27
Ben
Horses were a lot bigger than Ben thought they would be. He had seen them in TV shows and movies, of course, and he had even seen one or two in real life. But they had been so far away that he had never really registered how large they were. Which was why, as he stood in front of the giant, mottled grey monster, he was seriously rethinking agreeing to go horseback riding with Sam.
Sam, who was currently stroking its nose and talking to it like he would a small puppy.
“How can you just stand beside it and not freak out that it’s going to bite you? Look at its teeth!”
The bastard had the gall to laugh. “Seriously? Look at him. He wouldn’t hurt a fly, would you Puck?”
Ben leveled a stare at him. “You think I’m going to trust anything named Puck? I mean, have you even read A Midsummer Night’s Dream?”
“It’ll be fine, Ben. Come on.” Sam took his hand and Ben allowed himself to be pulled into a hug. “Do you really think I would put you on an animal I didn’t think was safe? Besides, you’re going to be sitting with me. I’ll be the one holding the reins.”
That eased some of Ben’s worries, enough that he no longer felt like backing out, but he still felt severely underprepared. All around him, Sam’s family mounted their horses, looking generally at ease around the giant beasts. Aside from the kids, he was the only one who was going to be riding with anyone, and even then, some of the older cousins got their own ponies to ride.
“How am I even supposed to get on it?” he asked weakly.
The others had made it look so easy. They just put one foot in the stirrup and swung their leg over. Ben was fairly sure if he tried to do that, though, he would end up ripping his shorts at the very best. He sneezed and rubbed at his nose, staring at the horse as though a solution would just present itself. Maybe the horse had been trained to lay down and he could just get on that way.
“You know what? I’ll get the box,” Sam said good-naturedly.
Ben wished that he could just sink into the ground. The kids used boxes, and not even all of them had to resort to that. He sneezed again, sniffling. If he’d managed to get one last cold before the end of summer, he was going to be pissed.
“Got it!” Sam returned with the box and set it down beside Puck. “This should make things a lot easier.”
“Easier is relative,” he grumbled. Sam stared at him, his arms folded across his chest. “What?”
“I dunno. You’re just…not what I expected when it comes to the outdoors. I mean, you single-handedly started a recycling campaign in the city. You’re all about the environment—”
“Hey, just because I want to save the planet doesn’t mean I have to like everything on the planet. I’m not too terribly fond of spiders, but that doesn’t mean I want the world to burn.”
Sam chuckled. “Fair enough. You just look like the kind of person who would do well with nature.”
“Nature, yes. Maybe. I mean, I like parks and stuff. Going hiking, that kind of thing. Being around an animal I’ve never been around before, one that’s much, much larger than me…that’s a bit different.”
He huffed and glared at the box, then the horse, as though somehow they were at fault. Puck was just as much of an innocent bystander as he was, though. He wasn’t the one who had decided that it would be ‘great fun’ to go on an hours-long horseback ride. At least there was a trail they were supposed to follow. They wouldn’t be going off on their own with no idea how to get back to civilization.
“You can’t put it off forever. I’ll help you up and then climb on behind.”
Ben groaned, then cleared his throat. “You so owe me for this.”
He stepped up on to the box, feeling slightly off balance, but Sam was right there to take his hand. Over the past couple of days, he had gotten used to the feeling, but now, the gesture took on a whole new meaning. They’d had sex. It was more than that, though, and they both knew it. Ben had had sex with plenty of guys where it didn’t mean anything. It was just a fun dalliance. But things were different with Sam. They had both admitted they liked each other, and had liked each other from the start. Now that he knew that, he felt a bit ridiculous for not saying anything sooner. There was some comfort in the fact that Sam had the same regret. Now that they were on the same page, Ben was determined not to waste any more time.
Brushing his thumb across the back of Sam’s hand, he smiled. If Sam wanted to do this—and it was clear that he did—then Ben would do everything he could to make an effort. Sure, he wasn’t fond of horses, but after today, he would never have to see one again.
“Okay, so put your foot in the stirrup and swing your body over. Hold on to the pommel so you don’t go flying,” Sam instructed.
Ben did as he was told, gripping the leather tightly in his hand as he pushed himself up and over the horse. Much to his surprise, he landed safely in the saddle, and he looked down at Sam, his heart pounding. He sneezed again and wiped his nose.
“That wasn’t bad!” The pride in Sam’s tone made his discomfort a bit easier to bear.
Maybe Sam was right. Maybe the whole day wouldn’t be bad after all. At least they had the evening to look forward to. Bedtime was something he looked forward to much more, now that they had gotten their relationship business sorted out.