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On our last afternoon Jared decides we should go horse riding and convinces me. We do not tell my mum because she would worry that the horse will trample me.
Aaron and Estelle go hiking up to the waterfall again, and I am sure they do not want to spend their last day together in our company.
I cannot ride a horse and insist on a tame donkey like horse, while Jared climbs onto a dark brown horse. I look up at him after he swings himself gracefully onto the horse and gape. He is so utterly handsome; I feel my stomach pull agonizingly into a knot.
I try to get onto my grey looking horse-donkey, almost falling over the other side and I am still half-on and half-off when the donkey starts walking off, without me having any control over it.
Jared follows me and stops his horse next to my donkey, mischief glittering in his eyes, while I must use all my willpower to stay calm. He slides down his horse in one fluid movement and then standing next to me, he lifts me off my donkey. “We are going to have to give you lessons once we get back home, but for now I think it’s best if you ride with me. It would probably be safer anyway.” I can hear the laughter in his voice.
I punch lightly at him, as he starts to laugh aloud. “It’s not funny,” I insist.
“No, it’s not funny, but it certainly looks funny.”
“Ha-ha,” I say, feeling offended.
I sit down on the sand stubbornly, ignoring him while he leads the donkey-horse back to the woman who rents them out by the hour.
He once again mounts the brown horse and then stops next to me. Leaning down he offers me his hand.
I look up at him doubtfully and stand up reluctantly.
Wordlessly he reaches for my hand and then he pulls me up and behind him.
Once I am settled on the horse behind him, I wrap my arms around his waist.
We trot down to the waterline and then the horse walks through the foam of the waves.
“Do you want to go faster?” He asks, leaning back a little.
“Yes,” I say recklessly.
He nudges the horse and I instinctively grab onto Jared tighter. I shriek spinelessly as the horse lurches forward. I feel him laughing softly and I hug him closer, if that is even possible. He lets the horse run along the beach and when we have gone a distance, he slows down. He turns the horse around and lets the horse walk back in the direction we came from. We do not talk, and I rest my head against his back, looking out across the ocean. The waves are pounding in onto the beach and the smell of the sea tickles my nose. I feel an inexpressible bliss as feelings of belonging rush through my body.
Just before the time allotted to us has expired, he lets the horse run through the water, spraying water high over our heads. I am soaked to the skin, but I laugh happily. It has certainly been a most memorable and enjoyable experience. A perfect way to spend the last day of this, our first, vacation together.
We return the horse and walk along the beach, back to the holiday cottage, holding hands. The sun is starting to set. He asks, “Will you go to the Winter Ball with me, once we get back home?”
“I would love to,” I answer excitedly.
“It’s a date then.” He muses, “Officially, our first date.”
I laugh. “Disgusting. After all this time, we are only going on our first official date now.”
He puts his arm across my shoulders, and I lean into him. He hugs me closely. “That doesn’t mean I like you any less,” he says playfully. We are quiet for a while, and then he interrupts the silence, “It’s funny to think how warm it is here, and we will be going back to attend a Winter Ball.”
I consider this, and then say, “I can’t believe we are going back tomorrow; it feels like we only arrived yesterday.”
“I know. It’s been nice. I'll miss it.”
