A/N: Thanks for all the reviews you guys, I'm SO pleased that you like
this story. :)
~
Chris woke up the next morning still very tired from the night before. He blinked a few times, trying to wake up fully. All he wanted to do was roll over and go back to sleep, but it wasn't in his nature to sleep late. He looked at the clock, and saw that it was 9:30, already later than he liked to sleep in.
He decided that he would compromise with his tired body, and lay in bed for a little while. He rolled over onto his back and stared at the ceiling. Last night, he and Stephanie had talked for hours on end, never at a loss for words. He hated using clichés, but it was truly like they had known each other for years.
Even better was, she knew what he was going through. And if he thought about it, she had it even harder than him. Sure, he had lost Jessica, but she was still out there somewhere, Stephanie's husband had died, and that was the end of it.
He was glad that he had asked Stephanie to move in with him. He could already tell that they would be great friends. He didn't feel any attraction between them, and he knew that as long as Jessica was out there, he and Stephanie would just be friends. Which was fine with the both of them.
Chris sighed to himself, and thought about Jessica. Talking last night had helped, but it had also opened a lot of old wounds. When he was talking about her, about them, all the memories came flooding back to him. He missed her so much, missed being with her. He wondered if she ever thought about him, if she was missing him as much as he was missing her. Then again, she could've moved on, and she might be happy right now.
He groaned at the thought and got up from the bed. He wanted to take Othello for a ride around the property. It would give him a chance to check on his pastures, and it would also give him time to think about things.
He threw on a pair of jeans and a plain white T-shirt. As he walked down the hallway, he saw Stephanie's door still closed, and figured that she was still asleep. He walked downstairs and into the kitchen, making a pot of coffee. He made enough for Stephanie and grabbed a cup of his own. Drinking it quickly, he put the mug in the sink before heading outside.
He made his way over to the stables, and did his morning check on the horses. He got their feed ready, letting them eat. He took Othello out of the stable, and combed out his long mane. As he was getting Othello saddled, he saw Stephanie making his way towards him, coffee in hand.
"Good morning," he called out.
She smiled at him, "Morning to you. Thanks for making coffee I really needed it."
"So did I after staying up so late last night."
"Yeah," she paused, "It was really nice to finally get all of that stuff out. I hated keeping it bottled up inside."
"I know what you mean."
"So what are you doing?"
"Oh, I was just checking on my horses, and I was going to take a ride on Othello," he said gesturing to his horse.
"Sounds like fun."
"Did you want to come?"
"Oh no that's ok," she said, shaking her head.
"It's ok, I'd like you to come."
"No really, I can't, I don't want to interrupt your work or whatever."
"You won't be, this is more for pleasure than business anyways."
"I really can't," she told him.
"Why not?"
"I don't know how to ride a horse," she said quietly.
"You don't know how to ride?" he asked, not knowing if he had heard her correctly.
"Yeah, I mean, there weren't a lot of horses where I lived, so I don't know how to ride one."
"It's easy, I'll show you."
"No, you don't have to."
"Here, how about we trade what we know?"
"What do you mean?"
"Well, I'll show you how to ride a horse, and you can show me how to develop pictures."
"You want me to teach you how to develop pictures?"
"I wouldn't have said it if I didn't want to. We can even set up a dark room for you."
"Wow, ok, I guess you can teach me then."
"Ok, first, put down the cup of coffee," he said, laughing. She set it on the ledge near him.
"Done, this is a lot easier than I thought," she said giggling.
"Ok, well, next, I can take you to meet the horse you'll be riding. Come with me."
Chris walked back into the stables, Stephanie following him silently. They walked up to one of the stalls, and Stephanie got her first glimpse of the horse that would soon become hers. The horse was a beautiful brown color, with a black mane. Stephanie stared in awe of the magnificent creature.
"This is Ophelia," Chris said.
"Wow, so do you name your horses after Shakespeare, or names that start with O?" she asked smirking.
"Shakespeare, I just think it fits."
"Ok, well, this horse is beautiful."
"I know," Chris beamed as he took Ophelia out of the stall, "You can pet her if you want."
Chris watched as Stephanie tentatively reached her hand out. She rubbed Ophelia's nose, which the horse loved. She nuzzled into Stephanie's hand, cause Stephanie to giggle in glee. She had never really been around a horse before.
"Wow, this is so cool," she said.
"I know, come on, I'll get her saddled up, and then we'll get you on her."
Chris got one of the saddles hanging on the wall, and proceeded to saddle up the horse. He finished quickly, and then brought Ophelia over to Stephanie.
"Ok, here's how you get on," he said, then proceeded to put his foot in the hold, and hoist himself onto the horse, "Wanna try?"
She nodded, and Chris climbed down. She repeated what he did, and before she knew it, she was sitting astride Ophelia. She beamed down at Chris, looking like a little kid on Christmas morning. Chris smiled up at her.
"See, you're a pro, now, here, I'll lead you around a little."
"Ok."
"Grab onto the reins," he directed her, and she grabbed a hold of them.
Chris took her slowly around some of the immediate grounds. Stephanie couldn't help but smile the whole time. This was actually very thrilling. She had never done anything quite like this before.
"This is so much fun Chris," she said, looking down at him.
"Yeah, that's why I love it, do you think you can handle her by yourself? She's very well-trained, she won't run off."
"Ok, where are you going?"
"I'm just going to get on Othello, and we'll head off together."
"That's fine," Stephanie said, looking back as Chris got on his horse easily.
He rode over to her, and the both of them started off. Chris kept looking over at Stephanie, making sure that she was doing alright on Ophelia. She looked like she was having a blast, and he was glad that he could help.
They rode all over his property, and Chris pointed out various things to Stephanie. They talked some more as they trotted around the land. Chris knew Stephanie was a beginner so they didn't go all that fast, but it was fine with him, he didn't have anything better to do.
After riding for an hour or so, they made it back to the stables, and Chris showed Stephanie how to take the saddle off, and how to groom the horse. They fed the horse some carrots, before going back inside the house.
"So are you ready to learn how to make the perfect photograph?" Stephanie asked, once they had sat down for lunch.
"I guess, shouldn't we choose a room for your developing?"
"Is there any room in particular that I should choose?"
"No, you can pick anyone you want."
"How about the room across from the bathroom?"
"That sounds fine. Do I need to do anything about the windows?"
"Yeah, is it ok if we nailed some boards over them to keep out the light?"
"Yeah, I think I have some plywood that would fit over the windows."
"Great."
They finished their lunch, and Stephanie went upstairs to set up her equipment while Chris went in search of the plywood, a hammer, and nails. He smiled to himself, thinking about how much fun today had been so far.
It was nice to have company on his rides, and it had been fun pointing out various things to Stephanie. Things she didn't know before. And now he was going to learn how to develop his own photos. It was nice that him and Stephanie were getting so close.
He gathered the things he needed, and went back to the house. He went upstairs to the room, and saw that Stephanie was putting various things around. The room was empty except for some scattered tables that he had found at various furniture places. There were so many rooms in the house that he hadn't decorated them all. This room had been like a storage room. It was nice to see it actually have a purpose now.
He took the wood, and started nailing them over the windows to block the light out. Luckily there were only two windows in the room, and it didn't take him long to finish up the work. Stephanie, by this time had already finished setting up, and was screwing a red light bulb into the ceiling socket.
"Ready," he said.
She finished with the light bulb, "Great, we can get started now."
Stephanie closed the door, and they were in the dark, save for the red light bulb. Stephanie proceeded to show how all the equipment worked, and together they developed some pictures. Chris was starting to get the hang of it, when he noticed that Stephanie's pictures were stunning. She did a lot of black and white shots, and though he didn't know that much about photographs, he could tell that she was good at what she did.
"These pictures are amazing Stephanie."
"Thanks, I take pride in my pictures."
"The way you use the light and darkness is amazing."
"Wow, so you know a little bit about photographs?"
"A little, very little. We should frame some of these and put them around the house," he told her.
"You think so?"
"Definitely. Hey, in the unlikely event we have any company, you can show off."
"Yeah, well, next time we go to town, maybe we'll get some frames."
"Do you sell your photographs?"
"I used to. I haven't since Hunter died. I do it more for myself than anything else right now. But yes, I've had shows for my photography."
"Well, I can see why, you're obviously great at what you do."
"Thanks...Today has been a lot of fun. I think I'm going to like living here."
"I already like you living here."
~
Chris woke up the next morning still very tired from the night before. He blinked a few times, trying to wake up fully. All he wanted to do was roll over and go back to sleep, but it wasn't in his nature to sleep late. He looked at the clock, and saw that it was 9:30, already later than he liked to sleep in.
He decided that he would compromise with his tired body, and lay in bed for a little while. He rolled over onto his back and stared at the ceiling. Last night, he and Stephanie had talked for hours on end, never at a loss for words. He hated using clichés, but it was truly like they had known each other for years.
Even better was, she knew what he was going through. And if he thought about it, she had it even harder than him. Sure, he had lost Jessica, but she was still out there somewhere, Stephanie's husband had died, and that was the end of it.
He was glad that he had asked Stephanie to move in with him. He could already tell that they would be great friends. He didn't feel any attraction between them, and he knew that as long as Jessica was out there, he and Stephanie would just be friends. Which was fine with the both of them.
Chris sighed to himself, and thought about Jessica. Talking last night had helped, but it had also opened a lot of old wounds. When he was talking about her, about them, all the memories came flooding back to him. He missed her so much, missed being with her. He wondered if she ever thought about him, if she was missing him as much as he was missing her. Then again, she could've moved on, and she might be happy right now.
He groaned at the thought and got up from the bed. He wanted to take Othello for a ride around the property. It would give him a chance to check on his pastures, and it would also give him time to think about things.
He threw on a pair of jeans and a plain white T-shirt. As he walked down the hallway, he saw Stephanie's door still closed, and figured that she was still asleep. He walked downstairs and into the kitchen, making a pot of coffee. He made enough for Stephanie and grabbed a cup of his own. Drinking it quickly, he put the mug in the sink before heading outside.
He made his way over to the stables, and did his morning check on the horses. He got their feed ready, letting them eat. He took Othello out of the stable, and combed out his long mane. As he was getting Othello saddled, he saw Stephanie making his way towards him, coffee in hand.
"Good morning," he called out.
She smiled at him, "Morning to you. Thanks for making coffee I really needed it."
"So did I after staying up so late last night."
"Yeah," she paused, "It was really nice to finally get all of that stuff out. I hated keeping it bottled up inside."
"I know what you mean."
"So what are you doing?"
"Oh, I was just checking on my horses, and I was going to take a ride on Othello," he said gesturing to his horse.
"Sounds like fun."
"Did you want to come?"
"Oh no that's ok," she said, shaking her head.
"It's ok, I'd like you to come."
"No really, I can't, I don't want to interrupt your work or whatever."
"You won't be, this is more for pleasure than business anyways."
"I really can't," she told him.
"Why not?"
"I don't know how to ride a horse," she said quietly.
"You don't know how to ride?" he asked, not knowing if he had heard her correctly.
"Yeah, I mean, there weren't a lot of horses where I lived, so I don't know how to ride one."
"It's easy, I'll show you."
"No, you don't have to."
"Here, how about we trade what we know?"
"What do you mean?"
"Well, I'll show you how to ride a horse, and you can show me how to develop pictures."
"You want me to teach you how to develop pictures?"
"I wouldn't have said it if I didn't want to. We can even set up a dark room for you."
"Wow, ok, I guess you can teach me then."
"Ok, first, put down the cup of coffee," he said, laughing. She set it on the ledge near him.
"Done, this is a lot easier than I thought," she said giggling.
"Ok, well, next, I can take you to meet the horse you'll be riding. Come with me."
Chris walked back into the stables, Stephanie following him silently. They walked up to one of the stalls, and Stephanie got her first glimpse of the horse that would soon become hers. The horse was a beautiful brown color, with a black mane. Stephanie stared in awe of the magnificent creature.
"This is Ophelia," Chris said.
"Wow, so do you name your horses after Shakespeare, or names that start with O?" she asked smirking.
"Shakespeare, I just think it fits."
"Ok, well, this horse is beautiful."
"I know," Chris beamed as he took Ophelia out of the stall, "You can pet her if you want."
Chris watched as Stephanie tentatively reached her hand out. She rubbed Ophelia's nose, which the horse loved. She nuzzled into Stephanie's hand, cause Stephanie to giggle in glee. She had never really been around a horse before.
"Wow, this is so cool," she said.
"I know, come on, I'll get her saddled up, and then we'll get you on her."
Chris got one of the saddles hanging on the wall, and proceeded to saddle up the horse. He finished quickly, and then brought Ophelia over to Stephanie.
"Ok, here's how you get on," he said, then proceeded to put his foot in the hold, and hoist himself onto the horse, "Wanna try?"
She nodded, and Chris climbed down. She repeated what he did, and before she knew it, she was sitting astride Ophelia. She beamed down at Chris, looking like a little kid on Christmas morning. Chris smiled up at her.
"See, you're a pro, now, here, I'll lead you around a little."
"Ok."
"Grab onto the reins," he directed her, and she grabbed a hold of them.
Chris took her slowly around some of the immediate grounds. Stephanie couldn't help but smile the whole time. This was actually very thrilling. She had never done anything quite like this before.
"This is so much fun Chris," she said, looking down at him.
"Yeah, that's why I love it, do you think you can handle her by yourself? She's very well-trained, she won't run off."
"Ok, where are you going?"
"I'm just going to get on Othello, and we'll head off together."
"That's fine," Stephanie said, looking back as Chris got on his horse easily.
He rode over to her, and the both of them started off. Chris kept looking over at Stephanie, making sure that she was doing alright on Ophelia. She looked like she was having a blast, and he was glad that he could help.
They rode all over his property, and Chris pointed out various things to Stephanie. They talked some more as they trotted around the land. Chris knew Stephanie was a beginner so they didn't go all that fast, but it was fine with him, he didn't have anything better to do.
After riding for an hour or so, they made it back to the stables, and Chris showed Stephanie how to take the saddle off, and how to groom the horse. They fed the horse some carrots, before going back inside the house.
"So are you ready to learn how to make the perfect photograph?" Stephanie asked, once they had sat down for lunch.
"I guess, shouldn't we choose a room for your developing?"
"Is there any room in particular that I should choose?"
"No, you can pick anyone you want."
"How about the room across from the bathroom?"
"That sounds fine. Do I need to do anything about the windows?"
"Yeah, is it ok if we nailed some boards over them to keep out the light?"
"Yeah, I think I have some plywood that would fit over the windows."
"Great."
They finished their lunch, and Stephanie went upstairs to set up her equipment while Chris went in search of the plywood, a hammer, and nails. He smiled to himself, thinking about how much fun today had been so far.
It was nice to have company on his rides, and it had been fun pointing out various things to Stephanie. Things she didn't know before. And now he was going to learn how to develop his own photos. It was nice that him and Stephanie were getting so close.
He gathered the things he needed, and went back to the house. He went upstairs to the room, and saw that Stephanie was putting various things around. The room was empty except for some scattered tables that he had found at various furniture places. There were so many rooms in the house that he hadn't decorated them all. This room had been like a storage room. It was nice to see it actually have a purpose now.
He took the wood, and started nailing them over the windows to block the light out. Luckily there were only two windows in the room, and it didn't take him long to finish up the work. Stephanie, by this time had already finished setting up, and was screwing a red light bulb into the ceiling socket.
"Ready," he said.
She finished with the light bulb, "Great, we can get started now."
Stephanie closed the door, and they were in the dark, save for the red light bulb. Stephanie proceeded to show how all the equipment worked, and together they developed some pictures. Chris was starting to get the hang of it, when he noticed that Stephanie's pictures were stunning. She did a lot of black and white shots, and though he didn't know that much about photographs, he could tell that she was good at what she did.
"These pictures are amazing Stephanie."
"Thanks, I take pride in my pictures."
"The way you use the light and darkness is amazing."
"Wow, so you know a little bit about photographs?"
"A little, very little. We should frame some of these and put them around the house," he told her.
"You think so?"
"Definitely. Hey, in the unlikely event we have any company, you can show off."
"Yeah, well, next time we go to town, maybe we'll get some frames."
"Do you sell your photographs?"
"I used to. I haven't since Hunter died. I do it more for myself than anything else right now. But yes, I've had shows for my photography."
"Well, I can see why, you're obviously great at what you do."
"Thanks...Today has been a lot of fun. I think I'm going to like living here."
"I already like you living here."
