Out in the Countryside

Shattered

"It's enough just to make you feel crazy... Doesn't matter because it's enough to be young and in love..." Lana Del Rey, Love

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It seemed that Gráinne and Diarmuid often went out for ice cream. It had been a few weeks since the monopoly game, Lancelot was still lingering about and Diarmuid and Arturia went on yet another riding trip. The last one had not gone so well because Gráinne had decided that her boyfriend had to help her with her nails.

Of course, Arturia did not try to fight Gráinne because it seemed like the two girls were getting along after the heart to heart.

"How was your time with Gráinne?" Arturia had to remind herself that the young man that placed the saddle on the horse had a girlfriend. In fact, he had been with her that very morning. But there was a certain tug in her heart she felt every time those lovely honey eyes of his landed ever so slightly on her. They were almost like Amber resin jewels that trapped beautiful insects-instead of those though, it was her heart beat that was trapped inside.

Diarmuid sighed, his chest quickly rising and falling, "It was nice," he gave a smile, "I had a strawberry ice cream."

Arturia tried to suppress the smile that was threatening to rise to her lips, "You like strawberry?"

"Nah," he shrugged, petting the horse a bit, "I prefer mint but Gráinne wanted to have a taste of the strawberry one so I ordered it."

Arturia slowly nodded, trying her best to mount the horse without any help, "Mint is nice."

"Mhm," he replied, the conversation falling flat rather quickly.

"A quick question, though it is not my place to ask" she mumbled, blinking a couple of times, "why do you go get ice cream every Sunday? Even though it's nearly November?"

He shrugged, "Well Gráinne likes to spend time with me and I like ice cream. So, we settled on that. We usually stop mid November for the winter and start back up again in March."

Arturia was able to make it on top of the horse without any help, but with quite a bit of pain in her right arm. It had been a while since she exerted it and that only caused her to wince. She made sure to relax her shoulder as she settled on the horse.

"How is work going for you?" The young man asked, that sweet sincerity in his voice.

Arturia couldn't exactly settle on what made him so attractive. His looks were a bonus, for sure, but that wasn't what drew her to him-she knew this much. She had thought about it before, but nothing could make her understand. His sincerity, uniqueness, kindness, loyalty... Which one was it that made her gravitate towards him? Which one was it that kept her emerald eyes lingering on him for those exhausting extra seconds? What made the corner of her lips curl as she felt something coil in her stomach?

She finally responded, releasing a deep breath she had not realized she was holding, "Uh, um, go-great," she responded, her cheeks blazing for she had been caught off guard.

Arturia was usually one to keep her cool, to restrain herself from getting attached, one to void herself of any earthly feelings or desires, but Diarmuid just knew exactly how to make her heart skip a beat and her eyes flicker to his lips. This nonsense needed to stop!

"That's good to hear," the stupid smile of his had to stop too, "How is Jeanne treating you?" They had already led the horses out of the barn and were on their way over to the next hill.

Arturia forced her eyes ahead of herself, she had to calm down her heart beat and think about the actual important things, "She's super nice, I'm glad to have made a friend like her. I feel almost as if we have known each other for the longest time."