Chapter 14 Angus
ANGUS
Not having to be in a field by four in the morning is a total game-changer for me and Richard.
We meet every night at our usual spot, before driving to the barn.
The fuck and run energy we were existing off has gone.
We take our time. We talk, we laugh, we bring laptops and watch films, or listen to music, and we even dance in the middle of the barn.
We fall asleep together and wake up. Granted, we still have to wake up early enough to get to our respective homes, shower, change, and get onto campus, but overall, it’s much more relaxing.
Every day, he makes me fall for him a little more, whether it’s in the way he gazes into my eyes or the loving way he treats me.
I was convinced I'd never be a one-man guy. Now, I’m not so sure.
“Do you have plans over the holiday?” Richard asks, as we lie in each other’s arms on the airbed.
“Revision?”
He nuzzles my neck. “Yes, you need to do a lot of that.”
“I was hoping we’d get to spend more time together.” Is that too needy a thing to say?
“I’d like that.”
“We might need to bring a few home comforts here.”
“Or we could go somewhere else.”
I frown. “Your place?” Surely that would be too risky? But where else would we go? I doubt there’s anywhere in Leeds where we’d be one hundred per cent certain of not running into someone we know.
“We could rent a little cottage somewhere.”
“At this short notice?”
“Yes. There’s more availability than you might think.”
“You’ve already looked?”
He smiles. “Yes. Do you mind?”
“No. I think it’s sweet.”
He twirls his finger over my arm. “I would have one condition, though.”
“I can pay half.”
He shakes his head and kisses me. “Thanks, but no thanks, I’ve got this.”
“Then what’s the condition?”
“You’d have to be a good student and revise every day.”
I cross my fingers over my heart. “Yes, Professor.”
“There would be no sex before you’ve revised.”
I pout. “But there would be kisses?”
“I think kisses would be allowed, just not too many. I’ll have to bring marking, as well.”
“That’s fine. We can sit on opposite ends of the sofa, playing footsie while I revise and you mark.”
He gives me a stern look.
“What? You said no sex. You didn’t say footsie would be off the cards.”
“It would be too distracting.”
I grin and flutter my lashes. “I can multitask. Can’t you?”
“You would be too distracting.”
I sigh dramatically. “Fine. No footsie. How long would we go for? A week?” I like the idea of spending time with him without the pressure of having to be somewhere else, or pretending I’m not falling hopelessly for Richard.
The Easter holiday is four weeks long, and then I barely get a chance to breathe before finals start.
Then my degree will be over, after four years of hard work.
I already know my cumulative grade from my first and second year, as well as how well I’ve done in coursework this year, but my finals are still make-or-break.
How well I do—or don’t do—in them will affect my overall percentage and therefore my final grade. No pressure, or anything.
Maybe I should stay here and become a hermit for the entire holiday instead, although from what Richard has said, he intends to ensure I do revise. Could he be any more wonderful?
“Maybe two, if you don’t think you’ll get sick of me,” Richard says.
“I could never get sick of you.”
“Spending twenty-four seven together will be very different from evenings and nights.”
“I think we can handle it. It’ll be fun. We’ll get to do couply stuff we’ve not done before, like cooking together. We’ll get to sleep in a real bed.”
“We’ve done that.”
“Once.”
“Fair.”
I moan. “We can have baths together.”
Richard looks at me doubtfully.
“What?”
“Would we both fit?”
“Yes. It would be cosy, but that’s half the fun. We can take turns to make each other breakfast in bed. Am I getting too carried away?”
“Maybe, but you’re being adorable, so carry on.”
I grin. “Let’s book somewhere.”
“Now?”
“Yes!
We use Richard’s laptop. He’s right, there are lots of holiday cottages available to rent.
A lot of people must head abroad instead of relying on the good old British weather.
The prices vary wildly by location. In the end, we settle on a tiny one-bedroom cottage in Northumberland, near the sea, and almost on the Scottish border to the north of the county.
We book it for the first two weeks of the Easter holiday, starting on Saturday.
“Oh, shit.”
Richard looks at me. “What?”
“I promised I’d introduce Flynn to the nightlife in Leeds on Friday night. It’s fine. I’ll take him, introduce him to my friends, and then leave early. He doesn’t need me to hold his hand.”
“Are you sure? We don’t need to leave crazy early on Saturday morning. We can’t get into the cottage until three in the afternoon, anyway.”
“I’m sure.” It’s a four-hour drive—at least—but Richard’s right, we don’t have to set off particularly early. We can drive up there leisurely. “It seems silly to drive separately.”
“How else would we get there? I won’t be able to leave my car in our usual spot for two weeks. Someone will notice and report it to the police.”
I rub my neck as I ponder the problem. “You could get a train a bit further north, and I’ll pick you up from there. As long as it’s close to the A1, it won’t be a big detour.”
“You want to drive?”
“Yes. My way of saying thank you for paying for the cottage.” I wag my finger at him. “And don’t even think about offering to pay for petrol, because I won’t let you.”
He chuckles. “Thought dismissed.”
“Good.” My heart flutters. “I can’t believe we’re going to spend two whole weeks together. Just the two of us. No sneaking around. No sleeping on an airbed. Just you, me, and freedom.”
“And revision.”
I sigh. “Yes, Professor.” I flop onto my back and stare at the wooden ceiling, high above us, contentment settling in my chest. “It’s going to be amazing.”
“I won’t be staying out late tonight,” I say when Flynn wanders into the lounge.
He’s wearing a white T-shirt, with an unfastened, short-sleeved, blue and white striped shirt, and stone chinos. It’s the first time I’ve seen him in anything other than work clothes. Not that I’m home much at the moment.
“Why not?” Dad asks from his usual armchair in front of the TV.
“Because I’m going away tomorrow and want to get some sleep.”
Dad pauses the TV, sits upright, and stares at me. “Going where?”
“Just away for a few days to study. I have finals straight after the holiday, remember?”
“You can study here. Why waste money going elsewhere?”
I was hoping Dad wouldn’t care enough to give me a grilling. I was wrong. “Farms are kinda noisy, Dad.”
It’s true. Everyone thinks the countryside is quiet, and, sure, there isn’t the constant drone of traffic, there are very few honking horns, but nature is noisy.
The cows make plenty of noise, especially when they’re hungry or aching to be milked.
Then there are the birds, and the rumble of the tractor when Dad is lugging lots of hay, straw, or feed around. It’s never quiet.
“How can you afford it?”
“I’ve got a bit of money saved up. I found a cheap holiday rental.”
“Waste of money,” he grumbles.
“I think it’s a good idea,” Flynn says.
Dad glares at him.
As far as I can tell, Flynn has made a good impression on Dad. For the most part, anyway. So far, his ideas about improving the farm have gone down like a lead balloon, but Dad seems happy enough with the manual work Flynn has done around the farm.
I’m not sure how Mum managed it, but she convinced Dad that, as Flynn is an employee, he needs to have two days off a week.
She also made it clear that Dad wasn’t allowed to rope me into covering those days.
Dad would just have to cope or hire someone else.
So, Flynn has Saturday and Wednesday off. What he doesn’t have yet is a car.
“You’ll have to come home early with me, unless you’re happy getting a taxi home.”
“I’m good with either.”
I’m not sure if Flynn is naturally acquiescent or if he’s being so accommodating because he’s the new guy. It can’t be easy, living under his boss’s roof. If he fucks up, he won’t just lose his job, he’ll lose his home, too.
“Don’t make too much noise if you come home late and drunk,” Dad says.
“I won’t,” Flynn replies.
I won’t be drinking at all.
“Let’s go.” I walk through to the kitchen without waiting for a response.
“Thanks for showing me around,” Flynn says, once we’re in Elle and on our way to Leeds.
“It’s no problem.”
“I feel like I’ve been foisted on you and your dad.”
I laugh. “Mum does that to people. Honestly? I’m glad you’re here. Dad was never going to hire someone to replace me.”
“That’s what your mum said.”
“Dad’s gruff, but he’s all right once you get to know him.”
Flynn smiles and stares out the window. Is he getting to grips with the lay of the land for when he does have a car?
He’s going to need his own transportation.
If Dad wants him to go and fetch anything, he’ll let him use his Land Rover, but that won’t extend to getting off the farm on his days off.
I do not understand why he’s so eager to be a farmer, while I’m desperate to leave that life behind.
I find a parking spot, and then we walk to the nightclub Jimmy has chosen for us tonight.
I told him I was bringing a friend along, but didn’t say more than that.
We have to queue to get in. Neither of us gets asked for ID.
Once inside, I scan the large, already too-hot room for my friends.
I spy Jimmy, Steph, and a few of our other friends on the dance floor, clearly having fun. Jimmy has his back to me.
I turn to Flynn and make a drinking motion with my hand. “Want to grab a drink first?”
“No, I’m good.”
“Okay. My friends are over here.”
We weave our way through the throng of dancers to my friends.