Lost & Found

Maybe I Should've Known

Lauren's POV

    Nate led me behind the house and to the left was a big building, a barn presumably. It looked old but everything around here was a little more country than what I'm used to anyway. He took the keys and inserted them into the lock. There was an audible click and he pushed the door aside.

    Inside there were five stalls, arranged with two on the left, two on the right, and one in the back. Three had horses and two looked vacant.

    I walked toward the stall at the end. It was oddly spotless. The floor was clean, if just a tiny bit scratched up. It didn't look like it had ever been used, for storage or otherwise. I turned to the other empty stall.

    I could easily say that it was about the polar opposite of the first stall. It had obviously been used, just not for a really, really long time from what I could see. I swiped my finger across the wood, leaving a stripe of it dustless. When I looked over the wall, there was straw scattered on the floor, a broom laying haphazardly in the middle, and flies were swarming around an abandoned, moldy sandwich in the corner.

    I was so caught up in my own head that I didn't notice anything around me. One of the horses let out a loud whinny and stamped its foot on the ground. I spun around and saw Nate leading it out of its stable.

    "Come on, Lauren!" he laughed, rubbing the horse's nose. "This'll be fun!"

    "I'm not really an animal person," I said, a little cautious when I approached the beast.

    "What do you mean you're not an animal person?" he asked ludicrously. "Animals are great! Everyone loves animals."

    "It's not that I don't like animals, they just don't like me."

    "That's not fair. I'm sure Comet here likes you."

    "You don't know that." I was in an arm's length of him.

    "Trust me. It's impossible for Comet to not like someone."

    Now I was standing in front of the creature. He had a shimmering black coat and his mane and tail were a grey that resembled silver. Comet's a good-looking horse, I'll admit that, but I'm still not too eager to pet him, let alone ride him. I felt Nate grab my wrist and guide my hand upwards. Soft fur tickled my palm and I saw that I was actually petting Comet. And he wasn't biting or kicking me.

    "See? He likes you," Nate whispered.

    "Well, I guess I kind of like him too," I admitted, continuing to stroke his nose.

    "I knew you would," Nate quipped, disappearing behind Comet. He came back with a large saddle and fastened it to Comet's back. He then proceeded to get another horse out of its stall. This one had a sandy colored coat and mud colored mane and tail. "So, have you ever gone horseback riding before?"

    I shook my head no. He got another saddle and put it on the other horse's back.

    "Okay." Nate knelt down and cupped his hands in front of my feet. "Let me help you up."

    I stepped onto his hands and almost toppled backward when he lifted me up. I swung my other leg over Comet's back and grabbed the reins. Nate went over to his own horse and got on with ease.

    "You ready?" he asked, gripping Comet's bridle and leading him out of the stable.

    "What would happen if I said no?"

    He laughed. "Relax. Cricket and I will be right next to you and Comet. If you need help, I'm right here."

    He talked me through how to at least get Comet moving and how to make him stop. For the most part, I kind of knew what I was doing. Then Nate started off towards the trees behind the house. I somewhat scrambled to follow but caught up nonetheless.

    We rode through the trees until we reached an almost circular meadow that wasn't too far in. Nate swiftly dismounted Cricket and led her to a strip of old fence. I followed, still atop Comet, and stopped a few feet behind him. He looped her reins loosely around the wood. Turning to me, he grabbed my hands and helped me keep my balance while I clumsily got off of Comet.

    "I'm not too worried about them getting loose and running off," he stated, tying Comet's reins over Cricket's. "They're good horses."

    "There was a third horse." Nate gave me a look that said 'So what?'. "Who does it belong to?"

    "I know it was Amy's brother's old horse, but I think her stepmom takes care of him now," Nate explained. "Dart's a little rough around the edges sometimes, so I didn't want to chance giving him to you in case you were a first-time rider."

    I nodded. If there was anything else I wanted to know I should probably just ask Amy. "Why'd you bring me here? We couldn't have just gone to the movies?"

    Nate scoffed jokingly. "No, of course not! I'm the kind of guy who lives and breathes 'Go big or go home.'"

    "Well, this is a great start. What's next?"

    "Wait just a minute! Can't we just enjoy this beautiful day for a little while longer? Can't we just, I don't know, stop and smell the roses?"

    I rolled my eyes at the second cheesy third-grade saying but took in our surroundings. It was beautiful. Not to mention peaceful. No hustle and bustle from the streets, no aggravated drivers honking at every moving object, no one struggling to talk over each other. Nothing but birds chirping, leaves rustling, and...

    ... a phone ringing?

    I turned my head towards Nate. He had pulled his phone out from his pocket and was checking out the caller ID. He quickly answered, "Hello?"

    There was a long, strange silence. "How long?... You didn't think to call earlier?"

    Nate closed his eyes and squeezed the bridge of his nose between two fingers. "Where are you now?... Have you tried the neighbors?... How are they not home? I told them that I would be gone.... Alright, just give me half an hour.... Okay. I'll see you then."

    He ended the call. He was obviously frustrated and doing a poor job of hiding it. Scratching the back of his head, he thought for a second. "Um, I need to go, but I'll help you out with the horses."

    Comet's reins were suddenly in my hands and Nate was quickly leaving, somehow already steering Cricket back to the house. I followed him and, when I finally got there, Cricket was waiting patiently in front of the barn doors and Nate was jogging back toward the house.

    I wasn't sure if I was hurt or angry. I jumped down from Comet and watched Nate as he ran away. No goodbye, no explanation. Just turned around and left. I turned and saw the keys hanging on a hook next to the door. Pondering the possibilities of what that call was about, I took the keys and unlocked the barn doors. I guess he was right.

    He isn't good with promises.

A/N

Sorry if this chapter's crappy. Vote if you somehow liked it and comment.