The fall
608 Words
The next week started badly.
Which, unfortunately, was becoming normal.
Damien woke up before sunrise.
His entire body hurt.
His shoulders hurt.
His legs hurt.
He was fairly certain muscles he didn't know existed also hurt.
The ranch was trying to kill him.
That was the only logical explanation.
By six o'clock he was outside.
Ethan was already there.
Of course he was.
The man seemed physically incapable of sleeping in.
"You're late."
Damien stopped walking.
Very slowly.
Then looked at the sky.
Then at Ethan.
Then back at the sky.
"I swear you make that up every morning."
Ethan shrugged.
"Maybe."
Damien narrowed his eyes.
The cowboy walked away before he could respond.
Infuriating.
Absolutely infuriating.
Today's lesson involved riding beyond the ranch.
Apparently Ethan had decided Damien was ready for trails.
Damien disagreed.
Strongly.
Titan also seemed to disagree.
The horse looked annoyed.
Damien looked terrified.
Neither trusted the situation.
The trail wound through hills and open grasslands.
The scenery was beautiful.
Damien hated it.
Mostly because he was concentrating on not dying.
"Relax."
Ethan rode ahead.
Completely at ease.
"Easy for you to say."
"You look like you're being held hostage."
"I am being held hostage."
Ethan snorted.
Everything was going surprisingly well.
Which should have been a warning.
Because whenever things went well around Ethan Hayes...
Disaster usually followed.
A rabbit suddenly shot out of the bushes.
Titan spooked.
Hard.
The horse jumped sideways.
Damien lost balance.
"Oh, you've got to be kidding me—"
And then he fell.
The impact knocked the breath from his lungs.
Pain exploded through his shoulder.
For a second the world spun.
Then Ethan was there.
Immediately.
The cowboy jumped off his horse and dropped beside him.
"Damien."
The concern in his voice was unmistakable.
Real.
Instinctive.
Damien blinked.
"I'm alive."
"Don't move."
"That's dramatic."
"Damien."
The sharpness in Ethan's voice made him pause.
For several seconds Ethan checked him over.
Looking for injuries.
His hands moved carefully.
Professional.
Focused.
The moment felt strangely intimate.
Far too intimate.
Neither seemed to notice.
Until suddenly they did.
Their eyes met.
Silence.
Very awkward silence.
Then Damien cleared his throat.
"I'm okay."
Ethan immediately stood.
And the moment disappeared.
Gone.
Just like that.
The ride back to the ranch was quiet.
Too quiet.
Damien hated quiet.
It gave him time to think.
And lately his thoughts had become annoying.
Because somehow Ethan was becoming harder to hate.
Not easier.
Harder.
The problem got worse that evening.
Damien was reaching for a box in the barn when pain shot through his shoulder.
He hissed.
Immediately.
Without warning.
Ethan appeared.
Like some kind of grumpy cowboy ghost.
"What happened?"
"Nothing."
Ethan looked unconvinced.
Because it was a terrible lie.
"Let me see."
"No."
"Damien."
"No."
The argument lasted almost five minutes.
Eventually Ethan won.
Which Damien was beginning to resent.
A lot.
A short while later they sat in the tack room.
Alone.
Ethan carefully wrapped Damien's shoulder.
The injury wasn't serious.
Just strained.
Still.
The room felt strangely small.
The silence felt different.
Not hostile.
Not friendly.
Just...
Different.
Neither seemed comfortable with it.
Especially Ethan.
The cowboy finished the bandage.
Then immediately stood.
As if distance was necessary.
Probably wise.
"Thanks."
The word surprised both of them.
Damien rarely thanked people.
Especially Ethan.
The cowboy looked almost suspicious.
Then nodded once.
"Don't mention it."
And for some reason...
That simple exchange lingered in Damien's mind long after Ethan left.
Because for the first time since arriving at the ranch...
The cowboy hadn't looked at him like an enemy.
And that was somehow more unsettling than all their arguments combined.
- Writer
