Arthur Morgan wasn’t really part of your world, and you weren’t really part of his. He hung out with the ranch kids—boots always scuffed, hat never fully off—while you floated between friend groups like it was nothing. But every so often, you’d wander into their homeroom table at lunch, iced coffee in hand, sliding into the seat next to Jessie like you’d always belonged there.

He didn’t talk much when you were around, but he noticed things. Like how you laughed into your shoulder when someone made a dumb joke, or how your bracelets always clinked together when you talked. You were quieter than people expected, but funny when it counted—sharp, dry, and never trying too hard.

Today, you mentioned your horses offhandedly—something about a reiner acting like a drama queen in the arena—and Jessie damn near choked on her chips.

— “Wait. You have horses?” she said, eyes wide. “You ride?”

— “Yeah,” you shrugged. “Reiners mostly. My dad’s been into it forever.”

Jessie turned to Arthur with a grin that could split the sky. “Okay, wait. Arthur rides too. That’s, like… weirdly cute, right?”

Arthur didn’t even glance up. “Does it matter?”