Wildflowers | S.Jy

| 25 |

A wide grin spread on my face as I rushed down the stairs in front of the house when I saw the horse appear at the top of the hill. The excitement in my stomach only bubbled up further as it stopped a few meters away from me and Jake effortlessly dismounted the horse.

"Well, you look like someone who's excited," he remarked in amusement as I rushed over to him.

"All too much," I nodded immediately.

"Let's get you up then," he urged and I suddenly let my smile falter, feeling far more nervous by the thought of climbing up the horse, "it's not dangerous."

"Is there not... a ladder of some sort?" I questioned and he chuckled in amusement before shaking his head.

"No, I'll help you," he assured gently, "how's your skirt? Is it flexible enough to cover your legs? I have a pure policy that you have to sit properly on the horse to ride with me, anything else seems too dangerous in my belief."

"Oh it's fine," I assured and he cocked his head slightly to the side with a peculiar look on his face, "an ankle or two hasn't killed one in years. In fact I'm sure if you were to look up the statistics the only thing you'll see is one person a few hundred years ago."

"Well... if you insist," he nodded and gestured for me to step closer as he held tightly onto the reins tightly, "step up in this," he stated and pulled out a small brace, "push up with the leg, a small jump usually helps. Sit yourself on the back seat."

I glanced at him before hesitantly stepping my foot into the brace he had held out towards me. Only getting an assuring smile from him when I had looked for support. I grabbed tightly onto the saddle and gave a small jump. When I had tried stepping up I had just found myself wobbling in the brace and clinging across the back of the horse.

"You got it, you got it,"Jake laughed as I breathed heavily to calm myself down, "almost there Millie, just swing your leg up."

"My skirt," I gasped, "skirt's in the way."

With a bit hesitant hand Jakegently grabbed onto the fabric and lifted the hem of my shirt a bit up. I sucked in a deep breath, swinging my leg up and over the back of the horse.

"There you go!" Jake happily exclaimed as I pushed myself up to sit properly and move over to the back seat, "I'm coming up now, just sit steady."

It didn't seem fair how easily and effortlessly he mounted the horse and sat down in front of me. Looking over his shoulder as I looked at him with dismay.

"Don't look at me like that," he chuckled, "and uhm... you... you might want to hold onto something before the horse starts moving again."

"Is it alright if I use you as an anchor?" I questioned and Jake awkwardly cleared his throat and looked ahead again, eventually nodding quietly.

I did not hesitate to reach out and wrap my arms around Jake as he turned the horse around by pulling in the reins, walking back down towards the valley for us to ride through. The wind in my hair felt as liberating as I could imagine free falling into the sea would feel like.

The first few miles in the valley the horse gallopped along in a fast pace. In hindsight it might've just been Jake's way of making sure I held onto him tighter. It was first when the horse slowed down from his gallop to calmly wander through the valley.

"I love this," I grinned widely as I laid my cheek against Jake back, "I really love this," I let out a small laugh.

"You do?" Jake's voice rumbled through his back and I lifted my head to look around me.

"I've never... never have I felt such a feeling of being so free. I feel like I could do anything in the world! Even the smallest careless matter!" I happily rambled, "I feel like I could... I could wear pants!" I happily exclaimed, "oh, Jake try and imagine what a sight that would be! A woman wearing pants in this day and age! Surely I would get fined if I dare go into the city but... but what a liberating feeling to move around as freely as I wish, not worrying about who might see my ankles or my socks!"

"You in pants sure would be a sight," he chuckled.

"And I would be happier than ever," I declared as he just continued to laugh at me, "I can assure you that."

"Then we better find some pants for you," he reminded and I quickly nodded in agreement, looking over the landscape, "if we're lucky my mom still keeps my old ones. You might fit into my old pants I grew out of."

"I want my own pants," I shook my head.

"What else do you want?" he chuckled and glanced over his shoulder.

"Hmm... so many things," I whispered as the horse quietly came to a halt, "I want... I want to study... I want to read. I'd like to... work."

"Work?" he questioned and I nodded quietly, "with what?"

"Anything," I admitted with a small laugh, "I'd rather die than stand in a kitchen the rest of my life! Oh! And I'd like to vote! I've always dreamt of having an influence on anything important. And to be fair, what I read in the newspapers about politics it sounds so dreadfully alike, all of it. Only a few sensible people in the papers, but they're giving such little pieces of text."

"Politics is dreadfully boring," Jake chuckled in agreement.

"Imagine..." I trailed off and he let out a small laugh as he turned his head more to look over towards me, "just imagine a world... imagine what it could be. All the difference it would make if it wasn't just men voting. What if we had a voice too?"

"Things would be different," Jake whispered and I nodded quietly.

"So different," I whispered, "maybe it would be so much more free. So many more things would be okay... so many more rights would be given."

"What do you mean?" he frowned slightly and I looked over at him.

"Well... for a starter courting isn't exactly exciting when you can't just spend time together however you'd like," I reminded with a small sneer, "imagine... holding hands, rolling down the hills together in the other's arms. Small hugs whenever saying goodbye and not just a small curtsy and goodbye. Imagine... can you imagine how a kiss would feel? I've only ever read about how magical they are and how they must feel."

"Well... the thing is," he started and sent me a small smile, "no one says you can't kiss as long as no one sees."

"You think so?" I questioned and he nodded quietly, his smile slowly faltering as he just stared at me, "what?"

"Have you wanted to kiss me?" he whispered and I smiled quietly before looking out over the fields, "have you Millie?"

"Perhaps it's been crossing my mind every once in a while," I admitted quietly.

"Soon," he nodded in agreement, "it'll be before I leave for Cambridge again. I'm sure. I've been thinking too much about it too."

"Why not now?" I muttered and looked back at him properly.

"Well, for a starter I'm sitting with my back to you, doesn't exactly make it easy to give you a kiss," he excused, "besides... we have to be back in a good time otherwise this trip will seem suspicious. Especially to my aunt."

"They already know, don't they?" I questioned and he nodded quietly, "grandma heard it from mrs. Winchester. The dinner last night was... interesting."

Jake let out a small laugh before quietly turning the horse and letting it walk calmly through the fields. Purposely taking a bit longer path back to the valley between the hill and the forest.