Falling to Pieces

1

Most people hated the rain. They ran through it from one place to the other, covering their heads with anything available, grimacing at getting the slightest bit wet. Amelia was different. There was something calming about being in the barn with the horses and hearing the pattering of the raindrops on the roof. She smiled as Apollo neighed as she walked down the row of stables with his bucket of feed. Out of all the horses in the yard that she and her brother owned Apollo would always be special to her. He may not be the best racer or bring in the most money but he was the first horse which was actually hers. Hers and nobody else's. It had been almost 6 years now since the young colt had come prancing into the yard, snorting excitedly, holding his tail up into the air and throwing his head around. She had fallen in love instantly with his golden character and his shiny chestnut coat, and had been over the moon when her parents decided to let him be hers.

She reached his stable and unbolted the door, placing the bucket inside and giving Apollo a pat on the neck. He whinnied in response and she smiled, before turning out of the stable, locking the door and double checking the other horses were all okay. Once she was satisfied she headed out of the barn, sliding the big door shut behind her and stepping out into the rain. She didn't hurry to get back across the field to the house. Although it was dark the house stood out with its shining lights and she walked casually towards it, feeling the rain beating against her skin.

It took only a minute or two to reach the door and then she was walking into the welcoming house, the smell of cooking reaching her almost immediately.

"Hey Amelia, is that the horses done?" she heard her brother shout through as the door closed.

"Yeah, they were all fine," she replied, toeing her shoes off at the mat and shrugging her jacket off, hanging it on the hook beside the door.

She headed through to the kitchen and smiled as she saw her brother at the cooker and his wife sitting at the table. She started to get up but Amelia beckoned for her to stay seated.

"No need to get up, you need to look after yourself and the little man," she said.

"Thanks Ami, he's been kicking all day, it's driving me mad. And I've been craving chilli so that is what your darling brother is making me," she chuckled, smiling lovingly across at him.

Amelia smiled back at her and walked over to the sink, grabbing a glass from the cupboard and filling it with water before heading to the table and falling down into a seat next to Sophie.

"I can't wait until there's a mini Matt running around the place," she joked and her brother laughed at her.

"The world would be a much better place if there were more men like me around," he replied, walking over to the girls and placing two plates of food down in front of them.

Amelia just rolled her eyes whereas Sophie pulled Matt down and gave him a kiss on the cheek.

They chatted and joked whilst eating their meal - about the horses, about the baby, about anything really. Amelia loved how close she was with her brother, considering they were the only family they had left.

"So Amelia, there's something we need to tell you," Matt started, his voice more serious than it had been in the previous conversation which made Amelia sit up straight and take notice.

"What is it? You're already married and having a baby, what else is there to tell me?" she joked, trying not to show her unease.

"Listen, Ami. I know this is going to be hard for you, but me and Sophie have decided that we're going to get our own place. We feel like with the baby on the way now is the time to take that next step. You and I, we've lived here in this house for our whole lives, and whilst it's been great, and it has been great Ami, I think that instead of raising our child in my family home we want to make our own home, for him. I know that we've always been together, and that running this place together, going to races and keeping the horses safe and well has been a challenge, but we've managed. Together. And we can still manage. We'd just been moving into the town, 10 minutes away at the most."