Becky wheeled her case from the train and down the platform, looking around for some signs to the taxi rank. Outside the station a line of cabs waited and she was relieved not to have to wait in a long queue, as the weather didn’t look promising, a dark grey cloud loomed above and there were the first spits of a cold rain in the air. The short denim skirt she had decided on for today now started to seem like a bad idea as she felt the chill around her legs.

A friendly looking 50 something man jumped from one of the waiting cars and approached her,

“Hi, welcome to Edinburgh! , University campus is it?”

He was already wheeling her case toward his waiting car

“err, y..yes that’s right...thank you” Becky stammered as she followed him to the taxi..with little choice as her case had already been hijacked!

“Thought so” said the taxi driver, “I can always spot you students.....and you’re the 5th one today, all I’m doing is back and forth between here and there.”

The rain very suddenly started to pour and Becky dived into the back of the taxi. A moment later the driver jumped into the drivers seat.

“Typical Scottish weather I’m afraid” he joked, “I’m Mick, nice to meet you”

Becky replied to the eyes in the rear view mirror “Becky”, adjusting her position on the seat and blushing as she tugged down at the hem of her skirt which had ridden up her thighs in her haste to get in the car from the rain. Mick had definitely got a good flash of thigh, and probably her knickers too.

“Let’s get you to the campus then Becky, only 10 minutes away”

Pulling in outside the campus accommodation office, Mick jumped from the car to retrieve Becky’s case from the boot, while she attempted to extract herself from the car without giving him another free show. She paid Mick and, as he quite obviously eyed her petite figure up and down, barely making eye contact, he gave her his card , imaginatively titled “Mick’s Taxis”

“There’s my number if you need anything “.

Becky thanked him,politely, although in her mind he had quite quickly gone from “friendly” to “creepy” and was already labelled a “dirty old man”. She hurried into the reception, still tugging down the back of her skirt as without even looking back she knew he was watching.

After a little form filling and signing in Becky made her way up the wide stair case to her allocated apartment, number 226, armed with an electronic key fob and a leaflet of Student Accommodation Rules and Regulations. No Smoking, no unnecessary noise after 9pm...the list was long but the usual stuff.

As she fumbled with the electronic lock at the door to her apartment a loud “Hey neighbour!” startled her into dropping the key card and she whirled round to the boy standing in the doorway opposite.

“Sorry! Didn’t mean to startle you!, .Hi , I’m Gemma, looks like we’re neighbours “

For a brief moment, that seemed like an age, Becky couldn’t speak as her brain struggled to sort the information provided by her eyes and ears. The “boy” opposite was dressed in army boots, combat pants and a baggy sweatshirt...all of which completely disguised any hint of a feminine form, and the “short back and sides” haircut didn’t help either, but the face didn’t seem to match the rest of the picture..pretty, with just a hint of eye make up....Becky’s brain finished its computations and concluded with 99% certainty....girl.

“Hi Gemma, I’m Becky.”

“Well Becky, I have to run some errands, I’ll let you get inside and unpacked. If you need anything I’m just across the hall.” Gemma clomped off down the hallway, her heavy boots loud on the hard floor.

Inside her new apartment Becky slumped into the comfortable looking sofa ,tired from a day of travelling, she barely even looked around. Pulling out her phone she checked her diary.

Medical tomorrow 10am