"Hannah? You alright?"

I snapped out of my thoughts and turned to face Cliff who was tapping salt onto his hot chips. "Yeah, I'm fine," I said continuing to stir my salad. I pushed aside a crouton and pierced a small lettuce leaf. 

"Ya' sure? You've been quieter than usual all evenin'." I sighed. He was right. While the boys played their show I stayed at the hotel. Angus was disappointed but I simply couldn't go without my headphones. The solitude gave me ample time to think and my thoughts were less than kind. My entire body felt disgusting and my insides were still racked by guilt. I got a small sunburn on my arm and my feet were still peeling. My skin was triple toned and slick with sweat constantly. 

What on Earth does he see in me? I'm a living slob.

I quickly did laundry to distract myself before Angus came back, asking me if I wanted to join everyone for dinner. I had already let him down once today, I didn't have the heart to say no a second time. 

And here I was at the restaurant, all of my senses on high and my salad rotting before my eyes. 

But I'd be fine, I was always fine. And I let Cliff know this by giving him my best smile. 

He wasn't convinced. 

The band and crew were in good spirits the entire night. A roadie managed to open a bottle of champagne and it spilled all over the table. Glasses were passed around but I didn't take any. I already felt poorly. A plate of crab legs hovered over our heads before being set down in the middle of the table. Almost everyone took one. 

Except me, of course. 

Shellfish allergy.

Angus grabbed the pitcher of iced water and refilled our glasses. "Thank you," I said taking a quick drink. The restaurant became stuffy. 

"Sure," he said setting the pitcher down. "Ya' haven't eaten much."

I took an extra large bite of salad, making sure he was watching. He didn't say anything but I could feel his eyes on me. It was tough to swallow but I managed and simply picked at it again. A quintet of croutons pooled in the middle of the bowl and I tried crushing them with my fork. 

I really wished Maude were there...

**********

Water dripped from Angus' hand as he brushed some hair away from my face. I leaned against him, watching the bubbles pop. They were almost gone by now. 

"Somethin' must be botherin' ya'," he murmured stroking my arm. I didn't answer. I wasn't sure how. Angus waited patiently before trying again. "Anythin' happen at dinner?"

"No," I said quickly. Dinner was, by all means, a great time. Everyone was in a good mood and agreeable, nobody had the will to pick a fight. 

"Ya' don't wanna be here do ya'?" he asked quietly. He continued before I could disagree. "I shouldn't have looked at ya' that way-"

"What way?" I asked turning to face him. He shrugged.

"Ya' know...like this." He stuck out his bottom lip, looking up at me with sad puppy dog eyes. I laughed and he joined in, relaxing at my smile. "I did, didn't I?"

"You did no such thing," I laughed. "I wanted to spend time with you, I never see you anymore." I could have bit my tongue. That made it sound like I blamed him for being a musician. Touring all the time, being gone. Sure, it was rough sometimes. Countless days would go by without my best friend to talk to. Something funny would happen to me and I couldn't tell him. Nor could I hear about how his day went or how he was holding up. I didn't mind being alone. But I sure missed the man I loved.

And I wasn't upset with him for anything, didn't blame him for anything. This was the career he wanted and he got it. He earned it. If anything I was proud of him. And I wanted him to know that. Every day.

"I just missed you, is all," I said. He smiled and brushed the back of his forefinger down my cheek. "I happen to like you."

"Hey, I like you too," he said grinning. "Ya' wanna spend time with me, I won't complain." His smile slowly fell. "I jus'....know how you feel about...travellin' an' all, ya' know..."

"It is what it is," I said shaking my head and turning back around. I rested against his chest. "The facts of life."

Angus sat quiet for a minute. I thought he had dropped the subject until he clumsily stood up and stepped out of the bathtub, grabbing a towel off the rack. "Here," he said tossing it to me.

"What are you doing?"

"Come on, we're gonna cheer you up," he said grabbing himself a towel. I stood up and wrapped it around me like a dress, carefully stepping out of the tub. Angus took my hand and we left the water in the tub, both of us almost slipping on the wet floor and laughing.

**********

"Here, take this," Angus said handing me a broom from the cupboard. I took it and looked at the spindly bristles. 

"What for?" I asked. He pulled out a second broom, even more spindly than the first. After looking through the cupboard a bit more, he closed the door and went looking around the kitchen. I followed him, curious to see what he had up his sleeve. 

"Hm," he said tapping his fingers on the counter. He peered into the rubbish bin and then searched the fridge. "Ah, let's use this." He held an orange in his hand. 

I watched him as he set the orange on the floor. "Ang?" I asked warily.

"Alright, that's your goal over there," he said pointing to the wall behind me. "An' my goal is...is...the couch," he said. "Ready?"

"I guess?" I said readying my broom. He passed the orange in my direction with his broom, the orange loping across the floor. I passed it back and he whacked it with the broom and the orange skipped over the floor heading toward the wall. I stopped it just in time.

"Nice one, love," Angus said backing up to make room. I pushed the orange carefully with my broom, not sure how hard to hit it. As I got closer to the couch Angus got a bit more feisty and kept knocking his broom against mine. I started laughing and took a shot but the orange went right past it and hit the wall. "An' it's stopped short," he said taking possession of it. I did my best to block his advances but eventually Angus used one arm to pull me away, using his broom to bat the orange. 

"Cheater!" I cried trying to wrench myself free. I was about to fall over from laughing so his hold only got tighter. I dropped my broom and Angus took that as a victory. "Cheater!"

"It's a new rule," he said holding his broom away from my reaching hands. He knocked the orange into a corner and had to maneuver it away with difficulty. I grabbed the handle of the broom and tried stealing it. "Now who's cheatin'?"

He managed to slip the handle out of my fingers and pushed the orange across the floor. By now the orange had lost its shape and didn't roll around so easily. It didn't always go where you wanted it to go. Angus aimed for the wall and it managed to roll under the table. I struggled out of Ang's arms and moved aside one of the chairs but Angus beat me to it and stole the orange. The scent of it filled the hotel room and I held my hand up to my nose. He smacked it with the broom and it galloped toward the wall, smashing into it.

And I mean smash.

The peel tore a tiny bit and some juice splattered against the wall. Even from across the room I could smell the fragrance. I turned my face away. 

"Well," Angus said holding his broom and looking at me smugly. "That's the end of that."

**********

We laid in bed with only a sheet draped over us. It was too humid for any more blankets. I stared at the ceiling while Angus strummed the guitar he pinched. I closed my eyes and listened to him play; my own little private concert. He strummed the neck with one hand while using the other hand to reach for his glass of water. 

He got better and better every day. 

I almost jumped when Angus nudged my shoulder. He had set his guitar down and lay back on the bed. "Feelin' better?" he asked.

I smiled. "A little."

He scooted closer. "Ya' think our house has been raided yet? Kids throwin' block parties in it an' leavin' beer cans on the grass?"

"I hope not, I cleaned it before I came to visit you," I said rolling over to face him. "I'm sure the letter box is stuffed."

"How's Mr. Kincaid?" Angus asked with a goofy grin. I playfully rolled my eyes.

"He's just fine, probably right where I left him." Angus sniffed and picked at a loose thread on the pillow.

"He's probably the one throwin' parties," he said. "Head's in the bowl as we speak."

I noticed a strand of hair on his shirt and I plucked it off and let it drift away to the floor. When I looked back at him he was staring at me with a very curious expression. On instinct I closed my eyes when he came closer and felt his lips gently graze mine. 

I put my hands on his chest, clutching at the fabric of his shirt. Carefully he sat up to hover over me and I relaxed into the bed sighing. When he moved his hands to my hips I broke away from him. "Ang, I-" I panted. His eyes were sparkling. "I'd rather not tonight," I whispered. 

With a smile and a kiss on my nose he returned to his previous position. "Alright then," he said. "What do ya' wanna do instead?"

"Tell me a story."

He blinked. "About what?"

"Anything," I said. He sighed in deep thought. 

"Anythin', huh?" After taking a few minutes to think he started. "Okay. Once upon a time..."

"I've heard that one," I said. 

"Hey, you haven't heard this, now shush," he said tapping my nose. "Once there was a man who...played in a...punk band." I wrinkled my nose. "No? Uh...he played in a jazz band." I nodded. "Jazz band. An' he went backstage after the show, ya' know? An' he was all sweaty an' such an' while he was back there he saw the loveliest woman he'd ever seen in his life."

"What did she look like?" I asked.

"Look like...uh...well, she had brown hair all tied up, ya' know? An' the biggest eyes he'd ever seen an'....I believe she wore a bra for a shirt." I blushed all the way up to my forehead. "Long legs under a tiny skirt, ya' know? A real babe. An' so he sees this woman an' thinks he's gotta get to know her before she takes off. Ya' know? So he goes over to her an' introduces himself an'...." Angus stopped to think. "An'...an' he says...'hey, love, I swear I've seen you in my dreams'. An'..." Angus giggled to himself. "An' she says...'that couldn't have been me, 'cause I can't swim'." Angus rolled onto his back, hiding his face in his hands as his laughter shook the bed. 

After a second of thought my mouth hung open. 

"Angus McKinnon, you dog!" I said lightly swatting him. I think we almost woke up the entire hotel. After a good five minutes at least, Angus finally calmed down. 

"Hey, you asked for a story," he said wiping his eyes. "An' you didn't say family friendly either."

"That's not how we met," I said. "And you're one to talk, I don't think you were wearing a shirt!"

"Ah, I never wear one," he said. "Which reminds me." In a flash he pulled his shirt over his head and tossed it away. His chest was shiny with a sheen of sweat. "Much better, fuckin' roastin' in that thing."

I pretended not to notice. 

Instead I took off my clothes and threw them on the floor. Angus' reaction wasn't as puppyish as mine but I could see his rosy red cheeks. "You're right," I said. "Much better."

Angus scooted toward my side of the bed and wrapped his arms around me, pressing his face into the crook of my neck. I stroked his hair and sighed. "Now you tell me a story," he mumbled. 

"What about?" I asked.

"Anythin'." I could hear the smile in his voice. 

"Okay....one day, there was a very small Scottish man living in Australia. He had rugged good looks and had women coming out his ears."

"Oh, I like this story," he said nuzzling me. My smile grew wicked. 

"His name was Malcolm."

We almost woke up the hotel again. 

Regaining composure, Angus urged me to continue and I did my best to speak without giggling. "Malcolm wanted to play guitar. And he thought he could get a job out of it. He decided that would be much more fun than breaking open another one of his brother's piggy banks."

"Hm," Angus said. 

"And he thought having even more girls around would do him some good."

"Yeah, sure," he agreed. "Sign me up."

"So he went up to some guys he met at the bar and asked if they wanted to join his band. They said sure, so he took them to his garage to practise. When Malcolm realised one very unfortunate thing."

Angus waited in suspense. "An' that was?"

"They stunk."

"Oh," he laughed. 

"They were so bad, Malcolm had to wear earmuffs for a week for his ears to heal. So he told them they were out of the band and they walked away all mad because they wouldn't get their share of the goods. Like, money and whatnot. So they packed and left and Malcolm was left to find new guys for his band."

"Me?" Angus grinned.

"Not yet." I ruffled his hair. "He posted flyers all over town looking for people and he got several phone calls and knocks on the door from people wanting to play. And he tried them all out but they were all so stinky that Malcolm had to wear two pairs of earmuffs for a month. And a clothespin on his nose." Angus snickered. "And eventually when the people saw Malcolm in his muffs and pin they wouldn't take him seriously and he stopped getting calls.

"After his ears healed and his eyes stopped watering, he heard music coming from his brother's room. Malcolm had several brothers but this one was the strongest, the most handsome man in all the world. And a bit of a sex machine." Angus laughed again and nodded. 

"Yeah, that's me."

"His name was Angus McKinnon and no one was safe from his talent and looks. Malcolm thought his playing was pretty good and opened the door without knocking."

"Typical Mal."

"And he asked his little brother if he'd like to join his band that he was putting together. And Angus McKinnon, hair blowing in the breeze and shirt slightly unbuttoned, jeans impossibly tight, said he'd love to."

"My shirt should be off," Angus said. "If I remember correctly I was completely naked but I dunno if ya' wanna print that."

"Unlike you I'm keeping it family friendly," I said tickling his neck. 

"Oh, right," he laughed. "Carry on."

"So they took their guitars to the garage and plugged them in and played together and the wind carried the music all through the town and put a spell on everyone living in it. Bald men grew hair, the blind could see, and pigs started flying in all directions."

"Right, right, no I think I remember that," he said. 

"After they finished their song, the rest was history." Angus sighed sleepily and nuzzled into my neck, his long hair tickling my cheek. 

"Great story, love, thanks," he mumbled. I closed my eyes and gently ran my fingers through his hair. In a few minutes he was snoring. A few minutes later, I was out.