(annika's outfit for this part of the chapter) 

Annika had been so excited when she was informed that she moving back to England. It had been a few years since she left and she couldn't wait to see all her old friends, especially her best friends, the Macbentley twins. The second she heard the news she called them and told them the exciting news.

"No way! You're moving back here?" Kayla asked, sounding just as excited as her.

"Yeah! I can't believe it either, Kay! I'm so excited. We're getting on the flight tomorrow morning." Annika grinned while she continued to pack. Her phone was propped up on her desk as she facetimed her two best friends. She couldn't stop grinning the entire time they talked. She was so excited to be back with her two best friends.

"This is amazing. We've all been missing you so much, but now you're coming back. We need to have a girls day soon when you come back." Kayla gushed, leaning her elbow on the table, her head rested on her hand as she looked at Annika. She was in the kitchen with Mac, looking at his laptop they were using for facetiming Annika.

"Of course, I need to get the tea about everything that has happened while I've been gone." Annika laughs, glancing at her phone screen and her eyes fell upon Mac, who was sitting there smiling at her. Her heart skipped a beat for some reason at seeing his smile. She shook it off and continued packing. "I've really missed you guys so much. I've hated being away from you. You're the best friends anyone could ever ask for."

"Aww, we've missed you too, Annie." Kayla replies with a smile. She grins at her brother and nudges him. "Some more than others."

Mac is snapped out of his daze when he heard his sister talking and he looks at her. He had been staring at Annika, and he didn't realize it until Kayla elbowed him. His face grew red as he realized he was caught. "W-What?" He asked, clearing his throat, trying to sound cool.

Annika had stopped packing and looks at the phone, noticing the blush on his cheeks and his stuttering. "Are you blushing, Mac?" She teased, smirking a little.

Mac's face got even more red and he looks away from the laptop. "No, I'm not." He grumbled, his face buried in his arms that are crossed on the table.

"Lies, he's definitely blushing. You should have seen him when he got your text saying you were coming back." Kayla says, a sly grin appearing on her face. She glances at her twin. "He was grinning like an idiot."

"Okay, time to say goodbye to Kayla." Mac murmured, standing up and grabbing the laptop and walking out of the kitchen, his sister's protests can be heard in the background.

"Wait! No!" Kayla whines. "Mac, I wasn't done talking with her."

"Too late. I have important things to talk about with her." Mac states, walking into his room and sitting on his bed, leaning against the headboard. He sat his laptop on his legs, smiling fondly at Annika. "Hi."

Annika smiles, her cheeks flushed a little and her heart was pounding. Why was she feeling this way suddenly now they were facetiming alone? They've facetimed like this plenty of times before. This shouldn't be any different. She tries to push those thoughts to the back of her mind and looks at him, a smile appearing on her face. "Hey. So what were the important things you wanted to talk about with me?"

Mac shrugs a little, glancing down. "I don't know, I just didn't want my sister listening to our conversation. That's all." He admits, scratching the back of his head, his cheeks still red while smiling sheepishly. "I'm just glad you're coming back. I've really missed you."

She nods a little and chuckles. "Yeah, I've really missed you, too." She admits softly while she kept packing her blue colored suitcase that rested on her bed. "How is the hockey academy treating you? Are you having fun?"

"It's amazing, I'm learning so much here." Mac starts, a smile on his face and his eyes even lit up. "I'm having a lot of fun here, but of course it's not the same without you."

Annika's heart did a little flip flop thing and she smiles softly. "Well, you're not gonna be without me for much longer. I can't wait until tomorrow morning when I get to see you guys."

"I can't wait either. When do you think you will be landing?" Mac asked, glancing down at his phone to check the time. It was late for him, and he was tired, but he didn't want to hang up. He wanted to talk to her for as long as he could.

"Middle of the night, early in the morning. It's going to be around three in the morning by the time we land." Annika answers, a small yawn escaping her lips. She covers her mouth and glances at her phone, chuckling softly. "I'm sorry, M. I guess I'm more tired than I thought."

Mac smiles a little, his heart skipping a beat at hearing her yawn. How can a simple thing like that make him feel all weird inside? He shrugs a little. "Don't be sorry. You should get some rest. I'll see you tomorrow morning." His nickname for her was on the tip of his tongue, but he held it back. He wasn't sure if she would still want him calling her that, considering it has been a few years. The nickname he had for her was 'Nika' and he used to call her that when they were younger.

Annika smiles and nods, her cheeks were red, but he didn't notice because she had turned her back towards him so she could zip her suitcase. "Okay. I'll see you tomorrow. Night, M."

"Night, Nika." Mac murmured, his heart racing when the name slipped past his lips. He watched her as she froze for a second and glanced over her shoulder at him, a smile forming on her face and he couldn't help but smile back. She waved good night as she leaned over to end the call.

Annika ended the call and sat her phone on her desk. She couldn't get her mind off what Mac had said to her, especially the nickname he had for her. Hearing him call her 'Nika' caused butterflies to erupt in her stomach. She missed that nickname, and she was glad he was calling her that again. Annika couldn't wait to see her two best friends, especially Mac.

****

(annika's outfit for this part of the chapter)

It was late at night and the airport was quiet except for the footsteps of people who were arriving or leaving the country. Annika's parents, who were right behind her, were chatting and carrying on a conversation with each other. Annika was so tired and all she wanted was to lay in a comfy bed. She had her headphones on, playing music and hoping that could help keep her awake at least until they got to the house. 

She had her head resting on her dad's shoulder, her eyes closed and her hands were gripping the strap of her backpack. She felt her phone vibrating in her pocket and she pulled it out. A smile formed on her face when she saw it was Mac. He texted her. She was surprised he was still awake but she figured maybe he was waiting for her and for some reason that thought made her heart skip a beat.

M🏒
Hey, Nika! Have you landed yet?

Nika🌷
Yeah, at the airport now! Why are you still awake?

M🏒
Couldn't sleep. I wanted to wait up for you.

Annika's heart raced a little when she read the text, and she bit her bottom lip, trying to hold back a smile. Her thumbs tapped on her screen, typing out a response to him.

Nika🌷
You didn't have to do that, thank you though! That's sweet.

M🏒
No problem, I wanted to. :) Do you know when you're gonna be here? I don't care how late it is, I wanna come see you. I can't wait until morning.

Annika couldn't help but giggle a little, pausing and glancing up at her parents to make sure they weren't looking at her. She was relieved they weren't and looked back at her phone as she typed a response.

Nika🌷
I'm not sure, but, I'll let you know when I'm there!

M 🏒
Great, can't wait to see you!

Annika smiles, her heart fluttering a little and her cheeks flushed red. She couldn't understand why she was feeling this way whenever she interacted with Mac. She thought maybe it was because they haven't seen each other in a while. That had to be it. They were just excited to see each other again. That's all.

She put her phone away as they left the airport and went to find a cab. They loaded their bags in the trunk and then got in. Annika sat between her parents, her eyes drooping a little, and her head leaned against her mom's shoulder. She yawned softly and tried to stay awake, but then her mom wrapped an arm around her shoulders and started playing with her hair. She smiled, knowing that her mom was doing that on purpose. Her mom knows that whenever she plays with her hair, it will help her fall asleep. It didn't take long until she was passed out.

****

Annika was awakened by her parents and they were out of the cab. She yawned as she sat up, rubbing the sleepiness out of her eyes and getting her bags. She and her parents thanked and tipped the driver and headed towards the house. Suddenly the front door opened, revealing her older brother who had an excited smile on his face.

"You guys are finally here!" Harrison cheers. "So, what do ya think?" He asked, gesturing towards the house. The house was a two story and had a porch with a swing on the wrap around porch. The walls were light blue, and the shutters were a darker blue. The door was a white color.

"It's beautiful." Annika murmurs, a sleepy smile forming on her face. "It's just like how it was before."

This was her and Harrison's grandparents house. They had passed recently and it was said in the will that this house was left for them. It was all paid off and everything. Annika wasn't expecting to come back here and have it be her own home but she was happy and looking forward to it.

Harrison had been here before they have so he was here when the moving truck got here. It had arrived a couple days before they did, so their furniture and everything were already inside. Annika followed her parents inside, hugging her brother as well since it had been awhile since she seen him. The inside of the house was nice and spacious. The walls were a light gray color, and the stairs were a dark brown wood color. There was an open space off to the left that had the living room and kitchen and dining room in it. The floors were wood, but there were rugs placed on the floor, mostly in the living room. There were some boxes scattered around, but most of them were already in the correct rooms. The inside of the house looked more vintage like. Her favorite thing was the fireplace in the living room. She loved a cozy fireplace. Annika was beyond exhausted, and all she wanted was to get to her bed. So she told her parents that she was going to get some rest and would see them in the morning.

She made her way up the stairs and found her room. She smiled at the sight, happy that nothing had changed. Her bedroom was painted a sky blue color, and the trim was white. The floors were the same wood color as the downstairs. There was a bay window seat in her room. She had a full size bed that had a wooden frame, her headboard was against the wall, and thr bed was pushed against the side wall. She had a dark wood dresser with a mirror on top. There was also a nightstand beside her bed. There was a door in the far corner of her room. The door lead to her walk in closet. There was another door by it that led to her private bathroom.

The desk was by the bay window and she had a couple bookshelves by the closet door. Polaroids and posters were scattered on the wall, and she had a rug on the floor that had a moon and stars design on it. Her bedding was white with a bunch of colorful flowers and the pillows were the same design. She had a soft white blanket on the end of her bed. On the ceiling she grinned at seeing the glow in the dark stars she had when she was little were still there. She remembered putting those up, but didn't realize her parents left them up. She was grateful they did, though. She was surprised that Harrison hadn't took them down, but she was happy he didn't. He probably knew how much she liked them.

She got changed to her pjs and then texted Mac she was here. She set her phone down and then got settled in bed. She was snuggling her stuffed unicorn when her phone buzzed, and she grinned when she saw it was Mac. She texted back and forth with him for a while before suddenly she heard a knock on her bay window. She sat up in bed, her eyes lighting up at seeing Mac outside it. He gave her a cheeky grin and waved at her. She couldn't help the laugh that escaped her and she got out of bed quickly to head over to her bay window. She opens the window, seeing he was sitting on a tree branch on a big oak tree by her room. He grinned at her and scooted closer, leaning slightly on the outside of the bay window.

"Hey." He says, looking up at her, a grin on his face. "Miss me?"

"Obviously. Get in here." She grinned back at him, grabbing his arm and helped pull him in onto the bay window seat. She closed the window and then plopped down beside him.

"How are you? You look exhausted." Mac stated, turning his body so he could face her and his back was pressed against the window. His knee how brushed against hers but neither one cared enough to pull away. He looked at her with concern, noticing the bags under her eyes and her tired eyes.

"Yeah, I'm pretty exhausted." Annika admits, chuckling softly and couldn't stop a small yawn from leaving her lips. "I didn't get much sleep on the plane and it's late. I'm about ready to pass out. But now you're here so I'm gonna try my best to stay awake."

Mac's heart melted a little at her words, and he couldn't help the smile on his face. His heart was racing a little and he was blushing, but it was too dark for her to notice. He reaches over and gently pushes her hair out of her face, tucking the strands behind her ear. "Don't be silly. You can go to sleep, Nika. We can see each other tomorrow. And any other day now that we're together again."

Annika's cheeks were red, and she smiles fondly at his words. Her heart was pounding and she couldn't take her eyes off him. Somehow he looked even more handsome in person. She didn't realize how much she missed his touch until now. She missed him a lot. She couldn't wait to spend more time with him. "I'll be fine. I wanna stay up with you a little longer. I missed you." She murmured, leaning over to hug him.

"I missed you too. More than you know." Mac mumbled, wrapping his arms around her and hugged her close. His chin rested on her shoulder and he closed his eyes, inhaling her scent. Don't judge him, okay? She always smelt so sweet, like a mix of vanilla and lavender, and it brought back so many memories of their time together. He couldn't help but smile as he held her close, savoring the moment. It was familiar, and it was comforting. He couldn't get over how perfect it felt having her in his arms again. He was definitely excited for her to be staying here.

Annika's cheek was pressed against his chest and her eyes were closed, a sleepy smile on her face. She was so tired but she didn't want to let go. She missed his hugs so much and she couldn't get over the fact that he was here, and not a thousand miles away. "You can stay here tonight if you want. I mean, I'm sure you can sneak out before you're parents notice you're gone." She didn't want him to leave yet. She was still exhausted and she wanted to be near him. She was too tired to think straight and she didn't care if she had to sneak him out tomorrow morning. All she knew is she didn't want him to leave, even if it was only for the night.

Mac grins a little, nodding his head. "Alright. I'll stay." He agrees, pulling her closer. This wasn't close enough for him. He needed her closer. He hadn't seen her in person for so many years and he didn't want to let her go, not yet. He wanted to be with her for as long as possible. Mac didn't realize how much he needed her until she was here. He knew that she wasn't going anywhere anymore and that made him happier than anything. "We should get to bed though. You look like you're about to pass out." He points out, chuckling softly. He pulled back and looks at her, smiling when he sees her sleepy eyes. He was right, she was exhausted. "Let's get in bed." He decided, taking her hand and pulled her up with him.

She didn't bother to argue with him, and she let him help her into bed. He crawled in next to her, and he had his arms wrapped around her, pulling her closer. Annika's head was on his chest, and she snuggled up against him. "I missed you so much." She mumbled, her eyes drooping a little. She was fighting to stay awake, but she was losing that battle. She couldn't keep her eyes open. It was just too exhausting. It didn't help that he was so comfortable, and that his body was warm and he made her feel safe.

Mac smiles a little, his arms wrapped securely around her and he holds her close, kissing the top of her head. "I missed you too, so much." He whispered, watching her and waiting until her eyes were closed and her breathing evened out before he allowed himself to close his eyes. His last thought was about how excited he was to have her back, and how happy he was that she was here to stay permanently. 

A/N ugh i love mac & annika so much already. any ship name ideas for them??