kick up your feet ( open )

[caroline hall;;]

caroline;;

xx___ after waking up to gray skys blocking the sunlight, caroline was postive today was not going to be promising as far as getting work done. sure enough, by the time the woman had taken a shower and thrown some suitable barn clothes on, the skys had opened up and a drizzle fell to the earth. after rushing through barn chores, caroline had made up her mind to head over to starbucks for a while and just relax. caffinee could do no wrong, espeically on such a sucky day as this. besides, when was the last time she had just sat down to take a breather from hurrying around or worrying what had to be done next? not since before her parent's death and she inheirted autumn hills. but the stable was doing fine, business was up, and there wasn't really any urgent task that had to be done right away. so, caroline hurried back up to the house to change into clean clothes; she selected a green autumn hills t-shirt paired with blue jeans, what she thought as suitable cozy clothes.

caroline picked up a paperback novel she had bought some time ago but had never started, thrusting into her purse as she donned her rain coat. even though she had flipped up the hood, her long dark brown hair was damp, even after drying from her earlier shower, once she had reached her car. the ride to starbucks was short and enjoyable as caroline listened to the first radio station she could find that wasn't playing classical music. to her delight, the rain ceased in its downfall, which brightened her mood considerably. of course, it slackened a bit when she saw how full the parking lot was at starbucks. well, that just sucked. caroline crossed her fingers as she got out of her car, hoping that at least one table would be open and her relaxing time wouldn't be ruined. one hand ran through her still slightly damp hair as the other pushed open the door, and she stepped into the room.

she hurried to step into line, which she had noticed wasn't as long as she had been afraid of. after ordering her drink, a hazelnut coffee, she stepped back to wait and studied the room. there were a few tables still available, those little two person tables. the noise level was a soft buzz; most of the people in here were business men and women with a cell pressed to their ears or a laptop in hand, or people either listening to their ipods or reading. there was one table of some middle school girls who looked too young to be even drinking coffee -they were probably sucking down those ice cappocinos that took forever to make- and were getting quite a few looks from of the other custumers when their voices and laughter got too loud. but all and all, it seemed like caroline would get her relaxing time. when her drink was read, she sat down and opened her novel, her eyes scanning the first page. it was actually a book written by amy's best friend's mom. settling into the seat, caroline looked up long enough as she sipped her coffee to notice that the line had grown and all the tables had been taken. it seems that she had got here right in time. she smiled as she went back to her book.
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[ w o r d c o u n t ] 567
[ c o m m e n t s ] : )
[ s t a t u s ] finished
[ t a g ] anyone

[[! caleb holm ]]

What a crappy day. Jude knew it was raining, even before the fog lifted from his head and his eyes, sticky from sleep, were forced open. There wasn't much Jude could complain about his apartment. It was a decent size, it didn't smell and it wasn't overrun with vermin, the water pressure was good. Except that he could hear his neighbors moving around, talking, and I mean, really, what kind of considerate person turned on the TV at 5:30 in the morning? Jude was able to fall back to sleep, for two more hours, before the pitter patter of rain brought him back to the land of the living. Since sleeping any more was no longer an option, Jude pushed himself into the sitting position, swinging his feet to dangle off the edge of his bed. He lifted his arms over his head, stretching and trying to get rid of that stiff feeling. He slept shirtless, since it was finally warming up, but he hadn't yet put away his blue plaid sleeping pants. Standing up, Jude walked slowly to his bathroom, rubbing his eyes as he went. He exhaled sharply as a series of water droplets fell on his bare shoulder. "Crap." There was a hole in his roof, just great.

After putting a bucket under the hole to collect the raindrops, Jude continued on to his bathroom, where he proceeded to take a shower. After he was finished shampooing and all that, he stepped out and wrapped a towel around himself while he searched for clean clothes. His fingers found some jeans that he had worn yesterday, but they would be fine to wear today, and a plain black shirt. Oh, and we can't forget the boxers. He dressed quickly, then studied himself in the mirror directly following brushing his teeth. His brown hair, already nearly dry, was quite shaggy and the ends were creeping past his ears; a trim might be in order very soon. Running his fingers over his chin, Jude felt the stubble of the short hair which he hadn't bothered to shave. Since he didn't really feel like getting the razor out now, and he was suddenly craving some coffee, he slipped on some socks, tennis shoes and his black coat. Since his apartment complex was only a few blocks away from the nearest Starbucks, and the rain had seemed to move on, Jude moved past his car and walked to the coffee shop.

Talk about good timing, Jude had just stepped through the front door of Starbucks when the sky lit up and boomed. Lovely. A thunder storm. Grimacing, Jude got in line, his hazel eyes scanning the familar menu and prices. "Um, a mocha latte please, and blue berry coffee cake." He smiled at the girl behind the counter as he payed. Thats him, Mr. Friendly. After the girl gave him his drink and his yummy treat, Jude paused. All of the tables were full and the sky was practically falling outside. Taking in a deep breath, Jude took a chance, a leap of faith, and walked up to a young woman sitting by herself. He noticed her green Autumn Hills shirt and was hopeful that, from one horse-lover to another, she would tolerate his presence while he waited for the rain to let up. So he walked over, a small friendly smile already in place when he stopped in front of her. He felt a little guilty about distracting her from her book, but he spoke anyway, in low tones. "Sorry to bother, but would you mind if I sat here? See, I walked here and it doesn't really seem to be a smart idea to try and walk home in that."

It was like the first day in a new school all over again, the new kid wandering the lunch room while searching for a friendly face. Jude thought she would understand. Now, as Jude was looking at her, he suddenly felt as though he had met her before. Her features seemed very familar. "I know you, don't I..." She must think he was a retard or something. His eyes drifted to her shirt, studying the script that made of the Autumn Hills lettering, as if it were a clue. And it was. "Oh, wait. Yes. You are the owner of Autumn Hills! Caroline Hall, was it? We met when I applied for that job, and I board my two horses at your stable." His smile grew, pleased at himself for remembering her and just happy in whole for knowing at least one person. Caroline Hall. Such a pretty name, for a pretty girl. She had seemed nice when he went for the Dressage instructor job, but he wasn't really sure how she would react to him barging in while she was relaxing.

[caroline hall;;]

caroline;;

xx___ even though she came here with full intentions to make a dint in her new novel, caroline just couldn't concentrate on the words in front of her. you know how it is, sometimes it takes some persistance when starting a book to get into the rythm. and even though the room had that warm, comforting feel with the soft buzz of conversation, caroline's mind didn't seem to want to concentrate on the book. after forcing herself through about twenty pages, give or take, without even noticing what she read, the young woman marked her place and put down the hardback. she turned to look for her cup of coffee, picking it up and sipping the warm liquid. it had cooled considerably while she was reading, but it was still warm enough to sastify her.

caroline turned her head, her eyes sliding to the view outside. the dark gray clouds were honestly onimous and frightning. her mother had always loved big storms while amy had been scared of them ever since she was a little girl. amy actually used to crawl into bed with her when they were younger whenever a thunder storm kept her up a night. caroline remembered her sister's breath had always been shaking, as if she were expecting the end of the world. as for herself, caroline had never really picked one side or another. it was like an elastic band. she had always loved it when it was raining softly and lightly, the kind where there was a rainbow. but then again, she can recall more than one time that she jumped or flinced from a loud boom of thunder or a sudden flash that, in that fleeting moment, you could see the detail of the jagged line. but today, as it starting raining hard, caroline just sat and stared, remembering how her mother would sit cross-legged on a stool and just look, memorized, out the window even when the weather seemed on the brink of a hurricane. even so, watching the falling water droplets was kind of relaxing; if nothing else, caroline wasn't quite ready to walk out to her car and certianly not in a storm like this.

caroline wasn't sure how long she had been staring at the rain, and she probably would have continued if she hadn't heard a voice. it startled her a bit, but not enough to actually flince. her head moved to face the person who had spoken. in front of her stood a boy, no man, who looked around her age. his hands were full with his drink and food and caroline couldn't help but noticing the shaggy length of his hair and the noticable stubble on his face. and, like any girl would, she couldn't help but notice how attractive he was. but wait, he was talking. caroline nodded in response to his comment about not wanting to walk home in that large storm. she couldn't banish him to that, now could she? oh, yeah, of course. go ahead. she leaned forward to move her purse and book out of the way, giving the man room to put his food down.

it wasn't until the man actually sat down that she noticed sometime familar about him. that face... she had seen it before. but after all the boarders and job applicants she had met with, her mind was fuzzy as far as recognizing people goes. she had never really been the best with putting names to faces anyway, but this had gotten worse after business starting flooding into the stable. apparently, the man recognized her as well. a smile curved onto her face, impressed that he remembered her name. she nodded, memories instantly rushing back. yes, you're our new dressage instructor. I remember. then her mind started searching for a name. she knew it was a bit unusual, not as common, which is why it should have popped up in her memory immediatly. though it didn't come to her right away, it only took a few secounds - that was acceptable, right? it's Jude, right? how are you doing? she smiled, read to sink into a conversation. he seemed like the friendly, talkative sort.
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[ w o r d c o u n t ] 695
[ c o m m e n t s ] sorry it took so long to finish
[ s t a t u s ] done
[ t a g ] anyone

[[! caleb holm ]]

The woman was kind; she clearly had no intentions of sending him away. She even cleared a space for him, how nice of her. Jude thanked her as he sat down, trying not to stumble and pitch his coffee at the girl. How great that would be, practically throwing his steaming hot drink as he tripped. That was a good way to fall out of someone's good graces and completely erase their generous mood. Jude managed to stay balanced and he concentrated on not spilling anything as he emptied the contents in his hands onto the table. He ripped a piece of his coffee cake off and put it in his mouth, chewing as he noticed Caroline looking at him. He was glad he had gotten her name right, though now that he thought about it, he had seen the Hall's name in the newspaper more than once, so he shouldn't have forgotten it.

Jude's smile grew, blooming, of course after he had swallowed his food. Not only did she recognize him but she remembered his name, out of all those people she saw everyday from boarders and people applying for jobs. But for all he knew, she could be one of those people with a photo memory, every detail filed away in perfect form. "I'm good, great, despite the fact that my apartment has a hole in the roof." A slight sarcastic note colored his tone at the end of his sentence, mocking himself, but his smile was true and friendly. "How about you? Good, great, horrible?" His voice had a slight swing to it. More than once, people have told him he was an easy person to talk to. He took pride in that fact, glad that he made people comfortable. It most defiantly helped when he was teaching a lesson.

Not wanting the conversation to slip into any awkward and uncomfortable roadblocks, he made a comment based on an observation. "What book was that you had, the one I interrupted you from reading? Sorry about that, again." He ran his hand through his messy hair in a way that could be translated as slightly embarassed. Jude had never been a rude guy and it made him feel guilty to think that he may have done an impolite, though small, thing. But, when Caroline was rearranging her stuff to make room for him at the table, he only got a fleeting glance at the cover of the book and he hadn't been able to focus on the title; it was a blur. He himself was a guy who actually enjoyed sitting down with a good novel; usually a science fiction or mystery book. But that was more than you can say for the boys who only read car magizines, if even that. He had even enjoyed reading in school, which some might consider odd for a teenage boy. But then again, people also found it odd that he practiced dressage in jeans and muddy, brown boots on a leopard appaloosa.

So, after Caroline replied, he threw out another question. "So, is today your day off, or are you just taking a breather for an hour or two? Not that you could get much done in this weather, outside at least..." he trailed off as he shoot a fake glare out the window and to the weather mess outside. How annoying storms could be. He shifted his hazel eyes back to Caroline, a relaxed grin replacing the mock glare directed at the storm. "You probably don't get many days off," he guessed, knowing that running a stable was pretty much a full-time, twentyfour-seven type of job. Jude didn't mentioned that she was now running the place on her own, knowing it was most likely a touching topic. Like any local, he had read about the car accident involving the two Halls parents and the youngest daughter, Amy. Jude had pretty much decided from the beginning that he wouldn't comment on it unless Caroline brought it up first. All he planned was to keep a friendly, light-toned conversation going.

ooc: by the way, congrats on your new foal =)