That night, I laid on my stomach with my ankles crossed in the air behind me. I had finally found time to Skype with Brena and Sydney.

I smiled when their faces flashed onto my screen. "Greetings from Scotland!"

"Hey, girl!" Brena answered. She and Sydney were sitting on the couch in Brena's basement. "How are you? How's the vacation?"

"Oh, it's everything I ever dreamed of. Scotland is a beauty."

"And how are things with the guy?" Sydney asked.

"They're good. We've made progress since the fluke on my first day here. He's actually turning out to be quite something." I hoped they couldn't see the flush that rose to my cheeks.

Brena and Sydney shared a look.

"So does that mean—"

"It means I'm just mildly interested," I interrupted. "Nothing has happened. He doesn't even know about Kyle yet."

"You'll tell him when you're ready. Right?" Brena asked.

I hadn't really thought about it too much. Ever since the hand-brushing the other day, things were pretty boring between me and Fionn. Honestly, it was nice to have a relationship with a guy that wasn't romantic, no strings attached. Just the two of us as friends with no feelings involved.

Regardless, I nodded. "Right."

"Are we going to get to see any pics of him at least?" Sydney looked at me expectantly.

Brena smacked her arm. "Syd! Cut the girl a break. Em, don't listen to her. What are your plans tonight?"

I shrugged. "Nothing special. I was just gonna get dinner and probably see what's—"

A knock on the door interrupted me.

"—hold that thought," I said to my computer then called out, "come in!' to the door.

Fionn opened it a beat later, poking his head inside. "Hey, Em. Am I interrupting anything?"

"Hey." I sat up, crossing my legs. "I'm just Skyping with some friends."

At that, Sydney whispered quite loudly, "Ay Dios mio. He sounds hot," to which Fionn smirked.

I glared at my screen, signaling my friends with my eyes to shut up before muting them. "What's up?"

Fionn scratched the back of his head. "I was gonna take a drive and grab a milkshake. Do you want to join me?"

My stomach grumbled in approval. "Yeah, that sounds like fun. Um, give me five to wrap up and I'll meet you downstairs?"

He nodded and closed the door behind him. I counted to ten, hoping he was out of earshot and returned to my friends.

"Damn, Emilie. I don't even need to see his face to know that he is one hot tamale," Sydney commented, fanning herself. "Muy caliente. And did you hear  that accent?"

I rolled my eyes but nonetheless said, "He's not terrible to look at."

"Either way," Brena added in, giving Sydney a pointed look, "I'm glad you're enjoying yourself, Em."

"Thanks. I'm gonna jump off because Fionn invited me out as friends," I said, quickly adding in the last part before either Sydney or Brena could get the wrong idea.

We finished up our goodbyes and I closed my laptop. As I grabbed my purse to head out the door, my phone pinged with a new text.

Wear the outfit xo Cat

I stared at my phone screen. What did she know that I didn't?

My heart thumped hard in my chest and I stared at the bag sitting at the edge of the closet. I did like the clothes, but I didn't think going for milkshakes was the type of outing to wear them.

I texted Catriona back: it's not a date.

Maybe I should've added, "what did he tell you?" but decided against it. Cat knew things about her brother's dating habits, but this was probably not the time to revisit that. It was just milkshakes.

She responded immediately: it doesn't have to be. Wear the clothes for YOU.

I smiled. Catriona was right. I looked good in the clothes, but I didn't need to wear them for anyone but myself. Five minutes later, I met Fionn downstairs. His eyes lit up when he saw me and a smile spread across his face.

"You look great, Em," he commented as we walked outside.

"Thanks. You don't look too bad yourself." I pulled my jacket over my shoulders to block out the crisp evening air.

He laughed at this then walked over to a run-down pick up truck that idled outside of the shop. "Ready?"

"Um, yeah. Is this your truck?"

Fionn nodded. "Sometimes I like to just go for rides by myself and just experience the country. One of the perks of living in a small country town."

"I like that." I climbed up into the passenger seat and the truck rumbled to life. We took off down the road, passing businesses that were closing down for the day and others that were opening up for the night. Folks shouted out to us in greeting, waving as we sped away. The night air was cool but felt refreshing against my face.

"Can I ask you something?" I looked over at him from the passenger seat.

"Aye."

"Why do you invite me to have meals with you every day? I mean, don't get me wrong—I enjoy the company. But I wanted to make sure you don't feel obligated." I stared down at my hands as I waited for him to answer.

"I don't feel obligated," he replied. "Truth is, most folks who come to stay at the bookstore are couples. I just thought that you might want a...friend."

"I appreciate that." I covered his hand with mine on the center console. "It's been nice. Thank you."

Fionn chuckled. "You're welcome." He pulled the truck to a stop in a lot near the pier. Laughter and music echoed through the air as we walked along. Our hands swung next to each other, and we let our fingers touch only momentarily before pulling away.

"So why milkshakes?" I asked.

Fionn shrugged. "Thought you might enjoy it. Plus, I've been craving one myself lately."

The corners of my mouth turned upwards. "That's a great reason."

"And it's a very American thing, so I figured you might enjoy a taste of home."

I laughed, bumping his hip with mine. "There's the catch."

We came to a stop in front of a brightly colored storefront with tables and chairs that decorated the outside.

"Fionn, lad! Lovely to see you!" the man inside greeted him. "What can I get fer ya and yer lovely lass?"

"I'll go for the salted caramel pretzel this time," Fionn said.

My eyes scanned over the menu. So many options, so little time. I finally settled on something simple and sweet. "I'll take the chocolate raspberry, please."

The man behind the counter went to work preparing our drinks. "You know I've known Fionn since he was a wee lad. Could barely reach the counter, this one."

I laughed. "That's adorable."

Fionn groaned. "I don't think you want to hear about my childhood."

"I think it's sweet," I said, blinking up at him innocently.

"Aw, you know I just like to tease. Haven't seen your mum around in a while. She doing well?"

Fionn stiffened next to me. "She's fine, thank you."

He handed our drinks to us across the counter and supplied four straws.

"Just in case," he said with a wink.

We took our drinks to a table outside. Condensation dripped down the side of the cups and onto the metal table. I took the first sip of the milkshake and the mixture coated my throat in a cool, delicious feeling that made my mouth water for more.

"This has to be the best milkshake I've ever tasted," I commented. "Which is saying something considering how American it is."

Fionn laughed. "I'm glad you're enjoying it." His gaze landed on my drink. "It's funny, you know. We both chose flavors similar to our personalities."

I chugged down more of my shake. "Because I chose totally basic flavors and you went more daring?"

"That's not how I view it," he said. "Chocolate and raspberry are two flavors that go well together with complementary sweetness. It's a creative combination but offers some simplicity which is a great thing. Not everything has to be daring."

"And yours means you're salty?" I teased. "Salty on the outside but sweet after lingering."

"Something like that." He grinned. "So you think I'm sweet?"

I rolled my eyes. "Only a little. Don't read into it."

We finished up our drinks then walked back to Fionn's truck. Despite the late hour, I was wide awake and didn't really want to go back quite yet.

"Wanna go for a drive?" he asked, reading my mind. "There's this spot I like just south of town where all you can see for miles is the night sky."

"Sounds amazing." I climbed into the truck and we sped away.

Soon, the shops turned into residential housing, and the residential housing turned into rolling green hillsides. Fionn slowed the truck down and put it in park before hopping out. I wandered around to the back where he'd opened the bed of the truck to reveal blankets and pillows.

"You really outdid yourself," I said. I took his hand as he helped me up.

"I always keep a stash out here in case I need to get away." He laid back on one of the blankets and folded his hands behind his head.

Hesitantly, I laid down next to him and clasped my hands over my stomach. "This view is breathtaking. You don't see the stars a lot in Baltimore."

"What's it like there?" he asked.

"Oh, it's beautiful. The city, the harbor. But you don't get much of the night sky. When I was little, my dad bought me a telescope and we would spend nights looking at the stars and the planets. Ever since I moved, I've wanted that experience again."

I glanced over at him. And now you've made that a reality.

"Here, look." He pointed at a bright part of a star formation. "That one is a planet. Without a telescope, it's hard to tell which one though."

"With where we are, I'd probably say Venus." I rolled onto my side and sat up, tucking my knees underneath me and smoothing out my dress. I leaned against the back of the pickup truck.

Fionn sat up next to me, opening a cooler and taking out two beers. "The peacefulness out here sometimes lets me forget all the craziness out in the world."

"I can imagine."

He turned to me and brushed his thumb against my cheek just under my eye. "E-eyelash. Didn't want it to poke you."

I blushed. "Oh. Thanks."

We sat in silence, enjoying each other's company. Fionn was right; out here, the sky expanded for miles. Dark blue contrasted against vibrant green. Stars winked from above us, illuminating the sky with their beauty.

"Kyle," I blurted out before I could stop myself. Always a good way to ruin a moment, saying the name of a person you're not sharing the moment with.

"What?" Fionn frowned.

"My ex. H-his name was Kyle." I tucked my hair behind my ears. "We were together for eight years and engaged for five months when I found him cheating on me. And then right before I came here, I found out the girl he'd hooked up with is now his girlfriend."

"Oh, wow. Emilie, I'm so sorry."

I shook my head. "I'm working through it. I keep having to tell myself that time will heal."

"Aye. Time is a pesky little bugger, innit?" he agreed. Then, glancing over at me he added, "I haven't dated anyone since my ex."

"The one who slept with the hiring manager to get you a job?" I asked, sitting up taller. For someone as attractive as he was, I was surprised he hadn't dated.

"Aye." He pulled out a water bottle from a cooler and took a sip. "Been a year since we broke up."

I bumped my pinky against his hand. "I'm so sorry. Has it been hard staying in Scotland? I mean, do you see her around?"

"Nah. She lives...I don't actually know where she is these days but I know she's not in Wigtown." Droplets of water from the rim of his bottle dotted his upper lip. "I assume Kyle is still in the US?"

"Yeah, in the same city no less. That's why I wanted to come to Scotland. Being away from my ex and everything that reminded me of him has been a blessing. I almost don't want to go back." My gaze flickered up to meet his.

"Then don't." His blue eyes shone despite the darkness. He reached a hand out, brushing his fingers lightly through my hair and letting his thumb linger on my cheek.

I swallowed hard, my heart rate increasing. "I have to. Eventually. My jobs are there. My life is there." My eyes landed on his lips.

But there could be something that convinces me otherwise.

Before I knew what was happening, Fionn closed the distance between us. I placed my hands on either side of me and leaned into him. His lips brushed gently against mine, tasting salty and sweet all at once. The mixture of our milkshakes, the combination of us coming together at last.

My lips parted, and he deepened the kiss. He pushed my hair away from my face before gathering me into his lap. I straddled his waist, my hands instinctively wrapping around his neck and lacing through his hair.

He pulled away breathlessly, a smile twitching at the corners of his mouth. "Sorry. I got a bit carried away."

"That's okay," I said, meaning it. My heartbeat steadied and for the first time in a while, my mind cleared. "It's just what I needed tonight."