10 #2
Even with that infuriating, self-satisfied smile, he looked me up and down, rolling his eyes.
“Jude, have you seen yourself in those clothes?” he pointed out, acting embarrassed. “I don’t even know where your back ends and your ass begins.”
I shot him a look, my eyes lasers that could’ve decapitated anyone from miles away.
It was a relief to know he wasn’t keen on the typical boyfriend/girlfriend stuff either.
So, I chose Cloud. After he got her ready with a sense of care and dedication that I wouldn’t have thought he was capable of, we made our way back out.
Everyone, Aegan and his friends alike, seemed completely at ease.
I was so nervous that they could probably tell.
I tried to hide it, but it wasn’t easy. Why was it so big?
This certainly wouldn’t be anything like the poker game.
Just as I was plotting how to save face, they all leaped onto their horses with incredible agility. I was left standing there.
“Come on, Jude, what’re you waiting for? A photo?” Aegan mocked from his saddle.
Fuck.
What was I waiting for? Well, I half expected the ground to miraculously open up and swallow him for being an asshole, but of course he was Aegan Cash. If it were to open up, it would surely swallow me.
I took a step forward, but it was too hesitant and too short. I took one look at the mare’s saddle, then at where my foot should go, then at Aegan’s friends, a glint of evil in their eyes, and finally at Aegan himself.
He knew I’d no idea how to ride a horse. Out of spite, he wanted to see me make a fool of myself, revel in it, and laugh with his stuck-up friends. And suddenly, a surge of anger washed over me. I wasn’t about to let that happen.
I took another step, this time more assured. Then, almost without thinking, with the determination of someone being cheered on by the gods of Olympus, I put my left foot in the stirrup and pushed myself upward.
You can do it, Jude, you can do it!
Or rather, You can’t do it Jude, you can’t do it!
Instead of landing triumphantly on top of the horse, I ended sprawled face down on the saddle.
Complete fail.
I’d messed up, and I’d done it in the most ridiculous way possible.
Everybody started laughing. The hahahas were ringing in my ears, making things much worse.
Unable to right myself from my current position, I needed to go back to the ground, almost losing my balance in the process.
All I could hear was them making fun of me.
Ignoring Aegan’s friends, I fixed my gaze on him and saw an expression so cruel it felt like my stomach was being crushed by a merciless hand.
I felt a mix of anger and humiliation.
“Jude’s not coming,” Aegan said with a chuckle.
“Maybe next time.” They all rode off virtually in unison, Aegan leading the way, as if leaving me behind was their way of proving they were superior.
Exhaling sharply, I marched away. I went back into the house, walking fast, like a truck with no brakes, heading for the exit so I could get back to my apartment.
If only I had learned to ride a horse, I wouldn’t have gotten myself into this situation.
Why, just when I thought I was smarter than Aegan, had he outwitted me?
Crossing the hallway, I was forced to suddenly stop before I ran into someone.
“Adrik,” I said when I recognized him.
He stopped too but didn’t seem too surprised to see me. As always, he was impassive and untroubled. But I noticed that his eyebrows, thicker and darker than his brothers’, cast shadows over his eyes.
“We used to have a cook at home who added peppers to every dish,” he said out of nowhere.
“What?”
He went on, ignoring my question and the puzzled tone in my voice. “Every time I sat down to eat, there was a pepper on my plate. For every meal, even in sandwiches.”
Now I was more confused than ever.
“You’re like those peppers. You show up even where you shouldn’t,” he continued.
I tried to hide my reaction. He’d just compared me to a pepper. To my face. Just like that!
“I don’t like running into you either,” I said grumpily.
“Peppers are so disgusting,” he mumbled, more for himself than for me. “They have that weird taste.”
I looked at him, confused. Fuck, he was really weird.
“I get it,” I said, hoping he’d drop it.
Adrik finally reacted and looked at me. Had he gotten lost in thought thinking about peppers?
“The stable is that way, if you’re looking for Aegan,” he said, pointing down the hall.
“I just came from making a fool of myself over there, thanks,” I shot back.
He pursed his lips, almost showing a hint of remorse.
“How could I have missed that?”
“Don’t worry, maybe Aegan got them to record me so he could watch it while jerking off later,” I said, still a little pissed off. He clearly got off on being so cruel. There was no other reason for it.
Adrik shrugged his shoulders, half lost in thought again.
“Well, I don’t know, we’ve always had separate rooms, but his browsing history sure had some pretty weird things . . .”
I laughed, but I quickly grew serious again; Adrik wasn’t smiling, only watching me with the calm, calculating gaze of an intelligent enemy.
Being brothers didn’t mean they were the same, but I couldn’t help feeling distrustful and wary of all three. Having separate minds didn’t spare them from inheriting the same cruel Cash family traits, nor from being odious, right?
As I looked him over, I saw he was wearing dirty boots, as well as a protective apron over his jeans and white shirt.
A pair of gloves was sticking out of one of his pockets.
To be quite honest, he looked kind of hot.
He was quite scruffy, yeah, but his disheveled black hair looked pretty cool.
It was like he’d just woken up to face the world and .
. . “You ride too, don’t you?” I pointed out.
“How could you tell?” he replied sarcastically, without taking his eyes off his phone.
I raised an eyebrow. “Sarcasm is your life, isn’t it?”
“It’s the be-all and end-all,” he assured me, looking falsely cheerful.
Well, sarcasm was fun.
“Okay, you know Tagus better than I do,” I sighed. “Do you know where I can find an instructor? I need to learn how to ride a horse.”
This was the only way to spare myself from further humiliation.
He looked up and squinted, then he smirked. It was one of the first times I’d ever seen him show emotion.
“I’m an instructor.”
“Ha, ha,” I said, squinting. “I’m serious. I want to learn.”
He frowned while sizing me up. “So, you don’t believe me?”
“No.”
“Why not?” he asked calmly yet defiantly. “Why don’t you believe I’m an instructor?”
“Well, because . . .”
“Because . . . ?”
“Because . . . mmm . . .”
“I’m a Cash?”
Damn it.
Yeah, that was why.
“No,” I lied with my chin up.
“Honestly, I thought that social discrimination was a thing of the past.” He clicked his tongue, shaking his head. “But look, here’s Jude discriminating against someone because of their last name.”
“Well, it’s not my fault it never crossed my mind the Cash family could be good for anything.”
Adrik walked past me and headed down the hallway.
“So, do you want to learn or not?” he asked as he walked away.
I hesitated for a minute, but I wasn’t one to throw in the towel so easily. I was the kind of person who, if I didn’t know how to do something, I’d figure it out no matter what it took. If Adrik could teach me to ride a horse, then Aegan would never have the chance to embarrass me again.
I followed him back outside the club, heading for the stable. His steps were unhurried, almost lazy. They nearly pushed me to the brink of despair.
“At the very least, learning how to mount a horse is enough,” I told him as he pulled out one of the horses.
He didn’t answer me. He was preparing the saddle.
He did it with the same devotion and care Aegan had.
He gave the horse a few gentle strokes, which the animal seemed to love.
Maybe that was one of the few things they had in common, though I’d admit Adrik’s movements were far more captivating.
They revealed a profound connection, as though he’d known the beautiful horse his entire life and tacking up was an art, a relaxation technique he loved losing himself in.
When he finished, he led the horse out.
“Maybe you made a fool of yourself because you think it’s just a matter of mounting the horse and that’s it,” he said suddenly, trying to soothe the animal, which kept spinning around.
“I don’t know anything about horses, so I don’t mind you telling me how thick I am,” I said reluctantly.
“It’s not funny telling you something you already know.” He shrugged. Then he extended a hand toward me and made a gesture with the fingers. “Come closer,” he asked.