BRITNEY ASTON “No!” Heads immediately turned in my direction, confusion spread all over their faces. I couldn’t blame them though, it was only natural my mum and step dad reacted that way at my response to a simple question- if I’d like Travis to drive me to school, again. “No, I mean, no it’s okay,” I rephrased, trying to make the situation less awkward than it already was. “He doesn’t have to. I can manage myself. Thank you.” From the corner of my eye, I could catch him smirking in amusement. Of course it was easy for him to just stand back and be amused at my misery. “Are you sure honey?” My mum asked like I wasn’t clear enough. “You’re both headed to the same place anyways and I don’t think Travis has a problem with dropping you off.” She was right. We were both headed to the same place and though he indeed probably had no problem with dropping me off, I wasn’t willing to sit in his car again.I was more than willing to walk all the way to school if I needed to as long as i
BRITNEY ASTON The second Lucas and I took our first steps into the party, we were welcomed by the music pulsating the air, engulfing the room in a lively atmosphere. The dimly lit house was teeming with people, their laughter and animated conversations filling the air and adding to the buzz. Unfamiliar music pulsated through the air, creating an infectious rhythm that managed to compel everyone to move their body. My gaze lurked around the house, catching sights of a couple of random people- some drunk, some smoking and some heavily making out. “So how’s it?” Lucas spoke up, casually draping his arms around my shoulder. “You like what you see?” “Well, it isn’t all that different to the normal parties in the states,” I replied, catching sight of a couple shoving their tongues down each others throat. “Nothing I haven’t seen before.” “Wait, the states?” He repeated. “You spent your- ah what do you call it, high school in the states?” “Wasn’t it obvious?” I chuckled, trying my best
BRITNEY ASTON Nothing was going on between Travis and I. Nothing could go on between Travis and I. Nothing was allowed to go between Travis and I. Other than the new sibling relationship between us, of course. And Lucas’ question did a good job at slamming that reality right onto my face. “Do you guys not get along well?” Lucas continued with his questions before I could reply. “Is that it? Does he not respect? I don’t know, does he bully you or acts strange with you?” “What? Oh. Oh, no, he doesn’t,” I shook my head, trying to stay as calm as possible, reminding myself I was once again just over thinking things. “It’s- it’s nothing like that.” “It’s not because of me, is it?” “You?” I almost hiccuped, still finding it hard to get a good grasp of the situation of things. “No. You- why would it be because of you?” “I don’t know,” he shrugged then looked away for the first time in a while. “I just felt- I just wanted to make sure.” In response, I simply shook my head and looked
TRAVIS LEWIS I woke up with a pounding headache, my mind foggy from the remnants of last night’s revelry. With a groan, I got up from the bed and looked around me, catching sight of the familiar backside belonging to Amber. She was curled up next to me after several rounds of sex the previous night and hours of cuddles and nagging from her. “Amber?” I called out to her as my eyes roamed around the room in search of my trousers. “A-“ Finally catching sight of my trousers, I paused my call out to her and picked it up to get dressed. In no time, I was fully dressed and prepared to leave her house. “Travis?” I heard her call out to me as I reached for my phone by her bedside. “Are you leaving already? Is it morning already?” I glanced at the time on my phone, shaking my head at how clueless she was. I couldn’t blame her though, it was one of her numerous infamous traits. “Yeah,” I nodded, returning my phone to my pocket. “I need to head home now.” “Home?” I could sense the confusio
BRITNEY ASTON. I felt proud of myself. Or rather, knew I had to be proud of myself. So whether I felt it at that moment or not, I was going to gaslight myself into feeling extremely proud of myself until it became a reality. After all, I’d successfully drawn the line between Travis and I, ensuring our relationship was nothing but plain and basic. Taking the now familiar route, I made my way to school and was able to get there in less than thirty minutes. On walking through the college gates, I headed straight towards my faculty, fresh thoughts making its way to my mind. I didn’t have classes until 2pm yet I was several hours early. But it wasn’t a mere coincidence. It was planned as I had a reason for wanting to get to school earlier than usual. I needed to socialize. Though it was just my first week at college, it had already been more than eventful and I couldn’t help but miss my best friend, Jane’s presence. Lucas seemed nice enough but the fact that he was a senior and had s
BRITNEY ASTONI’d seen her only once but it was more than enough to engrave every possible memory about her into my brain.Her sly and seductive smile, her hair tied up in a ponytail making me guess it was her signature hairstyle, her slender figure with long flawless legs she showed off in her mini skirt and pretty delicate fingers she wrapped around Travis as she kissed him a couple of days ago at the party.“Britney? There she is.”“Huh?” I was pulled out of my short trance, immediately returning my gaze to her. “Oh, right.”I couldn’t deny, the enthusiasm I once felt towards joining the club suddenly vanished from my body. But at the same time, I wasn’t willing to just leave like that. I wanted to know more about her and at the same time, knew I shouldn’t be getting myself involved with her.“Do you want me to introduce her to you?”“Um,” I pressed my lips together, hesitating for a while. “I-“I paused, giving her another quick glance. Almost immediately, a brief memory hit me, ha
BRITNEY ASTON My dad and I had always shared a rather peculiar relationship. From what I could remember, he and my mum had gotten their divorce years ago. I was twelve when it happened and the memory was still vivid in my mind- how they had endless fights for weeks and how my mum was always a wreck after every fight. How my dad resorted to drinking after every fight before eventually leaving the house, leaving me to a barely attentive mum. How it went on for months before they both realized a divorce was what they both needed. Being thirteen, I wasn’t sure on what exactly I was expecting from their divorce but i definitely wasn’t expecting to feel so alone after it happened. As life would have it, my dad moved out and my mum, became even worse than she already was. She was sad, always drunk and when she eventually got over it, became a completely different person. I got used to it rather quickly though. Got used to being myself while my mum roamed the country and eventually, the wo
BRITNEY ASTON Silence immediately fell between us, giving me more than enough time to realize the words I’d just uttered. Immediately, my hands flew to my mouth in a useless attempt to stop the words from coming out but the deed had been carried out already. I’d spilled the beans in the worst possible way ever. With slow breaths, I moved my hands from my mouth, my eyes slowly meeting my mum’s to see her reaction. In contrast to me, she remained frozen in her spot, her blinking eyelids doing all the movements. “What?” She finally spoke up, taking a staggered step backwards. “What did you just say?” There was no point denying it so with renewed confidence, I spoke up again. “Dad and I have been keeping in contact.” “What?” The denial must have finally left her body as her expression now changed into one of complete confusion. “What do you mean by that? You’ve been talking to- what?” “Yes mum,” I nodded. “He came over on my sixteenth birthday and said he wanted to talk. Then he ap
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