The Aristocrat

“Is it wrong that I’m a bit jealous because he might get to live with you?” A tear fell from my eye.

Leo bent to meet me where I knelt. He wiped my eyes and kissed me long and passionately until the horse neighed, interrupting our moment.

“Does he have a name?” I asked.

“I never inquired.” He turned to the animal. “Identify yourself.”

The horse neighed again.

I shook my head in laughter. “This is ludicrous.”

“Indeed.” Leo eyed the animal. “Hmm… That would be a fitting name for him, don’t you think?”

“What?”

“Ludicrous.”

“You know what?” I wrapped my arms around the pony’s neck and hugged him. “Oddly, I can’t think of a better name.”

Here he was, our new, temporary love child.

We spent the rest of the day buying supplies for him. Ludicrous was just the distraction I needed from my ever-growing attachment to Leo. Although, did I really want to fall in love with both a horse and a man I wouldn’t be able to keep?

I froze as I realized what I’d just admitted to myself—I was falling in love with Leo.

* * *

Leo

Track 15: “Never Say Goodbye” by Bon Jovi

After a full day of horsing around—quite literally—Felicity returned to her house Monday evening. When Sigmund returned from his trip later that night, he was less than amused to discover our new roommate.

“Why in the bloody hell is there a horse in our living room?”

I closed the magazine I’d been looking at. “Oh, you’re back.”

“Yes. Apparently, I should have stayed in Boston. What the fuck is going on?”

“This is Ludicrous.”

“You’re telling me.”

“No. That’s his name. Ludicrous. I bought him for Felicity.”

“I would ask why, but there is no answer that could ever make sense.”

We’d set up a safety gate to cordon off an area of the living room.

“She told me she’d always wanted a Shetland pony, so I decided to buy one and keep it here for the rest of the summer.”

“Yeah. That makes total fucking sense, Leo. I knew you were a bit daft when it came to her, but this takes it to a new level.”

“Don’t worry. He’ll be spending a good amount of time out in the side yard. I only brought him in tonight because it’s raining.”

“Did you at least get to shag her before she had you turning this place into a funny farm?”

“That’s none of your business.”

He laughed. “I’ll just check the condom box I left you and see if it’s opened.”

“That’s not going to tell you anything, actually.” I immediately regretted my words.

“Why is that? Please tell me you covered it up.”

My lack of response and perhaps the look on my face caused him to draw the right conclusion.

His eyes widened. “You didn’t use anything with her? Are you fucking insane?”

“She’s on the pill.”

He raised his tone. “I don’t give a damn what she says. You can’t trust it.”

“Yes, I can trust her. And I do.”

“Well, you’re stupider than I thought, then.”

“You know I don’t take things like that lightly. I’ve always been careful, with every single person.”

“Do you realize how easily she could trap you?”

“She wouldn’t do that.”

“How do you know?”

“Because I know her, and I trust her more than anyone I’ve ever known. I trust her more than I trust you, for Christ’s sake.”

“I think you’re officially delusional.”

“It’s none of your concern, Sigmund. Besides, how is my having unprotected sex with someone I trust who’s on the pill any worse than you sleeping with multiple women at once and relying only on condoms? They can break. Nothing is foolproof. You’re taking a risk every time you stick your dick in someone.”

“With condoms, at least I have some control. You have nothing but her word that she took a pill. What if she gets pregnant? How the hell would you explain that to your parents? You’d be stuck with her.”

Stuck with her.

Did he think the idea of being permanently bound to Felicity would scare me? It gave me the opposite reaction—a fleeting thought that maybe getting her pregnant would put me in a situation where I had no choice but to be with her. In that scenario, following my heart and doing the right thing would then be one and the same.

“We don’t need to discuss this any further,” I said.

“Yes, because clearly there’s no talking to you.”

I gladly changed the subject. “How was your weekend away?”

Sigmund looked down at his shoes and muttered, “It could’ve been better.”

“Why?”

“It seems having a small harem is only good so long as no one gets attached.” He rolled his eyes. “They…started fighting.”

“About what?”

“About not having enough alone time with me. They started getting competitive. It got weird, and I was ready for the weekend to end.”

“So no more Marias, I take it.”

“No.”

I’d been enjoying his most recent “relationship,” if you could call it that, because it seemed to take his attention off of me. But it probably wouldn’t be long before he found someone else to occupy his time.