take me back in time

strawberry

Arthur had a problem and he knew it.
He knew it by the way his eyes searched for brown hair and grey eyes without him noticing it.
He knew it by the way his heart sped up every time he saw her.
He knew it by the way his stomach made little flips when she was close.
He knew it and he hated it.
And he was so fucking tired, tired of everything, tired to the bone, tired to the point he thought hard about a vacation somewhere quiet and far away from here.
Regardless, he couldn't.
His hands worked on their own, scribbling words and sentences that went crazy in his mind trying to make sense of all this bullshit around him.
His eyes flickered up from time to time, watching a certain woman sitting next to Jack and his heart was ready to race again.
Damnit.
Before he knew what was going on, his hands filled a whole page with her face, every detail worked out perfectly. Her big grey eyes, sparkling in the sunlight, her tiny, slightly uneven nose with all these damn freckles, these full and kissable lips formed into a little smile, her high cheekbones, the soft features of her jaw and chin, long brown hair in a beautiful braid that accentuated her neck and jawline.
Lord have mercy, she was absolutely stunning in her own way.
Arthur wasn't quite sure what exactly it was; maybe it was the kindness she showed around Jack, maybe it was the way she treated everyone in camp friendly and sometimes playful, maybe it was the sarcastic tone she wore around him, maybe it was her solicitude for him and everybody else or maybe it was all this together which caused him to kiss her last night.
That was dumb, he knew it but he couldn't help himself in that moment.
He was drunk, sure but not that drunk to use it as an excuse.
Arthur had been worn out, angry and sad about that whole encounter with Mary and he was surprised to hear Sophie's clear and beautiful voice when he entered camp after that, singing a song he didn't knew, so he just grabbed that damn whiskey-bottle and drank himself into misery, trying hard to forget everything around him.
That changed the moment Sophie sat down next to him, patting his arm and sending shivers down his spine, smelling like mint and flowers.
Her closeness was way too comforting, her words made sense somehow even though he would never admit it and he lost himself in the endless pool of that grey eyes, stumbling and falling deeper and deeper.
Arthur had reacted on impulse, closing the gap and kissing those tempting lips to shut her up but, well, he never would've imagined that she reacted the way she did, straddling him and testing his self-control in a dangerous way.
It was a bold move. He assumed she was maybe a bit attracted towards him, the way she looked at him while dancing, the way her eyes dropped down to his lips every now and then, the way she was cuddled up against him in that hotel but he couldn't be exactly sure because his self-doubt prevented him from thinking any women would want him.
A powerful slap across the face would've been a more conceivable reaction to this than kissing him back but, yeah... No words for that.
If it hadn't been for Dutch, he didn't know how much further it would've gone and he hated to admit it, but he had wanted it, so badly.
Last time he got laid was years ago and Sophie pressed all the right buttons without realizing it, making him feel like a teen again, restless and hungry for more.
His boner outlasted nearly the whole night, adding another sleepless night to his schedule alone under his canvas and the thought of Sophie just a few feet away wasn't helpful at all.
"Herr Morgan."
Strauss ripped him out of his thoughts and he shut his journal quickly with one hand.
"Herr Strauss.", he rasped, looking the old man up and down.
"Are you busy at the moment?"
Arthur scratched the back of his neck. "No. Why?"
"I think it's time for Mr. Downes to pay back what he owes us, Mr. Morgan.", the older man said, his accent thick and heavy.
"Ah, I see."
"Would you be so kind?"
Arthur stood up from his cot, left hand grabbing his hat and placing it on his head, the other tucking his journal back in his satchel.
"Sure.", he drawled back, already heading toward his horse.
"Thank you kindly, Herr Morgan.", Strauss called after him and he simply waved in a dismissive way.
Dirty old man.
The golden coat of his new mare shone brightly in the mid-afternoon sun and he patted her neck affectionally, the horse rewarding him with a soft nicker.
She was a good one, an American Standardbred and he got her for free, paid nothing for her. Found the mare with her previous owner in the middle of nowhere, tried to help the older man to get her shoe back on but a snake spooked her and, well; one aimed kick and the man was laying in the dirty ground, skull shattered into pieces.
It took Arthur quite some time to get her, she was furious, white tail whipping from side to side, head high, dancing around the Heartlands.
He needed all his knowledge and patience to get her but it was worth it. She had already warmed up to him and she was getting really needy, always begging for treats and affection.
Arthur happily obliged though, brushing over the dappled golden coat with long strokes, cleaning the fur from dirt and old sweat.
Since Kieran had joined the gang properly, he took care of the horses and Arthur had to admit, he did a good, really good but he liked to look after his horse on his own from time to time.
Someone nudged his shoulder and he turned his head, chuckling as Sophie's mare nibbled at his gun belt, soft nose searching for hidden treats.
The buckskin mare was running around freely with the other horses but decided to beg for his attention as well.
"Here ya go, girls.", he cooed softly, slipping every horse a carrot.
Both horses nickered in response, nudging his hands to get more.
"Nah, ya two had enough. Get lost, girl. We gotta job to do.", he said to the buckskin mare, turning to face his horse again.
After finishing brushing the palomino mare, he saddled her up quickly, fastening the chinch carefully, hands working on their own after so many years of practice.
She took the bit of his latest purchase, a new dark-brown one-ear bridle matching his saddle, without hesitation and he stroked gently through her white mane, rewarding her with affection.
"Such a good girl, ain't ya?"
"You going somewhere?", a soft voice called behind him and he jumped, not knowing that someone stood that close.
Arthur turned his head, catching Sophie's grey eyes, one eyebrow crooked in question.
"Mhm.", he simply stated, attention focusing back on his horse.
"Where?", she demanded and Arthur sighed.
"None of yer business.", he shot back, maybe a bit too harsh.
Sophie grabbed his arm, turning him around to face her, a deep scowl shown clearly on her face.
"Arthur... Please.", she nearly whispered and he sighed again, exhaling audibly.
Her grey eyes searched his, fingers still clutching at his blue shirt. This little contact alone made his heart flutter again, muscles flexing under her touch.
Arthur hooked his thumbs in his gun-belt, shifting his weight on one foot, her eyes followed the movement of his hands down and she blushed slightly.
He wondered for a brief moment why.
"Collecting debts for Strauss. Why ya askin'?", he heard himself saying, suppressing the urge to grab a cigarette out of his satchel. He knew she didn't like that, so for whatever reason, he quashed the need deep in his head.
Sophie took a shaky breath, fingers squeezing his arm slightly.
"Can I come with you?", she asked and he snickered.
"What? Why?"
The look she shot him was pleading, eyes telling him without words what he needed to know and his snicker faltered until it stopped.
Something would happen there and she knew it.