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

“Hi,” he said. “I wasn’t sure you’d come.”


Percy shot a grin at him and then looked over at Les. “Les was quite keen,” he said. “So, you know, I thought I’d come along.”


Phil nodded to him. “Nice to see you again,” he said. “And you, Les,” he grinned at the younger man slightly wolfishly and Les blushed.


“Come on, I need another drink,” said Adrian, finishing his pint. “Let’s introduce you around to a few people.”


Percy had felt like he’d been hit on the back of the head with half a brick in a sock yesterday morning when he’d woken up in time for work. There had been no sign of Les in the other narrow little bed and he’d luxuriated for a moment in his memories of the night before. Adrian had given him his phone number and they’d arranged to meet here this morning, but he wasn’t quite sure in what capacity. Friends? A date? A bit of both?


Chapter 7