BRITNEY ASTON I should have pushed Lucas away immediately. I shouldn’t have allowed him kiss me. I should have ended it as quickly as possible and then apologized to him for misunderstanding him. I should have then told him I couldn’t reciprocate his feelings cause I didn’t feel the same way as he did. But instead, I remained frozen in my spot and allowed him kiss me and after a couple of seconds, kissed him back. Maybe it was because Travis’s face suddenly flashed in front of my eyes as he kissed me. And suddenly, all I wanted to do was get back at him and have him realize I could be with someone else. Especially, someone he disliked. But whatever the reason was, i didn’t pull away until Lucas did himself, immediately taking my hands in his. “Wow,” he smiled at me, gently squeezing my hands. “That was- amazing. I didn’t think you’d- you know.” I pressed my lips together, slowly nodding in response. I couldn’t believe myself either. “So,” he was still blushing as he spoke up
TRAVIS LEWIS I stared at my phone in my hand, Amber’s text message begging for a response flashing in my face. She needed me to come around. Just to keep her company. As I always did whenever her parents were at it. Just like me, she wasn’t a stranger to family drama. But compared to me, her version of family drama entailed her parents arguing and arguing for years and finally, realizing and deciding a divorce was what was best for them. And not too strangely, it had always had an effect on Amber, the announcement of a divorce having even more effect than she’d expected it. I understood her and tried to be her friend most times. But for the first time, I remained in my room, unable to put her feelings before mine by going over to her place. There was a raging war going on in my head, the war refusing to quieten with every second that passed. It only got more intense, leaving me with a terrible headache and a state of mind worse than the state of the relationship my father a
TRAVIS LEWIS My drive to Hampshire was sudden and unexpected but it was definitely one I didn’t regret. It was a long and quiet drive. One long and quiet enough to help me gather my thoughts. And for the first time in a long while, think about a lot of things including Amber’s words. It took a while but I could finally reason with her a little bit. She was right jt in the aspect of me being so closed off towards everyone. It was true. I never kept people close to me. Not even my friends. I tried to make every relationship I’d ever formed as casual as possible. It was like the default setting in my head and just maybe, it was the reason I couldn’t think of more when it came to women. My friends were no different. I had a number of friends but they weren’t really close to me. We hung out during parties and other outings but that was all. They barely knew me other than that and I barely knew them. On getting to Hampshire, I drove straight to the volunteering camp. It was su
BRITNEY ASTON It had to be the first time in forever i anticipated a school day so much. After spending the entire previous day locked up in my room feeling suffocated, I just couldn’t wait for an excuse to leave. To not just leave the room but also the leave the house, getting rid of any possibility of running into him. Though I knew there was technically still a chance of running into him at school and an even bigger chance of running into Lucas too, I didn’t mind. I still needed the fresh air and change of scenario. Lucas. My stomach churned at the mere thought of him. As eager as I was to return to school, I wasn’t particularly looking forward to seeing him. I could still feel a bit of unease whenever I thought of our kiss and it got even worse whenever I thought of the possibility that I might have led him on by not rejecting him outrightly. But on the brighter side, it could just be for the better. And with that mindset, I stepped out of the house and took the bus head
BRITNEY ASTON Grabbing an empty bag big enough to fit in my mum’s belongings, I walked out of the house and headed straight to the bus stop, taking the direct bus to the hospital. She was finally getting discharged from the hospital and thought I was glad she was better, I wasn’t sure how I felt about her back into the house. I’d spent the past two days sneaking around the house. My biggest goal was avoiding Travis and with just the two of us plus his dad, occasionally, it was easy. I was able to spend an entire day without running into him even once. But now that my mum was about to return to the house, it was going to be far from possible. Especially when she was announcing her return with a family dinner. The mere thought of the dinner made me cringe but at least, I had a day left. An entire day to wrap my head around it and if I was lucky enough, manage to get her to cancel it. Jack was to be at the hospital already, the two of them anticipating my presence. He was t
BRITNEY ASTON “Britney, it’s time!” “Just give me ten more minutes mum!” “You said that ten minutes ago!” I groaned as I stared at myself in the mirror, realizing that indeed I had asked for ten extra minutes ten minutes ago. But it wasn’t my fault. If it was to be anybody’s fault, it was my mum’s. For making a big deal out of a dinner that was supposed to be between the little members of the family. I was dressed in a simple blue gown. It was plain with buttons all the way to my waist, the rest of the gown falling to stop at my mid thigh. It looked simple and perfect for a normal dinner but with Lucas showing up and Amber, most likely showing up too, I wasn’t so sure. My hair was tied up in a ponytail, showing off my neck as I left the last button of the collar undone. I also had a silver necklace on with matching silver earrings on, enhancing my whole look. “Britney?!” “Fine, fine, I’m on way down!” I screamed to my mum and gave myself a final look in the mirror. S
BRITNEY ASTON If there was one thing I had no idea I was capable of, it was packing my bags for an entire week long trip in less than a day. But with my mum’s enthusiasm ringing through the ears of every single person in the house, we were left with no choice but to give into her wishes. With an interval of at most five minutes, groans and sighs kept on escaping my lips. I didn’t want to go on a stupid family trip to anywhere. All I wanted to know was remain in the house and avoid Travis as much as I could. But now, my mum was going to be parading me all around, ensuring there was a fake smile on my face as she deluded herself into thinking we were a normal happy family. It took an eternity but I was finally able to finish packing my things. I was able to finish in time too, leaving me with a good five hours sleep before I was woken up the following morning by my mum banging on my room door, chanting her familiar tune of excitement. I groaned as I realized it really wasn’t
TRAVIS LEWIS The beach was nice to look at but it was going to take more than a nice beach to elevate my mood. If it was up to me, I was going to remain in my room the entire time but after lecturing Britney and asking her to act normal, I knew I had to do the same. I didn’t mean to get angry at her earlier but I just couldn’t help it. Her behavior was frustrating. And even more frustrating when I noticed Rose was now giving me side looks. Rose was being excited about the trip. So excited I couldn’t wrap my head around. Was it really the change of scenery or was it being there with my father? My father? The thought made me scoff. Though I wasn’t her biggest fan either, I could at least say she deserved better than my father. Actually, no one deserved to be with him. He was better off alone and should have stayed alone. Shifting my thoughts to more positive thoughts, I stared at the shirt I had laid on my bed. Rose had asked us all to get freshened up and then head out fo
EPILOGUE “Britney, you’re going to be late for school!” Rosaline’s words pierced through the thin walls of the house, accompanied with Jack’s laughter as he scooped his breakfast into his plate, glancing at the empty seats that were supposed to be occupied by Travis and Britney. After a long summer break, it was finally time for Britney and Travis to return to school. The morning was unusually chaotic with Rosaline screaming at Britney over and over, travis parading the house in search of one thing or the other and the he and his wife, seated on the dining, impatiently waiting for their children to grace the table with their presence. A whole lot had changed during the last couple of weeks and jack dared to say, it was the best change that had ever happened in his life. “Hey, Rosaline,” Travis finally arrived, his eyebrows raised as he greeted rosaline in his familiar manner. “Dad. Good morning.” “Morning, sweetie,” Rosaline spoke up before anyone else could. “You’re here a
TRAVIS LEWIS I was skeptical, watching Britney leave with her mum. Especially after she announced my father’s wishes to talk to me privately. A part of me wanted to walk out of the living room but I had to quench it, reminding myself I’d promised to talk to him. I needed to have that conversation with him. For myself. For Britney. For all of us. With Brittney and her mum out of the living room, it suddenly felt more quiet than ever, neither my dad nor I making a sound. We simply remained in our position,allowing the silence stretch further between us until it got to a point I just couldn’t take it anymore. “You said you wanted to talk to me?” I had to break the silence. “About?” “A lot?” He looked up at me. “We both know we have a lot to talk about.” I shrugged in response and he took it as a cue to continue. “At least, take a seat would you. Your feet must hurt after sitting in the plane for so long.” “You knew where I was?” I stared at him suspiciously. “Is that a qu
BRITNEY ASTON Travis and I woke up the following morning and with a few kisses and more words of reassurances to each other, we checked out and began our ride to the airport. We didn’t say much during the drive to the airport but The silence wasn’t uncomfortable at the same time it- was heavy with the weight of everything unsaid, everything we had been through. I leaned into his shoulder, closing my eyes briefly as I let the hum of the city fade into the background. My thoughts kept circling back to what lay ahead—to the confrontation waiting for us in London, to the parents we had left behind, and to the uncertain future that now stretched before us. At the airport, the check-in process went by in a blur. Travis stayed close, his presence a great help as we navigated through the crowds and security checks. The boarding process was swift, and before I knew it, we were seated on the plane, the engines roaring to life as the city of New Jersey receded beneath us. The flight was l
BRITNEY ASTON “Do you really have to return already?” Jane sat cross-legged on the couch, pouting like a child, her lower lip jutting out as she whined dramatically. We had arrived at her place and immediately told her about our plans to leave for London the following day and she clearly wasn’t as thrilled. “I can’t believe you’re leaving me so soon!” she complained, her voice filled with a mix of playful annoyance and genuine sadness. “You just got here, Brit. Are you really going to run back to London already?” I chuckled softly, reaching out to give her hand a comforting squeeze. “I’m not running back,” I laughed, even though I knew it was a little bit of a lie. “Im just going back. You know the way things have been. The reason I came here in the first place. And now, things have changed and Travis and I need to figure out what’s next for us. I can’t keep hiding out here forever.” “I’m not asking you hide here forever!” She huffed. “I’m just saying you should at least s
BRITNEY ASTON The morning sunlight filtered softly through the sheer curtains, casting a warm, golden hue across the room. I stirred, feeling the weight of Travis’s arm draped protectively over my waist, his steady breath tickling the nape of my neck. For a moment, I just laid there, feeling the gentle rise and fall of his chest against my back, savoring the peace that came with waking up beside him. It had been so long since I’d felt this way—safe, cherished, utterly content. My lips curled into a smile as I nestled deeper into his embrace, every fiber of my being grateful for the chance to feel his warmth again. It felt like a dream, one that I was terrified of waking up from, but the steady beat of his heart against my skin reminded me that this was real. He was real, and he was here with me. Memories of the previous night flooded my mind, and I found myself blushing at the vivid recollections. We had barely made it through the door before our lips had crashed together, mon
BRITNEY ASTON The door to the hotel room was slammed shut, our fiery passion immediately ignited all over again. Our lips returned to each other’s like it had been more than an hour since they were last in contact. The kiss was deeper than ever, our passion and excitement over the roof. “I’ve missed you.” Our eyes locked, a silent understanding passing between us before we surged forward, lips crashing together again in a desperate, heated kiss. My fingers tangled in his hair, pulling him closer as hie hands roamed my back, gripping the fabric of my shirt like he hadn’t skillfully gotten rid of it just an hour ago. The kiss was frantic, filled with the urgency of all the unsaid words, the unspent passion that had been building between us for far too long. We stumbled backward, our lips never parting, until I felt the edge of the bed pressing against my legs. With a quick motion, he lifted me off my feet and laid me down gently on the bed, his body immediately hovering ove
BRITNEY ASTON "Travis?" The word barely escaped my lips, a breathless whisper that seemed to echo in the stillness of the room. For a moment, time itself seemed to freeze. I stood there, rooted to the spot, staring at the figure before me as if he were a mirage, something conjured by my desperate, aching heart. My chest tightened, every beat of my heart pounding like a drum against my ribcage, trying to escape. It was him. It was really him. The Travis I had left behind, the Travis I had tried so hard to distance myself from, was now standing right in front of me. His expression mirrored mine, eyes wide with shock, as if he too couldn’t believe what he was seeing. He looked different, a little more worn, like he had been through his own personal storm, and yet, he was still the Travis I knew—the Travis I loved. "Britney," he breathed out, his voice hoarse, as if the very act of saying my name had stolen the breath from his lungs. “Brit.” My mouth opened, but the words refus
TRAVIS LEWIS Thomas blinked at me, confusion written all over his face. His expression wavered- from that of hopelessness, confusion, worry and once again, hopelessness. He looked genuinely confused but I had to be even more confused. Why wasn't Britney at his place? She was definitely at new jersey, right? If that was the case then where in the world could she be? "Britney, isn't with you?" he broke into my thoughts to ask. "But Richard said" "I wanted to see you. Alone. Britney wasn't with me." "Oh," | watched his face fall as the realization hit him. "Oh. Oh, that's what happened." "Forgive my manners, do you want to come in?" he quickly added. "I was just really excited to meet you. That's why I um was waiting outside. But um, you can come in if you don't mind. You came from London, right? I could whip you a nice cup of tea real quick." Normally, I would have rejected his offer as the last thing I wanted and needed was a cup of tea. But he was Britney's father and if a cup
TRAVIS LEWIS One minute, I was at Lucas’, trying to figure out where Britney could be and the other, I was hurriedly packing my bags after booking the most impromptu next flight to New Jersey. Lucas was right. All it took was a couple of deep breaths and calm thinking for me to figure out where she was going to be. Considering everything going on, it only made sense that she felt like the problem- she was probably blaming herself for being the reason her mum would be unable to have another normal family, blaming herself for being one of the major reasons I was never going to be on better terms with my dad, blaming her presence for being the reason things got so complicated. And with all of that, it only felt right for her to return to New Jersey, probably convinced things were going to miraculously get better that way. But they weren’t. Not like that. And especially not when I was on my way to New Jersey to find her. To hold her. And to never let her go. I arrived at the airpo