Page 3 of Closer than Ever

“Oh, this?” Hayley turned her head to the side. “This is my whole world from now on. It’s heavy but it’s fine. You get used to it.”

“Here, let me take it while we walk back to mine. Give you a break from it.”

“It’s okay. I got it.”

“No, come on.” Anna gestured for her to take it off.

Hayley’s eyes had a flirty glint in them. “So chivalrous of you, Anna.” Hayley conceded and unclipped the bag from her waist and handed it over. Anna hoisted it over her shoulder. It was even heavier than she expected, but easy enough to carry. Anna clipped on the backpack at her hips, not needing to adjust the straps.

Hayley rubbed her arms, almost bouncing on the spot. “Oh my god it’s so cold! I’ve been freezing ever since I landed. Can’t get warm. What was it you used to call this type of weather again? D? something?”

Anna smiled. “Dreich. Cold, wet and miserable. Weather that makes you forget what the sun looks like. The true Scottish experience.”

Hayley’s eyes lit up. She always did appreciate the language. “I love that word! I don’t even mind this rain, so maybe I am a Scot at heart!”

“Maybe you are.”

Hayley nodded, as if thinking. “I’m so happy to be here, Anna. I can’t tell you.”

Anna smiled. Holding eye contact with Hayley was intoxicating. She had missed her. “Come on, let’s go. Let’s get you warm.”

They headed out of the station, turning right past the old-fashioned stone wall towards the town centre. Anna was far too aware that the backpack she was carrying had previously been flush against Hayley’s back.

“It’s so pretty here. It’s so different from back home.”

Anna wondered what Hayley would make of Balbuinidh. It had to be a culture shock coming from New York. “Yeah, it’s not bad. It’s centred around a few main streets next to the loch. Most of it is countryside, estates, farmland, and a nature reserve. There’s some protected forest, and the distillery, of course. Glenbuinidh is the heart of it all.”

“It’s lovely.”

They crossed the road onto the main street. It was quiet, even for Balbuinidh.

“Oh my god, look at that cute pub! Can we go in? I’ve missed British pubs so much!”

Anna would have preferred to go back to hers and cosy up with a bottle of wine and chat, but it was sweet how excited Hayley was about the pub. It was her holiday after all. “Sure.”

It was nearly empty inside except for Arthur sitting in his favourite corner nursing a pint and reading the newspaper. Anna imagined what The Crofters would look like to Hayley. The fire gave a warm glow making it feel cosy. Thick wooden beams held up the relatively low ceiling.

Hayley dumped her bags by a table in the centre of the room. She scanned the pub with reverence. “This place looks like it hasn’t changed in a hundred years.”

Anna shrugged. “It probably hasn’t, much.”

“What’s that saying you have again? ‘I could murder a pint’?”

Anna smiled, greatly appreciating that Hayley had remembered that. It was something Anna must only have said once or twice years ago. “Yep, you’re right. Great memory, by the way.”

“How could I forget that gem?”

Anna took off the backpack, conscious that Hayley was watching her now. Anna had no idea what she might be thinking. It was almost like meeting a stranger for the first time but there was this powerful sense of familiarity from the past and from a lot of recent digital interaction. It was an odd feeling, but not an unwelcome one.

“Drink?” Anna said, still nervous and awkward.

“Absolutely! This is a celebration, my friend.”

Anna nodded, wishing the word ‘friend’ was all that had transpired between them in the past. “That it is.”

Hayley’s eyes lit up at the well-stocked bar. “I think I’ll have a pint of the local beer. No, wait, a Glenbuinidh. Fuck, I want them both.”

Anna laughed. “Then have them both.”

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