Angus opened his groggy eyes. I beamed back at him from my crouched position on the floor. He blinked and ran a hand over his face. "Mornin'."

"Happy birthday," I said glowing. He managed a smile and yawned. He had thrown his shirt across the room the night before and it hung comically on top of the closet door. 

"Thanks," he murmured, yawning again. Pushing his hair away from his face he finally gave me a steady gaze. "What's my present?"

"This," I said holding up a cold bottle of Coke. He took it from me and sat up. "And this." I held up a bottle opener. After cracking it open and taking a few sips he seemed to wake up a bit. 

"Not bad," he said. "Not bad at all."

"Do you feel thirty?" I asked. Angus sat there for a minute making absolutely sure.

"No," he said, poking and prodding himself. He patted his cheeks a few times. "Nah, I still feel eighteen." He took a long drink and looked at me. "Nice necklace." He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. I looked down to see my Scotland pendant dangling from my neck. "A gift, was it?"

"Yeah," I said. "A really handsome guy gave it to me a few years ago." Angus smiled. 

"I'll bet, a lovely woman such as yourself." I got into bed next to him and snuggled into him as he wrapped his arm around me. "So what did ya' want to do today?"

**********

We walked hand in hand down the street toward the chocolate and lolly shop. Cars buzzed and beeped this way and that and we ran across the street to avoid them. A flock of birds pecking around at the front of the store scattered in all directions at our approach. We stumbled inside and gazed around us in awe.

Well, I did, anyway.

Lollies everywhere. Canisters hanging on the walls filled with lollies of all colours of the rainbow. All you had to do was turn the gold crank at the bottom and they would come pouring out. Some containers filled with candy were set out in the middle of the room, each one with its own scoop you could use to pour candy in little bags. And the saltwater taffy....I'd be needing a large bag of that. Three huge shelves stood off to one corner of the room. Bars and bars of all kinds of chocolates as far as my eyes could see. 

Angus must have seen these kinds of places before because it didn't seem to faze him as it fazed me. "What?" he asked as I looked at him. 

"You don't look impressed," I said. He smiled.

"Not much different than my childhood bedroom," he said. "Come on, I'll show you where the good stuff is."

He led me to the chocolate aisle and started grabbing bars. I found a collection of dark chocolate and loaded up. I had only tasted European chocolates a couple times in my life and I knew it was superior. Together we scoured the shelves, filling up several bags of whatever lollies we wanted. I got plenty of saltwater taffy, something I thought I could only get at Bondi Beach back home. Soon enough we had bags and bags of treats. The man behind the counter looked around the floor for any small children we might have brought along with us.

No, it was just us.

**********

After taking a quick cab to the rental house we stored our lollies and chocolates in the fridge before heading back to town again. Our next stop was the library, of course, where we crept between shelves in search of good books. Renting books wasn't an option for us so we stuck with reading a few pages or keeping tabs on promising titles to find back home. 

In a little corner upstairs were two large red chairs in the shape of hands. I climbed onto one, making sure to keep quiet. There were people reading and studying. Angus found me and took the other chair, both of us feeling extra tiny in the palms of these giant hands. Our feet swung back and forth unable to touch the floor. We got the giggles and had to leave as nearby occupants started giving us those looks. 

After our rounds at the library we saw a drive in movie theater playing Flashdance of all films. Angus stood on his toes to see if he could see any of the film from where we were standing. "A free movie wouldn't hurt."

There was a florist's shop a little further down the street and I had to make a quick stop. The plants inside were stunning and in brilliant shades of green. I had to stop myself from buying all the wind chimes, knowing good and well airport customs wouldn't be too happy with our loads of goodies. The fresh air inside felt good, though, and I was excited to get back to the florist at home and pick out more plants with Angus. 

Our next stop was lunch at a fish and chips place. We mostly ate chips. Angus wiped his hands on a napkin and drank another bottle of Coke. "How's Scotland for ya'?" he asked.

"A lot like home," I said. "But...different in a way."

"In what way?" he asked.

I shrugged and hid my face shyly. "The accents are cute," I muttered. Angus beamed.

"Thanks, love. I mean, mine's sorta mixed in with the Aussie but it's still there a bit, ya' know? Now me parents," he said shovelling in another chip. "An' me sister. They're Scots through an' through. The oldest brothers a bit too, but I haven't seen 'em as much."

"And I've never seen those kinds of trees before," I said pointing in the direction of the rental house. "The ones by the house."

"Oh, the pines?" I nodded. "They're a kind of Scottish pine, I think, or somethin' like that. We had a few around our house as kids, ya' know an' Mal would try climbin' one an' once he fell..." Angus started laughing with his mouth full of chips. "Looked like a cartoon on the way down, ya' know?"

I snickered to myself. But my smile fell. "How's Malcolm doing?" I asked. Angus shrugged. 

"He's alright, I think. Seemed in pretty high spirits when we went home. He really missed his kids an' Linda, ya' know, the days on the road get really long when you've got a family at home, ya' know?" He wiped his hands off above his tray. "But he didn't catch that flu bug surprisingly, jus' me an' Brian."

"Just you two?" he nodded.

"Well, Simon got a bit sniffly but I think he jus' had allergies or somethin'. Tryin' to get outta work, ya' know?" he joked with a smile. "I got a nice little break. Tried to have the road crew pamper me but they were all conveniently busy."

"You're too stubborn for pampering," I said drinking my water. "You want everything done just right and you like doing it yourself."

"Somethin' wrong with that, ma'am?" he asked and I laughed. "So I like things to be good an' right an' in order. Pardon me." 

"I can't even imagine you moping around in bed," I said. "You had a fever a few years back in Australia, remember? And you played anyway?"

Angus shrugged. "We had a show," he said. "What, you want us to call it off? An' besides, I only mope around when you're home. I like havin' my woman rubbing my feet when I'm tired."

I crossed my arms and smirked. "I've never rubbed your feet a day in my life, Angus McKinnon." He imitated my actions. 

"Well, it's an invitation to start, Hannah Ruth." I threw a chip at him and he tried catching it with his mouth. It landed on the ground in a mess of salt. "Fuck. Ah, the birds'll eat it."

After our lunch at the fish and chips place we took a little walk through a park and talked about random things. Funny childhood memories, dreams we'd had, and the worst foods we ever ate. During the dream discussion I fought myself on whether or not to tell him about my most recent nightmares. I hadn't had one for a while and maybe they were gone for good. I decided against it. 

The sun was going down by the time we got home. I snagged a quick lolly from the fridge and checked the wash for our cozzies. Angus came up behind me with his hands in his pockets. He seemed a bit...shy?

"Ya' wanna...take a shower first?" he asked. He looked down at his shoes. "I can have one later."

"You want me out of the way so you can dig in to the chocolate?" I asked walking past him to the living room. He smiled.

"Yes, that's exactly what I want, love," he said. "I'm jus' waitin' for the minute you leave the room." 

I inched my way to the bathroom. "Alright then, here I go! Off to the shower, not looking in the kitchen!" Right before I closed the door I could hear Angus laughing. "Somebody better not go eating all the lollies while I'm gone!"

I knew he was up to something.

**********

After wringing my hair out in a towel I dressed in my pyjamas and left the bathroom. Upon entering the living room I stopped in my tracks and looked around. There was a huge blanket on the floor with pillows on one end. Two bowls of steaming soup were on the blanket next to a bucket holding the large green champagne bottle I saw from the fridge. Angus came out of the kitchen with his sleeves rolled up. "Hi," he said nervously.

"What...what is all this?" I asked. He gestured at the little setup. 

"That's our date," he said. "I mean, our dinner." I looked back and forth between him and the living room. 

"I should have made something for you," I said giving him a hug. "It's your birthday, not mine."

"That's alright, I wanted to surprise you," he said kissing my temple. I giggled. "What?"

"What's the booze for?" I asked. 

"Oh, that," he said. "Well when I asked about the rental house...ya' know, I said it was for two people. An' I guess that means 'lovers' so they included that bottle, ya' know? An' I jus'..." He shrugged. "Figured I'd use it for decoration. I have some tea on the stove we can have instead."

I helped him prepare the tea and we brought it out to the living room. We sat down on the giant blanket, the carpet underneath adding an extra layer of cushioning. I snuggled up to him and gave him a kiss on the cheek. "You're Angus," I said. He smiled.

"An' you're Hannah," he said. "Hope the soup is good, I made it in a hurry."

The soup was great. We had bought a few boxes at the market the day before and placed them in the pantry for meals. We also found some Lady Grey tea and cream and attempted to recreate Mrs. Young's incredible recipe. 

Not quite the same, but pretty damn good.

After we ate our dinner and poured ourselves another cup of tea, I helped Angus put some wood in the fireplace. The temperatures had dropped considerably and I grabbed a few extra blankets from the cupboard. Angus used his lighter to start the fire and then pulled out a cigarette for himself. "Might as well," he said lighting it up. 

We sipped our tea and snuggled together as the fire burned hot in front of us. I could feel my eyelids growing heavy and I wondered if the plan was to sleep out here in the living room. With the blankets and the pillows I assumed so and that was fine with me. Angus moved to set his empty cup aside and I sat up. 

"Sorry," he said as I leaned on him again. He held the cigarette away from my face. I relaxed and let the day's events catch up to me. "Hannah?" Angus asked.

"Hm?" I mumbled.

Angus was quiet for a while. "Jus'...wanted to say thanks."

I opened my eyes, turning to look at him. "What for?" He glanced at me before quickly looking away again.

"For everythin'," he said. I waited for him to explain. "For bein' yourself, for bein' my friend, an' more than that." I looked down at the blankets. "For...humourin' me an' whatnot." He ruffled my hair. "An' for makin' me laugh...an'....jus'...ya' know, everythin'."

I hugged him. He dropped his cigarette on the ash tray he had found in the kitchen and hugged me back. "Thanks for being Angus McKinnon," I said. "I love you."

"I love you too." He kissed my hair. After a good few minutes of intense hugging I reluctantly pulled away, staring up at his beautiful face. His sparkling eyes and his loving smile. Truly the most beautiful man in the world. I gave him a quick peck on the lips and before I could move away he had pulled me back to him and kissed me. His lips were firm but soft and I let my hands wander up to his hair. His hands carefully slid down my back and came to rest on my hips. Taking initiative, I straightened up in his arms while he gathered me up in his lap. Momentarily forgetting my nightmares, insecurities, and whatever spending guilt I accumulated over the course of the day, I focused only on Angus.

I gently tugged on his soft jumper, not wanting to upset the material. But it was getting in the way and the fire behind us was warm enough, wasn't it? I helped him remove it and he set it aside. Like always his skin was warm and soft and I wanted to be as close to him as humanly possible. No matter how I tilted my head or how I held him in my arms it was never close enough. His hands wandered up my shirt and gently stroked my back. 

For a second he pulled away, panting. My eyes were closed. "Hey," he said nudging me with his nose. I opened them. His face was flushed, his lips slightly parted. "I jus' wanna look at you a minute..."

I stayed as still as I could so he could get a look. I wasn't sure what condition I was in but I'm sure I wasn't runway ready. About a minute passed before he spoke again.

"Ya' know, you're the first woman I've ever been in love with?"

My face broke out into a mixture of reds and pinks, my cheeks hot to the touch and a smile on my lips. I drew circles on his chest with my finger. "I could say the same about you," I said. Sighing, I figured this would be the time to tell him the truth. "You're also the first person I've ever been attracted to."

Angus tilted his head. "So I'm...your first crush? Or..."

"I've had crushes," I said keeping my eyes down. "But I've never been...physically attracted to...any of them...." I braced myself for the laughter volcano about to erupt. 

"Really?" he asked. I nodded. He sat there in thought for a minute, biting his lip. "Really?" he asked again.

"Yes," I said. He pushed some hair away from his face, looking at me like he was trying to figure me out. "You think it's silly, don't you?"

"No, no, not at all, love, I've jus'..." He shrugged. "I guess I jus' can't relate." I sighed. I kind of figured. "I mean you've never...ya' know, looked at a man an'....I dunno, thought..." Angus made a face and we burst out laughing. 

"No," I said between laughs. "I've never looked at someone and thought..." I tried to imitate his face and started laughing again. Tears pooled in my eyes and I wiped them away. After a minute of tracing patterns on his soft chest, I sighed. "Then I met you."

He touched his nose to mine. "I'm honoured, love," he whispered before gently kissing me again. I pulled him as close to me as I could, his warmth enveloping me once again. I turned my attention to his cheek which needed kisses, and found my way down to his neck. He tilted his head giving me more space to work with. One of my hands rested against his chest, gently stroking him up and down. I found his belt and gently tugged on it, which by now Angus knew what that meant. He slipped his hands under the hem of my shirt and pulled it over my head, my wild hair falling in all directions. I gave him more kisses right below his ear and he laughed a little. 

"I love you," I said. 

"I love you too," he said. 

**********

I clung to him, almost afraid he would disappear. My fingertips dug into his skin, careful not to hurt him with my nails. I must have told him I loved him about a thousand times, my voice soft. Angus showered me with kisses, nuzzling into my hair. The living room got rather toasty that night, the fire still blazing. Feeling his warm skin against mine, hearing his voice in my ear, and basking in his love and affection was the best feeling in the world. I never wanted to let him go. 

He rested his forehead against mine, out of breath and smiling. For whatever reason he started laughing and I joined him. Nobody told a joke, nobody said anything. We were just intoxicated on the heat of the moment. On each other. "I love you," he said. 

"I love you too." I brushed away his damp hair and kissed his nose. With another small giggle we kissed again and continued our night.

**********

Sparks flew out from the flame and landed on the black ashes, fizzling out. I nuzzled further into Angus, pulling the blanket over my shoulder as it began to slip. His cigarette lay smoking in the ash tray and once in a while he'd pick it up for a quick puff. I yawned a few times while Angus kissed my forehead. Cradled in his arms was probably the safest place in the world. "Happy birthday," I murmured. 

"Thanks, love." He kissed me again.