Unknown Passions: Fan Fiction
Artificial Flowers Chapter 4
14 Years Ago:
Harmony Country Club
It had been a week since she had last spoken to the blue eyed stranger who happened to be so fond of Ireland.
So much had happened in that week, but it seemed as if it was all minimal compared to her previous coffee date.
She contained to watch her friend play through window of the local country club. To think, around a year ago it was almost impossible to get in here, and now the infamous place was sending limos to pick her up.
How much money can change everything?
"I see you're stalking me." a familiar voice announced from behind while she caught her breath.
Turning around confirmed her suspicions only to reveal the one she knew as Fox. "Maybe I'm just here to enjoy myself."
"With no one else. It seems somewhat pointless." he took the empty seat across from her, blocking her view from the window she perviously admired her friend from.
"I'm waiting on a friend to finish with her business, and then we'll be leaving to got out."
"Until then I'll sit with you."
"May I ask why you are so interested in me?" she questioned, concreting on his eyes, she hesitantly was already lost in.
"Maybe you strike me as," he paused momentarily searching for the right word, "unique."
"Unique." she pondered his choice finally announcing her take on the word. "Better than weird or different."
"It doesn't mean that's what I think. Words are so superficial."
"Fake." she corrected adding her view point.
Acknowledging her words he then responded, "Fake."
"How did you even get in here?" Theresa asked monitoring to the club itself.
"I know the owner."
"Steven's a good man."
"If you truly knew him you would say he's a greedy man." Fox shot back.
"I haven't been here long enough to find out his true personality."
"You won't be. He'll never show his true self towards anyone with money or social position. I just knew his daughter." Fox responded. 'More like screwed.' he thought back to the last time he had visited town.
"Care to join me outdoors? This place is starting to feel a bit too stuffy for my taste." the blonde offered, while rising from his seat, and extending his hand to her.
"I'm waiting for a friend to finish a lesson."
"Is that a no?" he asked as the smirk came back.
"I never said that." she said while in the process of grabbing his hand.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Photography was always a favorite of hers.
Things were always so clear when they were put in black and white form.
Thousands of pictures, collected over a period of 5 years spread across the dark room, she wasn't even positive her Mother knew was in their house.
It was a strange way of expressing her emotions, although Jason said it was perfectly normal in a really artsy independent way. He then said it also turned him on. She then glared at him, and he got the point it was a serious conversation.
At that point he asked to see some of her collection.
She refused access to him, knowing there would be some shots he wouldn't like.
The only other person to see the images she had taken would be Heather.
And she went through everyone of them. From the parties, scenery, and even some photos of her Mom, that she never knew had been taken.
"What about your Dad?" she once asked.
"I don't even know his identify." she noticed the subject was permanently dropped after that.
For years she thought of rearranging this place, but never got around to it. Cluttered was more her style.
"You're good. You've got a talent girl."
More words from her friend's mouth after witnessing the collection. She took no meaning to the words. Unknowing of the fast that her talent came from the woman she knew as Mom.
14 Years Ago:
Harmony Country Club
"So what do you plan on us doing?" Theresa grinned while breathing in the fresh air.
"Do you trust me enough to go horseback riding?"
"Considering I've never been on one before, no I don't."
Choosing his next words carefully, he then replied, "That's unfortunate. You don't know what you're missing."
"Why do they even have horses at a country club?" she questioned trying to get out of the activity.
"They don't. There are some stables past that patch of trees."
"What would you do if I said no?"
"I would be terribly disappointed, and then leave."
Completing his words for a moment, she was still unsure of what to do. 'Don't go.' her mind screamed, but her lips once again betrayed her thoughts when she spoke, "Well lets go."
He then began to walk past her to the previously mentioned woods.
"Wait a minute, we're just going to go like this!" she yelled gesturing to her clothes, unsure of what to do.
"Yea." he continued to walk, not looking back.
Giving a brief sigh Theresa then began to run after him, unaware of the eyes following her every move.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Hello." a perky voice greeted him over the phone.
"May I please speak to Migul?"
"May I ask who's speaking?" Charity asked.
"Fox."
"Oh hey. How's life in Harmony?" she asked while heading towards what would eventually be an office, looking for her husband.
"Same as usual. Uneventful."
"It never use to be like that." Charity commented.
"I remember, but after everyone left it all died down." he sighed, thinking of better times.
"Yeah I know. Here's Miguel." she handed the phone over, mouthing the name Fox while he took the phone.
"Hey Fox. How are you?" he asked in a cheerful tone, although he was his boss.
"Fine. I just wanted to see if you got in okay, and you like the new location."
"House is amazing, haven't had a chance to see LA, we're obvisouly alive, and the movers were terrible." Miguel replied in a strong voice. Although he and Fox were originally enemies the man offered him a job when it was needed most. After his sister disappeared though they went back to distrust for about a year. But after a while, and some tradgies had occurred the two were forced to corporate with one another, which eventually led to a strange form of friendship.
"Sorry about that, I heard they were reliable."
"At least they didn't steal anything."
"I think that's the California definition of reliable." Fox commented, trying to sound somewhat cheerful.
"How was the flavor of the week?" Miguel asked eventually.
"Haven't sampled it yet. I don't know, it just feels wrong now. It lacks passion. Heat."
"I thought it killed the pain."
"It only numbs the pain." he corrected. "It always comes back."
"Yeah," an unsettling silence overcame the two.
"I have to go. Work." Fox then replied hanging up the phone before a farewell could be uttered.
14 Years Ago
Clamptom Stables
"These are really fancy stables." Theresa commented, while walking up to the barn.
"I thought you had never been horseback riding." he smirked.
"I haven't, it's just they look really fancy for a horse."
"Horses." he corrected while she looked up at him, observing his features. His captivating eyes.
"Whatever."
"How could you have never been horseback riding?"
"I just haven't." he gave her an intimidating stare, and she collapsed, "They're really big and scary alright!" she finally blurted out as he chuckled.
"What is so funny?" she demanded to know.
"Horses are big babies. How are you scared of them?" he went on laughing.
"I just am. Now let's go rent or whatever we're supposed to do to the horses." she walked up farther ahead of him.
"I thought you were afraid of horses, why would you ride one?" his trademark smirk graced her presence.
"Because according to you, they're big babies, and I'm trying something new." she smiled up at him with a defiant look on her face.
"I am known to lie sometimes." he replied just as they reached the stables.
"Then it's a good thing I trust you." she said, causing the fun carefree overtone of the moment to change to something more serious.
"Thanks." he muttered before retreating in to the building, avoiding her eyes.
Getting the hint, Theresa's gaze dropped to the ground before following in his footsteps.
"Thank you sir." she heard the words as she had just stepped in while he came back smiling.
"I just got in here. This nice air conditioned room." she instantly said before he started dragging her outdoors. Not literally of coarse.
"I'm assuming we got the horses?"
Making his way towards the stables he then responded "You're very perceptive."
"Isn't someone supposed to strap up the horse or something? There's no way I'm riding bareback."
"I can do it." he simply said.
"I'm assuming you regularly do this then don't you?"
"It was once an escape for me. Although I now have some sort of freedom, it just kinda...stuck. You know?" he said looking down at her curious eyes.
Walking in to the not so pleasant odor that was the stables she noticed him go straight for the back room. He really knew what he was doing.
"Have you been here before?" she questioned.
"Not recently," he yelled from the back room. "Why?"
"You just seem to know where everything is."
"I use to come here as a kid. Remember when I said that whole escape thing? That got started here when I was a little kid. I would sneak over from the club sometimes, and just ride. It's not like my parents noticed anyway." he said coming back with two saddles on each arm along with some other supplies. "Hope you don't mind I put you on western." he noticed her eyes land on the saddles.
"No problem. Who are you're parents?" she asked, wanting to know more.
"It doesn't matter. They're dead." he replied sternly, knowing she would drop the subject.
"Oh, uh...I'm really sorry."
"Don't be. I barley knew em." his voice went cold at the thought of Julian and Ivy (AN: As cliché as this next line is, and I can't believe I'm using it, but it gets the point across). It wasn't a lie, technically the two were dead to him anyway.
Finishing the first saddle he then went to go get a second horse he was guaranteed was one of the nice ones. "What about your parents?" he asked trying to strike up more conversation.
"In all honesty I only really knew my Mama. Papa disappeared years ago. Luis, my older brother is convinced it was because of the Cranes." she replied, her face glowing at the mention of her family, no matter how many devastating memories.
"Do you?" Fox questioned, leading the thoroughbred Paint out of the his pen.
"Do I what?"
"Do you think it was the Cranes?"
Theresa mentally contemplated the question. Everyone around the town basically knew to avoid asking this anymore. She was so far intertwined with both families, for obvious reasons, it was hard to admit one of them lived to destroy her childhood home. "Most likely, but from what I would assume only two of them knew."
"Julian and Alistar." he muttered under his breath.
Catching his words she gave him a, "That shouldn't have been too hard to figure out. Anyone that knows that family on a personal or business level would know that." Noticing he was done strapping in her horse, she once again changed the topic of conversation. It was getting a bit too in depth. "Are you done yet?" she questioned in a calm soothing breath.
"Theresa, meet your brand new horse for a few hours, and then you have to return him." she gave him a wide grin while she walked closer to the horse.
"How do I get on?" she asked, unsure of what to do.
Taking her hand, he gradually slid it up to a part of the saddle, "Grab onto this." he instructed, while walking behind her. Now, facing the woman's back, he grabbed her other hand, and slid it up to the far end of the saddle, stretching out each second. Leaning in he then whispered in her ear, now take hold of this, put your foot in the stirrup, and swing yourself around." he pulled back slowly while she stood still for a moment. Longing for the feel of his breath on her ear once again. Suddenly gaining a sense of reality, she followed his instructions, mounting the horse. Looking to her side she already noticed he was already up and ready to go.
"Put this on." he threw her a helmet she had seen professionals wear.
"It's reassuring to know I need one of these." she saw him chuckle at her words, and then giving another smirk, she mistaken for a smile. Fastening her helmet securely on his voice then began to speak.
"Instruction time, take this and kind of strike the horse in a way to go. If you want to go faster, take your feet and hit him."
"That's like cruelty to animals." she protested
"I promise, they don't care, and it gets the message across. I promise, don't be afraid of that." he reassured her.
"So let's go then," she followed his instructions, as the horse trotted off, and he followed.
As she bounced off in to oblivion she would have never assumed what was to come next. The smile that would eventually radiate off of her after their time together would disappear. But that was unknown to her now as she laughed with the man of whom his only first name was known. One thing was for sure though, she was falling hard and fast for the Fox that had just recently entered her life.
Next Chapter (WIP)