The door shut behind us with a soft click, muffling the laughter and music inside to a murmur. Outside was a stark contrast to the revelry. The expanse between the houses was open and dark. Distant lights glowed yellow down the valley, sharp in the chilly air.
"You ready to go?"
I finished buttoning my coat and nodded. Stuart was made of hardier stuff, or else it was pure stubborn bravado preventing him from wearing a jacket. He offered an arm and I gladly wrapped myself around it, tucking my hands in for warmth and letting him guide me. I would have stumbled in the darkness, but he had no problem finding his way by starlight. He'd gone between the two houses so often I'm sure he could have made it blindfolded.
Paisley ran ahead of us and quickly disappeared into the dark. She knew the way even better and would be waiting for us at the front door.
A gust of wind made me shiver closer to Stuart's arm. "Jeez it's cold out here."
He chuckled. "We could run it?"
"I'd probably turn an ankle," I giggled back. "Let's get there safely and I can warm up inside."
Exercise was one of the things that Lily had told me about Stuart, when she first told me about him. He ran sometimes, but mostly he cycled. A lot. Once I arrived I could see why he did: there wasn't much else to do. Stuart dedicated himself to tending the sheep and maintaining his property, but that didn't fill a full day. Not even in the short days of winter. So he rode his bike as far as he could, which wasn't that far considering how isolated it was. In one of our first conversations he admitted he cycled the same loop multiple times in a session.
As a result, Stuart's naturally long frame was a classic cyclist's build. Leaning against him across the field I could feel the wiry muscle in his arm and his chest. Many would consider me long and slim too, but I still have curves. Stuart was just long. He even stood a head taller than me and I'm not a short woman. I rarely meet anyone who towers that far above me.
My third day there I finally learned what it was like to push up on my tiptoes for a kiss. I learned how to felt to have a man tilt his face down to meet mine. I learned what that instinctive pull in my body felt like.
But that was the third day and it was only a kiss. A soft, sweet, lingering kiss, yes. But it had stopped at kissing.
The first day Stuart was shy. Lily had warned me that he would be. "There's no one around to even be a girlfriend. I don't think he's dated since university," she said. Then she added, "Go easy on him, Jess." That conversation started when I saw a him on her social media and said he was cute -- the lanky cousin with a charming smile and soft brown eyes. Not every man gets set up by his cousin, but most men aren't cousins with my friend Lily.
He was cuter in person but Lily had been right, he was shy. We said hello, maybe a few more words, but he clammed up with his family's eyes on us.
The second dayLily and I walked Paisley out past the meadows. When Stuart came riding home, Lily contrived to return the dog without me, leaving the two of us alone. He hopped off the bike to thank me for looking after Paisley, then our conversation turned from dogs and exercise to music and literature. Soon we were laughing and flirting. Stuart seemed to come alive alone. Maybe I did it with a smile or a searching glance, but more likely it was pure and simple chemistry that danced between us, undiluted by additional eyes. Once we'd spoken a few words each we found ourselves remarkably compatible.
The third day we walked together. Stuart skipped his ride to be alone with me. That's when we took Paisley to the other side of the ridge. Our conversation paused in a way that was strangely comfortable, considering we'd just met. We stood on the shore with the waves crashing into the rocks and we kissed.
More accurately, I kissed him. I recognized the heat radiating in his gaze because I shared it. And that lull in conversation was not awkwardness; we weren't looking for an exit. It was uncertainty: we both wanted to shift into the next phase but wondered how. So I did.
That emboldened him. He entwined his fingers in mine as we walked and he snuck more kisses on his own initiative. We parted with the longest eye contact known to man.
"When are you going to jump his bones?" Lily asked that night as we brushed our teeth. She could be a little blunt about sex. Actually, she could be a little blunt about everything. "You're only here a week, you know."
"It hasn't been the right time," I said.
This was the right time. After kissing him the day before I wanted more. Something about his quiet prepossession spoke to my soul. And though I preferred a man with more experience I figured I could make the most of the situation.
Our fourth day was a long torturous day. The whole family had gathered, plus me and a few other hangers-on. Stuart spent the day gazing at me across the table or sharing a secretive smile. Lily spent it elbowing me and whispering crass questions in my ear.
Our answer was Paisley. She grew agitated as the evening wore on. "Sorry, sorry, I'll take her back home," Stuart said as he pulled the dog away from yet another thing she shouldn't be chewing.
"Jess will help you!" Lily volunteered.
We both stared at her. I was almost mad that she made it seem so obvious, but the flash quickly melted into gratitude. How else was I going to extract myself from that gathering? And besides, it wasn't my family. If anyone should be worried about a nosy aunt it would be Stuart, not me. But while the aunts seemed to know what bubbled between us, they didn't seem to care. If anything the general consensus seemed to be that their dutiful nephew needed to get laid, to borrow another of Lily's expressions.
"We don't have to do anything," he said outside his door as Paisley impatiently circled our feet.
I peered up at his face in the dark. "I know, Stu. Let's just see how it goes." I grinned, "Besides, I've been remembering your kisses all day."
"Me too."
Stuart dipped his head to catch his lips on mine. They were chilly from the wind but harbored fire. I clung to his shoulders as he held me at the waist. Our kiss awoke a hunger in me. Just as I introduced a tongue into the equation, Paisley bumped hard into Stuart's legs. We nearly tumbled to the ground but caught ourselves against the house, laughing.
Stuart unlatched the door, flicked on the light, and gestured inside. "Settle in, Jess. Do you want something while you wait? I'll just be a moment."
I hung my coat next to the door and immediately regretted taking it off. The house was chilly after being empty all day. "Um.. something to drink would be nice?"
"I have whisky," he offered. Stuart poured two glasses and handed one to me while Paisley continued dancing around our legs. He stared at me like he expected me to evaporate the moment he turned his back. "I'll just be a moment," he repeated. "Here, Pais."
The two disappeared and left me in the front room. I've been calling it a house, but it was more like a cottage or a cabin. It seemed to have only three rooms, including one big combined area that encompassed kitchen and dining and living rooms in one. It was clearly a bachelor's space but in a simple, minimalist way. It was tidier than I expected. I wondered if it was always this neat or if he'd straightened it up that morning on the off chance I'd visit. The wood stove, which doubled as a heating source, glowed only a faint red. I looked for more wood before giving up and curling onto the couch. The whisky was good. Smoky, not spicy, and smooth. It warmed me down to my core.
