“Ah,” Lunero said when his companion replied in the negative, and pressed his lips into a wistful smile. It had been a frail hope to think Ernesto would have heard of his homeland, but he could not help feeling somewhat disappointed all the same. He opened his mouth to remark that it was understandable, Costa Agua Brillante being a tiny, well-hidden place on the corner of the continent, but before he could say as much, Ernesto spoke again.
Lunero’s hazel eyes widened, and his smile brightened into a grin to match the stallion’s own. “What a charmer you are, señor,” he replied, aware of his heart quickening and the familiar curling sensation of desire in his belly. What Ernesto flirting with him? It certainly seemed so. If Lunero’s suspicions were correct… well, he was nowhere near ready for another serious romance, but he was not sure he could turn down an opportunity for a fling when it was right in front of him. Stallions of his persuasion - especially such handsome ones that he had so much in common with - were not exactly easy to come by.
But then Ernesto changed the topic, leaving Lunero uncertain all again. He pricked his ears and attempted to give the stallion his full attention while momentarily silencing the hopes that had coursed through him just seconds ago. “Ah,” he began with a sad lilt to his voice, and hesitated, wondering how honest to be. “Heartbreak, a tale as old as time. I needed a change, you know? And where else to go but to a nice island retreat, eh? My plans are only to glide where the wind takes me, and to see where I wash up. Eventually I would love nothing more than a family: a hundred children and a nice boy at my side.”
His eyes locked on Ernesto’s meaningfully and watched carefully for their reaction. “Y tu?”
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