Today was the day!
Today, I would finally face my fear and say, "hi."
Except, that's what I told myself every week. So far, I had never actually managed to do it.
Brent Nichols was his name. I had been obsessed with him long enough for it to be considered unhealthy.
Every Saturday after basketball, I would sit and watch him. He was our club's star equestrian show jumper; a fancy way of saying that he made a horse jump over obstacles.
I honestly didn't care what he did, as long as there was an acceptable reason for me to watch him.
I had to admit that there was something special about seeing a guy on horseback. A rider's posture was very elegant, especially his.
Oddly, what I liked about Brent the most was the way he treated his horse. He was kind and encouraging, even when mistakes were made.
There he was!
Brent strode out with confidence as I watched him carefully from my usual spot.
After all these months, I had learned most of the rules. Brent had cleared half of the course with no faults and I was actually enjoying the show.
It had started to rain but Brent kept going. The rest of the spectators were now watching in concentrated silence.
The pair arrived at the last obstacle with only a disobedience fault for loss of forward movement. Considering the rain, I thought the judges were being too strict but I was obviously biased.
One, two, three and… a perfect jump!
I instinctively leapt to my feet and cheered like I was at a Yankees game. There was nobody else in my little corner which made me all too obvious.
The crowd was now staring in my direction and to my utter shock, so was Brent. A single moment of eye contact was cut off abruptly when I grabbed my bag and fled.
***
Another forty-five minutes before Mom would pick me up! My sister's ballet class didn't finish until two and Dad was out of town.
I had escaped the rain together with unwanted attention by hiding in the cafe. My hoodie was pulled over my head and I was trying to process the consequences of my little incident.
Brent couldn't possibly suspect, could he? He didn't even know who I was! Maybe, I just really liked show jumping and everyone knew that he was the best at the club.
Why was I being so paranoid about this? Because I liked a guy?
Just as I managed to calm down, a friendly voice said, "There you are!"
I looked up to see who the person was speaking to and found Brent with his riding hat under his arm.
"Did you enjoy the show?" he asked, kindly.
"That last jump was epic," I said. Where did that sudden burst of confidence come from?
"I wanted to say that I appreciate your support, even though I don't understand where you get the patience to watch me every week."
Brent knew I was watching him? Shit!
"I love horses," I lied.
"Hmmm," Brent muttered, "Would you like to meet Stargazer?"
I looked at him blankly which made him laugh.
"My horse; Stargazer. Would you like to meet him?" he asked with a beautiful smile.
"Sure," I said, trying to keep it casual.
***
There I stood in Stargazer's private stable area, feeding him carrots.
"He is a thoroughbred Pinto," Brent said with pride, gently patting the horse's side.
I smiled and nodded as if I knew what that meant. I noticed that Brent was still wearing his soaking wet clothes. Without thinking, I asked, "Aren't you cold?"
Brent looked down and seemed to realize for the first time. He gave me a weird look and asked, "Can you hand me my duffel?"
He quickly closed the top half of the stable door, leaving us in the semi dark.
"Don't look, Star!" he mock scolded the horse.
Don't look at what, I wondered seconds before Brent slipped out of his black jacket. He then pulled off his riding boots and socks and continued by unbuttoning his white shirt.
Holy crap, what a torso! My hands started to shake, so I combed them gently through the horse's neck hair.
I assumed that he would use the towel from his bag to dry the rest but he just kept on going. When he struggled out of his beige riding breeches, I forced myself to concentrate on the few rays of light that were shining through the green door.
Now he would definitely use the towel, no?
I had always thought that horse people were strange but this was the most insane situation that I had ever been in. It was almost as if he was doing it on purpose.
I suddenly felt compelled to know what he was doing. He couldn't possibly have just taken it all off, could he? My cheeks started to burn at the thought.
Surely, I wouldn't get caught if I took a quick peek. I looked over my shoulder to see Brent stepping out of his wet underwear.
There was still no towel involved. Even from behind, he was absolutely beautiful to look at and I indulged for a moment too long.
Brent turned and caught my gaze. His face didn't react but he quickly pulled on the dry pair of underwear he was holding.
I whipped my head back to face the door and squeezed my eyes closed, willing myself to be anywhere but here.
I wanted to run again but I couldn't. The door was closed and he was wearing virtually nothing. If anyone saw us, I would die of shame. I stood rooted to the ground waiting for the world to end.
"You don't come to watch the horses, do you?" Brent asked suddenly. He was standing right behind me and I could smell him. Despite the circumstances, I took a second to enjoy the musky odor.
There was no point in lying, he had figured me out. I shook my head very slowly.
"Can I tell you a secret?" Brent asked, taking a step closer towards me.
"Sure," I whispered, my eyes still closed.
"I have been working up the courage to talk to you for weeks. Today, you finally gave me an excuse!" Brent whispered. He was standing so close that I could feel his breath on my skin.
What?! Brent Nichols wanted to talk to me?
Today really was the day!
END
