He furrows his brows. “Seventy-five?”
“Wrong. It’s one hundred and fourteen!” I respond confidently. “See, you’re not in the right state of mind.”
He leans his head back and laughs. I watch as his throat moves and think about the last time we were together in his bed. “To be fair, I wouldn’t know the answer to that question, either way, you little nerd.”
I narrow my eyes at him and hold back a smile.
“Look at us—having an actual conversation without arguing,” he says, covering his hand over mine.
“Don’t get cocky,” I tease. “When the drugs are all out of your system, you’ll be back to pissing me off, I’m sure.”
“I can do that while I’m on drugs,” he mocks.
I laugh because this is the first time in years Travis and I have had a normal conversation.
“Glad to see nothing’s changed then.”
“Princess, come on. I might be bruised in places I didn’t even know could bruise, and my ribs might be fractured and hurt like a motherfucker, but I can see the questions written all over your face. So, just ask me. You know you can ask me anything.”
I pull my lips into my mouth and exhale through my nose. “Fine. Why was Mia naked in your back seat?”
“Going right for the jugular,” he teases.
Maybe I shouldn’t have blurted that out.
“Never mind.” I start shifting off the bed.
“Wait...Viola, please don’t go,” he pleads, and I wait. “There’s a lot we need to talk about. I’ve been lying in bed the last week, and the physical pain is nothing compared to having you walk away from me, knowing I can’t chase you.”
“Then just tell me, because the thought of you with someone else makes me sick.”
“Viola, it’s not what you’re thinking.”
I exhale, staring intently at him. “So, girls just magically end up naked in the back seat of your car?”
“Well, I recall you in the back seat of my car not so long ago…” He smirks, and I hate that the memory sends shivers down my spine. “But why don’t you ask me what you really want to know.”
Heat rushes through me, and I’m too scared to ask if they had sex. The truth is, I want to know everything, every detail. But I’m afraid it will break my heart into a million little pieces, and I’m not sure if I can handle that again.
I shrug, not sure where to even start. I like this side of Travis—sweet and vulnerable, even though I know it won’t last long. “I don’t think I can handle knowing right now.”
“You want to know for the same reason I wanted to punch Axel’s face in.”
“Andrew,” I correct.
He rolls his eyes. “So, just say whatever it is you’re so busy overthinking about.”
I slide farther onto the bed, leaning my back against the wall and crossing my legs. “Which part? Why you were in such a shitty mood when you got home from work? Why did you even leave the house? Why wouldn't you talk to me? How did you end up out of the city with Drew’s crazy ex-girlfriend? I mean, I don’t even know if I want to know the answers to the questions swirling in my mind.”
“And why she was naked in the back seat of my car?” He arches a brow, knowing damn well it’s driving me insane.
“Well, I can do the math in my head,” I say shyly, bowing my head because I don’t think I’m strong enough to hear it.
“You really think that?” I hear the pain in his voice, and I cringe at the way his words cut through me.
“Well, your track history isn’t very promising. Like when you asked my friend, Heather McNeil, out and promised her a good time, only to ditch her at the movie theater when you ran into Betsy St. Clair and ended up making out with her in the parking lot.”
“I was a dumb kid,” he says, “running on hormones.”
I chuckle, agreeing. “Well, I’m not so sure much has changed.” I know my words catch him off guard, but he reaches for my hand and ignores my comments. I don’t know if this is going to be the end of whatever we had, or…
“You know you’re going to have to learn to trust me, now that we’re together.”
His words stop my thoughts, and I’m immediately silenced.
I look up and see a smile spread across his face, his fingers gripping mine tighter.
“Oh?” My brows rise. “We’re together now?”
“Well, yeah. Do you see any other girls walking around here?”
I burst out in easy laughter. “Give it a few days. I’m sure they’ll be here in no time.”
“Guess I deserved that.” He grins, rubbing the pad of his thumb over my hand. “You know you can trust me, Viola.” His voice sounds sincere. “I may be a lot of things, but I’ve never lied to you.”
He’s right. Travis King may be a lot of things, but he’s not a liar. He’s always been honest and straightforward about everything. Even when his honest words weren’t what I wanted to hear.
“So, Mia being naked in your back seat?” I cringe at saying the words aloud again. “Nothing happened between you two?”
“Viola?” He places his finger under my chin and locks his eyes on mine. “Do you trust me?”
He’s not exactly answering the question, but deep inside, I do trust him. Remembering what Drew said back at the hospital, Travis would never betray him.
I nod.
“Good, because I’m not sharing you with anyone else.”
“You can’t just be a caveman and claim me,” I tease as his thumb lingers over my bottom lip.
“Sure, I can. You’re mine.”
Goose bumps.
His words send shivers down my spine at how genuine his words sound. It’s everything I’ve ever wanted to hear him say.
But I won’t give in that easy. At least not right away.
“Come closer,” he says.
“You aren’t the boss of me, Travis King.”
He smirks, knowing damn well I’m full of shit. “I think we both know that’s not true. I’ve had you counting until you lost your voice.” His lips turn up, obviously very impressed with himself.
“So arrogant.” I sigh. “Some things never change.” I shake my head, trying to hold back a smile.
“And some things do,” he says, cupping my face. “No more games.” He rubs the pad of his thumb over my cheek, and I nearly melt into him. If he weren't injured, I’d be ready to strip all his clothes off.
I nod in agreement. “No more games.”
I know we’ll eventually need to have a conversation about that night and talk about what all happened, but I also know I trust him. Even after all the hurt, anger, and heartache, Travis King will always be the boy I loved as a child.
He pulls me toward him, pressing his lips to mine. It’s nothing like our previous kisses. This one is slow, soft, and passionate. I don’t push for more because I know he’s using every ounce of energy to kiss me.
I pull back, even though I don’t want to. Sitting next to Travis, I make sure to avoid touching or putting pressure on him.
“Since I’ll be dropping by between classes, there needs to be some rules.”