Circling Stars

🌟 Chapter 28🌟

Even with the earmuffs I couldn't help but flinch every time the gun fired. Brandon and I were the only people in the gun range. It was a Thursday and tomorrow morning at elven a.m. we would be walking across the stage. Brandon would be leaving almost immediately after the ceremony to go to his boot camp. I on the other hand was undecided about what to do. I'd gotten a phone call from Eliza Brody earlier this week. It was to inform me that I had been chosen to be her new assistant starting the last week of August.

We had to hash out a few more details with my course load and everything, but other than that it was a done deal. A small part of me was excited, truly. But I'd had to fake an appropriate level of enthusiasm over the phone. Now that I would be spending my first summer home in three years I wasn't sure what to do. Shirl really wanted me to tag along with her to the spa. My parents were tied up with legal issues concerning the recent vandalism, and with Brandon going out of town, and the Riley mystery having hit a dead end, I just wasn't sure.

My main goal of course was to stay connected to my friends. I was having a hard time convincing myself that didn't necessarily mean fixing the romantic breach between Shirley and Brandon. As much as I wanted them back together I had to face the fact that might not happen. But it was making me feel like I was walking barefoot through a room that had a floor littered with broken glass. Both of them shut me down if I tried to bring the relationship up. Feeling like I was making things worse I was slowly learning to keep my mouth shut on that topic, mostly.

Sean and I spent a lot of time together and it was nice. I found that when I was with Sean my other problems shrunk, and even if it was only for a few hours, I was truly happy. I was toying with the idea of going to the spa and taking him with me. I wasn't sure how that would fly with Shirley. If she really wanted me to go I'd bet the presence of my brother wouldn't be a deal breaker. Brandon put down the gun and turned toward me. I yanked the uncomfortable earmuffs off.

"Do you want to try?" Brandon asked while waving the gun in the air slowly.

"I've never shot a real gun in my life."

"Come on. I'll teach you." With that a crash course in firearm safety began. Obviously the big one didn't need to be said. Don't point the gun at another human being. He had me practice squeezing the trigger while the gun was empty before he showed me how to load it.

"Make sure the bullets are facing in the direction of the barrel. Stick in the clip, this little lever," he showed me on his gun and then I found it on mine, "is the safety. Push it down." I did. "Next we pull back this and the weapon is ready to fire." I copied his instructions and placed my feet a shoulders width apart. "Remember even hand guns have a kick. Brace yourself, don't lean back, and when you're ready squeeze the trigger, don't pull."

I took aim. I hit the arm of the cut out. Determined to do better I tired again. This was actually kind of fun. By the end of the night Brandon and I competed to see who was the better marksman. I lost but not by much. Brandon had been shooting guns for years and could pop off rounds in quick succession while hitting his target exactly where he intended. I had to go much more slowly. While I didn't shoot as much, having to take my time proved best for lining up my shots, and he gave me points for accuracy.

As we were leaving I went to pick up my backpack forgetting that it was half open. My iPad, a book, and a very small black box fell out. The box that held my engagement ring landed half open at Brandon's feet. Normally the ring lived in my safe. But today I missed Jasper so much that I took it out and wore it while I was getting ready.

I had forgotten to put it back before Brandon picked me up. As he had pulled up to my house I remembered to take it off and secured it in my bag. There was a moment of silence before we both dived for the box. And of course he got to it first and held it up above my reach while he examined it.

"You have some explaining to do Theodora."

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"I swear he didn't run out on me or get me pregnant. He's in Russia trying to get his inheritance." Brandon couldn't take this news on an empty stomach so we stopped at Subway and then headed to Blackwood Lake. There were a few other people up here but we stayed away so not to be overheard.

"Are you saying he proposed in January and you didn't tell anyone?"

"Yeah." I squirmed under his intense green gaze. "I didn't want to say anything because he had to leave the day after. I was afraid to tell anyone with him gone because I knew how it'd look. Especially to my parents."

He took a bite of his sandwich. "Does Shirley know?"

"No."

"You love him. Enough to marry him after only a couple months of dating."

"Yes."

He ran a hand through his hair and sighed. "Theo if you were anyone else I'd knock you upside the head for getting engaged this young. But you've always been leveled headed so if this truly is what you want, I'll stand by you." I squealed and hugged him.

"Great you can be in the wedding party!" Brandon looked suddenly horrified. "As one of his groomsmen not my bridesmaid. Although this is the modern era, I bet having a bridesman is socially acceptable." An image of Brandon walking down the aisle with flowers in his hair, and a dress that was too short and showed off his hairy legs ran through my mind and made me laugh.

"Remind me to pummel Jasper when he gets back," Brandon mumbled.

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I had turned my phone off while we'd been at the gun range. If someone called or texted I wouldn't have been able to hear it anyway. And with Brandon having discovered my engagement I had forgotten to turn it back on. As I was getting ready for bed I switched it on and saw I had missed a call from Jasper. He left a very short but joy inducing voicemail.

"It's over. I'm coming home. I love you, darlin'."