Dane leant against the large over-stuffed dark leather lounge in the Neville Huntington's drawing room noodling on his guitar. Occasionally he'd look wistfully out the floor to ceiling glass doors and even more occasionally he'd look over to Sarah who was writing furiously on her laptop and humming along to whatever tune he attempted to play.

They were on their own in the house, the elder Huntingtons were abroad, Sarah's dad was on a dig and Neville had abandoned them for the afternoon and evening of, as he put it "hot and heavy sex" or more correctly a visit to his current local girlfriend.

It was all very domestic and well, boring, not at all what Dane had hoped to be doing during the first week of summer after finishing school before starting at Cambridge in the autumn. Later in the break, he would be heading with Boyd and the boys to Spain for a week. This week though, this week he'd wanted to be somewhere finally losing his virginity. 

He'd planned it. 

Her name was Alex and she was beautiful, tall, blonde, with the biggest blue eyes and spectacular tits, a classmate of Sarah's, not a friend though. He'd learned that one the hard way, Boyd and Emily had become a couple and when they broke up she'd wiped them all, including Sarah. So no dating within the close friend's group. 

Alex was perfect. 

He'd been in a combined school production with her, so not only was she was gorgeous but artistic too. They'd talked a lot and even shared a kiss, okay a stage kiss, but still. Then he'd asked her to the end of year dance - it had taken him all production to work up the courage. 

But that's where his plans came unstuck - she turned him down flat. He'd taken too long, she'd already been asked – by Boyd as it turned out and Dane knew he couldn't compete with Boyd. 

So now Boyd was at his parents empty flat in London doing things Dane could only dream of with the luscious Alexandra and he was stuck here with Fox. The same Fox who had ended up as his date for the dance.

It's not that he didn't like Fox, he loved her. She had probably been the best looking girl there too. Problem was she was family and in more ways than one now. 

Her dad was now going out with his mum but even more than that she wasn't someone he couldn't afford to lose and he knew it. He didn't need a serious girlfriend now and that's what she would be, would have to be. Neither of them needed that, university was going to a lot of work - particularly for Sarah. After her early school dramas she had fought back and was the top of her year and now she would be studying History and English Lit at Uni, he was doing classics. They were both going to Cambridge though different colleges so they could start something BUT what if it went wrong? It would never be worth it, he had known that two years ago and he knew that now. After their sweet sixteen kiss and a few rather spectacular snogs the next night at the bonfire (up in their tree again when no-one was looking) they'd decided that they were better as friends. She still made him go more than a little funny in the stomach when she wore a bikini or held his hand and she had definitely been the subject of a few embarrassing night time dreams, though he wouldn't dare tell her that. In recent times though Alex had been his "tissue box" girl - until Boyd stole her away.

He put his head back down and tried to concentrate on Smoke on The Water. He was so engrossed he didn't hear Sarah cross the room until she plonked down beside him.

"Are you still brooding over Alex?" she asked in typical no-nonsense, no wasted words, Fox speak.

"I'm going to be the only virgin at Cambridge, I'm already the only virgin in our entire friend's group," he sighed abandoning his playing and putting the guitar up behind them on the lounge.

She laughed softly.

"What am I chopped liver?" she asked in mock annoyance.

He rolled his eyes.

"You don't count!"

She narrowed her eyes at him.

"Choose your next words very carefully Hilditch – I don't count why?? Because I'm a girl? Aspergers? Ugly?" she growled, her eyes flaring with each question.

He sighed. It always amazed him that Fox didn't get how beautiful she was, effortlessly so. Other girls spent hours primping and preening and Fox pretty much turned up looking stunning without trying. He'd taken pride in Alex looking daggers at her at the dance. He thought maybe she'd sway the blond in his direction. But as always the gravitational pull of Boyd was too strong though he'd still had a good time and he was glad he took Fox in the end. However he knew to answer this question carefully – it was one of those loaded questions – like when a girl asked you if her bum looked big in something. And he knew he'd be for it if he got it wrong. 

He sighed again.

"Because you are so obsessed with getting good marks, your degrees, and the perfect job!"

"Mmm nice save Will!" she laughed and he sent her a cocky grin.

"So are you though, you can't be too distracted by girls like the luscious Alex if you want to be a brilliant successful actor."

"Yes, but that doesn't mean I don't want love and romance and.."

"To get your end away!" she finished.

He rolled his eyes.

"I want a little of that too Will– I mean I don't want to settle down and have a husband yet, if ever, but I'd like to know what all the fuss was about. Petra's always telling me how good her boyfriend is in the sack, how many orgasms she has a night. I think I'd like to see if it's better than the do it yourself model," she said wiggling her fingers.

He laughed. Only Fox could turn sex into a scientific experiment.

Sarah looked at him carefully and then turned away, taking a deep breath and wondering whether now was the time to broach the subject. In for a penny in for a pound she thought.

"So you know, you could always do it with me," she said not turning to face him. Not wanting him to see her face going hot and red as embarrassment bloomed across it. Of course, she'd thought about it, wondered what it would be like, read books and even talked to Jane about what to expect. But anytime she thought about doing IT, it was always Dane in her fantasies. They'd shared so many other firsts it made sense and that's what she told him now. She didn't like people in her personal space and there was nothing more personal than this. In her mind it could only be him, it made perfect logical sense. She figured she'd become a nun if Will wasn't the one.

"Oh god Fox, you're like my sister," he said looking at her in mock horror like she'd just suggested they eat the family cat for dinner.

She looked surprised and more than a little hurt.

"But it makes sense Will – you were there when I had my first period, you were my first kiss well kind of, I don't think I'd trust anyone else!" she said earnestly.

Now he looked shocked.

"You're serious?"

She looked to the ground nodding, not game to face the rejection in his eyes. It had all seemed so logical to her but Will was always all emotion. And he obviously didn't feel enough to do this with her.

"It was just a thought," she said quietly.

"We're both virgins, you don't want to go to university without some experience, I want someone I trust, you have the bits that fit into mine," she mumbled shrugging her shoulders like it was a total no-brainer.

Dane laughed. He didn't mean to, he knew it was taking her a lot to even suggest this. And it wasn't like he hadn't imagined what it would be like. But it was Fox and her matter-of-fact approach.

"The bits that fit yours?" he giggled. She looked at him then and she couldn't help it, she giggled too.

"You have a penis, I have a vagina," she smirked and he rolled his eyes.

"You have a dick, I have a pussy, you have a shaft I have quim."

"Stop, stop," he said now laughing uncontrollably and then when she didn't he tickled her until they were both giggling and rolling on the floor and then suddenly he was lying on her, kissing her, not thinking and it wasn't so funny or weird anymore suddenly he was starting to see it her way. Or he would have been if he had been thinking at all. 

But it wasn't going to happen because let's face it, family has a radar for something like that and suddenly Neville, who hadn't been due home was driving up to the house, the lights of his car, coming in through the glass doors.

They sprang apart, breathless, looking a little like wild animals – spooked. Dane grabbed the guitar to put strategically in front of his aforementioned "bits."

"Hi honey I'm home," Neville yelled as he came through the front door.

"We're in the drawing room," Dane answered shakily pulling in big breaths as he tried to work out what the hell had just happened. Sarah was too busy straightening her hair and clothes to answer.

"Oh there you are!" Neville exclaimed walking into the drawing room to find his best friend and cousin sitting on the floor looking more than a little bit red-faced and disheveled, if not a bit guilty. If he didn't know better...........

Nah they were friends now,  total nerds and virgins, they had probably just gone for a run or been involved in a "vigorous" discussion.

"I've brought pizza and cheap wine! What have you two been up to?"

"Um we've been talking about COUNTry matters," Sarah said straight-faced fast on her feet, as usual, referencing Hamlet. Dane smirked, working hard not to giggle, getting the reference and the word she'd emphasized and still trying to return his breathing to normal.

"Let me live in thy heart, DIE in thy lap and be buried in thine eyes," Dane countered taking her lead and thinking of the sexiest line he could from her current favourite play Much Ado. She smirked back.

"Come, night; come, Romeo; come, thou day in night; For thou wilt lie upon the wings of night

Whiter than new snow on a raven's back.Come, gentle night, come, loving, black-brow'd night, Give me my Romeo."

She and Dane had joked that Shakespeare had a line for everything even wanting to lose your virginity. They'd talked about these lines from Romeo and Juliet and the Bards' other bawdy lines, smirking as teenagers do when discussing just how dirty Shakespeare actually was if you knew where to look. Back then it had been something to titter over but now it was downright hilarious in light of their recent conversations and they lost it completely laughing like loons much to Neville's utter confusion.

He put the pizza and wine on the coffee table in front of them and shook his head.

"You two are total nerds it's no wonder neither of you have ever got yourself laid," he said exasperatedly. At which point they dissolved completely into fits of giggles until Sarah was sure she was actually going to either wee or pass out.

Nev, who'd moved away from the clearly mad duo to get three glasses, poured the wine grabbed a pizza slice and slumped into the chair behind him.

"My girl get's called into work and instead of a night of hot sex I get to spend the evening with the Shakespeare twins, god give me strength," he sighed sipping his wine as they set off laughing again. He studied them as they tried to regain their composure over whatever the god it was that had set them off, still smirking and breathing hard as they grabbed their own wine and pizza and sat down on the lounge next to him.

 They really were an odd pair, he loved them unconditionally, he didn't understand them but he loved them all the same. 

They were two peas in a pod, he sometimes envied just how well they complimented each other, the in-jokes they shared sometimes without even speaking - not that they even saw it, saw how perfect they were together - two halves of a whole. He was beginning to doubt that they ever would, at least they'd always have each other in their lives in some way he was sure of that and if he was lucky he'd have them both in his too. 

If nothing else it was nice to see them laughing, even if it was about nothing he could understand. He'd been leaving them alone a bit this week. Tom was still smarting over the whole Alex thing and Sarah had her own worries. Her dad wasn't well, not that she'd told anyone, she wouldn't, he doubted she'd even told Dane given the connection between their parents. He knew Edward didn't want anyone to know – a huge burden on Sarah. But hopefully being with her "Will" would be a bit of a distraction for her and who knew maybe if he got them drunk enough they'd do something about their "virgin" status though he highly doubted that.

Watching them now laughing and joking around made him forget his own dramas – his mum and dad weren't holidaying together, they were very separate, in fact the divorce was fairly imminent particularly since his dad's secretary was fucking pregnant. He was upset about it obviously but more than that he was angry at the cliché his dad had become. The sooner he got away to university in Scotland the better. 

"So any plans for tomorrow you two? Since I'm spending the whole day and night with Mads?" Nev asked pulling himself out of thoughts.

Dane took a bite of his pizza thoughtfully and looked at Sarah.

"Yeah actually I thought we'd take a drive into the market town for some supplies and a bit of lunch and then come back here and practice our cooking before we get to Cambridge, if that's okay with you Sarah?" he asked giving his friend a meaningful look. She furrowed her brow, trying to read him. Sometimes she was incredibly perceptive and other times, like now, she got the distinct feeling she was missing something.

Nev stretched and yawned and drained his glass, "More wine?" he asked getting up to go raid his parent's cellar.

"Yeah that'd be nice," Dane answered suddenly wanting a little dutch courage, this was madness and he knew it but.........

As soon as Nev left the room he turned to his friend. She was slumped back in the lounge looking relaxed although a little puzzled. He took her hand – still a little greasy from the pizza – and rubbed the back with his thumb.

"You're right as always Fox – it does make sense but if we are going to do this – I want to do it right, I want to make it memorable for both of us, not just memorable but romantic and special," he said gently. She looked at him in amazement and her eyes softened but before she could say anything, they heard Neville's heavy footsteps in the hall.

"Okay," she leaned in and whispered in his ear. "I'm in."

And they dissolved into laughter again as Neville entered the room.

Yeah, they were weird.

Dane woke up early, he couldn't really sleep, he'd only had a couple of wines last night but he wasn't really use to it yet and to be honest, he was full of nervous energy. He pulled on his shorts and t-shirt, carrying his shoes as he tip-toed through the house. He didn't want to wake anyone up, though he doubted Neville would stir and knowing Sarah, she'd been up for hours and probably gone for a swim or down to work out on the cross trainer. He wondered for a moment if he should swing by the gym and invite her for a run, they often ran when they were together – which was most holidays. 

However today he really just wanted time to think – was he doing the right thing? Was losing his virginity that important? Would he be ruining his friendship with the most important person in his life, well one of them, if he did this? 

He pounded down the main drive to the gate and back and then around the house – twice, trying to take in what he was preparing to do, trying to make an adult decision about it. 

And then on the second journey around the house he saw her, she was pulling herself out of the indoor pool and shaking the water from her hair. She wore a tight black bikini, one that he'd never seen before. She looked perfect and sexy without knowing it and he knew on a fundamental man-woman level he wanted her, it took him by surprise, it hadn't really occurred to him but she was right, she had all the right parts and bloody hell wearing that bikini you could see they were all in the right places. The big question was would she want him – he wasn't in bad shape but he wasn't as buff or well built as many of his friends, their friends – would he be man enough for her? If he was honest that had always been his major worry, that he would make a fool of himself, not just with Fox but any woman, that he would come in his pants before he even got near the act. He had long been terrified he wouldn't be man enough not just for Fox but for any woman ever.

He thought he'd come now just watching her dry herself through the glass. Watching her wipe rivelets of water off the hills and valley's of her very nubile young body was getting him quite hot on the collar. He took his shirt off and wiped his face with it trying not to think of her like that.

Sensing him outside, she looked up at that moment, waved and smiled – normally he'd see it as a friendly sign but her eyes lingered over his body just a little longer than you'd expect and she smiled almost seductively.

He shivered. 

Oh yeah, this was going to happen, it had to. Mind you there'd have to be a fair bit of alcohol involved - in fact, he felt like he needed a stiff drink now before anything else got too stiff.