The Girl with the Mismatched Converse

Horses? In California?

I snap upright, the faint smell of coffee and waffles wafting from the kitchen. Pulling on pants, which are laying on the edge of the bed, I scuffle off to the hallway and follow my nose, my stomach growling hungrily.

"Morning, Laura," Christian says, smiling. He hands me a mug of coffee, the milk swirling in the dark liquid. 

"Good morning," I respond, stuffing my mouth with the waffle on the plate next to Christian. 

His smirk drops. "What the hell?! I was eating that."

I grin. "Not anymore!"

I run around the island counters, grasping the plate. 

"Come back!" Christian yells, still chasing after me. 

Once he catches up to me, he picks me up and plucks the plate from my grasp, setting it gently on the counter before tossing me onto the couch. He crawls on top of me, my giggles fading as he leans closer and closer. 

Before we know it, we're in the throes of passion, hands in hair, legs wrapping around each other. 

We pull away to catch our breath, smiling lustily at one another through clouded vision and hot breath. 

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Christian's POV

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A loud, obnoxious sound rings in my ears and I jolt awake, my surroundings unfamiliar and much darker than morning typically is. Memories of the night before flood back and I groan, realizing the pit I dug myself into. 

"Morning, princess."

I look up to see a dark-skinned man sitting on the edge of my bed, smiling behind a mug of what I assume to be coffee. He stares at me, waiting for some kind of response. 

"What's the matter? Cat got your tongue?" He laughs at his own joke. "Eh, whatever. Get up. Clothes on the counter in the bathroom if you want a change and the towel's in there, too. I'll be in the barn out back, so come see me when you're done," he pauses, thinking of a word. "pampering."

With that, he walks out, closing the door behind him. 

"Son of a bitch," I mutter, stepping onto the wood floors. 

After showering and deciding to risk wearing the same clothes two days in a row, I wander out into the yard, seeing my mysterious savior brush a horse. A fucking horse. Who the hell has horses in California?

"Hey," he says, seeing me walk towards him. 

"I still don't know your name. I can't exactly call you 'dude,' now can I?" I joke, smirking. 

"Ah, right. Name's Jordan. Jordan Ramsey. I'm a farmer and a high school drop out. Lemme guess; you're a rich kid who skips more days than he can count, never cared about a grade in his life, and has a girl who's a friend who has cancer."

I nod along. "Pretty much. Anyway, I just wanted to say thanks. Um, I left my phone number on the counter in the kitchen if you ever need a favor."

With a laugh, Jordan says, "No phones on the farm, but I think there's a phone booth in town."

"Right."

"Nah, I'm only joking, but yeah. I'll give you a ride if you want."

"Yeah, thanks."

Within twenty minutes, we were in the car and sputtering along the road at a solid thirty miles per hour. 

"So, how long you had the farm?"

"Ah." He stops to think for a second. "Since my great grandfather, I guess. It's a family thing. Ever since they all moved out and abandoned the farm, I inherited it. I've been here for a while, if you can't tell. I was out checking the highway for hospital runaways when I found you."

At my alarmed expression, he laughs. "You're very serious. I'm only kidding. I was looking for Nightmare. It's the second time he's run away this week and I can't seem to find him this time around."

"Oh. I, uh, hope you find your horse."

Silence ensues as we finish the drive, Jordan pulling into Walmart. 

"Thanks for the ride, man," I say, after stepping out and closing the door, offering him a handshake through the open window of the car

He accepts it. "Yeah, no problem. I'll call you if I need anything and you should do the same."

He hands me a scrap of paper with some numbers scratched onto it. 

I nod. "Of course."

Waving as he pulls away, I make my way into town to catch the bus.

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A/N:

Wow. It sure has been a while. 

Sorry for my inconsistent updates, but I'm trying. Expect another next weekend, but there are no promises ;)

<3 Nicole