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

Percy threw his arm over his face and lay there, breathing heavily as Adrian collapsed across his stomach, laughing. “God,” Adrian said after a moment. “That was good. Are you okay?”


Percy barked a laugh, too. “More than okay,” he said. “Give me a moment and I’ll reciprocate.”


Adrian laughed again. “No need,” he said. “Maybe later.”


Percy took his arm away from his eyes and looked down at the other man where he was grinning up at him mischievously, chin resting on folded arms across Percy’s belly. “You…?” he asked


“Yes. Sorry. Couldn’t help myself!” He was laughing again.


“Come up here,” Percy commanded, grabbing him by the elbows. “Kiss me some more.”


“I’d better go,” Percy said, reluctantly. “I’ve got a class in the morning.” The clock beside the bed said it was getting on for two A.M., luminous numbers and hands lit by the streetlights below the window.


Chapter 6