Weeks passed, and Landon and grew closer. We talked a lot, and cuddled... But other than that, nothing had changed much besides the basic flirting.
Landon had been moving up in rodeo championship and the competition was getting pretty tough. He had been putting in all of his extra time into practice at the stadium. I had been putting in some time at the stadium, not once riding an animal. I was always in the stands cheering him on, or sitting with Landing on his short, few and far between breaks. He was putting in all the effort he had, it was paying off.
He was also getting definitely more attractive. His arms were more defined, And his tan was getting just about perfect. He looked like one of the sun-kissed Gods. Though he always wore at least a tee shirt or a plaid button up, with the sleeves rolled up so his forearms were showing.
I sat in the stand, waiting for Landon to finish his last training before the big competition. He was working on a hard trick, and was getting quite frustrated.
He rode over towards me and looked gorgeous.
"I want a break." he said as he tied the rope so his horse wouldn't get away.
"Well come up here cowboy!" I laughed.
Landon walked up the stairs and sat next to me. He turned his head and just smiled.
"What's with the goofy smile?" I asked.
"I don't know. I guess you're just cute." he smirked as he spoke.
"Oh you know it!" I laughed as I punched him softly in the arm.
"But really, Aria, you are pretty dang cute." He kept pulling the mood back to serious.
"Um," I spoke as I slid my hand into his, "You're pretty cute your self."
We sat in the stands, held hands, and flirted. It was shameless flirting. But still, it was technically flirting.
When it was close to 8:30, I had to leave. Arena rules, which I thought seemed ridiculous, but I obviously don't run the place. The fact that I left made it so that Landon would actually end up practicing without distractions.
That night I ended up dreaming of Landon again.
******************
I got home from a very typical day of school the next Monday, to find a small, rectangular, white package left on my doorstep addressed to me. I could tell it wasn't from a service like the UPS store or Fedex. It was dropped off by the person who sent it. They had written my name across the top, in black marker, with "Open Me" underneath.
I picked it up, feeling how heavy it was, and tried to guess what was inside. Was it a all bowling ball? Was it a book or two? Was it a pair of shoes?
I walked inside and set the package on my kitchen counter. I wondered who had left it on my front doorstep. Then it hit me, Landon left it there for me to see when I got home from school.
I slowly opened the box, finding a great surprise. It was a light brown pair of cowboy boots. I checked to see what size they are, and to my amusement, they were exactly my size.
Underneath the boots, there was a dark purple card with silver words printed on it.
"Take these boots, wait till seven. Put them on, and we'll walk to heaven. Love, Landon." Landon had written in the card. What does that mean? 'Walk to heaven'?
