mmmm i dont really like this one much but. oh well :/
anyways here, linhiana horseback riding fluff
warnings: none i think?
word count: about 900 words, pretty short, i know
A strand of hair has escaped Biana's ponytail. It falls over her face, slightly covering her bright teal eyes, but Biana doesn't seem to notice it. However, Linh does, and she can't stop her eyes from being drawn to it. Drawn to Biana, with her gorgeous and smiling face, the exhilarated expression she wears that practically steals Linh's breath away from her. Linh swallows and turns away for a few moments to compose herself.
Biana chatters on, not seeming to notice the gay panic currently overwhelming Linh—which is an incredible feat considering Linh's cheeks have flushed a color red she hadn't thought was possible to achieve. Linh raises a hand trying to fan her face, hoping that would help cool the burning on her cheeks, and she almost falls off the horse she's riding.
Mary Belle lets out a loud snort, abruptly stopping and making Linh slip further out of the saddle. Biana stops too and turns her horse, Mimi, around. Her brow furrows in concern as she hops down to the ground, walking up to Linh.
"Need some help?"
"Yeah," Linh mutters sheepishly. She's almost hanging off the saddle, but Biana gives her a little push and Linh manages to regain her posture. Her face burns with embarrassment even more when Biana gives a little giggle and walks back to Mimi, gracefully sitting back on the saddle. It's hot and humid and Biana's hair is a little frizzy, wild curls everywhere. Biana attempts to smooth it back with one hand but it doesn't work.
That strand of hair hasn't budged. It stays in place, waving perfectly over Biana's face and Linh wants nothing more than to lean closer and tuck it Biana's ear.
Which is so stupid considering they met literally just a few hours ago. Linh just wanted to ride a horse today. It's not her fault she was paired to ride with a kind girl who was too beautiful for her own good. Linh shouldn't be forming a crush so soon and yet, as Biana moves forward, poised and perfect on Mimi, Linh can't tear her eyes away from her.
They continue down the trail, chattering brightly and sometimes pointing out a cool view or pretty bird flying around. At one point, Biana suddenly turns around. "Oh, we need to get back in five minutes... Let's go."
They urge their horses to go a little faster and a few minutes later, Linh steps inside the building, and a wave of cool air hits her. It's a welcome relief from the sun outside. Stina, one of the workers, leads Mimi and Mary Belle to the stables while another worker named Sophie checks them out, making small talk while she does so.
Right before they're about to go, Sophie tells them, "Hey so y'all can have a nice picnic lunch in this area if you'd like. There's this place, if you go out the door and turn left and walk for a while, you'll reach it pretty quickly. It's only like, five to ten minutes away I think, you don't even need to drive, and the view is gorgeous."
Linh blinks, wondering what warrants this advice. Then, she notices the picnic basket Biana is holding, the way Sophie's looking back between the two of them.
Oh. She thinks we're a couple.
Biana seems to reach that conclusion at about the same time. At the same time, they start stammering out protests, trying to explain. Sophie stares at them blankly, clearly not understanding their confused and unintelligible stutters.
"W-We're not here together," Biana finally manages to say. Linh doesn't trust herself to form a complete sentence so she simply nods as confirmation.
"Oh." Sophie's eyes widen. "Oh, I'm so sorry, I really am." She looks mortified, her cheeks a brilliant red but the apology is genuine.
Linh's cheeks are dark too and she just ducks her head. "It's okay," she murmurs, offering a sort of smile and hoping she seems amused at this, like it's all a joke.
Sophie nods, repeating, "I'm so sorry," before quickly turning to another person in line.
Linh walks out of there quickly, too embarrassed to say something else. It takes her a moment to realize there's another pair of footsteps around her. She dares to glance behind and there's Biana, looking so much more composed than Linh could ever be.
Neither of them are sure of what to say, leading to an incredibly awkward silence, more excruciating than anything Linh's experienced before. Finally, Biana blurts out a question. "So um, do you have any plans? For lunch?"
Linh stares. She manages to shake her head no, and Biana rambles on.
"So like, you could come with me? Like, if you want? To have a picnic? I don't know, it's just having a picnic with myself doesn't seem so fun so it would be cool to have someone else there. That is, if you want to, no pressure at all. We hardly know each other, I don't expect you to wanna come. Although like. I would like to get to know you better. But again, no pressure—"
Linh's still staring, not making a sound, and that seems to make Biana even more anxious, as her speech becomes continuously more flustered. "Really it—it's fine—let's just. Ignore this. Uh—"
"Oh," Linh finally whispers.
"Oh?" Biana asks anxiously.
"I-I'll come," Linh rushes out. "I'm sorry—I was just surprised, that's all—I'd love to come, I swear—"
"Great!" Biana grins, her eyes lit up again. "Great. Okay."
Linh grins, and as they both walk side-by-side, she can't help but laugh softly, marveling at this strange turn of events.
