Beside You

“Hi, Maddie, Matt will be right out,” Mrs Jason smiled at me when she opened the door. “He’s going to be down at the stables.”

“Hi, Mrs Jason. Thanks,” I smiled back at her and she quickly threw on a coat to follow me to the stables.

“My God, he really did tell you to dress warm, huh?” she chuckled, eyeing my get-up. It was Sunday and the day of our second date. Matt had told me to dress as warm as I could for this, leaving me clueless about what we were going to do, so I had gotten out all the North Face stuff I could find. I was probably as bundled up as my brothers wished I always would be around guys.

“Yep,” I nodded.

“Nervous for the exams yet? Matt’s been cramming pretty hard, only coming out of his room to ride... and see you, of course,” she told me with another smile and I was glad that my cheeks were already red from the cold so she couldn’t see me blushing.

“I feel pretty good about everything, but Calculus is going to kick my butt on Wednesday. I just don’t get it, not even Dad could help,” I shrugged and she nodded in understanding.

“That’s why my husband juggles all the numbers,” she smirked and I chuckled.

“Same with my parents, actually.” Before Mrs Jason and I could exchange any more small talk, the crunching of show and a horse snorting caught my attention. A moment later my jaw dropped.

“Oh my God,” I whispered, my eyes as wide as saucers. I was in awe, legit awe.

Now I knew why Matt had told me to dress as warm as possible and why I had to wait outside at the stables for him. He’d just pulled up in front of us on a carriage, drawn by none other than Lady.

The carriage came to a stop a few feet from us and Matt quickly secured the reigns, before he jumped off to stand in front of me. He started beaming, when he saw how excited I was about this and I couldn’t help but throw my arms around his neck and hug him as tightly as I could.

“This is so cool!” I tried not to squeal, but I just couldn’t help it.

“You two have fun, okay? But get back before it starts getting dark,” Mrs Jason told us and disappeared back into the house.

“This is so great, I just can’t believe it! Ohhhh,” I gushed, rushing to Lady’s side to pet her. She lowered her head obediently so I could rub between her eyes and then snorted in complacency when I did.

“You really like it? It’s not too cheesy or something?” Matt fretted, but I only gave him the widest smile I could muster.

“I love this, Matt, it’s simply awesome.” I walked over to him and swallowing the lump in my throat, decided to be courageous. First I wound my arms back around his neck and then quickly leaned up to kiss him, before I lost my courage again.

Matt was surprised, I could tell, we’d only kissed once since New Year’s, but it only took him a moment to come into the kiss. His arms wrapped around me and held me to him tightly, helping me to even out the height difference we had. When I’d previously been sufficiently shielded against the freezing cold, I was now toasty warm from toe to top.

Our breath was white in the cold, when we separated, little puffs of air that immediately floated upwards. For a few moments we just stood there with our eyes closed, then he lightly kissed my cheek and leaned his forehead on mine.

“Where’d that come from?” he asked quietly, showing no intention of letting go of me any time soon, not that I minded.

“Thank you, I guess,” I smiled and he let out a small laugh.

“I really like you, Maddie,” he said and my smile widened.

“And I really like you, Matt,” I replied.

Matt and I had a great time on our carriage ride. The first half an hour he had the reigns, then he switched places with me and started teaching me how to drive a carriage. It was really hard, because Lady was kind of hyper, happy to be trotting through the snow in an extended exercise activity. Usually she would get her exercise in the hall now, because it was so cold outside, Matt had even put a blanket on her. Nevertheless after a while I got the hang of it, but let Matt take the reigns again to go a little faster.

When he found a nice enough spot Matt stopped the carriage and got out the picnic basket he’d stashed away in the back, complete with hot chocolate in a thermos flask and freshly made chocolate chip cookies. We admired the beauty of the snow while we enjoyed the treats and afterwards challenged each other to a snow ball fight that quickly turned into just playing in the snow making snow angles and even two snowmen. It even seemed that we’d gotten over our shyness about kissing a little...

When we got back to the stable and said goodbye for the day, the magic was over though. Exams week was officially ahead and there would be no more time for a few romantic hours like this until after. I was so looking forward to it...

I’d been right about Calculus. It had thoroughly kicked my ass. When I saw the exam, I felt I knew nothing, absolutely nothing. Basically I spent 80% of the time staring at my almost blank piece of paper, trying to come up with anything to at least guess at some of the answers, but I was clueless.

Abby felt much the same and even Matt admitted that the exam had been hard for even him, so we decided to get out our horses in the afternoon and free our minds outside a little. We didn’t have to beg our parents long and Mrs Jason immediately offered to drive us down to the jump court that was just outside Thunder Bay because the Jason’s court was covered in ice and snow and the other court was inside a hall. It would also mark the first time I’d sat in the saddle after Theo stood on my foot.

I was so excited to sit in the saddle again, you wouldn't believe it. The square looked amazingly inviting and I could not wait to feel the rush, when Lady took on the hurdles and tasks laid out in front of us. My foot didn't hurt at all as it was jammed into the stirrup during our warm-up trot and I felt ready.

"Whohooo, did you see that? Oh my God! That was awesome!" I cheered, watching in astonishment as Matt and Alabaster gracefully took a few bars at about hip height. Like always the beautiful Arabian made anything he did look like perfection and this was no different.

Matt threw me a huge grin, when he came back to the group. I leaned over on Lady's back and kissed him on the cheek, giving him a huge grin back. He switched his reins into one hand and held my hand in his other, lacing our fingers. We watched a few of the others take their turn, our hands just dangling between our two horses comfortably.

He squeezed my hand before he let go, when it was my turn and I felt the adrenaline pump in my veins, when I pressed my legs into Lady's sides slightly and she immediately took the hint and sped up, straight into those bars. I resisted the urge to let go of the reins and throw my hands up in joy and excitement, it honestly felt that good. I had missed the rush of a jump.

Abby and Matt beamed at me, when I trotted back to them. I bumped my fist against Abby's with a laugh and couldn't help the slight blush on my already cold-reddened cheeks, when Matt gave me a little wink and a crooked grin.

"Ready to go on the other ones?" Abby asked with wide, excited eyes.

"I was born ready, Abigail," I told her, trying to sound as stuck up and arrogant as I could, and even brushed off my shoulders to accentuate it. We laughed together and as I took a deep breath, I knew this was where I was ought to be.

From the moment that Lady's hoofs left the ground, I knew something was wrong. The jump just didn't feel right. It wasn't a big, difficult hurdle per se, but it was just all wrong.

I felt us fly up and forward, the bushes that made the hurdle passed underneath us. Her balance was off, her forelegs buckled underneath us as they came down on the ground again. The reins slipped from my fingers, my feet slid out of the stirrups, I felt myself fly forward. The scream was stuck in my throat and then there was nothing but air underneath me.

My body did a sort of somersault; my head was the first thing that hit the ground, my lower back following a split second later, then my legs. The breath was knocked out of me and for a short moment I could feel my whole body hurt, spasm with pain, then it stopped.