Times Three (X3)

CHAPTER 57 - Patrice

Previously On Triplets Apart:
The girls got their names legally changed. Amber gets matching rings for her sisters and they spend the rest of the day planning Jada's engagement party/wedding.

***

"What is this place?" I ask Tariq.

Curious to know where I am, all I'm surrounded by is large land space with healthy looking, bright green grass that appears to be perfectly lawned. Also some small wooden buildings that I'm not sure of.

"Shut up." He tugs me towards the wooden buildings. What's he doing?

"I want you to meet my friend." He gracefully wears a wide grin as he opens a door.

Huh.. his friend lives in here? Ew.

I gasp, my eyes widens quickly, staring at the beautiful creature in front of me. It's a horse. A very huge, black horse, it's whole body is shiny and beautiful. I suddenly feel embarrassed for my judgmental thoughts earlier.

So this is a stable..

"Her name's Patrice." Tariq pets her long neck and her gorgeous face. He notices my gaze at Patrice, his smile visibly turning into slight worry. "Uhm, babe.. are you scared? She's, she's a sweetheart.."

"No no no." I wave my hands around, quickly assuring him. "It's just that she's so beautiful. I've never been this close to a horse before." I smile, still staring at the majestic thing in awe.

"You like animals?" Tariq leads her out of the stable by her rope.

"I love animals!" As her loud hooves brings her beside me, she neighs loudly, causing me to flinch, jumping behind Tariq. So much for not being scared.

"She's not gonna hurt you." He chuckles.

"I know," I giggle, slowly going over to her to touch her. She's so smooth and silky, her groomers are doing a good job. "Who grooms her?"

"They must be on the other side of the farm, that's where most of the activities takes place. The bathing, the feeding, where the horses run around." He points inside the stable, "if we go directly through here, it brings us on the other side."

I peep through boards, where I can see a few movements on the other side. "Why is this side empty?" I enquirer.

"This side is for guests. Sometimes me and my dad take a ride, sometimes separately or together so we can bond. Sometimes people that own horse racing shit comes to see the horses, they always want to pay him big bucks to use them in races because of their fitness and appearance. He rarely let them use our horses unless it's a close friend because 1," He holds up a finger, "they're not for racing or entertainment, they're simply here because we love them. 2," He holds up another finger, "Many times horses get injured during races and we don't want anything happening to our babies."

I nod briefly, processing every detail. "You actually ride?"

"Hmm hmm." He hums yes, rubbing Patrice's back. "Dad taught me. I love horses, I just thought this was a vital part of my life I should share with you." He shrugs.

I smile, grateful for this new information.. "Can I try?"

"Of course, that's the whole reason for bringing you here."

He helps me up on Patrice's, she's ridiculously high, I have to admit that I'm slightly scared. She shuffles a little, probably to stabilize her body with the weight.

Sitting firmly on the saddle, he then instructs me to hold on to the strings that are also attached to her face, which is called the rein and to place my feet in the metallic things called the stirrups.

"Don't be afraid now, I'm here" His words immediately bring a little relaxation, could he sense that I'm nervous? Of course he could.

He lets Patrice walks slowly while leading her. This is actually not so bad, it's... cool.

"This is really a big part of your life, huh?" I can sense the joy this open field and these amazing horses bring to him.

"Yeah! I just wished I'd shown you sooner." His eyes are full of life. "But school and all that've been going on in your life.." he trails off.

"Better late than never, huh.."

"And we have a lifetime to do it too." His sparking eyes find mine.

"You really wanna get married, huh.." I smile. Tariq is a 'live everyday like it's your last' type of person.

"Why the fuck not? I love you. You're my whole heart." He shrugs as if the words are simple.. then looking to the ground as if shy, and something about it makes me want to squeal and my heart wants to sing.

"Hey babe?" I breathe softly, he hums in response. "Let's get married." His wide grin meets mine as the moment becomes emotionally perfect.

He hops on and sits in front of me, taking control of the rein, telling me to hold on to him tight. "You want to know what the rest of our lives will be like?" He says in a loud tone.

"W-what?" I chuckle.

He wags Patrice's rein, as she lifts and wiggles her front legs and neighs loudly, causing us to lean backwards. I scream, gripping my fiancé's torso the tightest way possible. She takes off swiftly.

"It's going to be exciting!" He yells, wagging Patrice's rein, urging for her to go faster and she does just that. "It's going to be wild!" He shouts hysterically, comparing our lives ahead to the epic horse ride.

"It's gonna be crazy!" I scream, both of us laughing as Patrice circles the field. This is so much fun!

When we're done, he takes Patrice and I around to the other side where the other horses are. I get hands on with the activities. It's so much fun bathing Patrice with a sponge and soap then gushing water on her from a bucket. Tariq and I both do this, having fun and getting messy at the same time.

Soon as I'm home from my tiring, adventurous day, I fill the tub up and soak myself in the warm, bubbly water with a glass of wine for about half hour.

Half hour of thinking about Tariq.

How his braces compliments his smile.. the way his Adam's apple moves up and down when he eats, talk or swallow.. his gorgeous dark brows eyes.. his jovial side.. his love for horses and animals overall.. his husky laugh which occasionally changes to a childlike giggle.. the way he lives life like there's no tomorrow.. he loves deeply without fear.. that beautiful body, perfectly aligned with his velvety brown skin tone..

I grin widely, biting on my lower lip with hopes that it'll keep me from exploding.

I can't even begin to imagine spending the rest of eternity with anyone else. If not with him, I'd rather do it alone.

***

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Ily.