Did I mention I hated flying?

At least this was a flight to a new city rather than a new part of the world. I wouldn't go back in time, the seasons wouldn't change, and I wouldn't have to convert my new American dollars for different ones. 

But the distance from the ground was the same. 

Before we left for the airport I made a call to my mum to tell her my predicament. Instead of saying I was going on tour with a rock and roll band I explained I wanted to stay In California a little longer. There was so much more to see and I hadn't experienced it all. She seemed happy that I was enjoying myself, knowing how wary I was of travelling. But I could see she was annoyed at having to work by herself again. I told her not to pay me until I came back. It was only fair and she agreed. 

The jet was smaller than my flight to Cali but much nicer too. We could get up and walk around whenever we wanted and there was so much more room to stretch our legs. 

This was the fucking life. 

Angus sort of tapped his knuckles against his thigh the whole time. I asked him if anything was wrong and he said he wished they hadn't taken his guitar in a different plane. He pulled out a cigarette and sipped at his tea. I noticed he kept his gaze straight ahead after insisting I take the window seat. Cliff sat a few rows behind us talking to Malcolm. Cathy came with us as did Linda and they sat together in front of Angus and I. I didn't see where Bon was but Phil was on the other side talking to a few crew members who boarded with us. A stewardess came by offering snacks and drinks. Angus got more tea and I took a cup of water. I felt a tap on my shoulder. 

"Afternoon," Malcolm said looking at me. "You alive, Ang?" Angus nodded his head but didn't turn around. "Here..." He held out a folded piece of paper. "Would you mind handin' this to that lovely lady sittin' in front of you?" I took the paper and looked at Linda. She and Cathy were deep in discussion over a Women's Rights article in a magazine and I hated to interrupt. 

"Yes?" Linda smiled. I handed her the note. 

"Malcolm asked me to give this to you," I said. Linda looked behind me and when I turned around Malcolm was already back in his seat next to Cliff. I didn't mean to look over Linda's shoulder but the note read "you look nice today". Linda smiled.

"Thank you, my love!" He said something in reply but I didn't hear him. Linda seemed to be used to this by now and just laughed it off. I sat back down in my seat and looked at Angus. His eyes were closed and his arms were crossed over his lap. My Dramamine was kicking in and it felt odd to be the one who wasn't unwell. 

So...

I slowly reached out and took his hand in mine.

He sighed and gripped it tight.

**********

Angus looked a lot better by the time we reached the ground. He hurried off the jet nonetheless...but he didn't look so pale anymore. 

A few cars picked everyone up to drop them off at their respective hotels. Malcolm said I'd be sharing with someone since it was economical to share a room rather than any of us pay for another one. And since most of the others were sharing with a woman...

His words, not mine. 

Angus offered his room and he'd take the couch if there weren't two beds available. I didn't think he was in the mood to debate so I accepted. After finding it I stumbled inside, dizzy from drowsiness. There were two small beds and I collapsed on one of them. Angus sat on the other and opened up a small bag filled with toothpaste, soap, and other various treasures. "You want the bathroom first?"

I think I mumbled something akin to letting Angus have it first. He closed the door behind him and that was the last thing I heard before surrendering to sleep. 

********

I opened my eyes. 

There were shadows on the wall in front of me and plenty of traffic outside. Angus was lying on the bed next to me lightly snoring. 

It can't be...

My suitcases were still on the floor where I dropped them but Angus had opened his and got a fresh change of clothes. A wet towel sat on the dresser. The clock was several hours ahead since we arrived at the hotel.

I slept in???

I couldn't believe I slept that long. Completely missing the show, missing wishing Angus luck, and missing dinner. Some friend I was. 

I quietly got up to shower and freshen up. When I came out wrapped only in a towel, forgetting my clothes like a nimrod, I kept an eagle eye on the sleeping Angus. One wrong move and he'd wake up to a show. 

Successful, I returned to the bathroom and continued to dry myself off and change. Remarkably he was still asleep when I came out again. His snoring was the only way I could tell he was still alive. I opened my suitcase and took out a brown package where I stuffed all my pastries. Having accidentally skipped dinner I was starving for breakfast. I split a croissant in half and set one half on a napkin for Angus when he woke up. I rummaged around in my purse and pulled out a teabag, putting it next to the napkin. 

He likes tea.

Not wanting to disturb him by opening the curtains I took my half of the croissant and left the room for some sunshine, writing a note telling him I'd be back. 

There was a pool at our hotel and I wanted in on that action. I brought my book with me, Of Mice and Men. There weren't a lot of people there that morning and I kept to myself. I stripped off my oversized shirt to my bikini underneath and set it on the small grey table next to a small grey lawn chair. A couple of kids were splashing in the water speaking rapid Spanish to their smiling parents.

I wish I could speak Spanish.

That's another thing I like. Languages. 

I would love to be able to speak every language in the world. The problem is, I don't like to talk. 

The pool was outdoors surrounded by very high stone walls. On the walls were iron balconies and plenty of birds hung around to watch the fun. Birds in America are so cute, one preened himself while his round friend sang a love song. A dull-feathered lady bird sat on a balcony across from them, tilting her head. One of them, I won't say whom, used the restroom and fertilized a trough of flowers. 

"Well, fancy meeting you here."

I looked away from the birds above me and saw Angus standing there.

In a swimsuit. 

And the damn tiniest one I've ever seen in my life.

It was practically a napkin.

"I saw your note," he said grabbing a chair next to me. "Figured you went sightseein' or somethin'. So I went swimmin'." He crossed his leg over his knee and grinned. "Thanks for the breakfast by the way. Great tea."

I wanted to answer. I wanted to say something so witty in response like they do on the telly. Something to make him putty in my hands. But all I could do was stutter and blush like a buffoon. I thought maybe I could go back to my book but I could see him looking at me out of the corner of my eye. 

Am I covered in crumbs?

Do I have something in my hair?

Is my book upside down?

"Mal's comin' by later with Linda," Angus said as an afterthought. "Now I won't be a third wheel, eh?" he laughed a bit.

I blushed a little. 

What was the matter with me? I've never reacted this way to a man in my life! I've had crushes, sure, but I've never been THIS shy! Speak, damn it!

"What's that you're readin'?" I showed him the cover. "Huh. I think I started that one when I was eighteen or somethin'. Any good?" 

"Yeah, it is." Finally!

He nodded. "Good. Hey, sorry you missed the show, I didn't wanna wake you..."

"I don't mind," I said. "I must have really needed the sleep." He smiled at me behind his sunnies. And I, as usual, looked down shyly at my book. 

"We'll get ya' backstage at the next one, promise." He leaned back in his chair and I tried not to sneak glances. A while passed before either of us said anything. I began to think he fell asleep again. The other family in the pool collected their things and left, empty silence surrounding us. I set my book down hoping to relax a bit. I heard Angus laugh a little.

"What?"

"Nothin'," he said with a grin.

"What?"

"Nothin', hun." He kept laughing and I wasn't amused.

Maybe a little.

I looked at the empty pool and back at Angus. "Tell me or I'll throw you in."

"Do it," he smiled. 

I couldn't. Fuck it, I couldn't do it. 

I sat back in my chair in a huff. Angus stretched his leg out and tapped my chair with his foot. "You're cute," he said. 

I...

He said...

I gave him my best pout, hoping to show my obvious distaste at the compliment. Angus could see I was lying from the moon. Voices grew louder behind us and I turned around, happy to see the distraction known as Malcolm and Linda. "Oi, Ang! We brought some Cokes with us 'cause we knew you'd forget," Malcolm said. "Hey, Hannah, you swimmin' with us too?"

"She got here before I did, Mal," Angus said taking his sunnies off. "She saved us a spot."

"Yeah, 'cause it's so crowded," Malcolm said looking around. He took the picnic basket from Linda and went to pull over a couple more chairs. They made a ludicrously loud scraping sound and Malcolm paused. "Sorry," he said before scraping the chairs again. 

"Hello, Hannah," Linda said taking a chair from Malcolm and putting on sunscreen. "Sorry we haven't got to chat much but I've been busy taking care of this man." Malcolm smiled. "Sweet of them to invite you, not a lot of us women on tours, ya' know?"

I nodded. I supposed so....I mean, this was only my first one, what did I know?

"Yeah, Ang's never had this much interest in a woman recently," Malcolm said pulling Cokes and a beer out of the basket. "It's all I can do to keep from teasin' him." I turned my head to look at Angus and saw him lowering his hand, most likely hiding the obscene gesture from my innocent eyes. "Well," Malcolm said opening his can and taking a long drink. "I'm goin' in. Anyone comin'?" 

"I will in a second, I want to catch up with Hannah first," Linda said. Angus shrugged and stood up. 

"Guess I'll leave you to it," he said leaving his thongs by the chair and following his brother.

Linda looked at the book on the table but she didn't seem to notice it. "Are you staying for the whole tour? I'm staying until they fly back to Europe for a couple more England shows. I'm going back to the house Mal and I share and resting up. I love traveling but sometimes it's a lot, you know?" 

"I don't know when I'm going home," I admitted. "I want to stay in California as long as I can." She nodded in understanding.

"That's alright, I'm sure Ang wouldn't mind your company for a while. And it's nice to have a friend along. Oh, Cathy and Beth are alright. And I've met Sandra a few times. Great gals."

"Beth?" I asked.

"Oh, she's Bon's friend. Sandra had to stay home and work, and since Beth lives in the area he asked her to join them for a bit." 

I looked towards the pool to see Angus and Malcolm splashing each other like they were kids again. And this time there were no parents to get after them. 

And suspiciously no lifeguard either. 

Linda sipped at her Coke and offered me one. I think fizzy drinks taste like electricity but I didn't want to be rude and there was nothing else. So I took one and took a sip.

It shocked me. So I set it down. 

"I think I'll have a swim now. It was good to talk with you, Hannah." I smiled at her as she took off her robe and went to the pool stairs. 

So...what should I do?

I picked up my book again but didn't really pay any attention. The pool scene looked much more fun. So I set it down and went to join them. The water was warm. I don't know how to swim to save my life but I could get into the deeper end. I felt a pair of arms grab me from behind and I squealed, covering my mouth from sheer embarrassment. "Sorry about that, did I hurt ya'?" Angus inspected me as I shook my head. 

"You just scared me," I said hoping my squeal didn't scare away the other hotel patrons. 

"Oh, well if that's all." He pulled me to the middle of the pool where I was right in the line of fire. Malcolm and Linda had gotten into a small splash fight but stopped just in time. "Alright, now we're on teams."

"You ever play this game at home, Hannah?" Malcolm asked. "Ang an' I used to play with our older brothers all the time when they'd come to visit." I shook my head. 

"The object is jus' to make the other team bow out, alright?" Angus asked. "Ya' splash 'em till they want to quit an' cry to Mum an' Dad."

"Angus added in that rule the last time we played," Malcolm said laughing. Angus started splashing him while Malcolm very loudly accused him of cheating and fought back. 

"Come on, Hannah!" Linda made her way through the water to help Malcolm and I pathetically followed her to help Angus. Even though I really didn't want to splash anybody. But once the game got started it....was actually kind of fun. 

Sure, my eyes were burning from the chlorine but who cares?

Eventually Angus and I surrendered and we switched teams. Angus joined Malcolm's side and Linda went to join me. At first I thought we were fucked because Malcolm and Angus liked to play a bit rough. But Linda is a scrapper, I'll tell you that. 

I'm not sure who won the last round because all four of us were soaked to the bone and Malcolm wanted to finish his drink and have a quick piss. We dried off in our towels and relaxed in our chairs, the pool empty once again. 

We talked for a while. Well, the other three talked. I listened mostly, once in a while answering a question or laughing at a funny story. 

I enjoyed myself.

Until I heard the shouting. 

I couldn't tell where on earth it was coming from since the pool area seemed to be empty except for us. Next to me Linda screamed and my heart stopped for a second. Turning around I saw a quick flash of...something land in the pool releasing a tsunami on anything within a five foot radius. Luckily we remained unscathed and we stood up from our chairs to see whatever that something was.

Or...someone.

A man came up to the surface, pushing back his long hair and spitting out water. There was cheering from around the iron balconies, surely scaring the birds away. I wrapped my towel around myself and sighed once I made eye contact.

"Hello," said Bon happily.