The next few days were pretty blissful. After having opened up to Ethan the other night, I didn't feel so apprehensive with him. We would steal kisses and lingering touches whenever we would find ourselves alone at work and we've had dinner together every night this week except for Wednesday when he goes to eat at his parent's house. He extended the invitation for me to join them since it's not like I haven't been to a family dinner before, but I decline stating that it'd be good for us to have some time apart. As much as I enjoy hanging out with him even when we were only friends, a girl needs her alone time occasionally.

Yesterday, Mr. Michaels reminded us about our deal to go on our "first date". At first I figured we'd spend the day lounging around and eventually get out and about, but Ethan insisted on taking me on a real date. Because of this, we didn't spend the night together last night and he plans to pick me up around six o'clock. I'm instructed to wear jeans, a casual shirt and sneakers. I have no clue where he's taking me, but I am excited.

Still wanting to be somewhat cute, I still do my hair and put on a bit more makeup than my everyday look. To keep the outfit simple, I opt for some skinny jeans, converse and a plain fitted tee with a plaid shirt tied at my waist. Looking over at the clock, I see that it's twenty minutes until six so I take the opportunity to straighten up my place a bit just in case we come back here. Otherwise, at least it'll be clean when I get home.

The intercom buzzer goes off in his rhythmic tone five minutes till six just as I'm finishing straightening up the couch cushions and for some reason I have butterflies. I walk over and press the button to allow him to come up and give myself one more glance and brush out my hair. My summer tanned skin is glowing and my brunette hair has lightened a bit from all of those days I've spent at the beach, making my hazel eyes pop a bit more than usual.

Opening my door, I'm pleased to see that he's dressed on a similar casual level as I am and smile when he pulls a bouquet of deep red roses from around his back.

"Thank you so much!" I stand on my tippy toes to kiss him sweetly as his hand wraps around my lower back.

"Mm," he hums appreciatively, "you're welcome."

I take the bouquet from his grasp and set them down temporarily on the slim table next to the door and slip on my shoes. "I hope what I'm wearing is okay."

"It's perfect." He smiles as he steps backwards into the hallway and holds his hand out for mine.

"Where are we going?" I impatiently ask as we walk hand and hand towards his black Range Rover parked right behind my car.

Opening the door for me, he waits for me to slide in and with the tip of his index finger, he turns my face to look at his. "You'll see."

He places a gentle kiss on my lips, pausing for a moment as if he had to pull himself away from me. Doing my best to hold back my cheesy smile and contain the heat flaring up at my cheeks, I watch him walk around the front of the car and wave at one of my neighbor's kids that he's seen many times before.

We drive outside of the city limits to a much more rural area. Lush trees and mountains adorn the scenery along with plush green grass. The farther outwards we go, the less and less homes and small businesses I see. I'm just about to accuse him of kidnapping me when he turns onto a all dirt driveway with the sign Apple Grove Ranch written in the white wire arch that we have to drive under.

"A ranch?" I smile over at him when I realize where he's taking us.

"Horseback riding. You've always said you wanted to try it after we went to the rodeo that one year." He says as he pulls up and parks near a large cabin.

A squeal of excitement escapes me when I see a large white horse with tan splotches gallop to the end of the white wood fence that's snaking around from the back of the cabin and stop to shake out its mane. "Oh my God I'm so excited!"

Hopping out of the car with a bright, beaming smile before he even had a chance to get out himself I skip around to him and throw my hands around his neck to give him a hug for such a fun surprise. I absolutely love being able to mark things off of my bucket list, no matter how big or small they may be and the fact that he remembered this one in particular makes it that much more special.

"Welcome to Apple Grove Ranch!" A middle aged man in a plaid button up shirt tucked into his jeans says as he approaches. He was sporting some worn out cowboy boots with a matching cowboy hat as he walks down the front steps and stops right in front of us.

I'm glad I was already smiling, otherwise I don't think I'd be able to hold back my grin from how cliche he looks. Still, he seems to be a very kind gentleman as he extends his hand to shake Ethan's.

With his arm still wrapped around me, he shakes the gentleman's hand and looks around. "Wow, Mr. Grove, you weren't kidding. This is a really nice place."

I look up at him, confused as to how he knows this man I've never heard of or seen before, but quickly let it slide as I politely accept the handshake he's now offering me.

"And you must be Ava. I've heard so much about you." Mr. Grove smiles at me and tilts his hat in true cowboy fashion.

"I am. Nice to meet you." I respond, now wondering what all he's heard.

"Follow me." He waves us both in his direction as he turns and begins to walk around the other side of the cabin towards where the horses are held.

The smell was everything but pleasant as we walked hand in hand towards the large oak wood horse barn with black accents. Sounds of horses huffing and neighing as they see us fills my ears and a giggle escapes me. I'm so giddy with excitement that the smell seems to not bother me anymore and I feel like a little school girl again as I watch multiple steeds poke their heads out of their individual stalls.

"All of these horses are trained to be ridden. You're welcome to choose any one you'd like." The man mentions as Ethan and I break apart to find the one we'd like.

A beautiful chestnut colored stallion with the shiniest coat I've ever seen in my life catches my eye. As I walk up to it, it lowers his head and closes it's eyes for me to give him a gentle rub.

"I like this one." I say sweetly as I continue to softly coax him.

"Ah, that one is Franklin. He's a gentle soul and is always the lady's first choice around here. He'd be perfect for you." Mr. Grove smiles and pats him appreciatively before waving down one of the ranch hands to get Franklin saddled up and ready to go.

"I think I like this one." Ethan mentions as he picks out a beautiful bay colored mare of his own.

"Bailey." Mr. Grove announces as we both walk over to look at the large beautiful creature staring back at us.

Ethan and I look at each other with a knowing smile when Mr. Grove announces his horse's name, reminding us of my old job Bailey's Fine Arts. It feels like a lifetime ago but only yesterday at the same time.

The ranch hands finish saddling up our steeds and we go to meet them at the other end of the barn, right in front of where the riding trail starts.

"Okay, I'm going to help you hop on and we'll give you some practice first before you and Ethan take off. Since he knows how to ride, I don't feel the need to have one of our employees accompany you two." Mr. Grove instructs as he physically shows me how to mount the saddle.

I end up picking up on the instructions pretty quickly. Either that or Franklin is just used to new riders so much that he's just that good of a horse. Regardless of the actual reason, Ethan and I take off towards the trail by ourselves in no time at all.

The fresh air and sounds of the hooves on the gravel relaxed me instantly. Franklin and Bailey's manes blew in the wind as we began to make our way through the narrow pathway. At first, it was too small to ride side by side one another, but eventually it opened up and I was able to see more than just the back of Ethan.

"Are you doing okay? Nervous?" He asks looking over to me.

"No, I'm okay. This is perfect. Thank you." I smile over at him.

The trail splits off into two separate directions and Ethan begins to veer off towards the right without a second thought so I wordlessly steer in that same direction. It's not like I know where I'm going, but it seems like he does.

Speaking of that...

"So how do you know Mr. Grove?" I ask as I catch up enough to ride next to him again.

"Ah. Mr. Grove and I go way back. He almost adopted me, but my current parents were a better fit for my needs. But back then, he and I spent a lot of time together. We've always kept in touch since. He owned a different ranch that I grew up riding horses on. This one is a new one he opened up at the beginning of the summer." He explains as we both take in the open landscape around us.

"But you seem to know these trails. You took a right at the fork without a second thought." I mention.

He shrugs and flashes his megawatt smile at me, "I was given directions beforehand."

"Directions? Directions to what?" I ask curiously.

"You'll see." He chuckles knowing how impatient I am.

For the next half hour, we slowly continue throughout the winding trail as we inch our way up the mountain side. I notice dusk starting to set and I begin to grow a bit worried. This is the first time on this trail for either of us and if it gets too dark, I'm afraid we won't know how to get back.

"Shouldn't we start heading back? The sun is almost...setting. Wow!" My anxiety is swept away as we come into a clearing at the top of the mountain to overlook a beautiful warm sunset in the horizon. Vivid colors of orange, yellow and deep pinks fill the sky around us and I'm left totally speechless at mother nature's beauty.

"I take it you liked the surprise?" Ethan says as he admires me looking around in awe and reaching out for my hand.

"This is breathtaking. I love it!" A beaming smile takes over my face as I grab his hand and look into his eyes.

Dismounting from his horse, he walks Bailey over to tie her up on a nearby tree before coming over to Franklin and I. With his hand reaching out for the reins, I pass them over with no hesitation as he walks us both over to another tree to tie Franklin up as well.

He outstretches his arms to silently ask to help me get off of my own saddle and join him on solid ground. I giggle as his hands graze my waist and he lifts me with ease. That's one thing I do love about being with Ethan, I always feel so precious around him.

The sun sets slowly in the distance as we walk to a lone bench and sit down together. Ethan puts his arm around me, making me reflexively snuggle into his side. A proud smile he's unable to hold in envelopes him as I look up at him and he stares down at me. While gently caressing my cheek, he moves to tuck some hair behind my ear, loving the way my eyes always flutter at the sensation.

"Can I ask you something?" He warily approaches the subject.

"You can ask me anything. You know that." I roll my eyes playfully, but when he doesn't respond in the way he normally does and continues to look stuck in his thoughts, my brow furrows. "What's on your mind?" I ask with a softer tone of voice.

"I'm not saying to rush anything. I know this is new for the both of us - being more than friends now and all, but..." He pauses and searches my face for a moment, "but do you think you could ever love me in return?"

I knew this would come up at some point. He's been so patient with me even when I was single and not ready to move on. Instead, he and I became close friends and colleagues while he waited to hopefully one day have his chance.

With Taehyung, love was new. Love hadn't hurt me and I hadn't experienced heartbreak before so when I fell in love with Taehyung, I fell in love hard and I fell in love quick. Not that I have any ill feelings towards Taehyung, us putting our relationship on hold was a mutual decision, but him not ever coming back for me like he always promised is what hurts.

But as I look at Ethan and think of him, solely focusing on his character and the love he's shown me, my heart aches for him. Will I ever love him like I loved Taehyung? Very doubtful. But could I love him in his own special way? Give him my heart with his own terms and conditions separate from my past? Possibly.

"I think I could love you. I already love you as a friend and I can't deny that my feelings for you have changed lately." I reply.

He smiles and lifts my chin to leave a soft kiss on my lips. His tongue parts my lips and I answer him by reaching up and grabbing the back of his head, pulling him closer to me. Humming in approval, he turns his body to cover my own and passionately leave me longing for him even more than I already am. There's no doubt in my mind that he's competing with a past that's no longer a part of my current world, but he's definitely the only man in my life now.