"How is Will doing at his new job?"

Will was Paul's partner. They had been together for only five months, but it was obvious to any who saw them together that they were it for each other. They seemed perfectly content with that fact. "He's doing great, darlin'. I'll tell him you asked. You should definitely come over to our flat some time. We could have a Disney marathon."

I giggled. "I am absolutely up for that. Now, finish tacking up your pretty boy. Don't rush; I have to finish up with Apollo."

Paul chuckled. "It doesn't take you any time at all to get a saddle on and off of a horse. Go on and get your business finished. I'll be waiting in the general ring."

I nodded and gestured for Pentatonix to walk back to Apollo. "He is gay?" Kirstie asked.

"Yes. He hides himself in fear of getting judged by new people. Some of the people here are not as accepting as others are of his lifestyle. Paul is a cowboy at heart, but he does not open up easily. The only reason he opened up to me in the beginning was because I am his trainer."

Scott scoffed. "He shouldn't have to hide who he is."

"I agree wholeheartedly. I cannot, however, force others to change their views. They have their own opinions; I have mine. The beauty of the world is that we live harmoniously." I amended my statement. "For the most part, that is."

Mitch flaunted dramatically over to Apollo. His ears perked up, interested in the new being. Mitch let him smell his hand before he placed a hand softly on his neck. I smiled adoringly at the sight. Tears brimmed in my eyes, and I quickly wiped them away before anyone could notice. Apparently, someone did notice. I felt a warm arm around my waist. Glancing quickly at the hand resting on my hip, I recognized it as Avi's. "Are you okay?"

I smiled and looked up at him. "Yeah, I'm fine."

He gazed into my eyes, searching for the truth. He must have discovered I was being truthful, for he simply nodded and then stepped away from me. I instantly missed his warmth but made no motion to close the increasing distance between us. I clapped my hands together. "Alright, now it's time for untacking. Tacking refers to putting the tack on the horse. Untacking refers to taking it off. Each rider has their own method. Personally, when untacking, I take the bridle off of my horse first." Mitch and Scott, who had also began petting the chestnut, moved out of my way as I went to wrap an arm around Apollo's neck. I unbuckled the cheek strap and slipped the leather over his ears. He easily opened his mouth to allow the bit to fall, and I let it hang freely. I reached back and hung his bridle on the saddle horn, being mindful to keep my arm wrapped around his neck in case he decided to move forward. If he did, my arm would deter him from going too far, at least until I could gain control of him by grabbing the reins still wrapped around him. I grabbed his halter from the cross ties and slipped it back on successfully. I pulled the reins off of his neck and proceeded to place his bridle back in the tack room. I took a cloth and wiped down his bit, making sure that the saliva and froth from his mouth would not dry on the metal.

Upon my return, I found quite a surprising sight. Judging by the look on the others' faces, they were equally shocked. Avriel was standing beside Apollo, unbuckling the girth from the saddle. I watched in amazement as he did it correctly and smoothly. "See? It's nothing," Avi said. He turned to Kevin. "Even you could do it, Kev."

Kevin shook his head, laughing. "If you say so, man. I'll leave the horse stuff to you and KT."

I blew on Apollo's nose, causing the horse to snort and playfully bump his nose on the underside of my jaw. I giggled and placed a hand on his cheek. Avi caught my gaze, embarrassment clear on his face. "I...uh..." he removed his beanie and ran a hand through his unruly hair before placing it back on. "I was proving to Kevin I still remembered how to do it."

I waved his embarrassment off. "Please, keep on. You're already half way there."

He paused a moment as if to gauge I was being serious before returning to his previous task. He easily retied the cinch to its appropriate place before securing the girth and breast plate on the other side of the saddle. He lifted it with ease, and I could not stop myself from admiring the way his biceps bulged under his long sleeved plaid shirt. I watched him, entranced, as he walked into the tack room with the saddle and saddle pad in hand.

A snap brought me out of my revere. I blinked a couple of times to find Mitch standing in front of me, one hand on his cocked hip and a fatuous smirk on his angelic face. I furrowed my eyebrows. "What?" I asked, extremely confused.

"Oh, you've got it bad Queen," he stated confidently.

I was still very much confused. "Come again?"

"What Mitch is trying to say is that you're falling madly in love with our sexy bass-man," Scott explained.

I looked affronted. "What? Hold on; back up! Who said I was falling for Kaplan?"

"Um, all of us," Kirstie said like it was obvious.

Kevin nudged my shoulder. "There's nothing to be ashamed of. A lot of fans fall for Avi."

I bit back a growl. "I'm not a blubbering fan girl."

Kevin backed up, hands raised. "Hey, calm down pretty girl. I'm not trying to categorize you."

"I think what Kevin was trying to get at is that Avi ignores most of the fan girls," Kirstie began.

"And he's been paying quite a bit of attention to you," Scott finished.

Mitch smiled and placed a hand on my shoulder. "Face it, Mama. Big Daddy is falling for you just as hard."

I laughed awkwardly. "Yeah, uh huh, let's go with that."

Iescaped before they could say more. I grabbed Apollo's grooming kit, runninginto Avi in the process. I felt myself falling and went to use my magic rightwhen strong arms caught me. "Whoa there, beautiful. We don't need you to gethurt before our date."