CHAPTER FIFTY FIVE
Taurus rode the horse carefully and welcomed a lot of glances and stares that came his way as he stopped some moving vehicles. Some wound their windows down to look at him and his majestic horse and there was a particular road he had passed that the drivers and their passengers waited for him to pass and they clapped for him. But, some other grumpy drivers hollered and booed at him. Well he understood that it was closing time for most persons that were employees and they wanted to go to their families and have a good rest.
When he got close to Reza's work place, he texted her and earnestly awaited her reply. After some normal seconds of customary wait, he saw the gate to the mall open and out came Reza. He put on his best smile as he looked at her. She was not in the clothes he had sent. Who was he kidding? This was the all time Queen of stubbornness. How would she do something because he asked? He also noticed that her outfit should be the least of his worries because she looked perfect in her black palazzo trouser and brown shirt and what his concern should be, is the fact that she was not smiling.
'This should be one of her endless dramas!' thought Taurus as he came down from the horse and guided it towards her. As she was about three feet away from him, he saw that about three girls came out from the gate Reza just exited from. They looked like her colleagues and they hurled themselves together as they looked in their direction. Girls…gossip!
"Nice horse you have got there but I won't be going anywhere with you Sir!" said Reza before Taurus could greet her.
"I was never expecting that but you are coming on this ride young lady!" said Taurus as he fisted his hand that was holding onto the rein of the horse, almost strangling the horse.
"Oh no! This young lady is not going anywhere with you. That is not happening!" said Reza and she turned around to go but Taurus held her hand and she looked down on their connected hands before breaking it.
"Stop trying to create a scene Taurus. You have created enough scenes that can last me a lifetime. Just begone already!" said Reza and she felt her hormones would make her cry at that moment. That better not happen!
"You made a promise. Is that how you go about making promises? And, what do you mean by I have created scenes that could last you a lifetime?" asked Taurus.
By this time, an audience had gathered where the three girls were formerly clustered and Taurus sensed that something had happened. Reza's bodily demonstration showed that she did not want to be around him or seen around him. Something must have happened and he was going to get to the bottom of that but for the meantime, the yapping lady at his front was going with him.
He looked at his hand on the horse, he could hold the horse in place. Reza was about to reply, warn and trash off Taurus when without warning, Taurus bent close to her knee level and in one heart beat, lifted her to his shoulder.
"Shit!" screamed Reza in fear and utmost shock.
"What do you think you are doing?" asked Reza as she pounded at his back but Taurus did not put her down, till he walked to the other side of the horse and placed her down. As her legs touched earth, she wanted to knee him in the groin but Taurus had anticipated it.
Softly he said as he placed a hand on her shoulder, "I know you are angry and mad at me and probably you do have all the right in the world to but I have never ever thought of anyone like I have thought of you. Please let's go for this ride and I can take as many hits as you want to dish out to me" said Taurus and he was glad the body of the horse was guarding Reza away from those girls because their reaction might have influenced Reza's decision. He watched Reza's face that was reddened, at first with anger but currently with blushing hard. She tried to hide it but his eyes were on her very face and were picking the slightest of reactions from her face.
"I promise to kill you" said Reza as she placed her hands akimbo. As edgy as her words sounded, Taurus knew that she had agreed and he was more than happy.
"I promise to die only by you!" said Taurus as he mounted the horse. He brought out his hand to her and she took it. She placed her leg on a part of the leather strappings on the horse and with Taurus' aid, she was on the horse.
She looked at her colleagues and even..her supervisor who were all gathered together as they had their hands folded before them and their faces contorted angrily. If their eyes could kill, they did be planning her burial.
'Butt biters!' thought Reza and the horse began to walk slowly but even as it walked slowly, because she had been concentrating on her colleagues, she did not know Taurus had giddied it to start moving and so she moved a little backward and had held unto Taurus shirt, for dear life rather than for show but the girls still didn't see it as that. At that moment, they began to think and plan a thousand ways they would make her life a living hell.
Taurus guided the horse to walk slowly because of the vehicles they had to evade but when he got to his destination, a ten hectare field of just short green grasses, the horse began to run and soon it was galloping, making poor Reza hold not just onto Taurus' shirt but his belly. Her hands wrapped around his belly so she would not fall as she enjoyed the ride.
If she was to be sincere with herself, she did not know when she had accepted Taurus' proposal because his being that close to her at that point had somewhat influenced her answer but at that moment, she felt it was a right thing that her decision was influenced. She had never ridden a horse on her own or with someone and it was a great experience. She placed her face on his back as the wind from the mild gallop that seemed intense to her, was making her hair whip her face. She wondered why Taurus had not given her the hat she saw tied by the horse's side. Now, it was too late to ask because her hair was already scattered and thinking of the position they were in before they left, Taurus just wanted to take her from the presence of her unbearing work mates…it could not be helped!
She inhaled his scent…that patchouli scent that was resident in every Hernandez born. Taurus didn't know he smelt like his uncle since his relationship with the Hernandez family is through his mother. His scent was comforting and had prevented her from throwing up. Taurus loved the feel of her hands around her waist, it was like…the ride was right, her hands were meant to be there. He would think of the conversation they were bound to have soon but for now he surrendered to the serenity of the breeze that caressed his face and ruffled his hair and also to the uniform rhythm of the horse's gallop.