He Still calls me Becks

The first thing people noticed about Rebecca Hale wasn’t her smile. It was the way she rode. Not careful. Wild. Like the horse beneath her could feel every reckless thought in her head and decided to match it. “Becks! Slow down!” someone yelled from the sidelines. She didn’t. Rebecca leaned forward, her fingers tightening around the reins, her body moving in perfect rhythm with the powerful stallion beneath her. The wind slapped against her face, sharp and alive, dragging strands of her honey blonde hair free from its tie. This was where she made sense. Not in classrooms she never understood. Not in exams that made her feel small. Not in rejection letters that still sat unopened in a drawer she pretended didn’t exist. Here, there were no expectations, only instinct, only freedom, only speed. “Come on, boy…” she whispered, her voice low, almost breathless. “Show them.” The horse surged forward as if it understood every word. The crowd roared. The annual ranch festival wasn’t small. People came from neighboring towns, from cities, from places Rebecca had never even thought of visiting. Lights hung across wooden fences, music drifted through the evening air, and the scent of roasted food mixed with dust and sweat. But Rebecca heard none of it. All she heard was the pounding of hooves. All she felt was the rush. Second place was close. Too close. Rebecca’s eyes narrowed. “No,” she muttered. She pressed her heels in just slightly just enough. The stallion responded instantly, muscles tightening, speed exploding beneath her like fire unleashed. The world blurred, the finish line rushed closer. Closer. Closer. And then. Silence. For a split second, everything stopped. Then the crowd erupted. Rebecca pulled back on the reins, her chest rising and falling as adrenaline flooded her veins. The horse slowed, then stilled, snorting softly as if just as proud as she was. She had won. Again. A grin broke across her face real, unfiltered, unstoppable. This was her world. Not degrees. Not expectations. Not people who thought she wasn’t enough. Horses didn’t judge. They trusted. And Rebecca Hale had built her entire life around that trust. Her ranch, work and freedom. Everything she had now, she built with her own hands. Even if she wasn’t perfect, even if she still struggled with numbers and paperwork and things she preferred to ignore. Even if “Rebecca!” She turned just in time to see Gabriella running toward her. “You did it again!” Gabriella laughed, throwing her arms around her as soon as Rebecca slid off the horse. “At this point, they should just hand you the trophy before the race even starts.” Rebecca huffed out a small laugh, patting her horse gently. “Where’s the fun in that?” “You’re insane, that’s where the fun is.” “Yeah,” Rebecca said lightly, brushing dust off her jeans. “I’ve heard that before.” From teachers. From relatives. From people who thought success only came with books and grades and polished words. She never argued. She just proved them wrong in her own way. Gabriella leaned closer, lowering her voice. “By the way… there’s someone here you might want to see.” Rebecca raised a brow. “If it’s another guy trying to ask me out after watching me ride, tell him to get in line.” Gabriella shook her head slowly. “No,” she said, a strange smile playing on her lips. “Not like that.” Something in her tone made Rebecca pause. “What do you mean?” Gabriella didn’t answer immediately. Instead, she tilted her head slightly toward the crowd gathered near the wooden fence. “Just… look.” Rebecca followed her gaze. At first, she didn’t see anything unusual. People. Faces. Movement. Light. Then Her eyes caught on someone. Tall. Broad shoulders. Standing a little apart from the rest like he didn’t quite belong to the noise around him. He was dressed simply, but there was something about him something controlled. Sharp. Like he was used to being watched… and didn’t care. Rebecca frowned slightly there was a strange pull in her chest. Familiar.. She took a step forward without realizing it. Then another. Her heartbeat shifted. The closer she got, the clearer his face became. And still nothing clicked. Not really. Not fully. Just that odd, lingering sense that she should know him. That she almost did. She stopped a few feet away. He was already looking at her. Not curious. Not surprised but certain , like he had been waiting. Rebecca crossed her arms slightly, tilting her head. “Do I know you?” for a moment, he didn’t answer. His eyes moved over her face slowly, taking her in like he was comparing the girl in front of him to a memory he refused to let go of. Then A small, almost disbelieving smile touched his lips. Soft. Familiar. .And when he finally spoke, his voice was lower than she expected. Steady.Certain “Becks.” Everything inside her stopped, the world didn’t spin. It didn’t crash. It didn’t explode. It simply… froze. No one had called her that in years. Not since Her breath caught. Her eyes widened just slightly as something buried deep inside her chest cracked open all at once. No. It couldn’t be. But it was. “…Andre?” And just like that the past came rushing back, nothing in Rebecca Hale’s carefully built life would ever be simple again.