Welcome to Hickstead, home to both Seven Oak Stables, and Blue Acre - two rival stables. Both offer opportunities for their clients to reach the highest level of excellence. Each stable differs from the other, so choose wisely and never forget, loyalty is everything... Meanwhile as the stables battle it out, there's trouble brewing at the university. Be careful, if you don't pick a side you may get caught in the cross-fire...
This is an chilled out rpg with a super friendly and relaxed atmosphere! Remember to sign up with your characters full name in all caps and don't forget to do your claims! Thank you and Welcome, we've been established since 10th March 2009 but unfortunately have had to close guest view of our boards due to multiple sites ripping off our hard work, such a shame! Come chat to us in Discord before joining if you like!.
james could only wish that his kids looked up to him. there were days he worried about whether or not he was even worthy of that. he looked at his kids and sometimes wondered how they'd come from him. he knew they were lexi's, they each had so much of her in them and he couldn't be unhappy about that. he wasn't sure his genes were any that a kid could rave about, his father had made sure of that. of course so had his mother and just about every other adult in their family, but his father was the one he was worried most about. that he would turn out like him, no matter how hard he tried to stop it. "i think the only one i have right now is rory." he said with a chuckle as he sipped his beer. "she's still my girl .. but the boys are being sucked into the superhero world." he was sure that taite's hero was captain america right now.
"then you my frie.. almost brother ... are royally screwed." he said as he raised his glass a little with a laugh. he was joking of course, kind of. he sat there for just a moment, quietly thinking about how most of his family had seemed to find functioning relationships despite the horrors they were brought up with. he knew that he and lexi had their moments and they might have been struggling the last few months, but it was still a far more healthy relationship that he'd seen growing up. he felt oddly proud of his family right then. "have you decided when and how you'll ask her?" he said as he shifted in his seat, leaning forward slightly and turning the glass in his hand. "if you want, lexi and i can have josh for the night or a few days when you do. give you two some time." he loved having josh around, he knew what a godsend being close to your cousins could be as a child.
TWENTY FIVE | RACING INSTRUCTOR/PERSONAL TRAINER | LEXI SAFFI WHITE JARED WHITE | 6 TAITE WHITE | 4 RORY WHITE | 2
james chuckles as he heard jared call back to him. he knew that he shouldn't find the attitude cute but he couldn't help it. jared didn't mean it, he knew that. he was tired and they were in a strange place and that was the only reason james had checked on him like that. "night boys" he said as he stuck his head into the room and saw lexi tucking them in. with how tired they both looked, there was no need for him to go in and tuck them in also, as much as he wanted to. he'd just wake them up more if he went in and he needed to sort out the little lady in his arms so they were 3 down for the night.
he headed into his and lexi's room and he started to gather everything he'd need to get his daughter settled for the night. lexi's parents had set up a portable crib at the end of the bed for them and he couldn't help but be touched by the gesture. it was still surprising to him the stark difference between his and lexi's parents and it had taken a lot to get used to, the fact that their kindness didn't come with strings or favours that needed to be returned. it was just because they loved them. he settled rory into the crib gently, sitting with her and stroking her back while she drifted off to sleep. he smiled softly down at her, the way her hand tucked under her chin, just like her mother. once he was sure she was asleep, he almost crept out of the room, leaving the door open to let in the light from the hall and he jogged downstairs, a yawn slipping out of his mouth as he stretched and cracked his back a little.
he knew where his wife would be. because he knew her and because they had always had an almost build in radar for each other. the closer he got to her, the more he felt the tug to be close to her. since the moment he'd met her she'd been like a drug he could never get enough of. he walked out onto the terrace and smiled as he saw her relaxing with a glass of wine in her hand. she looked so much as ease it hurt. the last few months had stolen their peace from them and a few hours back at home had given that small amount back to her and it hurt that he hadn't been able to do that for her at their home. he crossed to where she was sitting and he slid onto the lounger next to her, even if it might have been a little squishy, he just didn't want to be apart from her in that moment. "i see your mum left the good stuff." he said as he shifted to wrap his arm around her back.
TWENTY FIVE | RACING INSTRUCTOR/PERSONAL TRAINER | LEXI SAFFI WHITE JARED WHITE | 6 TAITE WHITE | 4 RORY WHITE | 2
he chuckled a little and he shook his head slightly. he couldn't believe that damon had actually thought he was serious but then, sometimes he forgot that damon didn't have quite the relationship with his own family that james did. he could joke with logan and leo and they'd get it almost straight away. it had shocked him a little to be found serious when he was joking but he could understand it now. "in some ways i'm glad, it means i might be able to fool my kids when they're teens and i'm telling them something." he joked a little as he sipped his drink.
"oh god, no don't make that mistake." he said as he laid his hand on the table. "i trust you when you say you'll be there for her." he assured damon but he looked at him dead serious in the eye. "but never, ever, ever tell her she can have anything she wants." he said, a grin cracking onto his face. "unless you hate having money in the bank." he might have been joking again but there was some truth to it. he knew that he'd move heaven and earth for lexi but he could only imagine what their bank accounts would look like if they'd promised each other whatever they wanted.
TWENTY FIVE | RACING INSTRUCTOR/PERSONAL TRAINER | LEXI SAFFI WHITE JARED WHITE | 6 TAITE WHITE | 4 RORY WHITE | 2
he had to admit, there was a difference in how he felt now they were in the villa. even with the stress of the flight, needing to keep the kids in line, the tiredness that made him feel like his bones were exhausted and the residual tension of the last few months back home. he felt like his shoulders were loser, the constant tension in his neck was gone and it felt like he could breath so much easier. he'd been certain that coming here wouldn't change things, that it would be the same, just in a different place but he'd come because lexi needed to be at home, she needed her parents after what they'd been through and no matter what he was feeling, he'd never fight that. she'd moved to another country for him, loved her family like her own and she'd done that so they could be together. the least he could do was be there when she wanted to go home for a while. and he did enjoy coming a lot more now he was used to her parents. they'd treated him like family from the moment they'd met him and he hadn't been used to it, now he was, he enjoyed it just a little.
he rubbed his hand over rory's back as he watched lexi get the boys out of the pool and dried off and he couldn't help but watch jared walk into the villa with a twinge of sadness. there had been a time where he'd have needed them to help him, just like rory and tate still did and he wasn't quite ready to let that go. he'd give anything to stop his kids from needing to grow up, to stay little and this age. he wasn't prepared but then he didn't think he ever would be. "he needs to stop growing up." he said softly with a smile as he stood from his spot on the ground and he shifted rory softly, settling her on his hip. he watched with a soft chuckle as tae's head kept bobbing up and down, watching him drift off to sleep against lexi's shoulder before waking himself up and lifting his head. "i think just jammies and into bed." he said as he started to walk into the villa. "i don't think these two will be awake long enough for anything else."
the sooner they got the kids into bed, the sooner him and lexi could just sit and relax. even if all they did was lay on the couch and watch trashy italian soaps until they fell asleep there. they'd be able to relax a lot more once the kids were settled. "jare, you good bud?" he called to his son to make sure he didn't need help as he headed up the staircase with rory, before he headed into the room where he and lexi would be sleeping so he could get rory's stuff.
TWENTY FIVE | RACING INSTRUCTOR/PERSONAL TRAINER | LEXI SAFFI WHITE JARED WHITE | 6 TAITE WHITE | 4 RORY WHITE | 2
the second that he saw the colour drain from damon's face he felt a stab of guilt and wondered if he'd taken it a little too far. he was so used to taking the piss with his own family and having them just bite back that he'd assumed damon would do the same. he didn't plan on taking it any further than that but he was a little worried now about whether he'd have ashley knocking on his doorstep later that night wondering what he'd done to her boyfriend. though he had given up the joke almost as quickly as he started it, he didn't know what to say when it seemed that damon was struggling with a response.
"i am messing with you." he said as he leaned back in his chair and he picked up the beer that had been set down on the table and he took a sip while trying to work out if he needed to apologise to him. he felt like he should, had it been leo or one of his other family he wouldn't have bothered, it wouldn't have mattered but damon was different. he liked him well enough and he made ashley happy and that was the main thing, and he was there for josh which made him better than some. "it's a big brothers job." he said with what he hoped was a light grin as he looked across at damon.
TWENTY FIVE | RACING INSTRUCTOR/PERSONAL TRAINER | LEXI SAFFI WHITE JARED WHITE | 6 TAITE WHITE | 4 RORY WHITE | 2
there had to be something in the air. that was the only way he could describe it. he and lexi had been working on things back home but the progress had been slow, painfully so as they'd worked with each other to get back into some sort of rhythm but it had seemed near impossible. but the second they'd landed, taken a breath of air that wasn't tense or cold, it seemed they'd both relaxed a little. maybe it was the atmosphere, the different place or the fact they both no longer felt the weight of reconciliation on their shoulders. maybe it was just what they'd needed. he smiled as he watched lexi play with rory in the water, the delighted giggles coming from his daughter warming his heart almost as much as the smile on her face did.
he made sure to keep an eye on the boys as he leaned his hands back, moving his legs in the water as the sun beat down on their small family. it seemed like no time has passed at all before he heard the unmistakable sound of rory starting to grizzle. he sat upright and brushed his hands against his legs and chuckled a little when he saw her grumpy face, almost as if the water she'd been loving a moment ago was now the most offending thing she'd ever seen in her life. he stretched out to reach for the towels he'd brought out for the kids and he drew one close so he could wrap it around her when she was passed out to him.
taking her carefully into his arms, making sure she didn't slip, he lifted her out of the pool and quickly wrapped the towel around her so she didn't feel chilled. "is that better?" he asked her softly as he felt her snuggle against his chest and her little mouth formed an O as she yawned. he rested his cheek against her hair and glanced down at the boys when lexi did and he had to agree, they were both tired and it was only a matter of time before they started snipping at each other as a way to cope. "i think that sounds perfect." he said, though he found himself distracted for a moment watching his wife get out of the pool. the way the water glistened on her body. it still surprised him to this day just how much he loved her. that even when they were at their absolute worst, the feeling was so strong he could never ignore it or walk away from it. he tore his eyes away from her, more than a little disappointed, and he looked across at the boys and waved his hand to them. "come on you two, out you get and dry off. then we'll have a bath, we'll find a snack and you can have a nice long nap." he said as he rocked his body softly to keep rory settled and calm.
TWENTY FIVE | RACING INSTRUCTOR/PERSONAL TRAINER | LEXI SAFFI WHITE JARED WHITE | 6 TAITE WHITE | 4 RORY WHITE | 2
aren't you currently on one to? bed means kids can jump on me or take my space, they seem to stay away when i'm on the couch. it's fucking narnia for you pal.
everyone wanted a passionate relationship until that passion was no longer exclusive to the bedroom. he and lexi had never had a problem wanting each other, they loved each other totally and so much so that it hurt james to think about how much he loved his wife. but that came with emotions that weren't just about love. james was sure that it was a major part of the problems they were going through right now. they'd always fought, they were loud and they were stubborn and they were passionate about their lives so they'd had some ripper fights over their marriage and he was sure they'd have many more over the years. but this? this wasn't an argument, it wasn't a fight, it had been an accumulation of lots of things and it had been enough to shatter that desire for each other. it wasn't gone, he didn't think it would ever be gone but it had felt different to him, like he couldn't put the pieces together and he couldn't make sense of what he was feeling. there had been fragments snapping back into place for the last week or two, being helped by effort being made and steps being taken and leaps done by both of them to try and connect with each other but with her in his arms now, it was like they were flying back together with a speed that was unmatched.
if he hadn't needed to go check on the kids he'd have stayed there with her forever. he'd have pulled her down onto the bed in the room and just hold her until time stopped. he'd missed the feeling of her being in his arms and now she'd been in them and she was gone again, they ached. his chest ached because she wasn't against his chest and there was something missing from his very being as he walked away from her. it was a feeling he'd missed. he'd missed not wanting to be apart from her, missed being drawn to her like a magnet and the connection that fate seemed to not want to let either of them lose. there seemed to be some great works and plans behind the lives they were creating together. everything from the start should have told them they wouldn't work. different countries, being so young, suffering a loss so tragically like they did and it hadn't blown them apart, it had drawn them together and now they had their three beautiful children. james couldn't wait to see how they'd grow up to change the world because they were meant to be a part of it.
once again she slipped from his hold as she lowered herself into the water but this time it felt a little different. she was still there, she was next to him and it felt so right. nothing was fixed but for the first time he had real hope that what they'd had before hadn't gone anywhere, it was there and waiting for them to wake up and take it back. he leaned forward a little to pass rory over to the waiting and sage arms of her mother and once she was in them he leaned back on his hands, moving his feet in the water slightly as he watched his girls in the pool, the way rory's hands gripped onto lexi and the way he feet kicked in the water, the giggling louder than it had been, obviously very happy where she was right now, safe in her mother's arms and surrounded by water. he looked across to where jare and tae were still diving down to get treasure that didn't exist and he was awed by their imagination. the fact that his kids had that, it meant everything to him. they could have that fun, they could play pretend because it was fun and because they were kids. they didn't need to play pretend to escape.
TWENTY FIVE | RACING INSTRUCTOR/PERSONAL TRAINER | LEXI SAFFI WHITE JARED WHITE | 6 TAITE WHITE | 4 RORY WHITE | 2
he was about to walk out of the room, to take the steps away from her that take him from her but he was stopped, the touch on his hand made him pause. his fingers wrapped around her small hand gently, the roughness of his hands always a stark contrast to how soft he thought her skin felt against his. he turned back to her, something deep in his soul stirring and driving him to step back to her as she tugged on him gently. they'd been so far apart, so distant and it had been so painful. it had broken them down, their family was suffering and the house that they'd built together had felt cooler and darker than ever in the last few months. all because the words just couldn't be found, feelings couldn't be forgotten and memories that wouldn't go away.
as she raised herself onto her toes he slipped his spare hand around her back, resting it there softly to support her without thinking about it, that piece of his soul driving whatever train of thought he was having now. the desire to pull her against him was strong but he resisted, just, not because he didn't want to but because he couldn't help but think of their two children down next to the pool. he gripped his fingers gently against her bare skin as she kissed him. the moment their lips touched it was like electricity surged through him and he met her kiss with that same spark, leaning his head down as he felt her hand come to rest there, following her touch and to make it easier for her. the world melted away, it was just them standing there in a world that meant nothing. the only thing in it was them and that was all that mattered. it felt like kisses from days past, where the feeling between them was so strong it drove all alse away.
it was over almost too soon and he opened his eyes as they pulled away from each other, though he didn't let go of her hand so quickly. he'd known he'd hurt her last time, when he'd turned away from her when she'd made an effort to get close to him. he'd just been so full of feelings of shame and disgust in himself that he hadn't been able to lay with her, he hadn't been able to let those feelings be known to her so he'd thought it best to walk away. he didn't regret the night, the closeness they'd felt then but he did regret not talking to her after, trying to let her know what had made him leave but he hadn't been able to. there was something that always stopped him opening up to her right now, be it the anger from what had happened, the fear that she no longer trusted him to keep her safe or the lack of emotional capability. whatever it was it had stopped him and driven him away. that's what he regretted, that he'd let it.
he stroked his thumb over the back of her hand gently as he let a soft smile spread onto his face as he released her hand, hoping to let her know that it wasn't' like last time. he wasn't leaving because he didn't want to be with her. he lingered there for a few more seconds before he let her hand go and he turned from the room so he could go get their daughter. as he hurried down the stairs his mind was still drifting back to his wife, the feelings the kiss had stirred in him and how he hadn't wanted it to end. it had been so long since he'd felt that, that burning desire to be close to her, have her in his arms and to have it just be the two of them it was almost a foreign feeling now but it was so welcome. he could breathe better than he had in weeks, the weight had lifted slightly from his shoulders. it wasn't a fix, it wasn't over but it felt like it might be easier now.
before he knew it he was settled on the side of the pool, his arms around rory, holding her on his lap as he watched jare divebomb into the pool to search for buried treasure as tae sat on a pool noodle, doing his best to balance on it. their laughs and smile, even through their grumpiness and tiredness were like music to his ears. he smiled softly as lexi sat down next to him and he shifted closer to her slightly, his shoulder brushing hers. he took one arm from around his daughter and he wrapped it around lexi's waist lightly, hugging her against his side as they sat there, lexi ticking their daughter and the loud giggling as she bounced on his knee just added to the moment. "i think that means she does." he said with a chuckle as he looked over to where tae had abandoned the pool noodle and had started trying to join jare in diving for nothing.
TWENTY FIVE | RACING INSTRUCTOR/PERSONAL TRAINER | LEXI SAFFI WHITE JARED WHITE | 6 TAITE WHITE | 4 RORY WHITE | 2
