It's the summer of 1967 and the Sexual Offences Act has just decriminalized consensual gay sex in private between two men over twenty-one. Percy Wright and his friend Les Baker have both taken temporary jobs teaching English as a foreign language in London during their long summer break from teaching at a rural boarding school near Oxford. Percy is keen to soak up some theatre, music, and general culture, whilst Les is also keen to experience the varied gay social scene. When Les picks up a man called Phil at the box office of the Albert Hall when he goes to buy tickets to a Promenade Concert, Percy inadvertently gets thrown together with Adrian Framlingham, Phil’s friend. Adrian is all the things Percy likes in a man -- funny, kind and steady. When Les gets hurt, Percy turns to Adrian for support, but as the end of the summer looms it seems as if their affair will come to a natural end. What will happen when Percy goes back to his everyday life as a house-master? Will he and Adrian stay in touch? Does he even want a long-distance relationship when arranging to meet someone for sex is still illegal, even if the act itself is not? Trigger warning: A secondary character suffers an off-screen sexual assault.

Eight Acts

“That’s a yes to the kissing, then,” Adrian said, a bit muffled against Percy’s shirt.


“Definitely,” Percy almost giggled. He traced a tiny line of kisses under Adrian’s ear, down the exposed part of his neck above his collar and Adrian shuddered. “Do you want to…” Percy left it hanging. He didn’t know the form, ex  ly. Would Adrian want more? If so, would he want more here in the living room? Or would he invite Percy into his bedroom?


“Bed?” Adrian asked, still muffled. His hand was working Percy’s shirt out of the back of his trousers. His fingers were very warm against the thin skin of Percy’s lower back.


Neither of them moved and Percy changed his delicate kisses to nuzzling, which made Adrian laugh aloud and move away. “Come on,” he said, taking Percy’s hand again and tugging him toward the hall. “Let’s get comfortable. I’m too old for the settee these days.”


Chapter 5