Before I had the chance to ask him why he was taking off his body warmer, he had taken it off already and with one wave of his arm, he tossed it towards me.
My arms reached out instinctively as if I was catching a ball being thrown at me and caught it before it landed on the ground.
"Hold my jacket," Theo said.
Hold it yourself! I was about to say.
"I can hold your jacket, Master Theo!" Mr Mere volunteered eagerly. His entire body language screamed, "I can do it! Pick me! Pick me!"
"It's fine," Theo shook his head, then tipped his chin in my direction. "Aria can hold it for me."
I grimaced. No, Aria cannot do it! Gathering up his jacket in my arms, I rolled it into a large ball getting ready to throw it right back at him. Then I saw Mr Mere glaring at me with his piercing eyes and thought of better.
He definitely did not like me. It wasn't my imagination; I was certain of it. Because he was giving me evil growlers and he would probably eat me alive if I tried to do anything to hurt his precious Theo, the apple of his eye.
Diverting my gaze away from him. I hugged Theo's jacket against my chest. It still carried the warmth from his body and it smelled woody, like pine trees. And considering how thick it felt, it was surprisingly light, must've been filled with down or something. I thought. With it all folded up, I had the false sensation of walking around whilst carrying a duck or a goose in my arms?
"You can put it on if you're cold," Theo glancing at me and said nonchalantly. "Saves you carrying it around."
I looked towards him and he turned his head away uncomfortably, "you won't be able to shoot if you're carrying it."
That was true. I thought. I unfolded the body warmer and put my arms through it. It was a bit too big for me. Whilst it sat just above the waistband of Theo's jeans, it almost reached down to my thighs. It was incredibly warm.
"It suits you," Theo said.
I made a face. I felt like the Michelin man and probably looked like one too.
Mr Mere handed us shooting glasses and electronic earmuffs, a shotgun and cartridges. Then Theo instructed for him to leave us.
Standing in the field, we began shooting.
Theo wasn't joking when he said he was a good shooter. Each time he called "pull", he did so with ease and confidence. There were no rushing or panic.
In fact, his aim was that good, he didn't miss a single target. I on the other hand didn't even have beginner's luck. I sweated and fumbled, almost dropping my shotgun on several occasions.
"It's my hand," I held the shotgun with one hand and shook my hand in the air. My hand had already healed overnight and it didn't bother me anymore but I was using it as an excuse for my poor shooting skills, or rather the lack of it.
"You need to spread your legs apart," Theo commented, without realising how wrong it sounded on so many levels. "Wider. So you can rotate your body. Like this." He demonstrated.
I raised my eyebrow at him. Seeing that he was being serious, instead of making it into a sexual innuendo, I followed his moves and what did you know? My aim had improved 100%! I found myself giggling with delight.
"It's much better, isn't it?" Theo asked with a smile.
I nodded in agreement. His tip worked.
"Did you enjoy that?" He asked afterwards.
I nodded again. I loved it. Shooting was so much fun, I officially declared it my new hobby.
Theo was smiling at me too. His dark eyes shining brightly, his facial features softening.
I inhaled the crisp, fresh air, feeling all of my troubles disappear. Away from the hustle and bustle of the city, here we were, just the two of us, in the middle of a field in Scotland, surrounded only by the cloudless blue sky and the greenest hills I'd ever seen. It seemed almost surreal.
"I can bring you again if you'd like?" He suggested, "you know, for more shooting."
"Yeah, sure, that sounds great," I said with enthusiasm.
Theo seemed encouraged by my words and his smile widened. "Cool."
We went back to the castle and had our breakfast before the chauffeur drove us to the airport and flew back to London whilst another chauffeur-driven car took us back to Werewolf High.
It was already late by the time we got back. The moment I stepped inside the school gates I felt like I was a prisoner again. Was that how school was meant to feel? Some sort of confinement? Suffocating?
Theo and I walked along the school grounds. The past two days had been a lot of fun and now we were back to reality again.
We got to the front entrance of the girl's dormitory and he halted his steps, knowing that he couldn't go any further.
"Ok." He said, turning to face me, looking slightly awkward.
"Ok." I looked at him and repeated.
"So, I'll see you tomorrow morning at 7?" He looked into my eyes.
7? What was happening at 7? I frowned.
"For the running?" He prompted gently.
My eyes widened in surprise. Was he still on about the running? Was he obsessed with it or something? "Do we have to?" I whined.
"Do you have to eat every day?" He retorted mercilessly.
I made a face. Man, he was brutal. After two days of personality change, Coach Theo was back with a vengeance.
"Ok, fine, I'll see you tomorrow at 7!" I threw my arms up in the air in defeat and stared at him as if saying, "You won. I give up. Happy now?"
A smile appeared across his lips. I shook my head and went inside. I could feel his eyes still watching me from behind to make sure I got in ok.
Maybe he wasn't such a bad guy after all?