Arthur Morgan x Reader

Thirty-Six

It felt different to ride with Arthur.

Before spending the night together, it made your heart race and your cheeks glow whenever his hands brushed against your body by accident. You've felt safe knowing that it was him who pressed his chest into your back.

But now it was as if an unknown kind of tension made your shoulders stiffen whenever he let out a deep breath.

Your hands were on the edge of the saddle to hold onto but there was this unsettling feeling that made you want to grab the reins and make the horse run faster.

Neither of you said a word.

Only his small yet subtle moves gave away that he wanted to talk but didn't force you to.

Maybe he thought that his excuses could make you change your mind.

But you didn't know how that was supposed to work.

You wanted to leave and settle somewhere good, another small town maybe, or a large city like Austin.

You were willing to give everything up in order to gain far more than life was offering at the moment.

Arthur, on the other hand, seemed to be unable to let go of the many years of hard work and running away.

It seemed like he was afraid to loose the only thing he'd ever known.

He was afraid of what was to come, the unknown.

Or maybe he believe that there was nothing ahead for him.

Maybe he thought he was doomed to be the way he was for the rest of his life.

No matter what it was, the two of you wouldn't be able to find happiness nor peace that way.

Someone had to give something up.

And it for sure wouldn't be you. You had responsibilities, you needed to make sure that not just your life turned out for the better, but also Ginny's and Karl's.

A deep sigh escaped you as your eyes wandered along the small town road.

Green grass danced with the wind while the smell of dried corn was in the air.

It also smelled of fire and ashes.

You frowned.

Something caught your attention.

There were footprints in the mud.

It wasn't unusual to see traces of everyday life, lots of people and wandering merchants used these roads.

But the footprints were fresh.

And many in numbers.

Something in the back of your head tingled.

"Arthur.", you raised a hand to gain his attention.

"Hm?", he leaned over your shoulder to be able to look at you.

"Look.", you pointed to the ground.

"Footprints."

"Yeah. But look how many."

He ordered the horse to stop.

A hum escaped him as he eyes the ground for himself.

"Quite deep.", he noted. "Fresh too."

Your heart started beating faster.

"I have to go home.", you said, feeling pressured all of a sudden. "Please bring me home now."

Understanding, Arthur nodded and ordered the horse to run.

"Hold on tight.", he said.

A strong wind ran through your hair as the horse chased down the road.