Finella hadn’t done much since getting back to Crownsville a few days earlier. She’d been mostly holed up in her old bedroom too worried about who she might run into from her past. Explaining her sudden return was the thing she least wanted to do, but her mother had had just about enough of her moping about the house. She forced her out and said she didn’t care where she went, Fin could even sit on the front steps for all she cared, as long as she was outside. The young jockey knew her mother was right, she’d spent entirely too much time hiding away and if she kept it up she would never move past what had happened to her.
The moment her feet touched US soil a few days ago, Fin began to feel guilty as she thought about Saorsa and how it had been so long since she last saw her. The time she’d spent in Georgia over the past few years was minimal which meant the number of times she’d seen her horse was limited. And now that she had shown up again with another horse in tow, she couldn’t help but feel like a traitor and had put off going to visit Saorsa and to see how Diligence had settled in. They had been lucky enough to get another stall in the stable for him but she only hoped her mare would take to him alright and he to her. She could remember what her father had said about being excited to take him on a ride once he was ready. The redhead hadn’t expected him to be so happy about the split-second decision she had made to buy him but she was glad it had all worked out in the end regardless. She was also lucky in the sense her parents were more than willing to take care of Saorsa in her absence.
The Scotswoman made her way through town, her head held low and hands buried deep in jacket pockets as she walked paths she hadn’t in years. It brought back so many strange memories, ones she’d tried hard to forget knowing it was easier that way. She paused even still, coming across a shortcut she was surprised even still existed or that there was anyone else in town who still knew about it. It was one Axel had created while they were in high school and there had only been three people who ever used this entrance and she was sure two of them hadn’t been in town since they’d graduated. Originally, the path had been created so they could get to the private garden that Axel had loved so much, but there was the added benefit she could get to the stables from there. Fin had loved spending time in the garden as well and thought it beautiful but maybe not in the same way. She had always assumed he found it peaceful which was something she only ever really felt when she was riding Saorsa bareback.
She couldn’t put her finger on the exact reason why, but Fin found herself drawn to the worn down path. Maybe it was her subconscious that longed to take a literal trip down memory lane. Or maybe it was simply because she wanted to avoid walking through town any more than she had to. The racer wasn’t sure who in town was even aware of what she’d been up to the last few years or her recent shortcomings, but the thought remained in the back of her head all the same. Her parents swore to her up and down that they hadn’t done much bragging about the success she’d found racing but she wasn’t sure she really believed them as it was every parent’s job to brag about their children and the things they’d accomplished. Finella was at least lucky in the sense most Americans didn’t pay attention to U.K. sporting events.
Fin had forgotten how beautiful the grounds were to this private estate and just how big it was. She’d already been walking for several minutes and had yet to actually come across the garden, but she there was a far off rustling that caused her to jump slightly. Surely it couldn’t have been the family, they were never here so early in the year. There was a chance it could have been a gardener, but it seemed unlikely as it was already pretty late in the day. As the distant rustling continued the red-head found her curiosity about who—or whatever it might be growing. Perhaps it was whoever had kept the shortcut alive and in such good condition. Maybe she even ought to thank them.
After another minute or so of heading in the direction she heard the noise from, Finella found the culprit, but the sight of them gave her quite the shock. She couldn’t help but feel as though she was staring at a ghost. “A—Ax?” She faltered momentarily, wondering if this a trick her mind was playing on her. “I dinna think you’d come back.” Fin said truthfully her blue eyes looking him up and down as she tried to take in all the ways he’d changed since she’d last seen him. // @axelfcx
Dissatisfaction and boredom clung onto his skin since the moment he came back. Back in New York nobody knew his life story like everyone did here; he had the rare and bizarre luxury of not being defined to outsiders by his roots. He had shed every internal narrative about his past and wipe the slate clean— at least on a surface level because the emotional baggage didn't magically disappear when he moved. It was nice, but now he was slowly starting to realize that running away was the easy solution.
Still, there was a sense of familiarity in Crownsville that he was starting to enjoy again. It felt like second nature, he knew the side streets and landmarks in town like the back of his hand, and when he sat down with old friends at the local coffee shop, everything felt exactly the same for a second. It was comfortable and despite how much he liked to complain about the town, the truth was that he had many great memories here.
There were some days when he enjoyed the tranquility Crownsville had to offer, and that afternoon was one of them. He was on his way home when came across a well-known shortcut, one he hadn't taken since he'd be back. Many times he thought about the garden at the end of the path, but for one reason or another, he always decided to walk a few extra minutes instead of taking it. That place held so many conversations and expectations that had come to nothing more but failed dreams.
Yet, that afternoon was different. He craved the isolation only that place could provide and he didn't feel haunted anymore for the memories that place held. It had been years since he had last step foot in there but the garden had been kept intact. Nothing had changed except for some of the flowers. His heart almost stopped when he heard a voice, for a second thinking that the owners of the place had finally returned until he realized he had been called by his name. His eyes scanning the place to see where the voice came from before seeing a face he never thought would see again in the flesh.
"Fin?" he called, not believing who was standing in front of him. Maybe he had finally lost his mind. The sound of her voice snapped him out of his thoughts. "I could say the same about you. What are you doing here? How long have you been here?" He had so many questions that he could hardly keep track of them as they raced through his mind.
