“This is actually a nice car,” he commented as I pulled out of the parking lot.
“Yeah, it is. Paid for her myself.” I stroked the steering wheel feeling proud. “Well, I paid most of it and my parents helped out, but I worked hard to buy her and I got straight As for her as well.”
“You had a job in high school?” he asked, bewildered.
“Yes. Why do you sound so surprised?” I glanced over at him.
“I just didn’t picture you as someone who had a job.”
“Well, I did. I worked at an animal shelter for a little while before they couldn’t pay me anymore, but I still went in and volunteered very once in a while. Then I took a job at a movie theater for a little while.”
“Your dad let you work? He doesn’t seem like the type to let you do that.”
“He didn’t like it at first of course, but he realized that we needed to learn how to earn our keep and that nothing is handed down to you. You have to work hard to get where you want in life. Just because my parents are rich doesn’t mean we didn’t ‘struggle,’ as some might say. My brother and I know that if we want something in life, we have to fight and work hard for it. I like to work for what I want, despite my name,” I said, and I meant every word.
Just because I had money didn’t mean I flaunted it to others or used my name to get me what I wanted. Instead, I tried to shed my name so I could make a different one for myself. I didn’t want to be labeled as the spoiled rich princess for whom Daddy pays everything. No, I wanted people to see me as an independent person who worked hard to get the future she wanted, who didn’t use Daddy’s dime to get everything at the snap of her fingers.
“I am glad you were raised that way,” Gage said, gently placing his hand on my thigh. At his words I relaxed a little; at least he didn’t think I was some spoiled rich girl because I didn’t want him to see me like that.
“Okay, enough of the serious talk. Can you get google maps to go on my phone?” I handed him my phone as I kept my eyes on the road ahead. “I have the address in there already, just hit go.”
He did just that and a second later the woman’s voice explained the first set of directions to me. The museum wasn’t too far from my father’s work, so it actually didn’t take me too long to get there.
“Where are we?” Gage asked, looking around but not at the building in front of us that had the words Astronomy Museum along the front.
“We are at the astronomy museum!” I said as I turned the car off and looked at him to see his reaction. Instead of being excited as I thought, he looked confused.
“The what?”
“Astronomy museum. It is an entire museum dedicated to astronomy. You can go inside and see everything from replicas of Apollo 13, to a room that you sit in and can watch the stars.” I tried to come up with the best explanation, but it just sounded bad.
“I know it doesn’t sound fun, but we can at least go inside and see what it is about. I remember you saying you liked astronomy, and when we were sitting out on the field and looking at the stars, you said all these things, so I thought it would be fun.” I was stopped with a finger to my lips.
“I think it is a cool idea. I’ve never been here before,” Gage said, smiling at me. “Let’s go inside and see it.” He didn’t even wait for me to say anything as he got out of the car. I scrambled out after him.
Still smiling at me, he grabbed my hand and tugged me toward the front doors. I silently thanked myself for wearing Converse as he pulled me after him, my small legs trying to catch up to his long strides.
When we got inside, the place was white, like stark white. Our shoes squeaked along the floors, and it was quiet. It didn’t seem like anyone was even here. Going up to the counter, we had to ring a little bell for someone to come out. After a full minute a lady dressed in a very unattractive blue pantsuit came out.
“How may I help you?” she asked, sounding very bored already.
“We want to look around. How much to go inside?” I asked, cutting in front of Gage. If I was taking him on a date, I would be paying.
“It is free. You can go through there and go to each of the displays. At the end you may go inside the room and watch the stars.” She turned and walked away. Yes, she literally just walked away from us. Worst worker, no wonder no one was here.
“Well ain’t she a ball of sunshine,” I said.
“Someone loves their job.” I laughed with him as we headed in the direction the lady had mentioned.
The moment we walked through the curtains, we were met with space. Not literally space, but dark blue balls that made the place seem black. Little lights were placed along the walls, and the ceiling made them seem like stars. Little hues of purple, white, and even some yellow shined around us, and when you walked in, it almost felt like everything around you was moving.
“Woah.” I breathed out, looking around. This was even better than I imagined. Past the curtain was certainly a different atmosphere. That worker lady needed to be in here and she’d act better.
All around us were glass cases held different things. One was of a suit an astronaut wore; there was also dirt and sand that was bright orange from Mars, a replica of a shuttle, and tons of information on each item.
We moved hand in hand from one display to another. I found it really cool, but Gage was on another level. He read each thing carefully and was just soaking up information. He was trying to hold himself back from reading out in front of me, but I found it extremely cute how in love he was right now. I guess I did make the right choice in coming here.
It took us about twenty minutes to move through the first half before we finally reached the door the lady mentioned. It said Star Gazing, but when we went inside, it was not what I was expecting at all. I thought it would be fake stars that you just stand there staring at…no. No, this was even better.
Right above us, what looked like little white lights were flashing and pulsing. Some looked closer than others, and brighter. It wasn’t entirely dark inside, and you could see what looked like actual beds scattered around. Gage seemed to be in a daze, so I gently led him toward a bed that was near us. The both of us carefully lay down, our heads still tilted up to watch above us.
In the middle of the bed was a remote control. I looked at it weirdly before handing it to Gage, so he could see what it did. He played with it for a minute and suddenly, the sky above us changed. Instead of the stars being far away, they were closer and more defined. We shared a look, our eyes wide, before he pressed the same button.
The entire ceiling above us was made up of stars. What I thought was a fake image of stars turned out to be actual images from a satellite up in space taking pictures. The stars were actual stars that were twinkling and pulsing. Some looked like just bright balls of light, and with others, you could actually see the mass to it. It was by far the coolest thing I had ever seen.
Each bed that was spread around had a remote where they could change the sky. You could make the stars look closer and see what they were made of; you could make it go out farther so you could see the constellations; and you could even press a button of a “tour” of the sky where a loud speaker would tell you facts and move the images around so you could see everything. It was beyond amazing. And yes, the beds were so soft I could literally fall asleep in here.
Gage was so engrossed that he didn’t say a word. I looked over at him and smiled. He was really enjoying this, and I was glad. I was worried he wouldn’t and that I would just end up looking like an idiot.
Because it was dark in here, I could only see some of his face. If I moved closer I would be able to see him clearly, but I was okay with where I was at, at the moment. I was enjoying being around someone who was having a dream they didn’t know they had come true. The best part, I made this all happen.
After about five minutes of me going back and forth between staring at Gage and the stars above us, did Gage finally say something. He turned his head and looked at me.
“
Thank you.” His voice echoed around us, since we were the only ones in this big empty room.
“Thank you for giving this a shot. It turned out better than I would have thought.” He continued staring at me and even moved a little closer. I could now see his face from the light of the stars. Seeing his brown eyes staring at me, I never realized just how much I loved them. I was never one for brown eyes; they just weren’t my favorite color of eye, especially when I only thought Ethan’s blue-green eyes were the best color. I was wrong. Gage’s eyes were the prettiest.
Up close, you could see the little specks of gold. I also noticed that they weren’t just a plain brown; they were really hazel. Brown eyes weren’t just brown eyes anymore; they were something way more. They were more beautiful than anyone gave people with brown eyes credit for. Staring at me was a new eye color I would love forever.
“Can I ask you something?” Gage whispered suddenly, breaking me out of my thoughts. I just nodded, not trusting myself to speak at the moment.
“Will you be my girlfriend?” At first, I didn’t hear him right.
“What?”
“Will you be my girlfriend? Not like the fake deal we had before, but a real relationship. We’d be together for real as boyfriend and girlfriend, no hiding it from anyone.” I stared at him letting his words sink in.
Did Gage Harper really ask me to be his real girlfriend? Was I going insane? Here I was wanting him to be my real boyfriend and not a fake one, when he felt the same way this whole time. I almost didn’t believe him, thinking I was dreaming and needed to be woken up, but I could see the hope and want in his eyes. I could see him waiting impatiently for my answer. Everything I had wanted in the last week—hell, in the last day since I was at my parents’ telling my mother just what Gage meant to me—was right in front of me. Gage really did want to be my boyfriend. I could only do the logical thing and say…
“Yes!”
Chapter Five
“Yes, I’ll be your girlfriend.”
Before the words were out of my mouth, Gage’s lips were pressed against mine. His hand came up behind my head, and he pushed his fingers into my hair. It was like he was keeping hold of me so I wouldn’t move away, but I was not going anywhere.
My own lips moved in sync with his and when he started to kiss me harder, I couldn’t help but make a noise in the back of my throat. Kissing Gage for the second time was just as good as the first. His lips were soft yet firm against mine. It was clear he knew what he was doing, and I was glad. I wasn’t a pro at kissing, so having him take the lead was nice.
After a minute we pulled apart, breathing heavily. Our foreheads rested against one another and my eyes stayed closed. I had to be dreaming right now. Having Gage ask me to be his girlfriend and then kissing me was making me feel like this wasn’t real. For the past week or so I had wanted him to say those exact words and here he was, saying them.
“You said yes.” Gage breathed out.
“I did.” I grinned and opened my eyes, seeing him already looking at me. His eyes were practically glowing in the dark light.
“Do you know how long I have wanted to kiss you?” The sound of that made my heart swell, and my grin widened. It was nice hearing that he’d wanted to kiss me just as much as I wanted to kiss him.
“Took you long enough.” He grinned at me. Gage didn’t even say anything else as he once again captured my lips with his. My hands moved to his hard chest, touching the hard muscle there. We pulled away, grinning at one another. I felt practically giddy.
With nothing else to say, we lay back down on the bed. I was now pressed against Gage’s side, warmth seeping through his clothing to mine. Nothing could wipe the smile off my face.
***
Three days had passed since Gage and I got together for real, and they had to have been the best days ever. Every night Gage and I would talk on the phone for hours, slowly getting to really know one another. I was learning all about what he was like as a child, what sports he played in high school. He never talked much about his mother, and I didn’t want to push the topic.
We would meet up every day after classes and either go to 95 Degrees to get something to eat, telling each other about our day, or just hang out in his dorm studying and watching TV. Because we just got together, we were taking things slow. We weren’t going to rush into this like before. Gage respected my boundaries and I respected his. But if these three days were any indicator, I was not going to mind being with Gage.
As long as you didn’t factor in the stares from girls when they would see us enter class holding hands, or the stupid rumors going around that I was just sleeping with Gage to gain popularity. As long as I didn’t think of all that, I was good.
Currently, all of us were sitting outside on the benches that surrounded the lawn in the middle of campus. We were enjoying one of the last few days of nice weather before the cold came. With October nearing its end and November beginning, we knew to prepare for the cold months ahead. And when I say all of us, I do mean all of us: Luke, Macey, Ethan, Amy, Dylan, Gage, and me. Luke had come to accept Gage and I being together, but I couldn’t say the same for Ethan; he still made little comments here and there. All of our classes were over on Wednesday at this time, so we decided to all get together.
“Dylan, when are you going to introduce us to your girlfriend?” I asked, taking a bite of my apple as I leaned back against Gage. I was in-between Gage’s legs with my back pressed against his front, and I have to say he made the most comfortable chair.
“Woah, wait!” Macey held up her hand. “Since when did this one get a girlfriend?” She looked over at Dylan who was glaring at me.
“She isn’t my girlfriend,” he gritted out.
“That is who you have been texting all day!” Macey exclaimed. I couldn’t hold back a smile at the look Dylan sent Macey, who was totally unaffected by it. “They grow up so fast, don’t they?” She moved forward and pinched one of Dylan’s cheeks before he could move away.
“Stop.” He smacked her hand away.
“He’s in denial,” Gage whispered in my ear, making a shiver run down my spine. I tilted my head up to see him and nodded in agreement.
“He really is.” With Gage’s face so close to mine, I wanted to kiss him, but with everyone around us I held back.
Feeling a set of eyes on me, I moved my head back down, my eyes clashing with Ethan’s blue-green ones. He was staring hard at us and if looks could kill, Gage would be dead by now. I didn’t know what was up his butt, but I ignored him. For once I wasn’t even worried about what Ethan thought or how he felt. All thoughts about him were far back in my mind.
I tuned back to the conversation just as Luke grabbed Macey around the waist so she wouldn’t lunge at Dylan. I looked at them confused but shrugged it off.
“What is everybody doing this weekend?” Amy asked, changing the subject.
“We have a game on Friday,” Luke said, “but other than that, no plans.” Macey shook her head as well. I thought about it and shook my head too. I had no plans, unless Gage wanted to do something. I moved my head to look up at Gage.
“We have plans,” Gage said gruffly. He still wasn’t used to being around everyone, and I didn’t blame him. It was just sweet that he was sitting here with me when he would rather be somewhere else. I raised my eyebrows at his words, hearing about this for the first time.
“Ohh, what are you guys doing?” Macey asked, looking between us. I really wished Gage would answer because I was just as curious as Macey.
“Nothing.” Gage kept his mouth closed on the subject. As much as I wanted to know, I was excited about what he had planned. Wait, I hoped he meant me and him, not Dylan and him.
He squeezed me around the waist, almost like he knew I was overthinking things. I squeezed his leg in return and snuggled back into him. At first, I thought things would be slightly awkward between us now that we were dating for real, but so far things were good. Sure, it had only been three days, but it felt l
ike I had known Gage for a lifetime. It just felt right for some reason.
I still wasn’t sure how to act or what to do around him. Having only ever been in one serious relationship, I was still new to all of this. I didn’t want to move too fast with him and freak him out, or go too slow, where we weren’t really progressing things. As much as I had learned about Gage, I hadn’t heard if he had ever been in a serious relationship or a relationship at all. This might be all new to him too.
It was now nearing five, and my stomach was growling uncontrollably. Having skipped lunch today, I was beyond starving. Embarrassingly enough, Gage could feel the rumble of my stomach with his hands across my middle.
“Want to get something to eat?” he asked softly so only I could hear. Smiling, I nodded. Reluctantly I moved out of his hold and went to grab my bag.
“Hey, guys, we are going to go.” Everyone’s conversations stopped and they looked at us.
“Where are you going?” Ethan asked in a weird tone.
“None of your business,” Gage snapped as he stood up. All of a sudden you could feel the tension start to rise. All day Gage had been ignoring his little jabs, so he was bound to finally snap.
“Don’t talk to me like that, Harper!” Ethan growled, moving to stand up.
“What we do is none of your business.”
“It is my business when it comes to Carter.”
“She isn’t yours, Galloway,” Gage hissed, clenching his hands at his sides. Not wanting either of them to fight I quickly moved between them, placing a hand on Gage’s chest.
“Gage, let’s go,” I said softly. He looked down at me, his eyes softening a little. With his jaw clenched, he slowly nodded.
“I’ll see you guys later,” I said, giving my brother and Macey a small smile. Amy was busy holding Ethan back as well. Not even sparing Ethan a glance, I grabbed Gage’s hand and tugged him after me. Passing by Dylan, I noticed he was standing now too, and had a hard look on his face. No doubt he would have jumped in if things got too ugly. Squeezing his arm as we passed, I led Gage away from everyone.
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