A ding rings out, and I pull my phone from my pocket. Immediately, I start smiling and laughing. It dings again and again. Travis studies me, watching me bite my lip as I respond. I can tell he wants to ask me who I’m talking to, but it’s not his business as much as he wants to make it his business. I glance up at him, and he drops the smile, which only causes me to laugh again.
“Don’t worry,” I say, watching him tense, almost as if he’s jealous. I turn the phone around and flash him a picture of a flaccid dick on the screen. “Courtney sends me dick pics randomly, but they’re all weird and have issues.”
“That’s the most fucked-up thing I’ve seen in a long time. Is it wrapped around his balls?”
I laugh again. “I don’t know what it’s doing, but it shouldn’t bend that way. I’m so glad you don’t have a messed-up one.”
“You mean you wouldn’t give me a chance if I had a weird dick?”
“No. Weird dicks are a hard limit for me,” I say with a smile.
The dick pics flood in, and I go back to my phone. Tears stream down my face because I’m laughing so hard. I swear she has a folder of these gross pictures reserved just to torture me.
Courtney: SO PLEASE COME OVER AFTER CLASS!
Viola: Okay! Geez.
Courtney: I promise to make it worth your while ;)
I roll my eyes because I don’t think I want to know what she’s talking about. With her, there’s really no telling.
“Courtney has too much time on her hands. And shouldn’t you be reading that chapter?” Travis reminds me, dropping down on the couch and turning on the television. He stops on some old Western where the gunshots sound like ricochets and everything on the screen looks brown—the horses, the hats, the shirts, and even the mesa in the background are the same color. I sit down next to him and begin speed-reading.
An alarm on my phone goes off, and I know it’s time to go. “Shit. Class. I’ll be back later.”
“There’s no way I could tempt you into staying, is there?” Travis lifts his shirt, and his abs beg me to stay. But I shake my head and stand, throwing my bag over my shoulder. I force myself to take a few steps forward.
As I walk past him, he grabs my hand and pulls me to him, causing me to stumble. My body lands next to him on the edge of the couch, and our faces are so close that the warmth of his breath brushes against my cheek. Tucking loose strands of hair behind my ear, Travis leans in and kisses me so sweetly that he practically steals my breath away. I feel like I’m floating, suspended above reality as I experience him in a different way. Over the years, he’s whittled away at my heart and has finally carved a path straight through the middle. I hope to God this never ends. My hands thread through his hair and our movements become wilder, daring, almost animalistic in all aspects. It takes everything I have not to give into him again.
“The things I’d do to you right now,” Travis says in a low rasp with his eyes closed before he pulls away.
“The things you’ve already done to me.”
“You’re never enough, princess.”
“And sometimes you’re too much.” I smile against his lips. My heart is fluttering, and I’m practically gasping for air. The intensity of that single kiss lights my body on fire, and it’s so hard to leave, but I muster the strength to stand.
“You almost cast a spell on me, King,” I say, before leaning down and giving him another smack on the lips.
I walk to my car and sit in the driveway for a few moments, trying to process it all. Being with Travis felt different today. It felt real and meaningful, as if our souls touched for the first time since we were kids. For the first time in years, I saw the boy I fell in love with. And I hope he never leaves again.
Once I start the car, I realize how late I am. Shit!
Hurriedly, I park at my dorm and run across campus, arriving to class late. I sit down, hair a mess, with swollen lips. I try to listen to my professor speak about managing projects with a focus on long-term strategies instead of day-to-day issues, but my mind goes to Travis.
After class, I text him.
Viola: Courtney is begging me to come over. Do you need anything?
His response is immediate, and I instantly smile.
Travis: Just you.
Viola: You should be resting.
Travis: You should be sitting on my face.
Viola: OMG! Now your phone is evidence. It must be destroyed.
I’m half tempted to send him some of those crazy dick pics, but I refrain—for once.
Travis: I’m taking a nap now. Nurse’s orders :)
Viola: Sweet dreams.
I send the text quickly as I throw my bag in the back of my car.
Travis: Only if you’re in them.
Viola: Gag. You’re laying it on thick.
Travis: You like it thick.
Shaking my head, I should’ve anticipated that response from him.
Viola: Shut it and go to sleep! Your meds have made you delirious.
I respond before starting the car and driving to Courtney’s in complete silence. My mind is racing a million miles per hour as I replay everything that’s happened.
“I guess my bribe texts and dick pics worked,” she says with a wide smile when she opens the door.
“Of course! Nothing like soft penises that hang over balls like waterfalls!” I lay on the sarcasm, laughing at the thought of those horrific pictures.
“I needed someone else to be scarred for life, too. Just sharing the love.”
“What would I ever do without you?” I ask.
“Study twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, probably.” She stuffs her phone inside her pocket and smiles back at me. She’s in a much better mood than last week. Court’s almost herself again, and I’m so happy to have her back.
“Come on, we have somewhere to be.”
I narrow my eyes at her as we walk out of her apartment toward the Jeep. After unlocking it, she pulls her long blond hair into a high ponytail. Before she reverses, Courtney gives me a wink, then slams on the gas, causing the wheels to squeal out in protest. Soon we’re cruising through neighborhoods, and she turns down the music and begins with her questions.
“So…” She wiggles her eyebrows at me.
“Things are great,” I say with a big smile.
“You’ve already had sex, haven’t you?”
My mouth drops open. “Well…”
“I love the two of you together. Did he ever say why Mia was with him?” She looks over at me, hoping I’ll give her all the dirty gossip, but there’s nothing to say.
“He said nothing happened, so I’m choosing to believe him.”
Courtney pulls into the mall parking lot. “Where is Viola Fisher, and what have you done with her?”
“If Drew trusts him and believes nothing happened, and Travis says nothing happened, all I can do is follow my heart and trust him, too.”