Circling Stars

🌟Chapter 3🌟

Marshmallows were roasting around a fire as dusk settled in. Jasper set up the tent while I calculated the best place to stick my tripod to record the show. I was really glad no one else was up here. This place wasn't a secret and fairly easy to access. It being mid-October probably had a lot to do with it. There was still some snow up here from last winter and already I was shivering with the temperature drop. A river flowed to the left of us and it terminated in a two hundred foot waterfall that over looked the town. I marked my chosen spot and joined Jasper at the fire.  

"Here you are, ma'am." He handed me a plate with two s'mores.

"I've told you to call me Theo." I smiled playfully. "Don't you want one?"

"No, thank you. I have no taste for chocolate."

"Really? I'm practically addicted to it."

"There are worse things to be a slave to."

"Yeah." I bit into a s'more and let out a moan of satisfaction. A gust of wind made me shiver. A weight settled upon my shoulders, it was his leather jacket which had been sitting near the fire so it was extra warm; that warmth felt very good in this brisk weather. "I don't want you to be cold; I'll grab my coat."

"No need. The cold doesn't bother me," he poked the firewood with a stick making the flames grow.

"Unusual for a Texan," I joked as I nudged him with my foot.

He shrugged. Jasper leaned back to grab another log. His shirt rode up a bit treating me to washboard abs. I licked my lips tasting chocolate and gram cracker. I went back to my s'mores fast before he could he see my expression.

"Do you have a favorite constellation?" he pointed up to the sky. I stared up into the clear night with him.

"Changes with the time of year." I finished my treat and put the plate away.

"And right now?"

I moved closer to him and pointed. "Do you see those three stars that make an uneven V."

"Yes."

"Follow them down and there are another three that form a triangle." I traced them together. "To the right another star sits above and to the side at an angle, then down are three more that make an L. To the tip of the triangle on the left side is one star. And above the triangle still on the left, three more stars form a shape that kinda looks like the neck and snout of a horse. Are you still with me?" I smiled up at him with excitement. None of my friends ever had the patience or eye for tracing out the shapes in the night sky. They would always change the subject and not understand what the big deal was. It was refreshing to talk to someone, who maybe didn't share my passion, but would listen to me while I rambled.

"Yes, I believe so." The light of the fire s he looked up to the sky made gentle shadows dance around his face.

"That's Andromeda. She was a Greek princess."

"And what of the other times of year?" He looked from the sky to me and smiled.

"In the spring it's the Hydra, then for summer Hercules, and in the winter Perseus," my heart hammered but my voice stayed steady. Butterflies flew around in stomach as he moved closer to me.

"Hard not to sense a theme," his eyes twinkled with amusement.

"My dad read me all those myths for bedtimes stories. Do you know them?"

"Quite well," he smiled.

"Do you have a favorite?" I expected him to say Hercules or Theseus or maybe Achilles. They were some of the most popular Greek heroes especially with boys. Riley could only remember Achilles whenever we talked of Greek mythology but Brandon enjoyed the story of Jason mostly because of that old movie with the clay skeletons.