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"I'm fine. I'm just thinking about today," he said. The deep blue of the early morning sky sharpened the features of his face, making him look more dangerous of a figure than she had ever seen him look, and she started to worry that he might not return from this to become the man that she knew. She sighed.
"You know that no matter what happens, you're the one I love, right? You're the man that I fell in love with, and I don't wantyou to think that any of this changes that. You are a beautiful man," she said. He looked at her, then reached and held her hand.
"Will you be, okay?" She asked him. He nodded.
"I will be okay. Thank you," he said. Lenanee looked into his eyes, and she didn't think that was the truth, but there wasn't anything she could tell him that would make this better.
They drove in silence as they came to the place of the contest. He got out of the car and stood by the door. Lenanee came and walked to him. There was a massive crowd. He walked silently, hand in his pocket with his bag slung over his shoulder. His manager walked to him and whispered something in his ear that Lenanee couldn't hear. He nodded once and turned to look at her then he smiled.
"I'll be fine, okay?" He said. Lenanee walked to him and placed her hand on his chest.
"Hayden. I just…" she stopped. She didn't know what to say to him, but she didn't want to say something that could throw off his energy and clog his mind through the race, so she just sighed and tiptoed to kiss him.
"I love you," she said quietly. His eyes lit up, and she saw some of the humor and lightheartedness that was in him then he dipped his head.
"I love you too," he said and walked into the cheer of the crowd.
†
Nicole watched the big man as he stood in front of the mirror, his hands clasped together in front of him while he wore his ridiculous hat and a blank expression on his face. There wassomething about him, something flippant yet serious, something deep and quiet yet playful and jovial. She had seen it in the woods, the way he would go from witty or dry sarcasm to talking about nature like he was some sort of philosopher, the sheer force of presence he carried about himself.
"Are you ready?" She asked.
"If I told you no, would you end this and tell everyone to go home, or would you tell your uncle that you let me mess this up, and he would rub you on the back and tell you that these things happen. Would that be the way this would go?" He asked with a half-smile on his face.
"So, are you ready or not?" Nicole asked in amused frustration. He tilted his head to the side and then nodded slowly.
"I think the best achievements are usually carried out when one isn't ready, when one is taken by surprise. I don't think I am ready, but I will never truly be ready, so why bother about that now?" He asked and turned to face her. He wore loose-fitting jeans with strong, sturdy boots and a long-sleeved turtleneck, the biggest they could find on the market, yet it still struggled to hold his chest in. Nicole realized she was staring and looked away, cheeks lit, but she also knew that he noticed.
"I take it from your expression that I look lovely, eh? Sweet. Let's get to it then," he said.
By the time they got there, Austin saw that everyone else was there and he ignored the protests of Nicole's uncle. He just stood there and looked at the horse he would be riding. He would need to take care of the stallion as he would take care of him, and he walked to it and then rested his head on its own.
"You're one big black monster, aren't you? Fortunately for you, I am as well, but the thing here is that neither of us can do this on our own, so we're going to have to work together. I'll trust you, but you'll have to trust me as well, you, see?" He said. The horse snorted.
"You're talking to the horse?" Nicole asked from behind him, and he nodded.
"You say that like it is a strange thing," he said.
"It is a curiosity. I mean, why would you talk to the horse?" She asked him. He looked at her and then around at the audience. He could feel the energy and the tension, he could feel the soft morning sun, and he shook his head and then gestured.
"You see everyone gathered here? They want to see something they've never seen before. They want to see us ride as best as we can through rugged terrain and harsh conditions, and they want to see us get the clues and go through the hurdles and stuff like that, but they don't matter. None of this matters. At the end of it, the only thing that matters is the horse and you, the rider. You're the ones doing this together, and that is what you must focus on. The horse can make or break everything, and you must show him respect," he said.
Nicole stood there with both eyebrows raised, a confused expression on her face.
"I don't understand," she said.
"Mm? Is that so? You don't understand the concept of respecting a horse?" He asked, feeling mildly annoyed. She seemed to see it in his eyes and looked at the horse again.
"He is a powerful horse, though," she said.
"True. Good genes, this one. Good genes," he said and walked away with the horse.
"Hey, Austin," she called. He turned to look at her. She was indeed beautiful, but he inhaled and pulled his mind away. That wasn't what he was here for.
"What’s the matter?" He asked.
"Be safe. I'd hate for anything to happen to you on those trails. I mean, you're a big man, but still…be safe," she said, and he nodded slowly. He could see the concern in her eyes and the way she seemed to be holding her breath. Something about that made him smile. He nodded.
