Chapter Text
“Hey guys, it’s Scotty! Welcome back! Right now I am currently sitting in the airport- which, did you know how uncomfortable it is to film yourself talking at an airport? Anyway, I’m here because I am actually flying out to Vancouver to surprise Mack for his birthday! He has no idea that I’m coming. I’ve been planning this with his sister, Rachel, for the past month. Oh, wait, I should turn off my location in case he checks.”
Scotty stopped recording on her phone. She swiped the screen until she could turn off her location settings. The last thing she needed was to ruin the surprise while she was this close. It had been so hard to bite her tongue for the past couple of weeks, but she was in the homestretch now. She couldn’t wait to see the look on Mack’s face when she surprised him.
She reopened her camera app and started recording again.
“Okay, that’s all set. What was I saying? Oh, right. I’m a little nervous, haha. Obviously, for the big surprise, but did you know I’ve never been to Canada before? This is actually my first time out of the country! I know, it’s weird that I’ve never been to Canada when I live so close to the border. But that changes today! Okay, I’m paranoid that I’m going to miss an announcement or something, so I’m gonna go, but I will see you once I land! Bye!”
Scotty exhaled as she slipped her phone into her pocket. She hated filming in public, especially by herself, but she had forgotten to film an intro before she had gotten to the airport. She just didn’t want people to think that she was trying to be an obnoxious influencer. She didn’t even have any brand deals! She barely made money from her views; she just liked going back and watching her old videos. That was the main reason she even started making videos in the first place when she started college. She wanted to be able to capture her memories so she could come back to them anytime she wanted.
And Scotty knew that she was going to want to come back to this one, of her going to visit Mack for the first time. She was practically bouncing in her seat. After weeks of planning, it was finally happening.
Scotty hadn’t planned on flying to Canada this summer. She and Mack had parted ways at the Boston airport, and that had been it. He was flying back to Vancouver, and she was heading to Detroit. Separate countries and separate time zones. She knew that long distance for their first summer of being together was going to be hard, but she didn’t realize just how hard.
They talked all the time. She and Mack were always texting twenty-four-seven when they lived five minutes from each other. Obviously, that was only going to increase now that they were over two thousand miles apart. Scotty felt like she had been glued to her phone ever since she arrived back in Michigan. When they weren’t texting, then they were Facetiming. When they weren’t Facetiming, then they were leaving long voice messages for each other like they had their own personal podcast to listen to.
Long distance sucked, but Scotty knew that she could trudge through it until they were both back on campus in August. There were only about two months left. She could do that.
She looked forward to their mostly nightly FaceTime calls. She listened to the voice messages Mack sent when he was driving back from his local rink for some summer conditioning. She sent a buttload of memes to Mack because she knew it would make him laugh and roll his eyes. She even kept up with the group chat she was in with Mack and his sisters.
It had been a little weird at first, Mack’s sisters following her on Instagram. If she was being honest, it scared the shit out of her at first. Mack had told her that he was going to tell his family they were together when he went home for winter break earlier that year. She didn’t think anything about it until she had gotten a message request from his younger sister, Ellie.
Ellie Macavoy: oh my god im so glad my dumbass brother finally made a move. he talks about you allllll the time
As shocked as she was by the text, she had still laughed before screenshotting it and sending it to Mack.
Scotty: [image attached]
Scotty: ???
Mack: Oh my god
Mack: brb I’m going to kill her
Mack must have never gotten around to killing his little sister, because shortly after Scotty got a notification that both Ellie and Rachel, Mack’s older sister, had started following her. The group chat was formed pretty soon after, as Mack got tired of being a carrier pigeon between his sisters and Scotty. Usually, it was used to laugh at videos that Scotty posted on the hockey team’s social media, as one of their marketing admins. Mostly, it was used for the three of them to gang up and make fun of Mack. This summer, it was mostly used to give Scotty FOMO as they sent her pictures of them hanging out together.
That was what had sparked this whole plan. Rachel had sent a picture of Mack giving Ellie a piggyback ride while they were out hiking. Scotty couldn’t help the way her heart clenched at seeing Mack’s cheesy smile for the camera. She missed him so much.
Scotty Bobby: Aw, this looks like so much fun!
Ellie Macavoy: SCOTTY HE ALMOST DROPPED ME
Rachel Macavoy: She’s fine
Daniel Macavoy: Shut up El
Daniel Macavoy: Ugh Scotty I wish you were here :(
And that was all it took for Scotty to open a new chat with Rachel.
Scotty Bobby: Tell me if this is too much
Rachel Macavoy: Okay…
Scotty Bobby: Would it be too crazy girlfriend of me to offer to come visit this summer??
Rachel Macavoy: No!
Rachel Macavoy: Please make my brother stop moping! He won’t stop talking about you.
Rachel Macavoy: When were you thinking?
From there, they had texted back and forth until they had a plan. Scotty would visit near the end of June, just in time for Mack’s birthday. Rachel was adamant that Scotty not say anything to Mack, so it could be a surprise. She told Scotty to take care of her tickets and that Rachel would deal with the rest. Scotty apologized for giving Rachel all this extra work, but she had waved it off, saying that this was an oldest daughter’s dream. As the youngest of her family, Scotty couldn’t relate.
She was glad that Rachel was excited. Ellie was ecstatic when she found out, and then quickly sworn to secrecy. Sure, she texted them pretty often, but she had only met Mack’s family once in person. This would be the first time she would see them since Family Weekend the previous October when they had all flown in to watch Mack play. Scotty and Mack had started dating a few weeks after that, so Scotty had never been around Mack’s family as his girlfriend, just his friend.
She knew she had nothing to worry about. Mack had given her the play-by-play of how they spent the whole summer after their freshman year trying to convince him to ask her out. (Apparently, he had talked about her all the time before he admitted to his family that he did have a crush on Scotty.) And again, when he broke the news to them that they were dating over Christmas.
Mack had assured her that she had nothing to worry about when his family visited during the next family weekend. But Scotty didn’t have until next October. She had a five-hour flight. Hence the slight panic.
But it was fine because at least she would be with Mack.
Scotty checked again to make sure her boarding pass and passport hadn’t managed to disappear from the inside pocket of her backpack. She slipped her headphones on and took out her book like she would be able to focus on reading instead of checking the time every two minutes until it was time for her to board.
Her phone buzzed as she slipped it out to check the time again. Mack must be up now.
Mack: Good morning :)
Mack: What are u doing today?
Mack: I’m taking Ellie to her practice today, so that should be entertaining. High school girls hockey is brutal.
Scotty: Sounds like fun! I hope Ellie slays!!
Scotty: Nothing much here, might go on a walk later
Mack: #hotgirlwalk
Scotty: Exactlyyyyy
Another buzz caused Scotty to swipe out of her texts with Mack and into her Instagram messages.
Rachel Macavoy: Let me know when you board! Is it the same flight number still?
Scotty Bobby: Yes!
Rachel Macavoy: Cool
Rachel Macavoy: I’ll keep an eye on it. Let me know when you land and I will be ready at arrivals.
Scotty Bobby: Rach, you’re literally the best. What would I do without you?
Rachel Macavoy: Spend all summer moping like my brother haha
Scotty Bobby: Probably
Five hours. She could manage until then.
Maybe.
—
Scotty hadn’t been on many planes in her life. The first time she had ever been on a plane was when she was flying out for her freshman year. Despite going to a school out of state, she hadn’t been on a flight longer than two hours before. Mack did this every time he went back and forth to school? No wonder he hated planes.
Scotty Bobby: Just landed, heading to luggage!
Rachel Macavoy: Great timing, I’m out front!
Scotty Bobby: See you soon!
The airport passed by in a blur as Scotty tried to keep pace with the businessmen in front of her. Her go-to travel hack when landing in an airport she’d never been in before, the people who choose to wear nice slacks on the plane know what they’re doing and aren’t here to mess around. Follow them and they will lead you to the promised land (luggage claim).
She figured she had a few minutes to kill before her suitcase appeared, so Scotty popped into the closet bathroom to assess the damage. She was meeting her boyfriend’s older sister. The bar was high for a good impression. She took her hair down from her half-assed ponytail and tried to tame her not-quite curls a little bit, even though it was a losing battle. Scotty huffed and grabbed her carry-on, making quick work of finding her luggage and stepping into the Vancouver sun. Her first time on international soil. It was slightly colder than back home, but it felt good after being shot through the sky in a tube for five hours.
“Scotty!”
Her head snapped to locate the sound, seeing Rachel waving from the trunk of her car. Scotty swerved through a few lost-looking tourists to meet her, avoiding being hit by any airport taxis in the process. All worries she had about being alone with Mack’s sister instantly vanished, as the older girl instantly wrapped her in a hug as soon as she was within arm’s reach.
“It’s so nice to see you again!” Rachel stepped back to grab one of Scotty’s suitcases to load into the back of the car.
“You too!” Scotty followed suit, adding her carry-on and backpack to the pile before Rachel closed it behind her.
“Man, Danny is gonna flip.” Rachel laughed, turning to get into the driver’s seat. Right, that was going to take some getting used to.
Scotty knew that Mack’s real name was Daniel. She did. It’s just no one at school used it. Everyone called him Mack. Half the guys on the team still refused to believe that his first name wasn’t Mack. The first time Scotty had heard someone refer to Mack by his real name was that first time she had met his family during Family Weekend, they had all laughed when she said it was weird to hear his first name.
Even in their group chat, it was still weird. Rachel and Ellie laughed when she called him Mack, saying that technically, she could be referring to either of them, too, since they were also Macavoys. Scotty didn’t think that she would ever get used to hearing Mack be called “Danny” or “Daniel,” even if that was his actual first name.
“It’s like how you go by Scotty,” Mack explained to her. “No one calls you Scarlett.”
“That’s different,” she had argued.
“Literally, how is it different?”
“Because Scotty is short for Scarlett, so it’s still my first name.”
“Well, Danny is short for Daniel,” Mack countered.
“Yeah, but you don’t go by Danny. You go by Mack.”
“I go by Danny at home. I don’t know why Mack stuck so much here.”
“Do you not want me to call you Mack?”
“No, I like it. I just think it’s funny that everyone thinks I’ve been telling this big lie when they find out my actual name.”
“That’s because you are lying.” Scotty laughed.
“Whatever, Scarlett,” Mack rolled his eyes.
Scotty followed Rachel and got in the passenger’s seat, buckling her seatbelt and sending a quick text to her mom that she had landed.
“Are you hungry? Do you want to stop somewhere?” Rachel asked, checking her mirrors before pulling out of her spot and driving away from the terminal.
“No, I’m good.” Scotty didn’t think she would be able to eat even if she were hungry. Now that she had landed, her nerves for the surprise were back on.
Rachel nodded. “Ellie still has practice for another half hour, so that should give us enough time to get home and get ready.”
“That’s good,” Scotty said halfheartedly as she watched Vancouver scroll by through the window. It was weird to think that she was here, in Mack’s hometown.
“You’re nervous.” A statement, not a question.
“Usually about everything, all the time,” Scotty confirmed. For some reason, she forgot that Vancouver had mountains. A lot of them. It was weird that some people just got to see mountains every day.
“Everything’s gonna be fine. Danny’s like, obsessed with you. I’m serious.” Rachel spared a quick glance over to her, sending her a reassuring smile. “He’s always talking about you. He really misses you. I’m glad you’re here, it’ll be good for him.”
Scotty sent her a shy smile before turning her attention back to the window. She wondered if it was a Macavoy thing, the casual openness. Mack wore his heart on his sleeve while Scotty liked to hold her emotions close to her chest.
“Do you mind if I film real quick?” Scotty asked, pulling her phone out of her pocket.
“For your vlog? Sure, go ahead. Danny watches your videos all the time. It’s kinda annoying but mostly adorable.”
Scotty felt herself blush as she bit back a smile. She knew that Mack liked to watch her videos, especially when they were apart. He said it helped him not to miss her as much.
“Hey, we have successfully landed in Vancouver! I’m with Rachel right now, say hi, Rachel!” Scotty turned her phone to capture the girl driving.
“Hi!” She waved, keeping her eyes on the road.
Scotty flipped the phone back to her. “Rachel has been my partner in crime for this whole operation.”
“You’re welcome, Daniel!” Rachel called, causing Scotty to laugh.
“We’re on our way to Mack’s right now for the surprise. I’m super nervous but excited! Also, I know I’ve literally only been here for like ten minutes, but Canada is beautiful, oh my god, look at that.” She flipped the camera to capture some of the scenery as they drove by. “Okay, see you when Mack gets home! Bye!”
The rest of the drive passed by quickly, thanks to Scotty’s nerves and Rachel’s light small talk. She pointed out the exit that she took to get to her apartment, explaining that she no longer lived at home but was still close enough to stop by whenever she wanted. Before she knew it, they had entered a more suburban neighborhood, leaving the city behind them.
Mack’s house looked almost exactly how she had pictured it. It was big, but not huge. Comfortable for a family of five to grow up in. The grass was a nice green and neatly mowed, with a few flower beds adding nice bursts of color. There was even a goal post set up near the garage, where she knew Ellie dragged Mack out after dinner to help her practice her shot.
“We’re here!” Rachel called as she swung the door open. She left Scotty’s suitcase at the bottom of the stairs just in time to intercept her mom as she stepped into the entryway.
“Hi, Rach.” Mrs. Macavoy called, pulling her daughter in for a quick hug, her husband just on her heels as he did the same. “How was the traffic?”
“Usual,” Rachel shrugged, turning to give her dad a quick hug next.
“Ah, Scotty! It’s so nice to see you again, dear.” Scotty was still trying to decide if a handshake was too formal or not when she was swept up in her own hug with Mrs. Macavoy. “How was the flight? Not too bad, I hope?”
“Uh, no, it was good. No crying babies, so that’s always a win.”
Be normal. Be normal. Be normal.
“Oh, you lucked out, eh?” Mr. Macavoy laughed over his wife’s shoulder. “Alright, let her breathe.”
“Sorry, we’re just so excited to have you here. It’s not every day that your son brings his girlfriend home!” Mrs. Macavoy released Scotty from her arms, but not before grabbing her hands and giving them a squeeze. Scotty felt herself instantly getting pink.
“Well, technically, Danny didn’t bring her home. I did.” Rachel interjected while toeing off her shoes.
Mrs. Macavoy stepped back, but before Scotty could take a breath, she was being scooped up into a hug by Mr. Macavoy. She was starting to see where Mack got his love of physical touch from.
“Glad you could come to stay with us. Danny’s going to be so excited.”
They were parents. Parents loved Scotty. She knew how to interact with parents, especially hockey parents. The parents of the guys on the team loved talking to her during games. They always asked her about what she was studying and if their son was behaving as much off the ice as he was on the ice.
“No, thank you for having me! I know it was a little last minute, but I’m really excited to be here. Your house is gorgeous, by the way.”
“Oh, stop. Just wait until you see the damage these kids have done to this poor house. I’m sure Ellie’s scribbled on enough things in here to bring down the property value. And she and Daniel have pretty much beaten up that poor garage with any puck they could find. A few windows too.” Mrs. Macavoy smiled as she tutted. Scotty couldn’t help but laugh at the thought of Mack standing in front of a broken window with his little sister. She loved when you could tell a parent just really loved their kids.
“Alright, Rachel, why don’t you help her take her stuff up to your room? Elle just texted. They should be here soon.” Mr. Macavoy clapped his hands like he was ready to swing the whole plan into motion.
“Did you want us to all hide and then jump up and yell surprise ?” Mack’s mom laughed.
“Um, actually, I was thinking I could just get his reaction more one-on-one? Catch him off guard or something like that.” Scotty felt her blush deepen. She had a vision, but she wasn’t sure how to explain it to Mack’s parents. Luckily, Rachel seemed to understand.
“Oh, like one of those videos? That’s perfect. You can do it in Danny’s room, come on.” Rachel ushered her up the stairs. They plopped Scotty’s luggage down in Rachel’s still-decorated but now unoccupied room. Scotty grabbed her tripod from her backpack before following Rachel into her brother’s room down the hall. “We’ll lead him up here, so just make sure you’re ready. You’ll probably be able to hear him on the stairs.”
“‘Kay.”
Scotty survived the room a bit, not enough to take in much detail, but just enough for her to tell what would give her the best angle for recording. After two years of managing content creation, she had gotten pretty speedy at this, and she set her phone and her tripod up accordingly.
“Do you need anything from me?” Rachel asked.
“Nope,” Scotty shook her head. “Maybe you could just like call up once they get here?”
“I got you.” Rachel turned to leave, her hand resting on the doorknob. “I’m gonna head back downstairs. Don’t be nervous.” And with that, she closed the door and left Scotty alone.
Gee, thanks. Great advice.
She didn’t even feel like snooping around Mack’s room. She was too busy trying to tell her heart to calm down. Besides, it felt weird to do it when Mack wasn’t here. Instead, she sat down on Mack’s bed near the camera and waited. Luckily, she didn’t have to wait too long until Rachel’s voice carried up the stairs.
“My darling little brother is home!” Rachel called a little louder than necessary. And that was Scotty’s cue. She hit record and stood up, placing herself close enough to the camera but positioned so she wasn’t blocking the view of the door.
“Um, and your little sister, but whatever.” Ellie’s voice came through the door next.
“Why are you being so weird?” She heard Mack ask.
“I’m not weird. You’re weird,” Rachel argued.
“Ow! Mom!” Scotty had to bite back a laugh as she listened to the siblings squabble downstairs.
“Rachel, leave your brother alone. Daniel, go take your shoes off, you’re tracking dirt in.” Mrs. Macavoy lightly scolded her children, like this was a common occurrence. She could hear Mack groan as he started up the stairs. Scotty wiped her palms on her shorts as she took in one last deep breath.
“But she hit me .”
“Daniel.”
“I’m going, I’m going. Hey, Mom? Were you in my room? Why is the door closed?” Mack didn’t wait for an answer, just swung his door open. He barely managed to step into the room when he locked eyes with Scotty.
She smiled at him. Didn’t even need to think, it was pure instinct. She hadn’t seen him outside of a screen in so long, and now he was here, standing in front of her. She wanted to run up to him, but Mack still hadn’t budged from his spot in the doorway. He just stood there, like he couldn’t process what he was seeing in front of him. Like he couldn’t believe his eyes.
She noticed the crease between Mack’s eyebrows, which appeared when he was confused or trying to focus. You could practically see the gears turning inside his head. It was like he needed a jumpstart.
“Happy birthday!” She laughed, breaking the quiet of the room.
It seemed to do the trick because soon, Mack had crossed the room in two steps and had his arms wrapped around her. Scotty eagerly returned the gesture, locking her arms around Mack. Her smile grew as she felt how Mack melted into her. His arms tightened around her waist, drawing her in even closer. It was nice how they slit together. Like nothing was different. Like no time had passed. Scotty repressed a shiver as Mack buried his nose into the crook of her neck, just breathing her in.
“How are you here right now?” He asked, his voice muffled from how close he was pressed into her.
Scotty laughed again, running her hand through Mack’s hair. She let the touch linger for a moment, enjoying how Mack tilted his head into the touch. Using her grip, she lightly pulled him back a bit. Now that they could actually look at each other, Scotty smiled at him. She brought her hands up to his face to trace his cheekbones, her touch light as she wiped away a few tears that had managed to spill over.
“M, why are you crying?”
She would have been worried that she had messed up. That she had gotten this wrong, and Mack didn’t want her there. But this was Mack. He leaned forward again to rest his head on her shoulder to close the gap between them. It was almost like he was counting on Scotty to be there to keep him upright.
“I really missed you.” She could feel his pout. His voice was soft, barely there. Just loud enough for her to hear. Almost as if he was worried that if he spoke too loud, it would break whatever had settled between them. Like he would blink and Scotty would be gone.
“I missed you, too,” Scotty whispered back. She didn’t want to shatter the moment either.
Yeah, long distance had been harder than they had thought. She had seen the impact it had on Mack while they were at school, and how badly he had missed his family. Saw how he lit up whenever they could come visit. She saw how Mack had deflated again after they would leave, how Mack would mope when the two of them had to part ways at the airport.
Mack was a touchy person. He loved spending time with people. They had been without that for weeks. Sure, the internet was really paving the way for long-distance relationships, but it just wasn’t the same. No amount of video calls could top being able to finally have Mack in her arms again. For them to be back together again.
She let Mack leech off of her for a little longer, could practically feel him recharging himself through her before she tried to pry herself away from Mack again.
“We should probably go downstairs.”
“Why would we do that?” Mack frowned up at her, despite the fact that he was the taller one between the two of them. If you were to look at them, you wouldn’t have thought that Mack was a Division 1 athlete.
“Your family is downstairs. I feel like we should hang out with them or something.” She couldn’t help but let her hand fall back into Mack’s hair. He practically sighed as he leaned into the touch. She was dating a very needy puppy.
“They can wait. I’m using the boyfriend card right now.”
“Oh? And what does that mean?” Scotty asked.
“It means,” Mack finally pulled back, keeping his arms looped around Scotty’s waist, “that I get at least an hour of uninterrupted Scotty time.”
“An hour?” Scotty fake-gasped.
“At least,” Mack nodded, leaning down to ghost a kiss over her lips.
“I don’t know, that seems a bit excessive to me.” Scotty giggled against Mack’s mouth.
“And here I thought that you flew all this way to spend time with me,” Mack shook his head.
“You? Why would you think that? No, I came here for Rachel and Ellie. My favorite Macavoys.” Her cheeks were starting to hurt from how much she was smiling. It was so easy being around Mack. She felt like she was glowing under how warm his gaze was.
“Ugh, everyone always says that,” Mack huffed. “I can’t compete with them.”
“I don’t know, I guess you can be pretty cool too,” Scotty rolled her eyes at him.
“Wow, thanks. You really know how to woo a guy.”
“Please, I don’t need to woo you anymore. I could do it in my sleep.”
“Can not.”
“Can too.” Scotty grabbed her phone from the tripod, where it was still recording. Oops, got a little carried away there. She ended the video and slid her phone into her pocket.
“Prove it.”
Oh, she was going to wipe that cocky smirk right off his face.
Instead of answering, she looped her arms around his neck, pulling him down for a proper kiss. Mack’s fingers splayed out across her hips, drawing her closer. He wasted no time in kissing her back. Mack had a habit of smiling a little too much when they kissed like he couldn’t contain his excitement. She couldn’t believe that this was their first kiss since they split ways at the airport all those weeks ago.
“God, I missed doing that,” Mack sighed against her lips after they parted to sneak a breath. “We should keep doing that. We should only ever do that, nothing else.”
“Hm? I’m not sure about that. I’m a little tired from the flight.” Scotty faked a yawn, smiling at the way Mack squinted his eyes at her.
“You’re tired? Why didn’t you say so?” Mack asked. Using his hold on her hips, he pulled her along until he could flop them across his bed. Scotty shrieked a little as they bounced on the mattress from their momentum. Mack smiled at Scotty as he made himself comfortable, burying his head into his pillow.
“You are such a dork,” Scotty huffed, before turning toward Mack.
“Shh, you’re supposed to be resting,” Mack whispered, rolling over to face Scotty. His arm draped over her side, pulling himself just a little closer. He rested his face back into the space between her shoulder and her neck, using Scotty as his personal pillow.
“You better not fall asleep on me,” Scotty warned, but she still brought up her arm to trail up and down Mack’s back. Her nails lightly scraped across the cotton of his shirt. Mack’s hum of approval vibrated through her body.
“But you’re so comfortable,” Mack whined. He nosed at her skin, sending goosebumps down her arms. “You smell like plane,” he mumbled.
“That’s kinda what happens when you’re on a plane for five hours.”
“Was it a good flight?” He pulled himself out of her neck enough that he was no longer speaking directly into her skin. He glanced down as he tangled their hands together, pulling them closer to him.
“Yeah, it was fine.” Scotty watched as Mack linked and unlinked their hands, enjoying the feeling of his fingers trailing across hers.
“I don’t like planes.”
“I know.” Understatement of the year. Mack hated airports, and planes, and flying. It was a miracle that he had survived as many flights as he had. “ I don’t mind them.”
“You’re crazy,” Mack shook his head.
“Maybe,” Scotty smiled.
“How long are you here?” Mack’s fidgeting spread, tracing along the lines of her palm. It was a soothing motion. Scotty had been joking about being tired from the flight, but she found herself fighting to keep her eyes open.
“Two weeks.” Scotty brought her free hand up to follow the line of Mack’s necklace.
“That’s so short!” Mack pouted up at her.
“I had to fight for two.” Her parents hadn’t been exactly thrilled when she told them she was flying out of the country to visit her boyfriend. Scotty didn’t see the big deal, since she was the one paying for everything. She wasn’t a child, she was twenty years old.
Her parents didn’t have much interest in Scotty’s relationship, or her friends, or her life at school. They had made a couple of grumbly comments about how “they haven’t even met the boy,” which Scotty had to bite back her tongue that the reason for that was because they never visited.
“I guess I can make that work. I’ll have to make a list. Is there anything you really want to do while you’re here?” Mack lowered their hands, instead bringing his fingers to ghost across Scotty’s arm. She blinked her eyes a few times in an attempt to wake herself up.
“I just want to spend time with you,” she answered.
“Sap.” Mack teased, but it was cut short by him turning to place a quick kiss on the corner of her mouth. “Seriously, though.”
“Mack, I honestly don’t care. Just show me everything you like. I want to know what you do when you’re home.”
“I guess I can do that.”
“Good,” Scotty hummed. Her eyes slipped closed again, and opening them felt like the biggest chore to open them again.
“Are you about to fall asleep on me? Right after you just told me not to do that?” Mack gasped in fake offense.
“I’m not falling asleep,” Scotty mumbled, “I’m just resting my eyes.”
She wasn’t a nap person usually. Honestly, they made her feel more tired more often than not when she woke up. Between the two of them, Mack was the napper, but the travel and the nerves had taken their toll on her.
“Mhmmm, sure. You can sleep, Scotty, I’ll be here when you wake up.”
“You better.”
—
Scotty felt a little bad about falling asleep right after she got to the Macavoy house. She had honestly thought that after she surprised Mack, they would go downstairs and rejoin his family. She hadn’t even gotten to talk to Ellie yet, which she knew the younger girl must be bummed about, but she must have been more tired than she thought.
She hadn’t gotten much sleep the night before, her body was always overly excited before a big trip. When she finally did manage to fall asleep, she still woke up before her alarm.
When she woke up, she wasn’t sure how much time had passed, but Mack was still lying next to her. Their positions had swapped while she was asleep. Now she was the one curled up to Mack. He was scrolling through his phone, typing every now and then as he switched between apps.
“What time is it?”
She was greeted with a smile from Mack once he realized that she was awake.
“Almost time for dinner. You hungry?” He sat up, swinging his legs over the edge of the bed. He grabbed Scotty’s arm to help her slide out from the middle of the mattress.
“A little, I didn’t eat at the airport.” She had been too nervous to eat before getting on the plane and then again once she landed. Plus airport food was always ridiculously expensive.
Mack frowned. “Scotty, that was hours ago.”
He was always noticing things. Like how when Scotty would get too locked into her own head, too focused to sleep or eat. When they would go to the library to study, he would have snacks packed in his backpack for that exact reason.
She gave him a half-assed smile and shrugged, like what can ya do, before using Mack’s grip on her arm to pull herself up. He frowned down at her, his eyebrows bunched like he was trying to send a message directly into her brain through his thoughts.
“But it’s okay because we’re going to eat now, yay!” Scotty cheered, pushing herself up on her toes so she could place a quick peck to Mack’s lips. “Lead the way, Macky!”
Mack rolled his eyes and linked their fingers together, pulling her out of the room and down the stairs. Scotty tried to commit the layout of the house to her memory, trying to remember as many details about Mack and his family home as she could. There were a lot of pictures hung on walls and placed on bookcases. She liked that his house had so much life to it.
“Look who finally decided to join us.” When Scotty’s mom said that, it was usually met with a huff and an eye roll. When Mack’s mom said it, there was nothing but light teasing, like she had been expecting them to be hiding away together.
“Scotty!” Ellie ran over to her, launching herself into a hug. She was clearly excited to see her.
“Hey, Ellie!” Scotty felt a little bad again about taking that nap. She told herself that she would make sure she also got to hang out with Ellie while she was there. The two of them actually did talk a lot, and she liked the younger girl. It was nice to be able to play big sister every now and then.
“Danny, can you help your sister finish with the table? Grab the plates.” Mrs. Macavoy instructed while she went back to finishing up the food.
Mack moved around the kitchen so easily. Scotty stood off to the side and watched as he spun away from the cabinet, plates in hand, and hip-checked Ellie out of the way while she grabbed the silverware.
“Watch it!” Ellie shoved him back as they circled the table, laying their respective kitchenware down.
“You watch it,” Mack countered back.
“Can’t we go one meal without you two going at each other?” Mrs. Macavoy tutted as she placed a bowl of salad on the table.
“No.” Mack smiled, following after his mom to bring more dishes to the table.
“Besides, it’s weird when it’s quiet. Now that Rachel and Danny have abandoned me.” Ellie threw herself down onto a chair, letting her head fall over the back dramatically.
“Well sorry that I’m in school,” Mack walked by and flicked at her forehead. Ellie sat up straighter so she could swat at Mack, who easily dodged her.
“I’m over for dinner like once a week,” Rachel argued as she entered the room with their dad.
“Abandoned,” Ellie locked eyes with Scotty, nodding solemnly.
“You’re fine.” Mr. Macavoy squeezed Ellie’s shoulder on his way to take his seat. “She’s fine,” he said to Scotty.
“I’m the youngest too, I get it.” Scotty nodded. “Except, I was practically counting down the days until my siblings moved out.”
“So was Ellie. I came back during Christmas break freshman year and she decided that she was going to store her hockey gear in my room.” Mack sat down, patting the seat next to him for Scotty to take. “Your gear reeks.”
Scotty sat next to him. She had been in her chair for a total of one second before Mack grabbed her seat and dragged her chair closer to his. She turned to him, one eyebrow raised but he just sent her an easy smile back like nothing happened.
“Puh-lease. Your goalie pads are no better. I swear the fumes can burn my eyebrows off.” Ellie pretended to gag, holding her hands at her throat like she was choking. Scotty picked up her glass to hide her smile.
“Okay, time to eat. No more talking about your gross hockey gear. Danny, make sure Scotty gets enough before you and your sister eat it all.” And with that, Mrs. Macavoy took her seat and called dinner to order.
“Scotty, what have you been up to this summer?” Mr. Macavoy asked while everyone busied themselves with filling their plates.
“Oh, um, the usual. Cleaning the house. Reading, a lot of reading. Counting down the days until move-in. Not as exciting as Mack,” she laughed.
“Mack’s not exciting. All he does is practice and talk to you. And when he can’t talk to you, all he does is talk about you.” Rachel corrected her, a smug smile on her face.
Scotty felt her cheeks warm. Mack rolled his eyes at his sister but didn’t argue with her.
“Yeah, your girlfriend is here. Can you please stop moping now?” Ellie huffed as she cut off a piece of her chicken.
“I wasn’t moping.” Mack defended himself.
“Yes, you were.” Mr. Macavoy cut in.
“Any plans yet while you’re in?” Mrs. Macavoy offered Scotty an easy escape route.
She was about to tell her that they didn’t really have anything planned yet when Mack beat her to it.
“I’ve got a few things, but nothing too crazy. We’ll probably just chill around here or something for the most part. Just gotta make sure Scotty sees some of the sights while she’s here.” Huh, that was news to Scotty. That must have been what Mack was doing on his phone while she napped.
Mack’s hand rested on top of her knee, giving it a quick squeeze once, then twice before he grabbed her free hand with his (perks of dating a lefty) and placed them on the table between them. Scotty sent him another look before glancing around the table to gauge his family’s reactions. Mack needed to be touchy all the time, but that didn’t mean Scotty thought it would mean in front of his parents too. They were eating!
But no one batted an eye, like they were expecting this to happen. Mack caught Scotty’s eye and smiled around his fork. As if he was reading her thoughts, he leaned in and pressed a quick kiss to her cheek. She tried to push him away with their joined hands, but he just chuckled and kissed her again.
Scotty ducked her head to hide her blush as she picked at her food. From across the table, Ellie looked at her brother with an expression of disgust and pain.
“What’s wrong with your face?” Mack asked her, kicking her under the table as he turned back to his plate.
“I’m used to you two being all gross over text. I’m not used to seeing it happen in person.” If it wasn’t her that this was happening to, Scotty would have thought this was hilarious.
Mack shrugged at his younger sister. “Deal with it.” Then he dropped his fork loudly on his plate, grabbed Scotty by the chin, and pulled her in for another kiss. This time, he brought the spectacle. His lips loudly smacked against Scotty’s, a little too much spit for it to actually be a good kiss.
“Ew, Mack,” Scotty half groaned, half laughed as she pushed him away.
“There, now we’re being gross.”
Scotty turned back toward her food, but she didn’t miss the knowing looks that Mack’s parents sent each other across the table. They both shared a small smile before turning the conversation to asking Rachel about something that had happened during work. Mack dropped his hand back to Scotty’s leg, trailing his fingers across the inside of her thigh.
—
The Macavoys were kitchen table people. Scotty learned this after dinner, when after clearing away all the food and doing the dishes, everyone returned to their seats. They sat and talked for hours, where they were still sitting now. At some point, Ellie had grabbed two decks of cards from a drawer in the kitchen and passed them to Mack who had started shuffling them together without either of them needing to say anything. He dealt cards for himself, Ellie, and Scotty.
“Garbage,” Mack explained while Scotty reached for her cards. She spread them out facedown in front of her as the other two did the same.
“Youngest goes first,” Ellie smiled, drawing a card from the pile.
And just like that, they were back into the conversation happening at the table while they flipped cards, only stopping every so often to nudge another when they finished their turn or to ask whose turn it was to deal.
Scotty got asked lots of questions from Mack’s parents, which he would groan at because “I told you this already,” but Scotty didn’t mind answering them. She told them what she was studying (communication with a double minor in English and marketing), where she was from (a tiny town in the middle of nowhere), if she was living on campus in the fall (yes), and if she followed hockey outside of Mack’s team (yes, her favorite teams were the Red Wings and the Maple Leafs). They asked if she wanted to see some embarrassing pictures of Mack and she eagerly nodded while he hit his head on the table.
“Mack, oh my god.” Scotty gasped as Mrs. Macavoy handed her a photo album. He groaned again while Ellie and Rachel cackled in their seats.
“No wait, you gotta see this one. He’s eating dirt!” Rachel laughed, flipping the page for her.
“Please kill me,” Mack whined, only lifting his head so he could take his turn.
“Aww, come on. You were so cute!” Scotty ran her hand through Mack’s hair to push it away from where it had fallen into his eyes. “What happened?”
“Ha ha ha,” Mack narrowed his eyes and fake laughed.
“No, see? Here’s baby Mack trying to eat a hockey puck. You have a spit bubble and everything!” Scotty pointed to the picture giggling. “Oh, Rachel is this you?” The next picture was of a young girl holding baby Mack.
“Yeah, that’s Ellie in the next one.” The picture in question was similar to the first, but this time Mack was the one holding his baby sister. Okay, these ones actually were kinda cute.
“Oh wow, do you remember that one, Danny?” Rachel asked, pulling the album closer to her. “He got that Canucks jersey and refused to take it off.”
“He wore it every day. We tried to wash it and he would just cry and cry.” Mrs. Macavoy smiled, leaning toward her daughter to see the photo.
“Did the same thing last week,” Mr. Macavoy laughed. Mack tried to glare at his dad, but he couldn’t keep the smile from tugging at the corner of his lips.
After they finished their card game (Ellie won), Rachel stated that she needed to head out, standing to hug her parents before doing the same to Scotty. Right, a family of huggers, she had almost forgotten. Ellie booed her sister while she and Mack organized the cards to go back into their separate decks.
“Some of us have to work tomorrow. We’re not all on summer break,” Rachel gave her sister a quick half hug and then did the same to her brother. “I’ll be back tomorrow for your birthday, Danny.”
“Bye, Rach,” Mack called after her as she headed toward the door.
“Bye!” Ellie echoed.
Mr. Macavoy closed the door after his daughter, turning back to the rest of the group.
“Alright, your mom and I are probably gonna head up to bed too. Your sister was right, some of us have to work tomorrow.”
“Scotty, everything you need should be in Rachel’s room, but if you need another blanket or pillow or something, just ask Danny and he can get it for you.” Mrs. Macavoy added on, her hand on the banister of the stairs.
“Wait, Rachel’s room? Why is she in Rachel’s room?” Mack asked, finally getting up from the table to cross to his parents.
“Because she needs somewhere to sleep and your sister’s room is empty.” Mrs. Macavoy answered.
“She can sleep in my room.” Mack offered, ever selfless.
“Daniel.”
“What?”
“We’re not letting you and your girlfriend share a bed.” Mr. Macavoy joined in.
Scotty wanted to die.
“What? Why not?” Mack frowned.
“Daniel, why do you think?” His mom gave him her best “mom” look.
“Ugh, Mom, we’re not gonna do anything. Besides, we share a bed all the time at school.”
Scotty stared at the floor. Maybe if she concentrated hard enough it would open up and swallow her, taking her away from this conversation.
“Danny, whatever you two do at school is your business. But this is our house, okay? We’re fine with Scotty staying here, but we just ask that she stays in Rachel’s room, alright?” Mr. Macavoy mediated.
“But-”
“Alright?” He asked again.
Mack sighed in defeat. “Yes, Dad.”
“Okay then, see you kids in the morning.” And with that, Mack’s parents disappeared upstairs.
Mack tilted his head back, groaning up at the ceiling.
“Did you really not see that coming?” Ellie asked, her arms crossed in front of your chest. “What, did you go to college and get dumber?”
“It’s more dumb, genius.” He sneered at his sister who stuck her tongue out in retaliation.
“Hey, Mack,” Scotty stepped between the siblings, finally recovered enough to no longer wish she could disappear into the floor. “Is it okay if I shower? I want to get the plane off me.”
“Yeah, of course. I’ll show you where the towels are.” He hooked his pointer finger around Scotty’s and used it to direct her toward the stairs.
“Ugh, gross. If Mom and Dad don’t want you sharing a room, I definitely don’t think they want you to share a shower.” Ellie shook her head at them in disbelief.
“Fuck off, Elle.” Mack flipped her off and continued their path up the stairs. “I hate her.”
“No you don’t,” Scotty smiled at him as he pulled her into the bathroom.
“No, I don’t.” Mack agreed. He separated their fingers and bent down to start the water for the shower. From the door underneath the sink, he pulled out a set of clean towels and placed them on the counter. He waited until the sound of the vent and the shower filled the room before he dropped his head onto Scotty’s shoulder. “I can’t believe my parents won’t let you stay in my room.”
“I can’t believe your parents think that we would have sex with them down the hall,” Scotty shook her head in shock. Now that she wasn’t standing right in front of Mack’s parents, it was pretty funny. Not that they knew Scotty was asexual, Mack was pretty much the only person she’d told, but it was still wild to think that they thought they would get up to god knows what while Mack’s family and little sister were home.
Scotty laughed at the thought. Mack turned his head to watch her, and then he started laughing too. They stood there, standing in the middle of the bathroom as it filled up with steam, leaning on each other as they laughed.
“Okay, now get out so I can shower,” Scotty pushed against Mack’s chest. “Oh shit, I forgot to grab my clothes.”
“I’ll be downstairs when you’re done.” Mack ducked to kiss the top of Scotty’s head as she went back to grab her pajamas and toiletries bag from her suitcase in Rachel’s room. When she came back to the bathroom, Mack was gone but there was a heart drawn into the condensation on the mirror.
—
When Scotty reappeared downstairs after her shower, Mack and Ellie were laid back on the couch. The television in front of them was playing some reruns on Sportsnet, but neither of them were paying much attention to it. Ellie was texting on her phone, while Mack seemed to be mindlessly scrolling.
“Whatcha doing?” Scotty flopped down between the two siblings. Instantly, Mack reached over to grab her by the ankle, swinging her so she was facing him and her legs were resting over his lap.
“Trying to figure out what we should do tomorrow,” he answered. He clicked off his phone and placed it on the armrest. His hands came to rest on Scotty’s ankles, fingers drifting lightly over the bone there.
“Mack, it’s your birthday. We’ll do whatever you want.”
“But-”
“No buts. You’re the birthday boy. That means you have to decide.”
“I’ll decide for you if you want,” Ellie offered, barely glancing up from her phone.
“No.”
“Okay, then listen to Scotty. Otherwise, we’ll hang out without you.”
“We can do that another day. I guess I should spend some time with this one since it will be his birthday and all.” Scotty offered.
“I’m right here.” Mack squeezed her ankle two times in pretend annoyance.
“Do you hear something?” Scotty turned so she was better facing Ellie.
She lowered her phone, as she pretended to try and listen for something that wasn’t there. “No, I don’t think so.”
“Huh, weird.”
“I don’t like when you two gang up on me,” Mack squeezed her ankle again until she brought her attention back to him.
“But we’re your favorites.” Scotty smiled at him, tilting her head against Ellie who sent Mack her own smile.
“You’re both a pain in my ass, that’s for sure.”
“Yeah, but when do you get this two-for-one special? You should enjoy it.”
The conversation naturally floated from there. Scotty asked Ellie about her summer hockey season, which was apparently more of a development team that took place in the off-season. She learned that Ellie was going into her eleventh year of school, which seemed familiar. Somewhere in the back of Scotty’s brain, she remembered Mack telling her that he and Ellie were four years apart. She learned that Ellie was hoping to play hockey in college, but had no clue what she wanted to study, which she reassured the younger girl was completely fair and normal.
Ellie asked her questions in return. She asked if Ellie attended any of the women’s hockey games at school (yes, but not as many as she would like). She asked if Scotty ever played hockey (no, she had never even ice skated before college). She asked if Mack was blackmailing her into a relationship with him because she was way too cool for him (no comment).
They talked for a while until Ellie decided that she’d rather be horizontal in her bed in the dark with her phone and retired up the stairs. Scotty exhaled and felt herself deflate against the couch cushions.
“You good?” Mack asked as Scotty slid a little more sideways so she was pressed against his side.
“Yeah.” Her eyes had adjusted to the low light in the room, glancing from the TV to Mack.
“You just seemed a little overwhelmed. I know my family can be a lot-”
“No, you’re family’s great. I’m not overwhelmed, I’m just- I don’t know. It’s just different.” Scotty picked at a loose string on the hem of Mack’s shorts.
“Than your family?” Mack prompted.
Scotty nodded. “You guys are all just so close. You spend so much time together. You guys actually like each other. It’s nice, it’s just a lot.”
For a moment it was quiet, the only noise coming from the TV as Sportsnet did a quick update about Abbotsford in the playoffs. It was one of the things that Scotty liked about Mack, he just tended to know when he needed to talk and when sometimes it was better to just not say anything.
“They like you too, you know. My family.” He said after a while, bumping his knee against Scotty’s.
“Really?”
Yeah, the Macavoys were nice to her, but she could never tell if it was just a nicety. Being nice to her because they had to because she was their son’s girlfriend.
“Yeah, they love you. Just like me.” He grabbed her hand and placed a kiss on her knuckles.
“Now you’re just saying things.” Scotty bumped her knee back into Mack’s.
“I’m really glad you’re here,” Mack whispered. His head tilted back to rest on the couch, his eyes soft as he looked at Scotty.
“Me too.” She whispered back at him, another smile tugging at her lips.
“You want to watch something? Or do you want to go to bed?” Mack picked his phone up to check the time. It was late enough for them to call it a night, but Scotty didn’t have a good sleep schedule and she had taken a nap earlier.
Scotty made grabby hands at Mack until he handed the remote over to her. She flipped through the Macavoy’s streaming services (which Scotty knew they had many of, as they always used them at school) until she found a livestream that was running cartoon reruns.
“Do you have practice tomorrow?” Scotty asked.
“Mm, no ice time but I was going to go to the gym in the morning. Weights and some conditioning.”
“No off days? Not even for your birthday?” She shivered as the air conditioning kicked back on. Mack grabbed a blanket from the back of the couch and spread it over the both of them.
“Never.”
They went back to half watching the TV, just enjoying being together with each other. Scotty kept tapping her phone to wake up the lock screen every couple of minutes as she watched the clock.
“Got somewhere to be?” Mack teased, catching her checking again.
“Nope, but…” Scotty trailed off as she watched the numbers slowly turn from 11:59 to 12:00. She turned toward Mack with a big smile. “Happy birthday, Macky!” She cheered quietly, careful to not cause too much noise to wake anyone upstairs.
“You’re a dork,” Mack laughed.
“Shut up and kiss me, birthday boy.” So he did. Overall, it wasn’t a bad start to a birthday.