In stark contrast to the loud crashing sound just now, everything was silent and peaceful. I tiptoed towards the door as I debated with myself whether I should open it. However, before I could make up my mind, the door swung opened with a loud slam. “Oh, it’s you…” The man from yesterday stood in front of me in the exact same look that he wore yesterday. White shirt, jeans, and sunglasses. He smiled sweetly at me as he cocked his head slightly to the side. “Hi…” I managed to say after snapping out of my state of shock. Why is he here? “Why are you here?” he asked in wonder. I was about to ask him the same thing. “I was tasked to help clean up the stables. What about you? Do you work here?” I asked. “You’re right. I do,” he replied as he strode past me and towards the horses. I turned as my eyes followed him. The horses reacted to his presence, and they suddenly appeared friendlier than before. The man reached out his hand and petted the neck of one of the horses as he smiled. The horse’s fur looks soft… “Come over here. Do you want to touch him?” the man asked invitingly as he waved me over. “…Yes,” I admitted a little shyly. I stood next to the man as I stared at the horse in front of us. Since he’s male, he’s a stallion. He was big, tall, and had beautiful brown coat. I took in a sharp breath when the man suddenly took my hand. His touch on my hand felt hot as he slowly guided my hand towards the neck of the horse. “So…soft…” I murmured appreciatively as I felt the horse’s coat beneath my hand and fingers. The man turned to smile at me without saying anything as he continued guiding my hand to stroke along the animal’s fur. My heart started beating faster in my chest and I wasn’t sure if it was because I was excited to pet a horse for the first time in my life or it was because he was standing so close to me. I was very conscious that he was still holding my hand although there probably wasn’t a need for him to. “I didn’t know that you worked here. It must be fun to take care of the horses every day,” I said before I smiled a little at him. “It’s not a bad job to have,” he replied casually. Suddenly, I felt tongue tied and I didn’t know how to keep the conversation that I had started going. I could feel him staring at me even though I couldn’t see his eyes. “Let’s go for a ride,” he said decisively before I could say anything. “Excuse me?” I blurted out in my shock. He wants us to go for a ride? But…we’re supposed to be working. However, that wasn’t the biggest problem. “I-I don’t know how to ride, and we’re supposed to be working right now so…” I began declining his offer. “I see. That’s not a problem. I can teach you easily enough. Well, for today, you can just sit with me on this horse. How about that?” he said invitingly. He seemed so confident that I wouldn’t turn down his invitation. A large part of me knew that we shouldn’t be doing this; however, a bigger part of me wanted nothing more than the ride the horse with him. I felt like we were naughty little kids who were planning to sneak out to play and it wasn’t a bad feeling at all. “Ok…” I replied in a small voice as I nodded at him. “Perfect…” he said gleefully as he took my hand in his again. … The man led the horse outside into the meadow before he readied it for our ride. I watched with intense curiosity as he went about it. The horse was much larger now that I could see it’s entire body in the open. “His name is Marco. He’s very obedient and patient so there’s nothing for you to worry about. He’s going to be a very smooth ride,” he said as he patted the horse’s neck. As if Marco could tell that he was being complimented he made a sound that I thought sounded quite content. I was unused to horses, and this was my first time seeing one live so I wasn’t sure what I should be doing. Thankfully, the blond man told me everything about what I needed to do. “I think it’s probably easier if I get on first and pull you up. What do you think? Can you climb up the horse in that little skirt?” the man asked as he cocked his head to the side curiously. I squeezed my thighs together when I thought I felt his eyes traveling down my body to my waist, my hips, and then my legs. His lips curved into a teasing smile, and I ended up blushing a little. “I think you should get on first…” I mumbled. “I’ll do that,” he said casually. I gasped when he lifted himself up and swung his leg over the horse with ease. In one smooth motion he was sitting atop the horse. I looked up at him as I admired the sight of him astride the horse. The sunlight shining on him made his golden hair shine in an alluring way. He looks a little like a prince…a very wild one… The thought made me giggle a little to myself. “Give me your hand. I’ll pull you up. Stay calm and don’t move around too much when you’re on the horse,” he instructed. “Ok…” I said before I placed my hand in his much larger one. “Ready? Here we go!” he said as he hurled me up. The force of his pull helped me onto the horse with ease. Despite my initial worries, when the time came, I found out that I didn’t have to do anything at all. He pulled me up and half lifted me, and I was sitting astride the horse in front of him. --To be continued…