Hamdan had been extra busy for the next two weeks, but managed to stop by the stables a few times. He saw Sarah there, but they only talked about Princesa or barely said hi. On Instagram, she had posted a picture of Rooster playing in the park and a throwback of her and Tom hugging with #mysoulmate as a caption. He freaked out a little before realizing that Tom was probably gay after a quick scroll through his account. Hamdan was still very intrigued by her. He didn't know how, but he had to have alone time with Sarah, to talk about something else besides horses. It seemed impossible, however, a golden opportunity had materialized.
It was a tradition at F3 stables to have a dinner party before the season started to motivate the entire team and wish everyone good luck. The whole team was invited from raiders, to trainers, to vets and all the staff members. The party was held at the stables gardens. On the green grass carpet was a big tent over a long table covered in white linen with very country chic style centerpieces. On one side there was a delicious seafood buffet waiting and at some smaller round tables, waiters were serving tea and lemonade to the guests.
Hamdan and Salem stepped out of the offices after a brief meeting and the first person he saw was Sarah, arriving at the gardens with Uma, the only other female rider at the stables.
"The girls are here!" Shouted Khalifa — another rider — putting his arms up in the air.
The riders were a close team and the boys were very protective of Uma. In past days, Hamdan witnessed how that behavior extended to Sarah as well, treating the two girls like sisters.
Sarah was wearing a dark yellow, long-sleeved maxi dress. Her hair was down and she was holding a drink in one hand and a white clutch on the other, laughing at something one of the guys said. Hamdan almost wanted to stop and contemplate her as he approached the group.
"Is everyone here?" Asked Hamdan, raising his voice slightly.
Everybody turned around to see him. Most of the men, just like him, were wearing white kanduras and keffiyehs.
"Yes," replied Khalifa.
"Okay!" Hamdan nodded, clapping his hands once. "Let's take a seat."
Sarah and Uma sat next to each other and Hamdan stood at the top of the table waiting for everyone to sit down. He cleared his throat and silence fell under the tent.
"Thank you all for being here and thank you for the effort you guys have been making getting the horses and yourselves ready for this new season," he began.
From where he was, he managed to see Sarah's beautiful eyes staring at him.
"I am very proud of F3 stables," Hamdan continued. "Not only for the victories we've had, but for you, the amazing team we have created. A strong team that supports each other, that works hard but most of all, a team that loves and respects our horses. So, let's keep doing what we do best and hope for a season full of joy and satisfaction."
The whole table started clapping.
"Now please, let's eat!" Finalized the prince.
After dinner, most people were standing up and gathered in different small groups. Sarah and Uma were with other riders and Hamdan was with Salem and two trainers discussing horses. Hamdan kept glancing at Sarah hoping to find the perfect moment to talk to her.
He saw how Sarah whispered something in Uma's ear and she started walking to the building across the gardens, surely to go to the restroom. After a couple of minutes Hamdan saw her walking back, but she suddenly stopped to look at her phone. At first, she seemed to laugh but Hamdan saw how she wiped a tear with her fingers.
Is she crying?
Instead of continuing her way back to the party, she turned around and headed towards the stables. Hamdan looked around, no one seemed to notice Sarah walking away, so he excused himself and before he got to the restroom, he made a left turn to follow her.
He found Sarah in a dimly lit stable, talking to Princesa and caressing the mare, who had stuck the head out of the stall to greet her rider. It was quite a vision — the beautiful girl with long hair, in a yellow dress, planting a kiss on the white mare's nose. Hamdan didn't want to interrupt what seemed like an intimate moment but at the same time, he needed to make sure that Sarah was fine.
"Hi," he said, cautiously walking into the stable trying not to scare her, but Sarah almost jumped out of her clothes.
"Oh my God!" One of her hands climbed to her chest "You scared me, Shei-- " She took a deep breath. "Hamdan, just Hamdan," she reminded herself. "You scared me, Hamdan."
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to, it's just that... Are you okay?"
Sarah looked down at the floor and turned her head in a way that her hair covered her face while she dried the tears that Hamdan had already seen. Once he was close enough, she lifted her head back up and tried to smile.
"I'm fine. Thank you."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes. It's nothing," she denied.
"Doesn't look like nothing," he said, patting Princesa on the neck.
"I thought nobody noticed."
"I did. Really, are you okay?" He insisted.
"Okay," she sighed. "It's silly, really. I'm an only child and my parents have been away for a few months traveling. And I don't why, but today I was missing them a lot and my dad sent this sweet text saying how proud they are of me and that they miss me and that Argentina has better meat than Texas," she let out a laugh before finishing. "I just lost it, so..."
"Only child?" Asked Hamdan as if Sarah was from another planet.
"Yes. How many siblings do you have?"
Hamdan laughed before answering. "Twenty-three."
Sarah's jaw dropped. "I knew you had a big family, but twenty-three? Wow, that's got to be a lot of fun."
"We hardly get all together but when there's at least eight or ten of us, then yes, it is a lot of fun."
Sarah smiled, seemingly dwelling on what Hamdan had just said.
"Now you are smiling," he pointed out.
Her smile grew wider. "Thank you."
Sarah was without a doubt the most beautiful woman he had ever seen and something was telling Hamdan that her beauty extended well beyond the physical aspect.
"So, when are your parents coming back?" He asked, trying to make the conversation flow and avoiding staring at her.
"They're not. They are moving back to Texas."
He tilted his head to the side. "And how do you feel about that?"
"I'm happy for them, it's what they want. I'll be fine and we can always visit. This was just a bad day."
"Do you also turn to horses on bad days?" He guessed.
"Of course. Do you?"
"Since I can remember," Hamdan replied, playing with Princesa's mane. "So, Salem tells me you are eager to race."
"Oh gosh, yes. But I understand if I have to wait." Sarah shrugged.
"Do you think you are ready?"
"I know I'm ready and this one is completely ready," her hand ran along Princesa's forehead.
"Why did you get into endurance?" He always asked the same question to every rider.
She paused for a moment before answering. "Because as an endurance rider, I'm an instrument to the horse and not the other way around. I'm just there to help her prove that she's got what it takes to be a champion."
Hamdan smiled in approval.
"See, I don't care if I have a broken leg," she continued. "If my horse is doing fine, I'm going to get on her back and finish the race. It's a humbling sport if you do it right. It's all about the horse, not the rider."
"Wow. You should have given the speech instead of me," he admitted.
Sarah's cheeks turned pink. "Sorry, I'm passionate about endurance."
"Never apologize for your passion about anything," Hamdan advised. "And thank you for reminding me what endurance it's all about. You're right."
"What do you mean?"
He sighed. "Slovakia."
"Oh... I'm sorry about that."
"Don't be. I made some stupid decisions, I should've been riding Ajayeb, not my cousin."
"I was surprised when I knew you were not riding her. The bond between rider and horse is important," she pointed out.
"It is. I wasn't thinking straight," he admitted, shaking his head.
"Something happened?"
"Maybe, it's ju— No, forget it."
"What? No! That's completely unfair," she exclaimed, crossing her arms. "I just confessed to you why I am here crying like a three-year-old that misses mommy and daddy, and now you don't want to share? Uh-uh. We have to make this even."
Hamdan grinned, he liked how unimpressed she seemed at the fact that he was the Crown Prince or the owner of the stables. She wasn't trying to be extra nice or not herself like most people he met. It was refreshing.
"Okay. I've always been a fair player," he scratched his beard. "Did you hear about my brother's passing?"
She nodded. "I'm very sorry."
"Thank you. Well, the thing is his death has been a huge reality check for me. It's making me question everything. Sometimes I feel like all I do is official event after official event. And even when I'm not working, it feels like I am," he rubbed his forehead before continuing. "For instance, this past Summer I was hunting in Yorkshire with my father and friends, because that's what we do every year. It's October now, so that means we are going to Uzbekistan for falcon hunting, because that's what we do every year. It feels like..." he could not find the words.
"Like you're not living?" Sarah suggested.
"Exactly! Like everything I do is because it's my duty or the tradition. And then I feel guilty about it because I know, believe me, I know and appreciate what I have and the life I lead. I realise how lucky I am but something is missing and I think it is affecting my judgement. And now Ajayeb is dead," he finished.
"Oh, come on. That was not your fault." Sarah tried to comfort
"But I made the call, I kind of feel like it is my fault," Hamdan breathed relieved and leaned his back against the stalls. He had finally vented out to someone.
Sarah took a couple of steps to be in front of him one more time. "But you do love what you do, right?"
He thought before answering. "Yes, I mean, it's a great privilege to be able to serve my country, to try to make things better for the people. And all those yearly trips, they're not so much about the trip itself, but about the people who come with us. I love those guys, if they're not family, they're like family to me."
"Okay, so you are not in so much trouble, as long as you love what you do, you will be fine. But if you feel like something is missing, stop looking for it."
Hamdan lifted his head and opened his eyes wide. "What?"
"That's what my mom always says; the best things in life come to you when you are not looking."
"Maybe she's right."
"And also, stop being so hard on yourself!" She lifted her hand and then let it fall back to the side. "I imagine you already have a lot of pressure as it is, for you to go and pile on more."
"I'm just determined."
"Well, there's a difference between being determined and being cruel to yourself. Saying Ajayeb's death is your fault it's cruel. Nobody needs that."
He lowered his head, thinking about her words.
She continued. "Like you said, you have this amazing life. Enjoy it, just Hamdan."
He looked up.
"I'm kidding," she said with a smile. "Hamdan."
He loved how she said his name and the movements of her lips while saying it.
"I bet that's what your brother would want you to do," she added.
"Thank you," he replied, feeling genuinely grateful.
"You are welcome, just trying to help a fellow rider out."
There it was again, the smirk that he liked so much.
Sarah's phone started buzzing. She opened her clutch and it took out.
"It's Uma. I should get going, she's probably looking for me."
"Sure, go ahead. I'll be there in a minute," he replied, wishing they could stay there talking.
Sarah put her phone back inside the clutch. "Okay," she gave Princesa a kiss and hurried back to the party.
When he lost sight of her, he took a deep breath and turned to the mare.
"So, she's the one you like, huh?"
Princesa nickered and he scratched her forehead, now convinced that he wasn't wrong about his first impression of Sarah. There was definitely something about this girl.
After Uma dropped her off, Sarah got into the elevator of her apartment building and started tapping on her phone.
You guys won't believe what happened at the dinner party!
But she stopped before pressing send. After thinking about it, she started deleting what she had written letter by letter and closed the app. There was something about her conversation with Hamdan that she preferred to keep to herself.
***
I hadn't written a note before because I honestly was not expecting anyone to read my story but here you are :D
Please, I'd love to hear from you, so comment and vote so I can know what you like and what you don't. If you spot any mistakes let me know! English is not my first language and I'm still figuring out how Watpadd works, so bear with me, I beg.
Thank you for taking your time to read Promise This.
XOXO,
Sophie.