Problem Children

Chapter Thirty

Water rested on the concrete giving his shoes an unsightly bath. They were new; one might assume he was making an impression, though not from conscious thought. The pockets of his light jacket kept his hands warm, his layers of shirts completing the rest of the job. He had combed his hair a bit, to make it more presentable than what it had been a few days before. His teeth had been brushed twice as well.

Receding itself against the curb was a sheet of snow, turned to slush by the morning shower. Sparkling evergreens surrounded every house within locality, and even more so on the neighboring mountains. Once in a while a rogue raindrop would slide down a tree or rooftop striking the man on the nose. One had hit his cheek sending him to consult his imagination. A soft pair of lips, small and familiar. Rather than a chill remaining on his cheek, however, they would have left him warm; that one spot still white while a light crimson swept the rest of his face.

His whole body began to feel warm and his eyes narrowed as a golden brilliance stabbed them. February wasn't a month for spring temperatures in the north, but Angus couldn't complain. It even began to get rather snug, and he considered removing his jacket had it not been for his appearance he unknowingly desired to uphold. One less shirt would not have hurt him however.

Turning the corner he walked up towards a short house. Painted white years enough ago to turn beige, it was a cozy looking place. The shutters were wide open, curtains pulled back. The yard in dead winter seemed even more inviting upon first glance. A stone path emerging from under a latticed arch, a white picket fence and gate as a divider from the rest of the street. An ivory frost laced the grass, except one area filled with nothing but dirt. There had been more, much more. Flowers had lined the rows: petunias and peonies, a rather colorful display come springtime. Those same flowers had recently died, and were being pulled out from their dirt beds. Angus stepped up to the fence, watching the minute gardener, curious as to why the job had been put off so long.

Short, butterscotch brown hair tied up, face covered by bangs carelessly swept to the side. An over-sized sweater swallowed her, as plain and as beige as the house behind her. Angus wished the girl would lift her face on her own, but her insistence in digging up the plants with close inspection incited him to coax her. "I thought I might find my girl here," he called over. The small hands ceased to dig, and her head raised slightly. The man stood there in front of her, a grin to match the sun. Her bangs were once again pushed to the side, her hazel eyes searching him over. He toed the ground and tapped his fingers on the fence. "You uh, wouldn't happen to know where she might be?"

Instantly she was standing. With a glowing smile on her face she ran to him, opening the gate that separated them. Her arms were thrown around his neck, Angus' arms around her waist as he caught her. On impact her legs had gotten tangled up in his own, and the man stumbled back on to the sidewalk. Both of them came crashing down, still wrapped in each other's embrace in the fall. Angus coughed a few times. "Nice to see you too, sweetheart."

The young man sat themselves upright, and resting his head on hers, he smiled. Tears formed in both their eyes, and fell with a longing they knew all too well. The young woman had buried her face in his neck, her nose pressing against his skin. It was hot, almost feverish. The lips with which she kissed his cheek were also heated, and he couldn't help but feel a tad concerned. "Hey, you feel okay?"

"Of course," Hannah answered, staring into his glistening eyes. Hers were chandeliers, really. "Do I really look that bad?"

"No! No, you look fine, you look fine. It's just...the sun's come out," he stated. Hannah laughed.

"I see that. It's nice."

"Yeah," he agreed, his smile slowly disappearing. He glanced a few inches lower, then back into her eyes. "Kind of warm, really. Your sweater too much?"