Ein sonniges Wochenende

Rowan had made plans.

Rowan: “Guys, what do you think about a weekend trip to New Hillcrest? The Sun Islands are supposed to be really warm. And there are a few horse traders there — maybe we’ll find something interesting. I already asked Gillian. She’s in.”

Claire: “I’d love to. Let’s go.”

Jamie: “It’s not the best timing for me. Gillian’s been avoiding me. And I still need to clear it with the others.”

But in the end — everything was sorted. We went.

Gillian: “So this is New Hillcrest. It’s going to be amazing here. What’s the name of our hotel? I’ll google it.”

Rowan: “Who said anything about a hotel?! We’re camping. I brought everything. It’s going to be real old-school.”

Claire: “Camping?!”

The guys set up the tents.

Rowan: “So, what do you think? Is this cool or is this cool? It’s warm, we’ve got tons of food and drinks… what more could you want?”

Claire: “Wow, Rowan, the tents are awesome! And… where are the bathrooms?”

Jamie: “Man, these things are huge!”

Gillian: “And I brought the emergency basics — just in case.”

That evening, we made a fire on the beach and talked for hours. It got late.

Claire: “Rowan and I are going for a little walk. You coming?”

Gillian: “I’m too tired. I’m heading to bed.”

Jamie: “I’ll turn in too.”

Claire and Rowan strolled along the beach when Rowan suddenly pulled something from under his jacket.

Rowan: “Claire, I got you something. When I saw this hat, I immediately thought of you. It matches your cowboy boots perfectly. And you can break it in without water.”

Claire: “Oh Rowan… that’s so sweet. The cowboy hat means a lot to me. It represents my vision of working with horses. But when it comes to jumping, I’ll still beat you — even wearing this hat.”

I was already lying in my tent when Jamie sat down beside me.

Jamie: “Gillian… don’t you think we should talk? I can’t handle things the way they are right now. I know I avoided that conversation about us — but only because I didn’t want to ruin anything. Then there was the whole thing with Josh, and I thought it would be better to say nothing.”

Gillian: “I hate how things have been lately too. I miss our talks, the laughter — and most of all the friend who gives me stability. What do you mean by ‘the thing with Josh’? I was already wondering why you kept asking about him. Do you want to leave Meadowland? Is that why you asked?”

Jamie didn’t want to leave Meadowland. He told me about Rowan’s comment regarding Josh — and how he had concluded that Josh and I might be a couple. So I told him the whole story. It wasn’t easy for me to admit how I felt about him. I didn’t know how he would react. But I also had to tell him that I was afraid of losing him. Jamie was silent for a long moment. Then he opened up about his feelings. It made me incredibly happy. But we decided to take it slow. To stay on a friendly basis for now. To get to know each other even better — and see where it might lead. The next morning, we looked at the horses in the sales stables.

Rowan: “Nothing really interesting.”

Jamie: “At least nothing for jumping.”

Claire: “Guys, I just read that you can rent Icelandic horses here.”

Gillian: “Oh yes! Let’s do that.”

So we rented Icelandics and raced along the beach. Tölt and flying pace were completely new to us — but it was hilarious.

Claire: “Yippie! This is so much fun!”

Gillian: “Wait for me!”

Rowan: “Yeehaw! What a speed!”

Jamie: “This is pretty bouncy!”

It was a wonderful weekend. So much laughter. So much warmth. Everyone enjoyed the break. Jamie and I had finally talked. Rowan had given Claire a cowboy hat — incredibly sweet. I couldn’t help but think those two might be more than just friends… maybe they just hadn’t realized it yet. Sadly, the weekend passed far too quickly. Claire and Rowan dropped us off at Meadowland in icy temperatures before driving on.

Claire: “Rowan, close the window already — I’m freezing!”

Jamie: “That was an amazing weekend. Wouldn’t have guessed Rowan was the camping type.”

Gillian: “It really was. Come inside — I’ll make us some hot tea.”

With tea and good conversation, we let the weekend gently fade away.