Picture of Tony on the side :) ------------------>
"Why don't you play in front of me?" Joe asked as they dismounted fluidly in front of Keely's barn. Joe had already ridden his two horses at home while Keely rode the two horses at her farm she was being paid to train, Joe was now riding one of Keely's two horses. The horse he was riding was named Chris, while Keely was riding Rosie.
Shrugging, Keely took the lead. The horses would be staying in tonight, so she lead Rosie to her designated stall.
There was a companionable silence stretching across the hallway as both Joseph and Keely started untacking their horses swiftly and experately, even though they would stop at odd moments to rub the horse's wither or something along those lines.
"You going to tell me?" he enquired when they met in the tack room.
Choosing silence, Keely pretended to ignore him as she waited for Joe to put his saddle on the saddle rack. Rolling his eyes, Joe plucked the smooth saddle from her arms and slid it methodically on the rack beside his own saddle. By the time he turned around, Keely had already hung her bridle and sidle silently out of the room avoiding his notice.
"Can't avoid me for ever," he pointed out.
"I don't know!" Keely burst out giving Rosie an apple. "I don't know if I'm scared that if anyone sees me play that they'll tell my I'm no good or maybe the magic will be gone after playing in front of someone."
"I have seen you play before," Joe informed, standing beside her looking as if he was completely engrossed in the nail sticking out from the wall.
"You have?" her voice was absorbed in astonishment.
Now he grinned light-heartedly up at her. "When we were younger, you never had a fear in the world. I guess that was what we were supposed to be like than. But I remember coming over to your house when we were little and your mom would pull out her guitar and get you to play for us."
"I don't remember that," she whispered.
In a affectionate big brother move, Joe wrapped an arm around her neck. "Plus, you sing so loudly when you feed evening feed or whenever you're alone."
"I do?" Today was just a day of revelations, Keely decided and wrapped her arm around Joe's waist.
"Uh huh," there was a smile in his voice, but Keely wouldn't be able to see it unless she craned her neck to look up at his face. "So, if I've heard you sing, mom and dad as well plus Frank must have heard you sing, and the magic isn't gone yet. I can't think of why it would disappear anytime soon. Plus, even when you were a baby, you were really talented."
"This is going to get pretty awkward soon," Keely mentioned.
"It already is," he laughed. "I would never say any of this usually, because it just sounds weird, too Hollywood. But since we've already started, you're a really great person Keel. And really talented at everything you do, you just worry too damn much."
"You're right, that does sound weird," she giggled. "So, let's get away from the Hollywood talk, and you can help me let in horses."
*
"Really does take away from the Hollywood sayings when you're trying to avoid horse crap, doesn't it?" Joe smiled, brushing the dirt off his hands when they finished bringing in all twenty four horses.
"I think so," she giggled.
"You're coming to dinner tonight, at my house, right?" his face was suddenly completely sombre.
"Yeah, I can't cook, and Dad isn't home," Keely pointed out.
"Then I'll see you soon," he walked swiftly out the barn doors.
"What?" Keely said loudly very confused, she spun on her heel to go after Joe to see what that had just been about. But then noticed that Tony was walking down the barn hallway towards her.
"Hi," her voice was quiet.
"Hey," he smiled, the smile was just dripping with charm. But noticing it didn't work, his face went serious. "Just say we're okay," he said after minutes of silence.
"I'm really tired of this," Keely wasn't whispering, but her voice was low. But somehow it still manged to carry through the suddenly dead silent barn.
His eyes melted and started to solicite silently with hers. "I'm really sorry I've been such an asshole lately. It's just that my dad is really coming down hard on me for scholarships, and I've been really stressed since the season is starting soon. But I know I shouldn't take it out on you."
Now she could only sigh. Keely was reminded of what she had told Haley this morning, 'I guess I see the guy that nobody else sees, the guy he could be', and here was the guy only she saw.
"You listened to this song on our first date when I was driving you home from the beach," Tony pressed a sheet of paper in her palm, obviously hand-written.
Keely had to try and steal herself against the melting of her heart, the words scribbled in black ink on the pen were a Travis Tritt song, the song was called The Best Of Intentions:
'I had big plans for our future
Said I'd give you the whole world somehow
I tried making good on that promise
Thought I'd be much farther by now
Never could build you a castle
Even though you're the queen of my heart
But I've had the best of intentions right from the start
Now some people think I'm a loser
'Cause I seldom get things right
But you make me feel like a winner
When you wrap me in your arms so tight
Please tell you'll remember
No matter how much I do wrong
That I had the best of intentions
All along
I gave you a ring
And I promised you things
I always thought we'd do
But my best made plans slipped right through my hands
To show my love for you
And if you could read my heart
Then you'd know without exception
It was all with the best of intentions
I gave you a ring
And I promised you things
I always thought we'd do
But my best made plans slipped right through my hands
To show my love for you
And if you could read my heart
Then you'd know without exception
It was all with the best of intentions
So here I am asking for forgiveness
And praying that you'll understand
Don't think I take you for granted
Girl, I know just how lucky I am
Though you deserve so much better
You won't find devotion more true
'Cause I've had the best of intentions
Girl, I've had the best of intentions
Yes, I've had the best of intentions
Loving you'
"It's all true," Tony said huskily.
Feeling more off balance than ever, Keely ran a trembling hand through her hair already mussed auburn hair.
"Just say we're okay," he beseeched.
Glancing down at the page one last time, Keely rubbed the edge of her finger in a circular motion over her temple. People always either said they were meant to be together or that they were horrible together. "I'll tell you what I think tomorrow," Keely said steadily.
"Keels-"
"I need to go somewhere," she pushed on his chest. "I'll tell you tomorrow."
Without waiting for his reaction, Keely marched the other direction towards Joe's house.
*
Throughout dinner, Keely was silent. She would smile oblidgingly at the jokes that Joe's parents would shoot out, she ducked her head when they said grace and accomodated Evelyn by telling her all about the training she was doing with the horse, Chester, to conquer his bucking habit.
"What's up, Keels?" Joe asked, trailing her out of the house.
Sighing, Keely dipped her hands into the pockets of her jeans. They were standing on the Joe's house's covered weathered wooden front porch. To her left there were two green chairs.
How much time had they spent out here?
Once thay had slept on this very porch for four weeks during a summer when she had beeen twelve, a horse had been ready to foal. They had slept out here on the porch instead of the barn because the horse who had been ready to foal had a paddock almost beside the house, they had been able to watch her carefully all night, or as long as they stayed awake.
Back then, they hadn't known Evelyn had been in the house doing the same thing, she had always been there for their backup.
And that horse had been two weeks late when it foaled, Keely and Joe had slept out on the porch for the two weeks before and the two weeks after. But, never once did they regret it. Maybe at night when they were freezing, but in the morning it all seemed worth it.
"Tony gave me this," she passed Joe the piece of paper she had folded in her pocket to him without meeting his eyes.
After a long period of silence, Joe said reasonably, "It's a good song."
"I put a CD in his truck on our first date our freshmen year, and this song was the first one on the mixtape. He remembered this song was on that CD," she sighed, now folding her arms in front of her against the chill. "What do you think I should do?"
"Here," Joe swung his sweater over her shoulders with surprising dexterity. "I can't tell you what to do," he said wisely, fixing her collar. "And now we're going back into those cheesy Hollywood sayings, that really make no difference, but sound good. Just follow your heart."
"You're right, that doesn't help much," Keely rolled her eyes.
"That's how it's supposed to be little sister, never ask dating advice from me. I'll always just tell you to dump the guy." He said holding the piece of paper out to her.
"Thanks," Keely murmured, taking it.
About two hours later, Keely was playing her music at a smooth undertone in her room. She was playing a vinyl Johnny Cash album on her record player, the song playing was, Tear Stained Letter. And she was sitting cross-legged on her bed with the lyrics right in front of her, just staring at the words.
'I'm gonna write you a tear stained letter,
I'm going to tell you one more time.
That you could still reconsider,
And come back to being mine.'
Should she forgive him? There was definately something between them, and that was something Keely would never be able to deny.
But Keely couldn't decide if that was the feeling of loyalty, since they had been together for so long. It was if she felt she was required to say, 'Yes, yes, we're okay,' because of the history between them. Maybe she felt like she should say okay because she could still see a glimpse of the guy he really could be every once in a while. Or maybe it really was love between them, real love, disfunctional love to be sure, but still love. And she was just too blind to see it.
'And if you think about what I'm saying
It'd be hard to refuse.
Just be sure you think a long time,
On the answer that you choose.'
But Keely also knew that he'd probably slept with so many girls while they've been together that he wouldn't even be able to count the number on his fingers if he had four hands. The song changed, it was now, Cry, cry, cry.
And she knew it was happening, but she was too much of a coward to face it.
'I lay awake at night and wait 'til you come in
You stay a little while and then you're gone again.
For every question I ask, I get a lie, lie, lie.
For every lie you tell, you're going to cry, cry, cry.
You're going to cry, cry, cry and you'll cry alone,
When everyone's forgotten and you're left on your own.
You're gonna cry, cry, cry.'
- I know, I know, Tony's an ass lol, don't worry I agree. But you've got to realise that Keely is far from the strongest person around, and in case you haven't noticed, she kinda has low self esteem. But just wait...
Okay, I can't tell anything else without ruining it :)
I'm usually not a fan of country music, some of it I like because I won't hate music just because of the genre it's in, but I think Best of Intentions fit very well at that moment...
By the way never walk through trees without testing for spider webs first, or else you might start screaming and jumping around in circles only to be yelled at because you might hurt your already cracked ribs -__-
Anyways, hope you liked it, vote/comment, tell me what you think of Joe and Tony :)