3. Chapter 3 #3
“So, Casper, what do you study at university? Grace has kept you all to herself and I want answers.” Her ginger haired friend says, twisting a finger around a curl and my girlfriend gives her a little teasing eye roll.
My friends know all about her, but I bet she’s just been so busy with classes to socialise lately.
Taking a sip of my latte first, I nod and put it on the table.
“Call me Cass. I’m studying veterinarian science.
I’m training to be an on-site vet.” I say, receiving surprised blinks around the table which I’m used to getting by now.
So yeah, I’m actually really smart academically.
It all comes very easy, especially subjects like biology and chemistry.
I could have studied medicine and tried for a doctoral, but becoming a vet is all part of the bigger life plan.
“That’s so cool! So what, you’re gonna work on a farm afterwards and look after all the animals? Will you get to see cows? Oh my god, will you help birth baby cows?” Miles doesn’t hide his excitement and he’s practically bouncing next to me, which makes me laugh.
“Yeah, cows are a big majority of the farm I’m going to work on. They’re called calves by the way.”
He smirks a little but I don’t miss the pink now in his cheeks.
Digging my phone out of my athletic shorts, I open up my pictures and scroll through to my folder I keep full of animal photos from Harris’s family farm.
“Look, this was lambing season. Oh, this is Winnie, she’s just retired from being their prized cow, so she gets to just eat grass and sunbath all day.
I always take her treats but Harris’s dad chased me on his trike last time he caught me. ”
“Harris, as in the guy you were on a run with?” Miles asks, taking the phone from my hands to look at more photos of Winnie and I really don’t mind. Anyone who’s a fan of farm life is a friend of mine.
“Yeah, his family owns a huge farm. His Dad is practically a Scottish Jeremy Clarkson–their property has so many businesses on it, including a petting zoo, restaurants, shops and playparks for kids. They have sheep races! A network wanted to film there as part of a series but he turned it down, said he didn’t want to be a sell out and then chased them off on his trike.
He’s a mad bastard. Sorry! I’m rambling.
” I wince, but Miles just shakes his head at me and taps at the photo on my phone of me bottle feeding a fresh lamb.
“Don’t ever apologise, you clearly love this place so much. This is incredible, can you imagine waking up and this being your life? It’d be so cool, popping a window open in a little cottage and a cow sticks its head in.”
I chuckle, remembering how one summer we left food a little too close to the kitchen window and Winnie decided she could maneuver the latch and decimated the table.
There wasn’t a scrap of food left in sight.
She’s always been more of a domesticated cow, even when winning gold.
“When we were kids we made a pact to stick together and all work on the farm. Harris would take over from his dad, I’d be the onsite vet and Emery could do whatever the hell he wanted to do at the time.
He’s an artist, but he creates the coolest campaigns for events.
” I don’t know why I’m telling him all of this, but he is strangely really easy to talk to.
If anyone else was to ask I’d get a little nervous, not wanting to say the wrong thing and show Grace up, but she’s not paying attention to me right now.
Deep in a conversation with the guy to her left–Alex I think, I’m left to fawn over my dream job which I’m getting closer each day to making a reality.
“I don’t even know what my plan is this year, but maybe I should start dreaming bigger.
” He says, sighing a little but perking back up when he swipes onto a video of the famous sheep races.
I know not many people would want to live the rest of their life in the place they grew up, but everything about the wildness of home captivated me from the first time Dad ever took me hiking.
We literally walked out of our sleepy village and up into the rocks, venturing through trees, along loches and didn’t come home for days.
We camped, ate in cosy pubs and then on we went to the next location.
I demanded we do it every weekend, but I guess Mum wanted to actually see her husband and it became a family tradition we did once a month together.
Meeting Harris, my days then turned into adventures on the farm, driving my first tractor, looking after ferrets, helping train sheep dogs and then on to bigger animals.
I took to farm life so naturally I couldn’t see myself doing anything else.
It’s the only dream I’ve ever had, so I guess I’ll be bonded to my friends for life because I’m probably going to be buried under the large willow that sits upon the tallest hill of Pech Farms. His grandfather used to tell us tales of how the land was named after a battle of Gnomes who fought against the Scots–he’s also bat shit crazy, but the stories were fun and the property incorporated it for most of their advertisements.
“You study English lit too?” I ask him, aware we’re talking heavily only about me.
“Yeah. Not sure what I want to focus on for a dissertation though, but I’ve been writing a sort of paranormal romance and I’m kinda proud of my first draft so far.
” He says shyly and it’s kinda nice not to be the one blushing for once.
Throughout the entire conversation however, he’s been effortlessly social if I’m honest. Whilst talking to me, he leaned in to the table to be included when needed, raising an eyebrow and nodding at others, whilst at the same time paying me attention.
Ogling the cows on screen. He doesn’t miss a beat if someone says his name, but I've just given him my sole focus the entire time I've been here.
One side of my body is already pressed into him, but I gently nudge his shoulder with my own. “That’s really cool, you should be proud! You'll have to let me read it.”
He scoffs. “No writer lets someone read the first draft.”
“Ah, I didn't know! I'm sorry, nevermind.” I rub the back of my neck, nearly elbowing Teddy.
Slipping a little closer to my left on the bench, I can practically feel Miles bodyheat through his borrowed hoodie, the thought not making me want to move away.
I'm enjoying being able to steal scraps of his attention when someone isn’t speaking to him.
Shaking his free hand in front of him, he turns his body to face me and our knees knock, but remain touching.
“I didn't mean it like that, you can read it when I've finished editing the thing a couple of times.
I actually have a huge favour to ask, but feel free to say no.
I won't take it personally or anything.” His deep voice is low, peaking my curiosity and I lean in more.
“There's this film called The Little Vampire, have you heard of it? It's set in Scotland.”
My eyebrows rise in interest. “No way, where was it filmed?”
Miles eyes seem to glimmer with pure joy, like he’s about to tell me about something he really loves, it makes the blue in his eyes practically tropical. “Dunimarle Castle, Culross in Fife and Dundas Castle near Edinburgh. Have you ever been?”