"I'd known Sohail for ages, but it wasn't until Class 11 that we started going out. That was two years ago and we've been together ever since. After about a year we both felt we wanted to have sex, go all the way. We'd nearly done it anyway what with all the fumbling and fondling, we'd done on sofas and at discos. Because we were friends and talked a lot, we talked about sex too.

I know we were both really nervous, but talking and laughing really helped. Plus we were able to make sure nothing drastic happened. Although we loved each other we certainly didn't want a baby at seventeen or to put our health at risk. So we sorted things out and got all the information about pregnancy, contraception, sexually transmitted infections and AIDS from the net, so there wouldn't be any worries.

We made sure we picked the right time and the right place too. It would have been awful for someone to walk in on us, during our private time. What was it like? - Well it's difficult to describe because I'd never felt anything like it before really. I'd had orgasms through masturbation before, but sharing yourself with someone you love and respect was really good. It brought us closer together."