In the light of his phone I can see his eyelids growing heavy. He pats his hand at a place in the hay next to him. “Then come on over here. The hay’s warm.”
I hesitate. “You still have to show me all the different kinds of champagne and how to pour them properly.”
“We’ll do it tomorrow. Come here.”
I continue to hesitate, but now I don’t have any more excuses. I slowly make my way over to the pile of hay, as though it were a ticking time bomb.
Knox grins. “I don’t bite. If you want, I can separate our two piles.”
“It’s fine.” The hay rustles when I lie down next to him. It’s warmer here.
“Wow,” he mutters. “Now you look like Baymax playing a tin soldier.”
I turn my head. “What?”
“Nothing.”
I don’t know how long we lie there, but at some point Knox’s breathing becomes heavier. For a while, I listen to him and the breath of the horses until my eyes can no longer stay open either.
My last thought before falling asleep is that I haven’t felt as comfortable as I do now in weeks.
20
Forever Be My Almost
Paisley
I am woken by the scraping of hooves. At first I don’t know where I am, but when I realize it, I close my eyes even harder. In a childlike way I convince myself that, if I don’t see it, it doesn’t exist.
The hay is poking my cheek. Wanting to turn on my side, I am suddenly blocked by a heavy weight by my hip.
Oh, God. This isn’t real, is it?
I open one eye, just a sec, real slow, and when I see what I assumed, I shut it again as quick as I can. My heart is beating faster than these horses can gallop. Knox has put his arm around me! I am positive it wasn’t intentional. It probably just happened. But what should I do? Push it away? Leave it there? Maybe I can roll on my side before he realizes it and take off.
Before I can decide one way or the other, I hear the heavy iron bar being moved upward and…voices. I hear voices.
For one excruciating second I go through all the various possibilities in my head. Without much success, as the only way we could disappear from this stable with no back door is by disintegrating.
“Knox,” I hiss. “Knox, wake up!”
Too late. The door swings open and…a whole throng of peoplesurge inside. At least a dozen, led by William and Ruth.
“Please stay calm,” William says to the group. He is standing with his back to us, but the tourists have already discovered Knox and me. They are staring. Some of them open-mouthed. “There is one horse for everyone and…”
He doesn’t get any further as he is interrupted by a girl’s shrill cry. “Knox Winterbottom!” She reaches out her hand and points at Knox, whose eyes flash open in panic. “Oh, my God, it’s him! It’s really him!”
“Who’s the girl?” someone asks.
“Oh, God. He’s got agirlfriend?”
“No way,” says the first. “People would know about that!”
Ruth and William turn around to look at us. Everyone is staring as if we were exotic zoo animals that they had never been able to look at up close. Not knowing what to do, I dig my fingers into the hay. Knox’s arm is still around my hip. I wish he’d pull it away, but apparently he’s fallen into a kind of shock. His normally tanned face is as white as chalk.
And then it happens. Several women pull out their phones at the same time and turn them toward us. They are taking photos of us and, suddenly, I can’t breathe. This is a nightmare.
Finally, Knox comes to. He pulls his arm away, jumps up, and stands in front of me. “Stop that shit! Put your phones away. We’re not animals, damn it!”
