Reality

Chapter 21

Tennessee. A beautiful state with a bunch of farms and valleys. Being adventurous, we took advantage of this. For lunch, we ran into a grocery store, pulled off to an open field, and had lunch. He already had a blanket and basket for when we would be under the stars. We set up the picnic and sat on the soft blanket. There was a nearby ranch which added to the pretty ambiance.

"I wish we could go horseback riding." I said with a pouty face, glancing in the direction of my injured ankle.

"Do you really need that boot anymore?" He asked.

"No, not really."

"Then why are you still wearing it?" He asked.

"I guess I wanted to be safe. You know, i'm lead waltz in the Nutcracker so I can't have any injuries." I explained, taking a big bite of an apple.

"You must be pretty good, then." He said.

"I guess, but not that good. Do I deserve the part? Yes. Do other people think I deserve the part? Absolutely not. People are very jealous when it comes to which parts you get, and I guess i'm the envy this year." I told him.

"Well, when is this performance?" He asked, grabbing a green tea and opening the top.

"It's from December 7-20."

"Isn't that right after your birthday?" He exclaimed. My birthday was December 5.

"Yeah, but not many people know about it. I mean they do, but since i'm not one of the 'populars' at my studio, no one wishes me a happy birthday. It's more of like some random holiday...like 'oh it's arbor day? Oh well'" I explained while doing some weird gesture with my hands. "One time at one of the last rehearsals, we all sang happy birthday to all the December birthdays, and my name wasn't called. I guess no one cares?" I said raising my voice at the end of the sentence as if it was a question.

"That's a shame." He said looking guilty. "I won't forget it." I smiled.

"Thanks." I said, grabbing the green tea. "Anyway, that's why I still have my boot on."
I started tampering with the tightening straps.

"I don't think you need it. They already did surgery which basically fixed it. The boot was just more for, support...and added stability." He said and he was right.

"I guess so, should I?" I asked, started to unravel the straps.

"Let me help you." He said taking the boot completely off. My foot felt very free; I had to take the boot off for showers and stuff, but this time I could actually walk around. I stood up and took a few steps, then ran towards the other side of the field. My ankle felt like nothing happened, it was weird. Jason chased after me, and him being faster, caught up to me and swept me off my feet like he usually does.

"You're not faster than me." He said looking into my eyes. I had one hand on his chest and the other around his neck.

"I guess you're right." I said trying to catch my breath.

"Are you ok?" He noticed I was breathing heavily.

"Yeah, i'm fine. It's just I haven't run like that in a while." He carried me back to our picnic and we continued eating. Apparently a horse was let out and followed us. It came right up behind me and I didn't realize it.

"Uh, babe. There's a horse right behind you." He said, pointing beyond my head.

I turned around to see a horse right there. It startled me.

"Oh my god!" I exclaimed. The horse neighed. Jason handed me my camera. He motioned toward the horse and mouthed the words it's a great shot. I carefully took a picture of the horse's head. The sound of the shutter didn't seem to phase him. When it was developed, it looked amazing. I showed it to him and he held two thumbs up.

"Why don't we walk the horse over to the farm?" Jason asked.

"We probably should."

Together, we walked the horse over to the ranch. The owners seemed worried, but then relieved once we brought the horse through the barn doors.

"Thank you so much for brining him back!" The owner said, grabbing the reigns. "Do you want to take him or another horse out for a quick ride?"

I got really excited and grabbed Jason's arm. "Oh, i'd love too!" I exclaimed. "Can we?"

"That sounds like a great idea." He said. He reached for his wallet. "How much does it-" The owner cut him off.

"Oh, it's on me. Since you brought back Jess here, i'd be happy for you to have a jaunt around the field. You've been so nice, so here." He handed Jason the reigns. "Will you have your own horses, or will you be riding together?"

"Umm..." He looked at me. Once again, we talked with our eyes. I nodded. "Together." I smiled.

"Well, here you go." He led us out of the barn. "I notice you have a camera, would you like me to take a picture of you two together, riding?" He offered.

"That's really nice of you. Sure. But, since it's a Polaroid, make sure you get it at the perfect moment. I don't like to waste any film." I was really protective of my camera.

"Of course." He said, smiling. I handed him the camera and we were off.