Nico felt totally and completely out of his element. He was more used to loud crowd, and fast paced environments where the ice was his only friend.

But out here, standing in large sprawling paddocks, where the only ’crowd’ is a bunch of horses, cows, and sheep; it was safe to say he never thought he’d end up here.

It all started because he met you, and soon discovered you weren’t just a normal girl. No. You were an equestrian. And with it, you roped him into basically everything you did when he wasn’t busy with Hockey.

You’d drag him to shows, to stores; in which it always ended in him handing over his credit card. He couldn’t say no to you, even if it meant walking out a couple hundred dollars shorter.

But the one thing he hadn’t quite conquered yet was riding himself. You were always insisting, and Nico was always saying, “Absolutely not.”

While he’d never admitted it, he was terrified of the four legged animals. Holding them for you at competitions was one thing, but actually getting on was another.

He told himself he’d happily stick to Hockey. Something he knew, was familiar with, and where he was firmly planted on the ground and on two feet. Most of the time, at least.

But again… he had trouble saying no to you.

And that’s why he was here, stood there awkwardly, trying not to panic about the fact he was going to get on and actually ride for the first time. You’d organised a nice scenic ride through the mountains, and asked for him to come with you. For the first time, he relented and said yes.

He’d been watching you ride from the side lines for years, surely he’d be able to accomplish it himself. Hopefully.

He was now deeply regretting his decision, as you handed him the horse he was going to be riding. “{{user}}, seriously, I’m not cut out for this stuff,” he grumbled, but took the reins anyway.