Hell of a Ride
Story Summary -> The sting of being unappreciated by his family hurts a lot less when Rhett has someone who lavishes him with affectionate pet names and comfort. He gets a little concerned when he can't find her face in the crowd. How will he be able to win the State Championship without her cheering him on? Does he even need to worry?
Tags -> Idiots in Love, Requited Love, Crushes, Teasing, Bull Riding, Childhood Friends, Friends to Lovers, Insecurity, First Kiss
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Requested by @adriansboyfriend (I hope you like it :D )
Throughout his rodeo career, Rhett had come to three conclusions.
1) If he showed any hint of how truly nervous he was before his ride - no matter if it was low or high stakes - his buddies would mercilessly tease him. Anyone with a functioning brain would be terrified of a bucking bull. The whole thing was ridiculous, he knew it, but in order to seem like the cool-headed mysterious cowboy he wanted to be seen as, he had to hide the hand shaking, swallow hard, and hold himself perfectly still, so the other men wouldn't get the wrong idea about his anxiety.
After so long as a rider, he thought he would be used to it by now. But every time he rode, even for the smallest competitions, he felt as if an invisible fist were wrapped around his heart, squeezing tightly and making it difficult to breathe. His heart thumped harder and faster than usual when he heard the announcer call out his name, and there were times when he didn't hear anything at all except for his own heartbeat, pounding loudly and erratically in his ears.
2) Having his family around would help quiet the noise just a smidge. It wasn't a lot - his father was always grumbling and Perry was guaranteed to downplay each of Rhett's achievements, so there was always going to be a sour aftertaste - but Rhett could hear their cheering. He could see the pride on their faces when they saw him offstage. Or how his mother would give him a pat on the back and say, "Go get 'em!" which was something he never failed to find endearing.
It was a really nice feeling - to be supported, to be appreciated, to be seen - which meant that it really fucking sucked when they stopped showing up.
The Abbotts fight a lot. For the longest time, Rhett believed that arguments and screaming matches were a sign of love, since that was all he was accustomed to, really. Then, when he got to the age of sleepovers and going around friends' houses, he saw how other families operated. Sure, there were the occasional spats with his friends' loved ones, but they were occasional.
One night a few months back, Royal had started to make a fuss about the ranch workload and started screaming at his youngest son for being lazy. Thanks to years and years of busting his ass at ranching, Rhett snapped right back at him. His words were said with such venom that the house went completely silent for about a minute and had Royal staring straight ahead without saying a word.
Thanks to that day, things had been rocky, that's for sure. Rhett got on with his work, went straight to his room, or could be found at his best friend's house with a beer in his hand.
None of the other Abbotts had made an appearance at the rodeo since. Not even his mama.
But that didn't mean that Rhett was alone. It was okay because 3) Y/N was guaranteed to make an appearance. No matter how many times she expressed just how dangerous bull riding was and tried to convince him to 'take it easy' - which Rhett clearly didn't listen to - she was always in the crowd to see him compete.
Y/N was there, without question, whenever Rhett needed her. She'd been there when he broke his leg when he was eight and kept him distracted from the literal bone poking out of his skin until the medics arrived. She was there when Maria broke his heart. She was there when all he could think about was running away from home to try and forget everything he had left behind.
They’d grown up together, shared secrets, skipped rocks down by the river, and got into more than their fair share of trouble over the years. To anyone else, Rhett might’ve looked like a quiet, rough-around-the-edges cowboy, but she knew better. Underneath the dirt-streaked jeans, worn boots, and ever-present stoic expression, he had a heart as big as Wyoming’s endless sky.
As he stood with the other riders, he searched for that familiar face amongst the crowd. His eyes drifted from left to right, drifting over each person, and as more and more faces passed without that ping of recognition, he became more and more distressed. There was no Y/N.
'Maybe it’s not too late to back out. I can't do it without... I have to go home. I can't compete anymore...'
His thoughts began to swirl faster as panic set in, leaving Rhett dizzy and disoriented and fighting to stay on his feet. He backed up in the hopes he'd find something sturdy against his back to rest against, but bumped into someone on the first step.
Someone he hadn’t noticed approaching.
"Slow down, buckaroo," a familiar voice warned, and a hand gripped onto his bicep to steady him. Rhett turned as quickly as he could to meet the owner of that familiar voice.
Y/N stood with a bright smile on her face, though he could see the concern present thanks to the scrunch of her brows. She wore the same outfit that he'd seen her in yesterday, though she had swapped out her roughed-up boots for slightly nicer ones that didn't have a speck of dirt on them. And the water bottle that was poking out of her bag was soon being thrust into his hands.
"Thought you'd given this one a miss," Rhett said just before he took a swig, and if she hadn't known him since they were kids, she would've missed the fear concealed behind his usual gruff bravado.
But she did know him well enough to see right through it, so she gave him a soft, reassuring look. "Have I ever missed one of your rides?" Her tone was teasing, but her eyes held an underlying sense of seriousness. "You know me, I love watchin’ you dislocate your shoulder every other week."
As she spoke, she tugged on his shoulder playfully as if she were attempting to pull it out of the socket, but it was only half-hearted, and Rhett let out a chuckle at the display. He caught her wrist and gently pried it loose.
"Be nice to me," he chided softly. His grip was light, but Y/N knew he could be rough if need be. His hand was larger than hers, much larger, and they were rough and veiny and calloused from constant use, but they were nice and strong and warm, and they were safe.
"Rhett, darlin', I'm super nice to you. Just the nicest." She leaned forward and whispered so only he could hear, "You're gonna win this shit. O'Neil over there is your best competitor, and I saw him fall off a carousel once. It wasn't even spinnin' yet."
Rhett shot a look O'Neil's way - who was a nice guy, yet always seemed a bit dimwitted - and he shook his head fondly, a smile formin' at the edges of his lips.
"He ain't got nothing on you, baby boy," Y/N assured. "You can beat him in your sleep."
Whenever Y/N called him a pet name, which happened more frequently than not these days, Rhett had to try really hard to suppress a blush and the urge to smile goofily at her. When she did it, he was almost positive his cheeks burst into flames, and he always ended up all red and bashful and stammering like a dumbass around Y/N.
He assumed that she knew about his crush and felt a surge of power whenever she flustered him in such a way, and, honestly, if that was the case, he didn't mind it. If his red cheeks brought her joy, so be it. He would endure all the emotional torture if it made her happy. Whatever the case, he was addicted to the rush, to her teasing, to her softness, to her, so he dealt with the fuzziness in his brain that accompanied every interaction for the chance to feel it once more.
He let out a chuckle at her words and pulled away slightly before he could embarrass himself by doing something rash... like kissing her. That would be, like, so stupid and dumb, and something she definitely wouldn't want.
Luckily, one of the rodeo organisers called out his name, reminding him to get ready and that he was up next, and he knew he had to get back in the rodeo mindset. Rhett sighed and nodded.
"I gotta go." He put some distance between them but, after two steps, rushed back to her for a quick hug. "I better hear you cheerin' for me."
She smiled, squeezing him tight before letting go and nodding her head. "Go, go before you're disqualified. I wanna hold that golden belt buckle, so you better win it for me, you hear?" she encouraged, pushing him towards the arena.
"Yes, ma'am."
The stands were alive with the hum of anticipation, a thousand voices rising in excitement, and the scent of dust, leather, and sweat lingering in the air as people cheered and yelled. The adrenaline coursing through his veins made him excited to jump straight into the saddle and just fuckin' do it.
His fingers, rough from years of gripping ropes and holding on for dear life, tightened around the worn leather, and he breathed deep, trying to calm himself down. The announcer said his name in a loud, booming voice that rang throughout the entire stadium. He swallowed dryly and lifted his chin up high.
He wasn’t a rookie any more. This was the State Championship, the real thing. And he couldn’t afford to lose his nerve now.
“C’mon, Rhett,” Y/N muttered under her breath, biting her lip as the crowd cheered louder. She could see him sitting tall in the saddle, his shoulders squared, and his jaw tensed as he waited for the signal to go off and the chute to open.
Adrenaline kicked in. His heartbeat kicked into high gear with all the blood rushing to his ears like it always did when he was competing. Every single one of his senses became heightened and focused, honed and sharpened to the point where he thought he could feel everyone breathing around him.
The chute flew open with a bang, and Diablo the bull burst out like a shot of lightning. The bull twisted, jumped, and spun in a fury of muscle and power, yet Rhett hung on for dear life. His body moved like water, instinct taking over as he adjusted to every buck and twist.
From the crowd, one voice overtook the rest.
"Lookin' good, Abbott! Hold on, you're flyin'!"
Y/N's encouragement caused his grip to tighten as the bull leapt into the air, twisting so high that Rhett could feel his stomach drop, but he didn’t let go.
As far as the audience was concerned, Rhett Abbott was one with the bull for eight seconds. He stayed glued to the spot, legs straddling the bull’s sides, until the buzzer sounded.
The crowd exploded into deafening cheers as Rhett released the rope, his body flinging off the bull. He landed hard on the dirt, a pain in his knee throbbing through his body for only a moment before he pushed himself up to watch as his name appeared on the scoreboard.
Rhett watched with wide eyes as he shot to the top spot.
92
He got a 92.
He'd won.
Before he knew what he was doing, he'd jumped the fence into the crowd and darted in front of Y/N. Whatever pain he was feeling, it didn't matter right now. The adrenaline in his veins drowned it out. There was no hesitation, no second-guessing, just the overwhelming need to be near Y/N, to share this moment with the one person who had been there through everything, even when no one else was.
All the emotions - the adrenaline, the victory, the years of friendship, and something more that he couldn’t quite name - boiled over.
He barely remembered stumbling up to the third row of the bleachers, nor the shouts and applause echoing through the arena as he cupped Y/N’s face and kissed her like a man starved. His kiss was desperate and sloppy, and it might’ve looked a little clumsy to others, but to them, it was perfectly natural.
She moaned quietly into his mouth, wrapping one hand around his waist while the other tangled itself in his hair, and for just a second, all Rhett wanted was to stay like this forever. Then he remembered the crowd and all the people around them that were wolf-whistling at them, and abruptly pulled away, a hand covering his face sheepishly as he turned a bright shade of crimson.
Naturally, Y/N was stunned for a few moments. She wasn’t sure how long that lasted for, as Rhett hadn't said anything yet, and his eyes were darting everywhere except her. Eventually though, her brain started clicking into place, and her expression softened.
"Rhett?"
"Hmmm...?" She tilted his chin so he was looking directly at her, an affectionate look adorning her features as she studied his flushed face. "Hi."
"Hi, darlin', what was that for?” She asked, her voice half-teasing, half-genuine.
“For bein' there, I guess. For always bein' there.”
"Course I'm gonna be there; I'm your number one fan."
Now that all the adrenaline had faded, Rhett finally realised what he'd done. He began to notice the people staring, ogling at their exchange, and yeah, he had just snogged the hell out of his best friend.
How the hell would he explain himself out of this one?
“Y/N, I—”
"Go get your trophy, darlin'. There's a whole crowd of people waitin’ on you."
“But—”
"No buts,” she interrupted, caressing his cheek so tenderly that it made him gulp. “We can celebrate after, okay? Go, go soak up the praise."
Rhett gave her a shy smile and nodded, but just as he went to walk away, she said his name again. He turned back and looked at her. “I'm so proud of you,” she murmured and kissed him swiftly on the cheek before pushing him in the direction of the judges.
His face flushed hot, and he shook his head, a goofy grin plastered onto his lips. It remained throughout the whole back end of the competition. He was handed a check, a trophy, and a golden belt, all of which were accompanied by so many pats on the back and encouraging claps. He felt good. How could he not? He'd achieved his childhood dream of winning a state competition and kissed the girl he'd been crushing on for forever.
What more could he ask for than that?
Well, the confidence to actually explain himself to her. That would be nice. It would be the cherry on top. It seemed almost silly, given the circumstances. He had been flung around on a dangerous animal tonight and could've broken every bone in his body, yet having a conversation with his BFF was a thousand times more nerve-wracking.
With his new fancy belt buckle in one hand, the trophy in the other, and the $5,000 check tucked safely into his wallet, Rhett dodged and swerved through people congratulating him. Even though it was kind of them to say, he didn't really care about what strangers thought of his win. Their opinion was white noise and utterly irrelevant.
Safe to say, he planned to get the hell out of there as soon as he found Y/N.
Finally, he spotted his best friend standing a few rows up on the bleachers. She was talking animatedly to a group of friends, all of whom Rhett recognised but didn't really have the mental capacity to interact with right now, so he hung back a bit to give Y/N some privacy.
"Your boyfriend is waitin' for you," the girl just to the right of Y/N teased and nudged her playfully.
They all giggled like teenage girls, and Y/N rolled her eyes, but a huge grin crept onto her face anyway. She bid them goodbye and made her way down the steps and towards him.
"Lemme see! I gotta get a look at this trophy," Y/N grinned excitedly, reaching for the award he held between his fingers. He laughed as she practically snatched it from his hands and examined it closely, inspecting the details of the golden cup and engraving along the plaque.
"It looks so fancy, don't it?" He sighed dreamily, leaning back against the metal railing beside her.
"You deserve it."
It was a simple statement that she spoke without thinking much. Yet, the sincerity of her words touched Rhett deep inside. He swallowed thickly and glanced at her, a genuine smile on his lips.
"I think you deserve a milkshake from Betsy's; what flavour are you thinkin' tonight?" Rhett asked, placing his elbow on the railing and sliding his arm very subtly around her waist. "I've got $5000 burnin' a hole in my pocket, so you're not gonna be arguin' with me today about payin', alright?"
The pair had their traditions, after all. As long as Rhett had been participating in the rodeo, they'd always stop off at Betsy's Diner on their way home from competitions. The two would pick up a double cheeseburger with french fries and milkshakes, sit down in a booth, and eat together - talking, laughing, and teasing each other as much as possible for as long as possible.
"You get the shakes; I'll get the burgers."
"No, you know that's not what I was tryin' to say." He sighed softly as he stared intently at her face, watching as her eyes drifted between each of his. "I wanna treat you. You're my, uh, you're my favourite person in the entire world, okay? Let me do somethin' nice for ya."
A beat of silence lingered between them as Rhett continued to stare into her eyes, willing her to understand. She smiled softly and reached up slowly, brushing her thumb along his jaw and pulling him closer. His breath hitched, and he leaned into her touch, letting it wash over him.
"My cowboy is such a softie these days, huh?" Her voice was low and filled with so much love that it nearly stole his breath away. "I'm thinkin' chocolate, and if you add a sundae on top, I'll let you do just about anythin' you want."
The double entendre was not lost on him, although he pretended not to catch it. If he allowed himself to have a reaction to it, he knew he wouldn't be able to handle it - not here, where everyone could see him.
"Deal."
With a tug at his sleeve, Y/N was guiding Rhett out of the stadium, towards his pickup truck and to Betsy's Diner to celebrate. He'd admit he was a little quiet on the drive there, and if Y/N noticed she didn't mention it. She was yapping away, recounting the events of their earlier matches, telling him all sorts of jokes and making comments about all of his rivals that earned her a chuckle from him.
"Bring the belt with you, stud," Y/N urged. Rhett had intended to leave his trophies in his truck in the hidden storage unit under the passenger seat.
"I don't want to brag too much."
"Betsy will want to see it."
"Yeah, I guess you're right."
"You're allowed to brag, baby. You won; you're allowed to show off."
Rhett rolled his eyes good-naturedly and held open the diner door for her to slide in before him. There were a few customers in the diner, mostly truckers eating alone at the counter or the odd couple drinking coffee as they chatted amongst themselves.
The second the old lady at the counter saw them, Betsy asked, "Did you win?"
Trying to be as humble as possible, Rhett slowly lifted his trophies into view. Betsy squealed and rushed up to them, placing both palms on either side of Rhett's face. She squished his cheeks together like an overly affectionate aunt, then gave him a playful pat.
"Knew you had it in you, Abbott! Sit down at your table, hon'. I'll tell the cook to make y'all a special treat."
The pair sat in their usual booth in the corner, and Rhett immediately took his jacket off to throw it over his winnings. He'd indulged in enough praise today.
"Don't you dare." Y/N grabbed the fabric, pulled it away, and proudly placed the trophy on the table for anyone to see. "Let people see how talented you are, honey," she told him sternly, a glint dancing in her eyes.
And they did. Soon enough, each customer that passed them congratulated him on his win, even if they didn't know what competition he'd won.
Betsy came out of the kitchen with two of the fattest bacon burgers, an ungodly amount of fries, and the biggest chocolate milkshake Rhett had ever seen. "I thought you could use a big meal after your hard work today," she explained. "Go ahead, it's on the house."
She winked at him and placed their monsters of a meal on the placemats on the table in front of them.
"Betsy, this is too much. Let me pay you for this," Rhett quickly tried to decline, but she cut him off.
"Sh, I'll be offended if you don't accept. Eat up!"
There was nothing that could dissuade Rhett from taking advantage of Betsy and her generous offer. And so, he started wolfing down the food and barely paused in between bites to say thanks. Y/N chuckled and shook her head fondly before picking up her burger and beginning to enjoy it.
They spent the next twenty or so minutes in comfortable silence as they ate their delicious food, occasionally stealing glances at each other to share a smile. It was a lot of food. They probably ate twice as much as either of them usually did.
"Want the rest of my fries?"
"Think my stomach is gonna pop, but yeah," Rhett mumbled and stuffed another big bite into his mouth. He was covered in sauce and crumbs when he finally managed to swallow it.
Y/N laughed loudly at his gross appearance and leant closer to wipe away some ketchup from his chin. He caught himself staring at her, his eyes fixed on her beautiful face, and watching how she used a napkin to dab at his messiness with ease.
That was it. He suddenly couldn't take any more. So without warning, he leaned forward and pressed his lips against hers for the second time that day. It was short and chaste and wasn't enough to satisfy his growing desire, since he'd pulled away before she could reciprocate.
"Oh, uh, well, um..." He stammered and felt his ears heat up considerably.
Her eyebrows drew together in surprise, a shocked expression flashing across her face. He waited anxiously for her to respond, wondering if maybe he'd done something wrong, but when she finally opened her mouth, the first sound that came out was a surprised laugh.
"My mama was right. After all these years of her saying, 'That Abbott boy follows you around like a lovesick puppy'."
“I ain’t no puppy.”
“But you follow me all the same,” she countered. "I didn't believe her, y'know? She's my mama; she has a habit of sayin' what I wanna hear."
The smile spreading over his face was so bright it rivalled the sun. Y/N leaned into his touch with a quiet hum and tilted her chin up slightly, as if inviting him to continue his kiss.
So he did.
With one hand cupping the back of her neck while his other arm snaked its way around her waist, Rhett pulled her impossibly closer until they were flush against each other, sharing the space between her parted lips with the sweetest kisses he'd ever given someone in his life.
The taste of chocolate milkshake lingered on her tongue, and it took every ounce of self-control he had not to groan aloud.
"I've wanted to kiss you ever since we were 12." He breathed out against her cheek and kissed her there. "Thought you knew."
"You always shy away whenever I flirt with you, thought... thought you didn't feel the same way."
"I assumed you enjoyed stringin' me along."
A smile broke onto his face again, causing Y/N to giggle and reach up to place a chaste kiss on his mouth again. The moment seemed to stretch on forever, until, finally, they couldn't help themselves any more and broke out into giggles.
"Hey," she said quietly.
"Mm?"
"If you think I'm your number one fan now, just wait till I get you home."
He made a sort of choking noise and stared down at her wide-eyed. His brain short-circuited. He was so stunned by her words that he had no idea how to react to them. All he could do was blink rapidly and stare down at the woman he loved more than anything else in the world, who apparently felt the same for him and had just implied she wanted to sleep with him.
It was crazy. It was insane. He was still reeling from everything, from what she'd just said, from all the good things that had happened today, that he didn't have it in him to be sorry that they left the diner as soon as they possibly could. He profusely thanked Betsy, but pulled Y/N to his pickup truck before she could say another word.
His hands found their way to her hips as he backed her until she was sandwiched between the door of his car and his chest. He lowered his head, leaning forward until he bumped noses with her.
"You're gonna give me a heart attack one of these days."
"If you think I'm gonna to stop flirtin’ with you now, then you're sorely mistaken," she whispered softly, running one finger down the curve of his jawbone. "You haven't seen half of it yet."
Rhett knew she was going to end her sentence with a pet name. He never expected the one that passed her lips to be directed towards him.
"I need to show you how much I really, really like you, my love."
He was in for it. He was completely fucked. There was no denying that. He was totally, irrevocably fucked. If he survived the night, he would be a lucky man.
*Click here for my Bob Floyd masterlist (that includes Rhett Abbot), or here for the entire masterlist*
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This was so, so good! Thank you so much. I loved it! Rhett deserves so much love. 🥰
