Heart of a Dove: Ydris x Reader

Chapter Nine: Delicate Dance

Navigating a new relationship with Ydris was new and exciting. Every moment I spent with him seemed like magic. The chemistry between us was definitely tangible. Despite our rush to enter into a romantic relationship, we decided to take our time and go slow. Nothing much really changed except for the fact that we now knew we each had feelings for the other. Besides that, kisses from Ydris quickly became more and more frequent. He was never overly sexual with them, just sweet, soft and romantic, like the kinds of kisses I had only experienced in movies. What a gentleman! It quickly got to the point that even thinking about him would cause my heart to leap with giddy joy.

The next several days were busy, meaning I rarely had time to go see Ydris but I was too happy to care much. It felt like I was floating on cloud nine. Despite not seeing Ydris as often, I got to see more of Justin, who seemed to be around wherever I went. He would cheer me on during training and grin if I caught his eye. Of course, he made sure to do all of that when Loretta wasn't around. He knew she had a crush on him and he knew she gave me a hard time for being friends with him. Life was going so smoothly I felt as if gravity was the only thing holding me down. Maya, being her attentive self, quickly caught on to my elated spirit and wouldn't stop pestering me until I finally told her all about my new relationship one day after riding class.

We were hanging out in (h/n)'s stall together when it suddenly all came gushing out. Maya squealed excitedly, causing (h/n) to snort and toss his/her head in surprise. "(Y/n), I'm so happy for you!" She said, taking my hands in hers and hopping up and down like a giddy child, making me laugh. "I just don't want to see you get your heart broken." She added, suddenly becoming serious. "Don't worry about it! I'm being careful. Besides we're taking it slow." I replied with a reassuring smile. "If you say so." She said slowly, shoving me playfully with her elbow, making me laugh. "I gotta admit, he is pretty hot." She added with a teasing smirk. "Right?!" I said, a giggle escaping her as she wrinkled up her nose and stuck out her tongue playfully. 

Suddenly Justin appeared around the corner, carrying a large haybale. "Hey Maya. Hey (y/n)!" He said with a grunt as he set down the bale in the corner of the barn. I smiled and waved as he approached. "What are you two up to?" He asked, wiping the sweat from his forehead and leaning on (h/n)'s stall door. "Oh you know, the usual gossip." I said myschiviously, stroking (h/n)'s muzzle. Justin merely raised a quizzical eyebrow. "Why don't you tell him, (y/n)? You wouldn't shut up about it earlier." Maya teased, poking me and wrinkling up her nose. Justin leaned forward, an intruiged grin playing on his lips. "Oh? Tell me what?" He asked, trying and failing to sound uninterested. "(Y/n) is dating the circus man!" Maya blurted before I could even open my mouth to answer. "He has a name, you know." I said, pretending not to notice Justin's quickly deflating posture or the look of disappointment in his eyes.

What's going on? Why does everything feel so awkward all the sudden?

My body suddenly felt hot and cold all at once and I shifted my weight in the uncomfortable silence that followed. "That's great! What a lucky guy." Justin finally said stiffly, a forced smile plastered to his face. I could barely process what was happening before he made up some excuse to leave and slumped out of the barn. I felt so bad but I didn't know what to do. I looked to Maya for guidance but she looked just as stunned as I was. "What just happned?" I asked finally. "It seems like you've captured more than one heart around here.." She said slowly. "Justin? No way, we're just friends!" I said incredulously. "Well I don't know about you but that looked like someone who just got friendzoned big-time." Maya said, gesturing towards the barn door.

Her words stopped me dead in my tracks. And here I thought everything was going so well.. Justin has a crush on me?! Could that really be true? God, why does my life have to be so complicated? I mentally screamed. My brain was twisting itself into knots in a futile attempt to understand what was happening. "I should go talk to him.." I said, suddenly feeling guilty. I didn't like that I was the source of his pain. He was my friend after all. Maya put a hand on my shoulder to stop me. "Give him some space. You'll only make things worse." She said softly. I knew she was right and I hung my head in defeat. Suddenly a voice echoing in the stable yard broke the silence. "Maya, the lesson ponies need to be fed and stabled!" Miss Jenna said, her blonde head popping into the barn momentarily before ducking back outside. "Shit. I'm really sorry to leave you like this, (y/n) but duty calls.." Maya said apologeticly. "It's fine, you go." I said with what I hoped was a reassuring smile. To be honest I felt sick and I was thankful for some time alone to think. Maya jogged out of the stable, giving me one last wave before disappearing.