Chapter 16 Angus
ANGUS
The first week flies by in a blur of revision—marking and lecture preparation for Richard—early morning and evening walks, dinners out, and plenty of sex.
I was a bit afraid we’d get sick of each other's company. Steamy hook-ups are not the same as being in the same space twenty-four-seven. But, if anything, my feelings for Richard have deepened, and I definitely appreciate getting to sleep in a comfortable bed every night. It’s better for sex, too.
A lot kinder on the knees than bales of straw or camping mats on the floor.
We’re officially halfway through our stay, and we’re at our favourite place to go for dinner—a quaint little pub with stone walls, a massive open fire, lots of original woodwork, and a cheerful landlord with a beaming smile.
This is our third time here, and we’ve far from exhausted the menu.
The best part? It’s a short walk from the cottage.
No driving means I can enjoy a drink. We’re each having a glass of red wine with dinner.
Richard scoops a bit of my lasagne onto his fork, while I steal some of his steak and ale pie.
“Are we doing dessert tonight?” Richard asks.
“That depends on what kind of dessert you want. Something sweet, or me.” I waggle my eyebrows.
Richard hums. “Or both?”
“Both is good.” I eat the steak and ale pie. “This is good.”
“So’s the lasagne.”
“Want to swap?”
Richard puts a guarding arm around his plate. “No. This is all mine.”
“Except for this bit.” I manage to get my fork around his arm to score another bit of pie. “So good. Although if I overeat, I might be too full for dessert.”
“I’m never too full for dessert.” He pats his stomach. “You can probably tell.”
I snort. “You have a gorgeous body.” I lean close and lower my voice. “Your love handles are the sexiest I’ve ever squeezed.”
He arches a brow.
“They are. The sight of you makes me weak at the knees, Professor.”
His cheeks glow a pretty shade of pink.
“It’s true. I’m utterly smitten by you. I wouldn’t change a thing.”
“I wouldn’t change anything about you, either.”
I smile and then clear my throat. “You need to let me pay tonight.”
“No.”
Richard has paid for everything while we’ve been here, except fuel for Elle.
“It’s not fair that you’re footing the bill for everything.”
“You’re a student. I have a job.”
“Fine. But once I’ve graduated and I’m gainfully employed, I’m going to take you out to the fanciest restaurant in Leeds and you’re not going to pay for a thing.”
“Deal.” He moves a bit of pie and mash around his plate. “You’re planning on staying in Leeds?”
“Where else would I go?”
He shrugs. “You could go anywhere.”
“I could, but I like Leeds. I’ll move out of the farm as soon as I can afford to, though.”
He stares at his plate thoughtfully.
“What about you? Have you ever thought of living anywhere else?” I ask.
“I didn’t grow up in Leeds. I moved there because the university was daft enough to hire me as a lecturer.”
“They’re lucky to have you. I loved your lectures. You’re an inspiring teacher.”
He chuckles. “Hardly.”
“You are. You made Mathematics for Business and Economics sexy.”
“Umm… Is that a good thing?”
“Absolutely. I went to all of your lectures. Didn’t miss a single one. And I was very attentive.”
“And what did you learn?”
I rake my teeth over my bottom lip. “That you have a sexy teacher voice.”
He laughs. “I hope you learnt more than that.”
“Well, you gave me a passing grade, so I must have done.”
“I gave you a 2:1.”
It’s my turn to raise my brows. “You remember.”
“Yes, I remember.”
My insides turn warm and fuzzy, heat rises to my cheeks, and my pulse quickens. “I’m so glad you’re not one of my lecturers this year.” If he were, we’d never have ended up in the back of Elle together.
“So am I.”
I fill my mouth with lasagna to stop myself from saying anything too inappropriate for the setting. “So, you’ve got no plans to move?”
Richard is quiet for a few moments. “I’ll admit I thought about it in the immediate aftermath of my marriage imploding.”
“How hard did you think about it?”
“Not hard enough to look for jobs elsewhere. My immediate gut reaction was to get as far away from Ashley as possible.”
“What changed?”
“You.”
The air rushes out of my lungs.
He widens his eyes, puts his fork down, and wipes his hands over his face. “That sounded very…”
“Very—?”
“A lot. It sounded a lot.” He shakes his head. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to put that weight on you.”
“Weight?”
“Making it sound like you’re the only reason I stayed. You’re not. My life is here. I have a job I love, friends—” He sighs. “And now I’m trivialising your impact on me. When did I become so ineloquent?”
I put my hand on his knee beneath the table. “You’re not. I understand.”
“You do?”
I chuckle. “Yes. And, for the record, I’m glad I’m one of the reasons you decided not to run away.”
“Run away?” He slumps his shoulders. “Yes, I suppose that’s what I would have been doing.”
“No one would have blamed you. And to circle back—I’m also glad I’m not your only reason for staying, because, you’re right, that would have been a lot of pressure. I’m happy being one of several. That doesn’t trivialise anything.”
Richard stares at me. “Are you really only twenty-two?”
I roll my eyes. “Yes.”
“And you’re sure you’ve never been in a relationship before?”
“Positive.”
“Then why are you making more sense than me?”
I shrug. “No clue.” I polish off my lasagne. “Dessert?”
“I thought you said you wouldn’t have room.”
“I said I might not have room. Turns out I do. I was eyeing up the cremé brulee with lemon shortbread last night.”
“You had the sticky toffee pudding.”
“Mm, sticky toffee pudding. It was delicious.” My mouth waters at the memory. “Second-best sticky toffee pudding I’ve ever tasted.”
“Only the second best?”
“The absolute best is from the village shop in Cartmel. Did you know that’s where it originated from? Cartmel, I mean.”
“Really?”
“Yes. Well, that’s what everyone says, anyone.” I do a chef’s kiss. “Trust me, you have not tasted sticky toffee pudding unless you’ve had some from Cartmel.”
Richard ponders the dessert menu. “I think I know where I’m taking you next.”
“Taking me next?”
He smiles. “If you’ll let me?”
“If I’m working, I’m paying half.”
“And if you’re not?”
I narrow my eyes playfully. “When are you planning on taking me away?”
“After you graduate. To celebrate.”
I blink slowly, taking that in. “You want to go on holiday with me again?”
He hesitates, as though he’s processing what he said, too. Eventually, he meets my gaze. “I want to be with you, Angus. Too much?”
“No. I want to be with you, too.”
He reaches across the table and threads his fingers through mine. “Then let me take you to Cartmel after you graduate.”
“For sticky toffee pudding?”
He laughs and squeezes my hand. “Yes. And for so much more.”
The warm, fuzzy feeling returns. I can’t stop smiling broadly, even when my cheeks ache. Eventually, I find my voice. “Dessert? What are you going to have?”
He hums. “I think I’ll try the jam roly poly and custard.”
“Oh, good, I can steal some and see how good it is.”
He pouts comically. “It’s mine.”
“You can have some of mine. Swapsies.”
He chuckles. “All right.”
“And then you can kiss the taste of my dessert off my lips and tongue during the walk home.”
He shivers. “I can’t wait.”