He adjusts the reins in my hands, then places a hand gently on Apollo’s side. The horse doesn’t move, just stands perfectly still, like he knows I’m inexperienced.
“You look good up there,” Alex says quietly.
I glance down. “I look terrified.”
He huffs a faint laugh. “A little.”
Apollo moves under me with slow, steady steps.
Alex walks beside him, his hand lightly brushing the horse’s side. The sun is soft on the fields ahead—wide, endless greenstretched under pale skies. I didn’t know the estate was this big. I don’t think I’ve ever seen so much land that belongs to one person.
“So, um…This is all your family’s?” I ask, glancing down at him.
He nods, then looks up at me,
“You good up there?”
I give him a nod, then look up ahead.
The wind brushes through my hair. I keep my hands steady on the reins like he showed me. Apollo’s pace is so smooth that it almost feels like I’m floating.
I sneak a glance down at Alex again.
“How long have you had him?” I ask, tilting my chin toward Apollo
“Fifteen,” he replies, eyes focused ahead. “Got him when I was fourteen.”
I look down at the horse’s mane, trailing like silk in the wind.
“How old is he?”
“He’s twenty,” he says, “still quite young.”
I smile at that.
“You talked to Tyler?” Alex asks, staring up at me.
The question catches me by surprise, but I nod anyway.
“He told me you called him last night,” I say quietly. “Thank you.”
“You don’t have to thank me, Lucas,” he murmurs,
“Your mom…” I start to say, but then stop.
He looks up at me, urging me to continue. I smile
“She’s nice,” I say shyly, “She’s very sweet.”
This makes him give me a small smile, but he doesn’t say anything.
After a while, we ride back slowly towards the stable.
The horse’s quiet steps thud against the gravel as we near the stables. A soft breeze curls around us, tugging lightly at thehem of the silk shirt. The fields stretch out behind us, quiet and golden. I glance at him now and then—his broad shoulders, his calm face, his silence that somehow always feels full instead of empty.
What is this between us? Why does it feel like something I don’t understand but can’t walk away from either?
His family, his world, the way he touches me like I’m real and not breakable—it doesn’t make sense. Nothing does. Not last night or other times when things are intimate between us, not the way I find myself feeling safe in his presence, even when I know I should be cautious.
