Save A Horse, Ride A Cowboy // Reddie

two

Eddie thought that nine o'clock was an early time to wake up, so Mike's ability to be dressed and out of bed by six had him baffled. Eddie learned that Stanley has become quite the morning person as well since moving in with Mike. He could hear him humming Eleanor Rigby by The Beatles and scrambling eggs at seven.

He tears the flower-pattered blanket from his warmed body and feels the goosebumps on his skin begin to rise. The smell of Stan's breakfast is still lingering through the house, even though it has been two hours since it was prepared. When Eddie sniffs in the smell, he wonders if Stan and Mike saved him any of the deliciousness.

He trudges through the house, to the screen door in the back. It's pushed open by his stubby fingers, and his forehead is welcomed by the sun's morning beams.

He stares out to the field before him. It's wide with yellow and green, and he can smell the growing wheat. A red barn with a loft sits upright, and under it is where supplies for the animals and crops are kept.

Mike has chickens, rabbits, ducks, goats, and sheep. The animal stalls are lined up along the land, and at the very end, there are horses. Three horses.

When a bead of sweat slips down Eddie's cheek from his hairline, he starts to think that maybe his outfit choice was not appropriate for this type of weather. Black skinny jeans and a burgundy sweater may have been a good fit for Derry, but not for a farm in Florida.

Eddie's ears perk up at the echo of sheers snipping together. He looks off into the distance to see Mike clipping at the sheep's wool. Gray and white bundles glide to the dirt and pile up around the farmer's feet.

Soon, the college student is standing next to him, watching the sheep step in and out of the pen.

Mike notices him, "oh, hey, Eddie, " he smiles and finishes off the last of the sheep. "How did you sleep?" he swivels around on a tree stump to a position where he can face Eddie's tense stance.

Eddie's hands slide into his jean pockets; they start to sweat almost instantly. "Good," he mumbles, folding his lips and swaying back and forth on his heels.

Mike's eyes run down his body, and he laughs, "a little overdressed, don't you think?"

Eddie feels embarrassed now. "It's colder in Derry, " he clarifies.

The smile Mike gives is understanding. "I know, " he grins, and then his finger is directing Eddie to Stanley, who is relaxing by a table, under an umbrella, sipping on iced tea in a glass.

This is an unfamiliar sight to Eddie's eyes. He never visualized Mike and Stanley's future to end up like this. He supposed Stanley would become something boring, like an accountant. Never did he think his curly-haired friend would be living on a farm, drinking sweet tea, and wearing daisy dukes. Eddie's head tilts to the side; Stanley didn't look too bad in them.

"Stan has plenty of clothes that you could borrow, " says Mike, eyeing the young adult in the distance, proud of what is his.

Eddie finds himself in Stanley and Mike's room. He's sitting on a neatly folded quilt. Stanley's back is facing him as he sinks his hands into the drawers on his dresser and draws out four pairs of jean shorts with messily cut off cuffs. To Eddie, they all look the same, but Stan obviously knows better because he's folding them in different sections on the spot next to Eddie on the bed.

"These, " Stanley's hand glides over two pairs, "are normal shorts. The cuffs sort of bother me, but they're still comfortable, " he informs. The college student doesn't see a problem with the cuffs; they're all there, unlike the cuffs on the other shorts.