Alexia’s POV

I did it. I actually did it. 

I said yes to Colin when he texted me later that night just as Ashley said. He was super sweet about apologizing for her, before asking me out on a date.

Now we were driving down a long and relatively empty road despite it being the middle of the day on a Saturday. 

I had also told my parents that I was going to the library for the entire day to study. It wasn’t uncommon for me to take day trips to the library over the weekend, but I was outright shocked that my nervous manner in which I told my parents didn’t give me away. I was a complete mess as I lied directly to their faces, every other word coming out stuttered and slow. They put so much trust in me and I was abusing it. That was probably the worst part of this entire thing, but my inner rebel was goading me to just go with Colin and see where it takes us. If it doesn’t work out, then everything goes back to normal. 

But if it does work out… my heart jumped, out of excitement or guilt I wasn’t sure. Let’s just get through this one date, I told myself. Colin isn’t exactly my type anyways, we probably have completely different interests.

Yet I was pleasantly surprised when Colin pulled into a farm off the desolate road, and I could feel my heart thrumming against my chest. 

Colin grinned, climbing out of the car and jogging around to open my door. 

“Like it?” he asked. I nodded, my eyes wide with wonder as I took in all the sights, from  the abundance of various crops to the animals.

“But.. how..” I couldn’t form coherent sentences I was so thrilled that he had brought me here. 

“I know it’s not the traditional first date and everything, but I thought you might like it because, well, you’re always doodling apple trees and corn fields while we’re studying and you have those stickers of animals on the back of your binder so I figured you might like to spend the day at a farm, going apple picking and going through the corn maze and stuff,” he rambled, cheeks reddening with every word. 

I blinked at him in astonishment. “Wait, I was? You noticed?” He nodded, giving me the sweetest smile. My heart picked up the pace and fluttered a bit. I couldn’t believe he picked up on something I hadn’t even realized I was doing. “Uh, well, apple picking and corn mazes sounds great, let’s go,” I chirped, bouncing lightly on my feet. Now that I could smell the fresh air and hear the sounds of the animals, I was dying to get started. 

“Okay then,” Colin chuckled, noticing my obvious excitement. “Let’s go.” He grabbed my hand and tugged me gently towards the middle of the farm. “Where to first?” 

My eyes scanned the area, before a smile landed on my lips. 

“Let’s start with the corn maze..” 

Now it was my turn to pull him, bring him closer and closer to the green and gold field. 

We neared the entrance to corn maze, and I felt a sudden mischievous excitement course through me. Darting into the corn maze, I laughed as I took Colin by surprise. I had already rounded the first corner by the time he started running after me. 

I felt like a little kid, weaving through the narrow paths between the corn stalks, looking over my shoulder to see where he was. 

I was running past a few kids who were also in the maze, when I heard one of them shout, “Look out!” 

I looked towards them instinctively, then let out a shriek as I barreled into someone nearly knocking them over. They wrapped their arms around me, steadying me. My eyes squeezed shut from the embarrassment, and I opened my mouth to apologize to them profusely. 

“Thought you could get away from me, huh? Sorry to break it to you, but it’s not quite that simple babe,” a low whisper spoke into my ear, and my eyes popped open to meet familiar bright blue eyes. Colin had an amused look on his face as he looked down at me, the sun glinting off his blonde hair. 

“But.. how..” I felt a sense of déjà vu as I spoke that, my eyes looking behind me as if I were expecting Colin to be there. 

Colin laughed at my bewilderment, giving me a wink. “That’s for me to know and you to never find out. Let’s just say I’m a magician.” He released me, opting to grab my hand instead. “Now, that I’ve caught you, how about we get out of here and go for a horseback ride?” 

“You can do that here?” I absolutely loved horses, they were my favorite animal. To be able to ride one would… well, there are no words that would be able to describe the amount of delight I was feeling at this point. 

He nodded, leading the way through the corn maze, as if he had it all memorized. “Yup. They offer trail rides here.” I couldn’t help the squeal of excitement leaving my lips. Then I gave him a bashful smile at my actions, and he laughed lightly. “You’re too adorable,” he said as the exit of the corn maze came into view. 

“I’m not adorable,” I told him, my bottom lip poking out. 

He took one look at me, eyebrow raised in an unconvinced demeanor. “Sure you aren’t Alex, have you seen the face you’re making right now?” 

I scowled, letting out a breath of annoyance. “Not adorable,” I muttered, barely audible even to myself. 

Colin didn’t appear to hear me as we continued walking, and eventually arrived at a barn. My earlier frustration dissipated as my ears detected the sounds of hooves clicking on the ground and the occasional whinny. 

“Have I mentioned I love horses?” I absentmindedly said as we walked in, the horses coming into view. There were probably about twenty stalls, more than half of them filled with horses of all sizes and color. 

“I thought you did; you seem to have more drawings and stickers of horses than any other animal.” 

“I still can’t believe you noticed things like that.”

“How could I not? You were constantly drawing little pictures or running your fingers on top of the stickers. I’d have to be blind not to see how much you adored this stuff.” 

I blushed. “Geez, you make it seem like I have an obsession,” I mumbled. 

He gave me a look that clearly said, ‘well don’t you?’ and I stuck my tongue out at him. 

“Colin? Is that you? We haven’t seen you in forever!” There was the distinct sound of boots slapping the ground before Colin was tackled to the ground, and all I could see was a flash of blonde hair. 

“Meredith,” Colin groaned, “get off me.” 

I blinked as I got a better look at the girl. She had the same blonde hair that Colin did, except hers was in a pair of simple braids. She was wearing a pair of riding pants with a plaid top and black riding boots to complete the outfit. Not to stereotype, but she seemed like the typical cow girl, all she needed was the hat. 

“Sorry Collie, you know I get excited when I see you. You never visit anymore,” she pouted as she climbed off him. 

“Well, I’m here now, aren’t I?” Colin shot back.

“Yeah, probably because you were hoping to impress a girl with your riding skills and you were going to convince me to let you take out a couple of the horses on a trail ride without a guide.” 

Colin flushed, and I laughed. This girl definitely seemed to know a lot about Colin. “That’s.. not..” he sputtered.

“Really,” she deadpanned. “And who might this be?” She turned to me, a polite smile on her face. I noted that she had nearly the same blue eyes that Colin had, the only difference being that her eyes were slightly darker. 

Colin let out an audible sigh. “Meredith, this is my date, Alexia. Alexia, this is my cousin Meredith.” 

“It’s very nice to meet you,” I stated, extending my hand to her. Oh, so she’s his cousin. That explains a lot.

She shook it, nodding. “Same goes for you.” I saw her lean over to Colin, whispering something in his ear, barely loud enough for me to catch it. “She’s really pretty and polite, this one’s a keeper.” Meredith laughed as Colin turned darker, a glower on his face. 

“Shut up,” he muttered to her, rubbing at his cheeks as if that would remove the pronounced redness. “Anyways, do you think we could take a couple of the horses out? We promise to be careful, and I won’t let anything bad happen. Pleeasee?” Colin pinched his eyebrows together, sticking out his bottom lip in the classic ‘puppy dog face’. I felt my heart melt just looking at it, despite the fact that it wasn’t even directed towards me. 

Wow, I thought Lee had an impressive puppy dog face… Colin just brought it to a whole new level. 

“Okay, okay! I give, you can borrow a couple horses, just stop with that face!” Meredith exclaimed, shielding her eyes. But it was too late; she had already seen it and was subjected to its cuteness. 

“Thanks Merry!” Colin cried gleefully, giving his cousin a hug. 

“Whatever Collie,” she huffed lightly, but you could tell that she was going to let Colin borrow the horses regardless of the fact that he was begging her. She had that secretive smile on her face, just showing how close they were. “Just be sure you don’t tire them out too much, and have them back within an hour.” 

He nodded heartily, then he grabbed my hand. “Come on Alex, let’s go pick out the horses!” 

Colin ended up picking a large chestnut horse with a star on its forehead, rubbing its nose affectionately when he walked up to the stall. “Hey Galvastar, want to go out on a trail ride?” he cooed, and the horse seemed to understand him as it pawed the ground and let out a snort. Colin grinned, grabbing a lead and attaching it to the horse’s halter. 

He brought the horse to a section of the barn where there were ropes attached to the wall, and he secured the horse’s halter to the ends of the ropes so that the horse had to stand in the middle of the aisle. 

“We’ll groom them after you get your horse,” he explained, and I nodded. 

It took a bit more thinking on my part to decide which horse would be best suited for me, and eventually a chose a white and brown medium sized horse named Azarella. 

Colin praised me on my choice, noting that the mare was very easy going and gentle, best for beginner riders such as myself. 

I smiled as I lead her to where Galvastar was, hooking her to another set of ropes situated behind the big chestnut stallion. Colin came and gave me a quick run-through of how the horses were supposed to be groomed, telling me which brushes to use first and briefly showing me how to pick the horse’s hooves. 

“You got all that?” he asked after he was done explaining. 

I nodded, “Yeah, I think so.” 

“Good. Just remember to never stand directly behind a horse, something could make them spook at any second and they might kick out backwards. Always stand to the side when you’re picking their hooves,” Colin told me sternly, looking at me intently to be sure I understood the seriousness of the matter. 

I gave another solemn nod. “Okay.” 

Without another word, he simply nodded and walked to his horse, where he began the brushing process. I also began, grabbing the curry comb, a brush with what looked like rubber bristles, and rubbed it in circles on the horse’s coat. I coughed a bit as a small flurry of hair and dust rose into the air, but continued until I thought most of it was stirred up. Then I took a hard brush, knocking off all the loose hair and dirt that the curry comb had brought to the surface. 

Azarella was very patient with me, and I couldn’t resist running my fingers over her nearly-clean fur. She hardly moved, aside from shifting her weight a couple times, and her ears were perked almost as if she was curious. 

Next I used the soft brush in the bucket to gently do touch-ups, and soon she was practically sparkling. I was pleased with my work, the horse’s coat now shiny and softer looking. 

Grabbing the hoof pick, I ran my hand along the back of the horse’s leg, squeezing lightly to get her to lift it up for me. 

She obliged, and I remained hunched over as I got the hoof clean, picking out as much dirt as I could without agitating the horse. This went on for all four hooves, and I made sure to keep Colin’s warning in mind, so I stayed to the side of the horse at all times. 

Finally, I was able to stand up straight, my back slightly aching from being hunched over for so long. I let out a relieved sigh, brushing back my black hair from my face. 

“Done?” Colin called to me, and it looked as if he already had his horse tacked up. He had already put on the saddle pad, saddle, fixed the stirrups, and it looked as if all he needed to do was to put on the horse’s bit and bridle. 

“Yeah, I just finished grooming. What should I do now?” I called back, and Colin gestured me over to him. I walked briskly over, and together he lead me to a back room, one that was filled with various saddles and saddle pads, helmets and bridles.

“This is the tack room,” he explained. “And this stuff is for Azarella,” he told me, guiding my eyes to a little corner with a name tag printed neatly on the wooden post holding up the saddle. “Here.” He handed me a saddle pad and her bridle, while he grabbed the saddle. “I’ll show you how to tack her up.” 

We walked back to where Azarella was still tied up to the cross ties, and Colin nodded at her back. “Position the saddle pad so that it just barely climbs up onto her shoulder muscles.” I did as he said, resting the pad on her back. Just as I was about to let go of the saddle pad, I felt his hand over mine. “It should just be a bit higher.” He closed my fingers back around the saddle pad, before moving it up slightly. My skin burned from the contact.

Then he placed the saddle on her, showing me how to fix the girth around her midsection, so that it wasn’t too tight or too loose. He explained how you didn’t want the horse to be uncomfortable, but you didn’t want the saddle falling off either. 

“I’ll fix the stirrups for you after you get on, for now let’s just get her off the cross ties and get her bridle on.” I undid the cross ties, and Colin gently slipped her halter off, before holding the bit up to Azarella’s mouth. I watched as she took it, and Colin slipped the bridle on in one smooth action. He adjusted it so that it would be comfortable for her, before handing me the reins. “Let me just finish up Galvastar and we can get going.” Colin flashed me a charming smile, before putting a bridle onto his horse. He gestured for me to follow him out into where the trails were, and I felt my excitement starting to stir. He brought me a block and put it next to my horse while he held the reins. “Here, get on. Just grab the saddle and push yourself up before swinging your leg up and over to the other side,” he instructed, and I nodded. Even though I was standing on a block, my head and shoulders were barely over the horse’s back. I grabbed onto the saddle as he said to do, before pushing upwards with all my might onto my arms, then swinging my leg over. 

I would be lying if I said that it was easy to get on a horse. I don’t even think I did it quite right either. 

Bending down quickly, he adjusted the stirrups to where my feet were dangling. 

Colin handed me back Azarella’s reins before mounting onto his own horse. His motion was fluid and I can’t deny how graceful it was. Once securely on, he gave me a grin. 

“Ready?” he asked.

I let out a shaky breath. “Ready,” I called nervously. He chuckled at my obvious anxiety. 

“Don’t be scared, Azarella is one of the best horses they have,” he said reassuringly. 

“Okay, I’m trusting you,” I muttered, but by this point he was already steering his horse towards the trails, my horse following obediently after him.

It was weird being up so high on a horse, towering above people as we strode past them. I saw little kid’s faces light up in wonder as we walked by, before tugging on their parent’s coat or sleeves, asking if they could go on a horse ride too. I couldn’t blame them, the steady and swift movement of the horse was soothing, and I felt completely at ease despite the fact that something could potentially go wrong at any given moment. 

Luckily, the ride went smoothly and I wished it would never end. 

Sometime during the ride, Colin pulled his horse up next to mine, and started up a bit of idle chatter. Meaning he flirted with me, and I playfully shot him down every time. 

“Enjoying the scenery?” he would ask. 

I would nod, soaking in the swirls of reds and oranges of the changing leaves. “Yeah, it’s beautiful out here.”

“I know. I’m lucky; I’m next to the best looking beauty out here,” he would say with a wink and a smile. 

I would look at him incredulously, before letting out an un-lady like snort. “You’re such a cheeseball, that was a really lame attempt to get me to like you better,” I would retort. 

“What?” he would ask, feigning confusion.  “I wasn’t talking about you! I was talking about that tree over there. See you later gorgeous!” he called back over his shoulder as if he was really talking about the tree. 

Then I would laugh at his goofiness as he tried to catch leaves in his mouth while continuing to confidently steer his horse down the relatively straight path. It wasn’t as if the horses needed much controlling, they appeared to be on auto-pilot indicating just how many times they’ve done this. 

It would be an understatement to say how sad I was when we returned to the stables, and we re-groomed the horses before putting the tack away and putting them into a paddock. 

“So, what did you think?” Colin prompted as we walked back towards the main barn. My legs still felt a little unsteady from having to walk on my own after about an hour of being up on a horse, so Colin had his arm wrapped around my waist to keep me steady. 

“What did I think? That was great! The most fun I had in a while,” I gushed, my excitement and happiness prominent in my voice. 

“I’m glad,” he said, pulling me into him in a sort of side-embrace. “Where to next?” 

My lips pulled up into a smile, I had already seen what I wanted to do next, so without a word I dragged him over to where kids were petting the little goats in one of the pens. 

I’m so glad I had listened to Ashley, I thought as I bent down and offered a handful of corn to the little goats, one tiny goat in particular taking most of it which made me laugh.

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so this chapter was a bit [okay a lot] longer than my others XD i don't know why, i was just feeling really wordy i guess? 

but seriously, how thoughtful is he?? he noticed all the little things about Alexia and this happened. 

I'm dying to know who you would choose if you had to choose between Lee and Colin XD in all honesty, I wouldn't be able to decide .-.