“Are you serious? Loch Ness?”

Roger sighed and looked at Ann with his arms crossed against his chest. She knew he would refuse to go camping, but she really wanted to camp on the lakefront of the Loch Ness. She had always cultivated a fascination for the monster of Loch Ness, Nessie, since her Scottish parents used to tell her stories about it when she was a child. She was determined to go to the famous lake and find the monster, even if she had to stay there for months. Yet, she hated being alone, that is why she asked her childhood friend, Roger, to come with her. As he was the singer of the successful band The Who, he did not have much time for her anymore, and now, he was on holidays. That was the perfect occasion to spend some time with him and to try to discover Nessie! The idea had popped into her mind: they had to go camping. They would be surrounded only by the nature, and she knew that Roger loved that. Maybe she found a way to convince him...

“But please, Rogie!” she begged. “You're on holidays, and I haven't spent much time with you for the past few years, isn't that the perfect moment? You could rest in the middle of the wonderful Scottish landscape, and maybe we'll prove the existence of Nessie!”

“Oh really?” he sniggered. “You? Camping in the wild?”

Ann playfully hit him in the arm, making him laugh even more. He gently hugged her and sighed.

“Okay, I'll go with you. But only because I have mercy upon you.”

“Yeah, yeah, say that to someone else.”

“When do you want to go?”

“Tomorrow!”

Roger's eyes widened.

“Tomorrow? But do you have plane tickets? Will I have time to pack my stuff?”

“Oh, no, I don't want to take the plane. Why wouldn't we drive from London to Loch Ness in my van?”

“You mean your more-than-colourful Volkswagen van?”

“Yeah! We could pack food so we won't starve. And we'll have to find the shortest way.”

“Actually, why wouldn't we make the trip last for like... four days, so we could visit the countryside, huh?” he suggested with a grin, wrapping one arm around her shoulders, pulling her closer to him. As the wind blew in their hair, Ann frowned.

“Maybe not four days, it will be a bit too long. Two days should be enough.”

“It's up to you, you're the captain. What will I need to take?”

“Mmh, take a warm blanket, clothes of course, boots just in case, a hat if the weather is really good, I don't want you to be sick... And take books, or records, something like that. You have great tastes in books, we could read them together!”

He pressed his temple against hers, closing his eyes. He was touched by the way she had planned all the trip, even if he would have refused flatly, everything was planned. That is how she worked; she needed to plan everything so she would not get lost in life. Yet, if the unforeseen came out of nowhere, she would still plan something. She would panic at first, but then, she would find another way for the whole plan to happen. He loved that in her; since his childhood, he had been badly organised – sometimes – but she helped him to clean all the mess in his head and get his thoughts in order. That is why he felt so peaceful in general. Just to see her smile sufficed to make his world brighter. He was not the last to know it; she was not either. She understood what effect she could have on him, but she did not take it too seriously; he was a rockstar, she was nothing. Moreover, she did not want him to prevent himself from living his crazy life because of her.

Ann stood up and clapped her hands in excitement. She turned round and faced Roger.

“We'll have great times, I promise! I'm sure you'll love Scotland!”

“I've already seen Scotland, love.”

“Yeah, but have you ever camped at the Loch Ness?”

“No. By the way, how many days are we staying there?”

She placed her fingers on her chin and raised her eyes to the sky. She frowned a bit and bit her lip.

“I'd say... A week, approximately. Is it okay for you?”

“It is!”

She gave him a huge smile and he felt his heart melting in his chest. He stepped forward, took her in his arms and lulled her from bouncing from one foot to the other. He gave her a tender kiss on her cheek and she blushed.

“How about you tell me about all the things you planned?”