I guess that's just the price I paid
for the blood red flags
that I walked past everyday

♡
My ears cupped forward as Bacardi’s painted form came trotting to me from the shadows of the trees. It might have been just the exhilaration from the swim, but my skin felt electric as he drew near, almost too sensitive to handle. I might have felt his flush, but I couldn’t honestly tell if the heat was from the painted stallion or from my own sudden rush of excitement. I greeted him with a playful squeal, pawing one hoof into the cold-hardened ground and flattening my ears for a split second before my expression turned sweet again. I didn’t know why, but it seemed terribly fun to tease and play, though I made sure he didn’t take me too seriously by reaching forward to brush my lips against his cheek. ”Hello, Bacardi,” I said, trying to sound like I was a normal amount of happy to see him despite the blush that saturated my cheeks with heat.

He asked about my swim, and I smiled innocently. ”It was a little scary at first, but it smoothed out. I made it in one piece, didn’t I?” I thought I caught his gaze sweep over me, and for a brief second I shivered; he was usually so polite, but that look seemed… hungry. Or perhaps I was imagining it. It strengthened the heat in my face, and electricity crackled through me once again. I thought my own gaze was probably similarly hungry, and I averted it, momentarily embarrassed.

But it was hard to keep looking away. The landscape was beautiful, but Bacardi was certainly not so bad to look at, either. I took a deep breath, trying to calm what I still thought was the excitement and adrenaline from the swim. ”Somehow, I’m still a bit energetic from the trip,” I admitted with an apologetic laugh, certain he had noticed the change. ”Would you be so kind as to show me around?”
♡

Soraya