "Look at men? You think I can go through life without ever touching another man sexually? It's against my nature. I know I would be unfaithful. How would you like your rival to be another man? Of course, I would like to be a father, but it's not going to happen for me. I am a homosexual man, Teri. I do not love you. But I don't want to break your heart either. Too many bastards have done that to me already and I can't believe that I'm now doing it to you. I should not have messed around with you. I just didn't expect you to feel like this about me. I don't usually have people falling madly in love with me. Ironic, hey?"

He thumped his hand in temper against the garden shed and kicked out at the metal bin. Teri watched him pace about and knew he was trying to force his emotional feelings into physical activity - so typically male. He was so typically male in every way but one. It was that one feature which was the one she needed.

"There's no way I can change your mind about us?" He shook his head. She bent her head in resignation. That was it then. "I've had an offer of a job at a summer school in Victoria. Coaching kids. I think I'll accept it. I have to leave on Monday if I want it - they need a replacement quick."

He nodded and continued to pace around the garden.

"Jeff. Let's part as friends. Please! I need to know we can still be that." Teri's eyes were spilling tears now and he looked up and caught her despair.

"Aww, Teri!" He crossed the void between them and clasped her in his arms, burying her head against his chest. As she sobbed against him, he felt the tears run down his own face. If only he could be the man she needed, the man she deserved.

His hands stroked back her hair and wrapped round her tiny frame, her arms circled his waist and they held each other, unable to comprehend how life could have thrown this giant curve ball in their path.

Teri's sobs quietened and she raised her head. Jeff looked down at her and he didn't think. Nor did she. They just kissed. Gently first, then more eagerly, teasing at each other's mouth, hands searching bodies for the feel of the other, growing more wild and hungry as their desire built up. Teri pressed against him; Jeff ground himself into her. Their minds screamed, 'Madness! Stop!' but they were powerless to prevent themselves.

With a giant effort of will, Jeff pulled away. "Teri, I cannot do this to you. I will not."

She pulled him closer. "One last time, Jeff. Before I go. Give me something to remember," she whispered.

"I stink. I need to shower," he murmured. 

Teri laughed. "Jeez, Jeff. Do you always romance your fellas like that? Come on, then, let's shower together!"

She pulled on his hands and led him into his house. In the kitchen, he grabbed her again, swung her in his arms, unable to resist the sweetness of her mouth in his, and the feel of her girlish slenderness against his body. Teri pulled off his T- shirt as he kicked off his boots; he let her fumble with his shorts and ease them off as he removed her little cotton top and they both yanked off her jeans. She didn't wear a bra; her tiny panties were soon off and they hit the bathroom in moments. Under the warm water, Teri soaped Jeff, her eyes sparkling at the sight and feel of him. She lathered his thick hair with shampoo and he complained when it stung his eyes. Pushing him under the jets, she jumped up to reach his head and help to rinse the suds from him; he caught her and picked her up as she wrapped her naked legs around his waist and finished off the rinsing.

Jeff suckled on her small budding breasts and Teri wriggled with contentment. Then he placed her down and she turned him round to smooth soap down his broad strong back and stroke his firm young buttocks. Her hands reached round and she laved her soapy fingers round his cock, pulling back the skin to tenderly wash him. He watched as she touched him and moaned softly at the sensation; it was almost too much to bear.

Pushing her against the tiles, he began to hump his swollen prick against her flat brown belly; she seemed dwarfed by his size and the contrast heightened his arousal. He bent down and kissed her hard, she responded as hard, biting and mewling as he pressed into her mouth and fucked her with his tongue. She moaned and he pulled back, sucking at her delicate neck; she ran her hands down to grasp his cock and jerk it against her pussy, placing one leg  hooked around his thigh to open herself to him. Her willowy gymnast's body was like a silken snake wrapped around him.

Suddenly she dropped to her knees and Jeff found himself pushed the wall as she kissed his cock and fondled him in her small hands, taking as much as she could in her mouth and sucking hard. He rocked against the tiles, his hands grabbing for support, water bouncing off their bodies and rivulets spraying everywhere as she gave him head. Jeff looked down and saw her kneeling before him, this beautiful girl, carrying out this intimate, even crude act, and a curious feeling of tenderness flooded through him. Oral sex had never felt like this before. He was not sure what the difference was.

The water was beginning to run cold; it made them shiver and he hit the taps. Dragging on her arms he pulled her out and wrapped a towel round her, finding another for himself. They dried each other making of the task an erotic massage of cloth on erogenous body parts.

Jeff tossed back his wet locks and Teri shook out her own short curls. "I want to make love to you, Teri. I need to," he muttered in her ear as he nestled in close, already losing his control and beginning to use his strength to bend her body to his will.

"Fuck me, Jeff! That's all I ask. No man fucks me like you do." It was the final straw to drive him over the edge. Dragging on her arms, Jeff pulled her naked across the kitchen, towels forgotten, running through the house until they reached his room and hit the bed. The shower taps were dripping. Jeff had not noticed.

All that hot afternoon, they lay in the shady refuge of Jeff's bedroom and made love. It was a day they never forgot. One of the best times either had ever had. But then nothing is ever as sweet as the last time, is it? It was growing dark when Teri woke and eased away from him lying deeply asleep curled up beside her. She looked at his long lashes flickering lightly in his dreams and his beautiful body sprawled out in innocent abandon. Placing a light kiss on his sweet lips, she stroked back the messy hair and choked back a tear. Dressing in the kitchen, grateful that Mr. Mitchell was not yet home, she quietly left the house and made her way down the street to her home.

Harry came home from work at eight. The house was quiet. Flicking on the kitchen light, he was surprised to see Jeff's clothes scattered all over the floor and wet towels on the chair. There was a trail of water from there to the bathroom and he could hear the drip from there. Jeff had showered and not tightened the taps? He must have been stoned out of his mind. Checking on his room, he found Jeff out like a light, stark bollock naked. Let him sleep it off. Harry tiptoed out and closed the door.

Jeff and Greg pushed Harry and the trolley along the aisles of the supermarket. They were debating over the best make of peanut butter- Jeff insisted on crunchy, Greg liked smooth. Harry was ringing his buzzer to let them know that no one had asked his opinion.

"Shut up, Dad. I know you like chunky. Give it a rest, will ya..." Jeff grinned. Life was good these days. Dad had help from a visiting home help that Joyce had arranged through Jenny's hospital contacts. He and Greg  were getting on just fine. Almost two years already and it just got better and better.

They moved on along the aisle and rounded the end of the carousel bumping into a cart that was coming in the other direction. A tall dark haired bloke apologised; Jeff and Greg both had a quick perve- he was some looker. Looked Mediterranean. Six foot two at least, built like a Rugby player but fine featured and startling blue eyes. They both caught the others glance and grinned.

A young woman walked up to the Gorgeous Bloke, probably his wife - she was heavily pregnant. He took the tins she carried from her hands and put them in the trolley. Jeff and Greg manoeuvred Harry out of their way. Suddenly:

"Mr. Mitchell? Harry?" The young pregnant woman spoke to Harry and then looked up at Jeff and Greg. With a crushing sense of realisation, Jeff saw that the woman was Teri. He could barely recognise her. Her hair was long and thick with curls held back by a flowery clip. She was elegantly made up and her slender but swelling frame was dressed in a flowing white sundress, a pale blue cardigan hung around her brown shoulders.

"Teri?" Jeff gasped.

"Jeff?" Teri echoed.

For an embarrassing moment the two just stared at each other in shock. 

"Teresa?" The husband broke the silence, a note of irritation in his voice. Teri shook herself.

"Adam, this is Jeff Mitchell, an old school friend, and his Dad, Harry. This is my husband, Adam Sharif." They shook hands awkwardly. "I was sorry to hear about your illness, Mr. Mitchell. Mum wrote and told me. It must be hard, Jeff."

Jeff nodded. "Meet my ...partner Greg. Greg - Teri Wright, sorry Teri Sharif. We used to play footie together." Suddenly Jeff felt a catch in his voice and hoped that no one heard it. Then he caught Teri's eye- she had heard, her eyes reflecting the way he sounded. "I didn't even know you were married - and you're already onto number one!" Jeff joked to cover his confusion, indicating her condition.

Teri frowned slightly. "We live in Brisbane. Just came back for a holiday. My brother Pete is getting married at last." There was nothing else to say. They said their goodbyes and pleased to have met yous and walked on by.

"So you went to school with a bum bandit, did you?" Adam joked as they walked on. 

Teri turned on him. "Don't call him that. He was my friend." She looked back.

"Who was she, Jeff? You looked like you'd seen a ghost. For a minute I thought you fancied her more than the big boy husband," Greg laughed.

"Shut up, Greg," Jeff snapped back. He turned to look back at her.

As their eyes met, they simply moved towards each other, ignoring all the others. In the middle of the aisle, Jeff swung her round and they kissed; Adam's mouth fell open. Greg rubbed the back of his head, bemused, and Harry rang his buzzer in amusement.

"You look beautiful, Teri. Never seen a pregnant woman look so good," Jeff burst out. Teri blushed.

"Do you love him? Is he Mr. Right?" Jeff asked.

"Yes.  Mr. Right. But he still isn't you, Jeff." Teri stared at him, her brown eyes wet with tears. "Have you found Mr. Right? Is Greg the one?"

"I hope so. I think so. It feels good. But I have missed you, Teri."

"I've missed you too, Jeff. There's something you should know..."

"You a mother, hey? Could have had my baby. But I've got Dad. Christ - he's worse than a baby! And I've got Greg. That's about enough for me. Just hope life stops dropping hammers on my head when I don't expect it!"

Teri blew out slowly. "Was I one of those hammers?"

He laughed. "Could be! But a very nice hammer to be hit with, all the same. Were you going to say something?" Jeff smiled his wide grin and Teri knew she couldn't do it to him. It would tear him up.

"No, nothing really. Just how much I'm glad I've seen you again."

"Me too. Wish we could sit down and have a beer. But, I expect you can't drink in that condition. And somehow I don't think your Adam would be too sympathetic." Jeff looked up and caught the other man's expression. "You better get on, your fella is giving me looks. And I don't think he's perving..."

She smiled sadly, kissed his cheek, "Be happy, Jeff!" and ran back to join her husband. Jeff watched her go. 

"Mitchell? Is he the one? Christ, Teri, what the fuck is this about?" Adam asked, his eyes fixed on the group of three men.

"Not here. I will explain. Just don't go mental here. He's no threat to you, Adam - honest, honey."

Adam frowned but followed his wife to the tills. They paid and wheeled out to the car.

Outside the store, Adam and Teri loaded up the car. Maria Wright joined themleading a little toddler by the hand. As they climbed into the car, she noticed Jeff Mitchell and another man wheeling poor Harry; Jeff was riding on the back of the chair, while the other young man pushed a trolley. Jeff looked young and carefree - like a bit of a kid. She saw Teri's eyes watching him.

"Is that...?" Teri nodded and pulled her son closer to her, her hands stroking back his dark blond hair. "You didn't say anything?" Her daughter shook her head.

"How can you drop that on someone in the middle of a supermarket? He has his life. I don't want to spoil things for him. What good would it do any of us?"

Adam started up the car and they drove slowly out of the car park. Teri's eyes followed Jeff as he loaded Harry into his van. Her hands seemed to grip her little son even closer; he looked up at his mother, his blue-green eyes dancing.

"It's better this way, luv." Maria whispered. "Adam is a real father to him. He'll be a proper male role model for a little boy."

Teri looked sharply at her mother. "Jeff would have been a good father- the best. I'm not scared of that. But Mitch may be like Jeff. What will we do if one day he tells us he's gay? Because he might. And I, for one, would not give a damn. Not if he is one tenth the man his father is."