BRITNEY ASTON Britney: Where are you? Britney: I wrapped up classes ages ago Britney: Hello?? Britney:Are you asleep? Britney: Or do you have classes? Britney: Travis? Britney: TRAVIS!!! Britney: Are you coming over to pick me or not?! I was losing my mind as I sent the dozenth message in the span of a minute, Travis still refusing to show up. I’d been texting him for over an hour and not only did I not get a single response from him, he refused to show up. My day went fairly well and I’d been looking forward to seeing his face to make it better. Though we still had huge challenges right in front us, I felt a bit less terrified knowing he was by my side and ready to have the two of go through it together. “For heaven’s sake, is his phone broken?!” I groaned to myself as I contemplated sending another text message. “If that’s the case his legs aren’t also broken are they? So where in the world is he?!” “What are you talking about?” Elle asked by my side, taking a
BRITNEY ASTON The second my alarm rang, my eyes shot open and I was reminded of how empty the house felt without Travis in it. I immediately rushed to my feet, grabbing my phone as i did. Turning it on to check if any of my calls or messages to Travis got returned, I sighed in disappointment as I realized there was not even a single text or call from him. With a grunt, I tossed my phone aside and got up to head outside. My steps were slow as I approached his room and gently placed a knock on it, desperately hoping to get a response. I got none though, my disappointment reaching its peak as I returned to my room. Feeling worried all over again, I ran my hands through my hair and forced myself to get freshened up and get ready for school. Dozens of questions flooded my mind as I got myself ready. The mere thought of going over to school without Travis driving me felt weird. And the fact that I had no clear reason he wasn’t going to be driving me felt even weirder. Regardless,
BRITNEY ASTON “Britney? Britney? Britney!” “Huh?” I almost jumped, Elle’s cold hands on my shoulder pulling me back to my senses. “Sorry, did you say something?” “Yes, I said about a dozen things,” she sent her hands to her waist. “Where is your mind? You’ve been so out of it all day.” “Right, I’m sorry,” I hung my head low and groaned softly. “I’m- I’m just-“ I sighed, running my hands through my hair. I didn’t need Elle to tell me to know how absent minded I’d been the whole day. My mind had been all over the place with Travis’ absence and my argument with my mum and his dad. “Hey, Britney, are you okay?” Her tone suddenly changed as she looked at me with eyes filled with concern. “Is everything okay?” “No,” I shook my head, unable to bring myself to even lie. “Not really. Everything is not okay.” “Do you want to talk about it?” She wrapped her arms around my shoulders. “I’m here for you if you want to talk, you know.” I looked at her and shook my head again, unable
BRITNEY ASTON “We’re here.” I cursed under my breath as Lucas pulled over in front of his place, turning over to face me as he did. “Come on.” I watched him turn around to help me with the door and then stretched his hand so I could take it. Hesitating, I stared at his hand for a while and with a deep breath took it, having him lead the way into the house. A part of me felt terribly guilty for coming with him. But I knew I was going to feel worse if I decided to allow him spend the night on the bench. He was not only going to freeze but it was also going to make our relationship more complicated than it already. What my mum thought considering me spending the night at his place but in no way important to me but instead, Travis’ opinion was. He couldn’t blame me though. It was all his fault too. If only he had shown up then I wouldn’t have been so desperate to get an escape from my mum and his dad. “Britney, you might have forgotten but I don’t bite,” Lucas spoke up, fi
BRITNEY ASTON An ache had to be an understatement for now my head felt the following morning. I couldn’t find a way to put into words how bad it hurt. It was pounding, throbbing and at some point, felt like it was going to burst open and vomit all of its contents. After struggling to order an Uber the previous night, I staggered all the way home and had to empty my bags to pay the driver. Luckily for me, my mum wasn’t in sight by the time I got home, giving me the opportunity to quietly crawl to my room and leave myself locked in there to suffer the entire night. Now, morning, I only felt worse than I did the previous and to make it all more terrible than ever, I knew I was only going to feel worse if I decided to spend the entire day indoors. I was not only avoiding my mum now. I was also avoiding Jack. And Lucas. And now Amber too. “Great,” I muttered to myself as i laughed bitterly, my head aching all over again from even the slightest movements. “Just great, Britney.”
TRAVIS LEWIS It had been three days. Three days since I ran away from everything like a coward. Three days since I locked myself up in this house without stepping out even once. Three days since I felt like myself. Three days since I last saw or heard from Britney- three days since I felt alive. Fights with my father were nothing new. Yet with every single fight, he still always managed to strike a nerve in me. And this time, it was managed to hit one that sent me into a state of isolation for longer than expected. Leaving the house after fights wasn’t also a new occurrence to either of us. Before he got married to Rose, I completely lost count of the times i left the house in anger and locked up myself in a completely different house, city or town. My spontaneous trip to New Jersey was as a result of one of those fights and for a while, I believed I’d moved past that phase. Running my hands through my hair, I sat up and looked around me. I was far from home and in a place
BRITNEY ASTON I read the address on my phone for the hundredth time in the span of barely two hours, the cab finally pulling over. It had to be the most spontaneous decision I’d ever made. I didn’t hesitate for even a second, leaving college almost immediately I confirmed the address was indeed where I was to find Travis. The ride lasted for over an hour, my gaze shifting between the road and my phone the entire time. We were heading towards a completely unfamiliar path and all I could think about was Travis. I had so many questions for him but before anything else, I hoped he was okay. My heart raced at the mere thought, my imaginations running wild as I wondered how he was doing so far away and why Lucas was the only person who seemed to guess where he could be. “He’s fine,” I held onto my phone tightly, reassuring myself. “No matter what happened, I’m sure he’s fine. He just wanted to be by himself for a -“ “Miss, we’re here.” I was quickly interrupted by the voice of the c
BRITNEY ASTON I stared at the now shut door for what felt an eternity, contemplating my every decision all over again. It really didn’t feel right to leave Travis just like that and return home. But I was helpless with no other choice but to give in to his wishes. After helping me clean his wound, he turned around and looked away from me, telling me my time was up and indirectly asking me to leave. With a sigh, I wiped my hands, realizing how completely dried my hands now were. Considering how wet they previously were after I spent minutes wiping the living room floor, I realized how much time had passed with me waiting outside and hoping for the door to miraculously open. It was going to happen though. Travis had made it clear he needed to be alone. And if there was anyway I could help him, it was probably by doing exactly what he wanted from me and nothing else. My shoulders slumped in defeat and I finally turned around, heading for the unfamiliar main street. It was getting d
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