Kae had Googled horseback riding clothes, so she felt relatively prepared showing up at the stables on Sunday afternoon for her riding date with Chris. The websites said straight-leg jeans were the best if you didn't have riding trousers, which Kae definitely didn't, so she wore a pair of Levi jeans she'd had since seventh grade, when she'd stopped growing. Her black hair fell into two braids down her back, which she hoped gave her an air of boho chic.
Even though it was clear that Robyn was still reeling from her breakup with Chris, Kae couldn't stop thinking about him. When she got to the stables, she saw him leading two horses out in the paddock, one black, one a deep brown, noticing how his head was bent toward them as he patted them both on their necks, talking to them. His hands ran across the saddles and stirrups.
"Which one is Credo?" Kae asked when Chris finally noticed her approaching.
He stroked the black one's sleek mane. "This is my sweetheart. Isn't she gorgeous?"
Kae crept slowly toward Chris and his horse, not wanting to spook her. Credo was enormous. "Credo's a girl? She's so huge."
Chris laughed. "She's really not. I'm going to ride Dean Marymount's mare, Deena, because she's a lot bigger than Credo. And I told Credo to be gentle with you."
"Good," Kae said, hesitantly touching the horse on her neck where Chris had been stroking her. Her coat was surprisingly soft and glossy. Credo shifted a little at Kae's touch and turned her head to look at her. The quick movement startled Kae, but she didn't flinch and instead kept petting the giant animal as she admired her enormous, brown-liquid eyes.
"Let her smell your hand," Chris said over her shoulder. "It will help her get to know you faster."
"Like this?" Kae held her palm out awkwardly in front of Credo's nose. With anyone but Chris, she would have been terrified that the horse would bite her hand off, but she trusted him. Credo made a snuffling noise with her nostrils and nuzzled her soft, damp nose against Kae's hand. She giggled. "She looks so much happier than those poor horses in the city that have to pull carriages around Central Park for tourists all day."
"God, you're such a city girl," Chris said affectionately. He held out a black velvet riding helmet. "Here," he said. "See if this fits."
"I have to wear a helmet? Does that mean there's a chance she's going to throw me off or something?" She held it awkwardly in her hands, suddenly scared again, visualizing her tiny body flying through the air and landing in a crunch of bones against the hard, packed dirt.
"Nah, she likes you."
"How can you tell?"
Chris scratched his head. "Well, I can't tell for sure." He shrugged. "But she likes girls who are nice to me." He raised his eyebrows at her, causing her to forget all about being afraid of Credo. "So, you'd better be nice to me."
Right, she thought. Like there was any danger of her not being nice.
Chris took the helmet from Kae's hands and placed it on her head gently, then flattened his hand on top of it and rocked it back and forth and from side to side. Kae could feel her scalp moving with it. "What are you doing?"
"Making sure it fits." He took his hand off her head and bent his knees so that his eyes were level with hers. He examined how the helmet fit around her head, his face just inches from hers, so she could practically count his eyelashes if she wanted to. His eyes finally met hers. "You look cute," he said softly.
"How come you're not wearing a helmet?"
"Because I'm not worried about me," he said sweetly, though Kae still thought it was unfair. She'd pictured her long hair flying out behind her in the wind, but maybe next time. "Are you ready to get on?"
"Already?" she yelped, terrified.
"You want to stand here talking all day?"
Kae looked up at him. "Sort of."
"Come on. It's fun, and you'll be fine. Credo knows what she's doing, and she's not going to break into a gallop or anything." Chris gave her a few more basic instructions and encouragements, but she could tell he was one of the learn-by-doing sort of teachers, so Kae forced herself to take deep breaths and just get on. He held his hands together to give her a leg up, and she swung her leg over Credo's back awkwardly, almost kicking Chris in the head with her boot. She wriggled in the sleek leather saddle, getting her bearings. "Are you comfortable?" Chris asked, adjusting the stirrups and placing the reins in her hands.
"I feel like I'm riding an elephant," she said with a giddy laugh. Being on a horse made her feel so...tall!
Chris hopped onto Marymount's horse. "You ready to start moving now?"
Deep breaths, deep breaths. "Yes," Kae squeaked.
"Then just give Credo a little squeeze with your calves. And just sort of let your hips follow her movements. It'll fall into place." Chris started off on Deena, and Kae pressed her lower legs gently against Credo's sides. She gasped when Credo started to move.
"Am I trotting?" she asked eagerly.
"Not yet," Chris laughed. "Are you sure you're ready for it?"
Their eyes met across the grass, and he kicked his horse into a trot, pulling away from her quickly. "Come on!" he cried, glancing back over his shoulder, his shirt blowing in the light breeze.
"I'll be extra nice to Chris if you're nice to me," she whispered to Credo before squeezing her legs and feeling the horse lurch forward beneath her. "Whoa," she gasped.
An hour later they were back at the stable, Kae's legs aching with effort. She couldn't believe how much fun it was, riding the enormous, scary-sweet Credo through the fields, even if Kae wouldn't go faster than a trot, no matter how much Chris encouraged her. The sky was cloudy when they started out, but it quickly darkened, and fat raindrops had begun to fall from the menacing gray clouds. They rode into the stable, which was clean and dark and smelled like Chris, only much more concentrated.
He slid off his horse and led her into a stall before returning to Kae. "Did you like it?" he asked, though he knew the answer from the wild, breathless smile on her face.
"I see what the big deal is now." She unhooked her boot from the stirrup, and dismounted a little more gracefully than she'd mounted. "That was so much fun." Her legs were shaking a little from the strain, and as she pulled off her helmet, she realized her hair felt sweaty and must be plastered to her head, but she didn't care.
"Makes you realize you're alive, doesn't it?" Chris remarked as he pulled off Credo's saddle and hung it on a giant metal hook. He led Credo back into her stall, a huge, straw-filled enclosure.
"It makes me realize other things too," she responded indirectly, feeling bold. She felt her blood racing through her veins, her adrenaline at an all-time high. On Credo, she felt like she could race across the world, and now, standing on her own two legs again, she felt like she could do whatever she wanted. And what she wanted was to kiss Chris.
"Like what?" He cocked his eyebrows, staring at her. Kae didn't answer. He was moving closer, ever so slowly. She wanted to capture each individual moment leading up to this. She took in the smells of the stable. The noise of Credo's breathing. The beginnings of rain falling against the metal roof. The crunch of straw beneath her boots. The way her legs were shaking. The way Chris touched her on the chin and tilted it upward. And the way he brought his lips toward hers and kissed her, at which moment she stopped thinking about anything at all besides the feeling of kissing the boy she never thought she would ever kiss.
To: DeVonTran@poetsonline.com
From: KarruecheTran@Bridgeport.edu
Date: Sunday, September 15, 6:58 p.m.
Subject: Country living
Dad,
You're not going to believe this, but I went horseback riding today. As in, I rode a horse—an enormous, ten-ton creature with really big teeth. And it wasn't even scary! Well, it was a little scary, but I had an expert helping me along. A very cute expert. But I won't say anything else about that now...I don't want to jinx anything.
I'm having fun here—got my first A+, had an assist in the last field hockey game, and have been meeting tons of cool people. It's a little weird not having uniforms to wear to class every day.(It makes it a little harder to get ready in the morning!) I still feel a little like a new girl, trying to figure out all the unspoken rules. But I'm getting the hang of it. How's the apartment without me? I miss you like crazy. Tell bro he could send his little sister an email once in a while—who knows, maybe she even misses him!
Your favorite daughter,
Kae
To: ChrisBrown@Bridgeport.edu
From: MichaelBJordan@Bridgeport.edu
Date: Monday, September 16, 9:45 a.m.
Subject: Meeting
Dear Mr. Brown,
I apologize for the late notice, but I trust you will receive this in time. Please do me the honor of stopping by my office today before lunch.