When We Meet Again.

Chapter 1: Amry

Today was a nice but tiring day. I had worked with two of my BLM mustang horses. I am training them to be sold to people interested in buying fully trained mustangs. I had also worked with my mustang/quarter horse cross Wild Dream (Dream) for the Queen of the Rodeo for 2022. We had school off today for teacher service day. I was now waiting for my friends, Sasha and Natasha, to join me. Yes, they are twins. Sasha is sweet unless you upset her while her twin is the opposite. With Natasha, you know when she is unhappy. She is an open book. As I let my eyes wander around the restaurant/bar, keeping an eye out for my friends, my gaze lands on the one person I never want to see again: Alek. Surrounded by his rambunctious friends and football team. I quickly look away and direct my gaze back to the doors. Luckily, my friends stride through the doors just as a gaze burns a hole in the side of my face.

Natasha is dressed in jeans, with a purple pearl snap shirt and white cowgirl hat. Sasha has the same outfit, only with a blue pearl snap shirt and black cowgirl hat. The two wave over to the waiter and order 2 sweet, iced teas. "So how did today go?" Natasha asks. As Sasha joins in on our group hug, I say, "It went well, I worked with the two new BLM horses and did some barrel race patterns with Dream." As Natasha and Sasha nod and we sit on our stools, a shadow falls over us. A tall, dark-haired football player asks, "Are you Amry?" I nod, "Who are you?" As he sets a sweet tea down in front of me, he says, "I am Jackson, and this tea comes from Alek over there." He gestures to the football team where Alek looks over and winks at me. I roll my eyes and say, "I appreciate the gesture, but you and this tea can go right back to the one who sent you here. It was nice meeting you." As Natasha and Sasha give warning looks to Jackson, who winks at Natasha and heads back to their table.

An hour goes by, and we are digging into our meal of steaks with burgers. I had just polished off my delicious steak when another shadow fell over me. I rolled my eyes and turned in my seat to see the man himself holding a glass of tea. As I cock an eyebrow and say, "Yes?" Alek holds out the tea and says, "You should really take the tea." I sigh and say, "What if I don't want it?" Alek's eyes widen in surprise, and he says, "The cowgirl I used to know would not have turned down a nice glass of sweet tea." Natasha taps me on the shoulder bringing my attention to her and Sasha. The identical brown eyes ask me the same thing: if I wanted them to force him away from me. I shake my head no as I make a mental note to thank them for the offer later. I turn back to Alek, who's emerald eyes switch between looking at me and looking at them. I finally brought his attention back to me so I can say, "The girl you knew is not the same anymore. Life happened and she changed. Maybe if you had stuck around, you would know who she is now. Sorry but no, I do not want that tea. I have my own." As I smiled ruefully, "But cheers, you have your own tea now." I say sarcastically and clink my glass against the tea he brought for me. I turn around, refusing conversation with him anymore. I hear his footsteps recede back to his friends.

Sasha and Natasha ask if I am okay. I nod my head before starting to eat my burger. Then luckily, the rest of my meal goes without interruption. When music starts to play, the girls and I decide to leave. Suddenly, a male hand clamps on my shoulder. I shrug the hand off, knowing who it is by his cologne. "Please one dance?" Alek practically begs. I scoff and say, "You know I don't dance and if I danced with anyone right now it sure wouldn't be you." Alek shoots me a hurt look and turns away to leave.

As we walk away from each other. Natasha says, "So, what was that?" I shrug and answer honestly, "I really don't know. I was waiting for you guys to arrive tonight, and I saw him when I was searching the room for y'all. I looked away before he could spot me. I heard you guys come into the restaurant, when I looked in your direction, I could feel him staring at me. And the situation with the tea, I don't know what he was thinking. He winked at me then too. Freaking winked at me!! After his actions in 9th grade. He has lost his mind." The girls just nod their heads at my rant.

We finally get to our trucks, which are all parked by each other. We all say goodbye and then drive home. When I arrive home, my outside dogs are all asleep in their doghouse. In the middle of the night, I hear them barking. I get up with my inside dog at my heels, to see what might be out there. I do not see anything, so I make sure everything is locked and secure around the house. I then head back to bed. The next morning, I stumbled over a warm body by my door when I went outside to have my morning cup of tea.

I recognize the brunette head attached to the body I just almost tripped over. I set my coffee on my usual seat and walked over to Alek. I nudge him gently with my boot then prop him up against the side of the house. I shake him awake and he pries open his bloodshot green eyes. "Amry? What are you doing here?" He mutters, "This is my house, Alek. I woke up, went outside and nearly tripped over you." Alek just rubs his eyes and pulls me down to his level, murmuring that he missed me. He buries his nose in my hair. After a few minutes, I pull away and pull him up. I go into the house to pour some coffee for him as he sits in the porch chair.

"So, why are you here?" Alek perks up when he hears my voice. "I didn't drive here. My friend was driving since I might have gotten a little drunk. After that drive, I can't remember anything else."