BRITNEY ASTON Travis: Britney, can we talk? Travis: How are you? Travis: How are you doing? Travis: Do you want to talk? Travis: I’m so sorry it got out like that. I know you weren’t ready to tell everyone about us. Travis: How’s your mum taking it? Travis: How are you taking it? Travis: Do you want me to come over? I don’t want to talk to my father but I could sneak in at night Travis: Britney… Travis: Are you okay? Travis: I’m sorry. Travis: Would I see you at school today? Pressing my head against my pillow, I heard my phone vibrate, a soft groan immediately escaping my lips. Without checking it my quickest guess was the vibration signifying another text from Travis, my stomach churning in response. I returned home the previous night and much to my disappointment, he wasn’t home as I expected. Unsure of what exactly I was expecting, I simply went to my room and slumped into my bed, only for my phone to begin vibrating over and over, suddenly flooded with texts from hi
BRITNEY ASTON “She’ll come around.” I looked at Lucas and sighed, his reassuring smile beginning to have its effect on me. He sat next to me and listened to everything I had to say. My every rant about how Elle had found out about Travis and I and how she wasn’t willing to talk to me by ignoring all of my texts. “Are you sure?” “She’s just shocked,” he nodded. “She probably didn’t see it coming so she’s taken aback. Remember I didn’t take it so easily too. I was unreasonable, harsh and said a couple of insensitive things. So just give her some time. She’ll come around.” “Yeah, I guess so,” I muttered, finally able to reason with him. “Thank you, Lucas. For everything, really.” “Well, you’re welcome,” he glanced at his wristwatch and immediately rose to his feet. “And I also need to get going.” “Oh, you should,” I quickly joined him on his feet. “It’s getting late.” “I’ll see you around then?” He flashed a final smile and waved. “Take care of yourself.” “I will.” I escorted
BRITNEY ASTON The week went by in a blur, my days filled with the monotonous cycle of me going to school and heading back home. Another thing that remained the same was Elle ignoring me. Proving Lucas wrong, she still clearly had no intentions of talking to me. We walked past each other at the hallways, bumped into each other at the cafeteria and walked into the same exam halls every single day. Yet, she pretended I didn’t exist. It was torturous enough and to make it worse, Travis also seemed to have vanished. He had suddenly stopped texting me and It was like the universe was colliding with everything around me as there was absolutely no trace of him around. The familiar places I used to steal glances of him now felt empty, my brain forcing me to get used to a life without him. “God, can these exams be over already?!” My thoughts were interrupted by an unfamiliar voice, my lips pursing in response. Though the words weren’t directed to me, they perfectly described my every e
BRITNEY ASTON “And that’s a wrap. The semester is finally over!” Chaos erupted in the hallways and classrooms as the words echoed in the air. Students spilled out of every corner, their voices rising in a crescendo of joy and relief. It felt like a dam had broken, releasing weeks of pent-up stress and anxiety into a sea of celebration. After what felt like an eternity, we were finally free from the grip of exams. The semester had been a long, winding road, filled with unexpected twists and turns. I looked around, noticing faces I didn’t even recognize, all sharing in the same exhilaration. Strangers laughed together, bonded by the shared ordeal that had finally come to an end. “Party at your place? Cool. Everyone, party at Frank’s!” Another wave of cheers rippled through the crowd, a new reason for them to rejoice. But not me though I had no intention of joining the festivities. The thought of being in a noisy, crowded room made my chest tighten. I just wanted to escape, t
BRITNEY ASTON By the time I got to Travis’, it was a little past 7pm. My heart thudded heavily in my chest, each beat reverberating in my ears, amplifying the nervous energy coursing through me. I hesitated for a moment, my hand hovering above the gate, as an inexplicable mix of anticipation and dread settled in my stomach. Taking a deep breath, I pushed the gate open and stepped inside, the sound of the creaking hinges echoing in the stillness. His car was parked in the driveway, my pulse quickened at the sight and suddenly my palms felt clammy as if they couldn’t quite contain the magnitude of the emotions stirring within me. I hadn’t seen him in days and ignored all texts from it so it did it feel a bit awkward. But it was nothing I couldn’t work with, judging from how much I missed him. I had missed him—missed him so much that it hurt, a dull ache that had refused to leave my chest since the last time I saw him. “Travis?” I called out, my voice barely above a whisper a
TRAVIS LEWIS She was smiling. She had the most radiant smile on her face, her cheekbones raised, her eyes alive. Her cheeks were slightly colored in the familiar shade of pink, her lips in an equal shade of pink, stretched. I could spend forever in that moment, staring at her eyes and listening to the sound of her laughter. Every moment felt precious as my eyes and hands caressed her face, each touch of her skin under my fingers reminding myself of how much I missed every single thing about her. “I missed you, Britney.”“You’ve said that a million times now,” she chuckled and wrapped her arms around my neck, pulling me closer to her. Her warmth seeped into me, soothing the ache that had been gnawing at my chest for so long. “I missed you too, Travis.” “Do you even have any idea how hard it has been without you?” I continued, watching her reduce the distance between us by drawing closer towards me, our breaths mingling. “I was worried. I know I wanted a bit of time to figure thin
TRAVIS LEWIS Never in my wildest dreams did I ever imagine myself driving to my father’s place with the type of speed I did. My grip on the steering wheel was tight, my gaze hard as I drove. I was consumed with anger, the emotion flooding my veins and clouding my every judgment. There was only one thing on my mind and it was no one but Britney. How to see her. How to talk to her. How to bring her back to me. In less than half the normal time, I was at his house, immediately pulling over. Not caring enough to park my car properly, I stormed out and marched towards the entrance, pushing the door open immediately. It was a house I’d lived in for so long yet it suddenly felt foreign. Maybe it was because I’d been away from it for so long and the only person that motivated me to remain in the house was suddenly away too. “Britney?” I hopelessly called out to her as I walked into the living room and made my way upstairs. I wasn’t sure she was in the house but I was left with no
TRAVIS LEWISThe news came crashing on me, the reality setting in harder than it ever did.It wasn't just my fears. It wasn't just my thoughts. This wasn’t just fear gnawing at my thoughts, nor the countless nightmares I’d endured. Britney was finally away from me. And there was utterly nothing I could do about it.Except to find someone to blame. The only person responsible for all the misery and sadness in my life. The only person who had a reputation of snatching my happiness away from me just as it reached its peak.My blood was suddenly boiling as I balled my fists and turned to face my father. I could feel sparks flying out my eyes as I glared at him, my anger consuming every bit of me."What did you do to her?" my question was direct and filled with every last of anger and frustration within me. "What did you do to Britney? What did you do to her to make her leave?!" His face twisted in confusion, the lines of his forehead deepening as he tried to comprehend my accusation."
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