TRAVIS

Even though I’m exhausted, I go to the gym bright and early. Before I leave, I wipe Alyssa’s message off the back of my car. Lipstick is a bitch to clean off, by the way. I work out for an hour to clear my mind. It’s an outlet I need, and I’ve missed the last few days, so it feels good to lift again.

Every time I blink, my eyes scream out in protest. By the time I get to work, I’m amped up on caffeine and adrenaline and it’s the only thing that gets me through the morning. Well, that and the thought of Viola crumbling under my touch.

I click through countless folders on my computer and open my shared drive. It’s obvious Alyssa hasn’t contributed to our project because the last change was made yesterday by me. I suck in a few deep breaths and try to regain control and come up with a solid plan of execution. For hours I rush around with hopes to finish the report by the end of the day because it’s due in less than twenty-four hours. I sort through previous project requisitions, contracts, and even research competitors because if my name is going to be put on something, it needs to be top notch.

Fuck. I’m mentally and physically exhausted. Just like every other day since I received this blessing of a project, today is shit.

I run my fingers through my hair then glance down at my phone and see it’s nearly lunch time, but there’s no time to eat actual food so I grab an emergency protein bar I keep in my desk drawer and wolf it down.

Alyssa sashays outside of my office, pulling me back to the situation at hand, and I’m half tempted to follow her and tell her exactly what I think. Between the pictures, my tires, and her not pulling her weight, she deserves it. Just the thought of everything she’s put me through makes my blood boil. I’ve had enough of her shit. Just as I begin to stand, she turns around, steps in, and closes my door. She’s smiling, sweetly, which I know is a big fucking act. She’s the devil in designer clothes and lipstick.

I clench my jaw, the sight of her bringing the worst out in me.

“To what do I owe the pleasure of this little visit, Alyssa?” Sarcasm drips from each word, sitting back down in my chair.

“How’s our project going?” she casually asks, sitting down on the edge of my desk. She looks entirely too comfortable as her skirt rides up her thighs and then has the audacity to look me up and down, like she used to, but I know better. She uses her body to get anything she wants. Too bad her looks are trumped by her bitchy attitude.

“My project is going fucking wonderful. It’s due in the morning and since you’ve done less than your part, I’m scrambling to finish it. I should’ve expected that from you anyway.” I cross my arms over my chest and lock eye contact with her. “If only you took your job as seriously as you took sucking my dick,” I say dryly.

She laughs as if I told her a fucking joke. She stands and smiles. “Oh, Travis.” Her voice is thick with pity. “I turned in the project yesterday.” She taps her fake nails along the top of my desk.

“What the hell are you talking about?” I dig my nails into my palm.

Her face lights up like a Christmas tree. “Daddy was so impressed by it.” Her face contorts. “But it’s a pity you weren’t able to contribute anything useful. He couldn’t believe you wouldn’t put in the effort for something so important. If I remember correctly, I believe he said ‘Travis King is a disappointment’ and I agreed with him.”

“What the fuck did you do, Alyssa?” With nostrils flaring, I push my chair back and stand up.

Her evil grin doesn’t falter. “Some lessons are learned the hard way, Travis. This one you should’ve learned a long time ago.”

Unbelievable. Un-fucking-believable. My mind is reeling, and I’m so pissed I can barely control myself. Alyssa takes a step toward me. She’s standing so close, I can smell the stench of her overpriced perfume. She slides her hand down my chest until my dick is cupped in her hand. I’m trying to control my anger but it’s beginning to spill over.

I grab her wrists and force them tight to her side. My thumbs dig into her skin and she squirms before relaxing. It takes everything I have to not drag her from my office and throw her into the hallway. I release her arms, needing to control my temper before it gets out of hand.

“You’re the biggest fucking mistake I’ve ever made,” I say, realizing how much she disgusts me, even if I’m partially to blame. I knew I was playing with fire messing around with her, but I didn’t deserve this.

“And I’m sure I won’t be your last.” She throws her head back and laughs, like fucking with my career is some sort of fun game to her. The sneer on her face and the gleam in her eyes makes her look insane, but I don’t even flinch. She’s the epitome of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde right now. Her actions could ruin my future, ruin everything I’ve worked so hard to accomplish. Considering she’s never worked a day of her life, it brings me to a level of anger that I haven’t felt in a long time. Before I can speak, a knock rings out on the door and interrupts us. She narrows her eyes at me.

“I think that’s your cue to get the fuck out.” I glare at her.

“Aww, Travis is mad,” she says in an overly exaggerated pouty voice but then instantly changes her tone to a more serious one. “You could at least congratulate me on my promotion before I leave. Meet your new Global Sales Director. Respect the title, Travis, because eventually I’ll be your CEO.”

“Are you fucking kidding me? You were promoted? Your father must have finally lost his goddamn mind.” I’m shocked. There’s no way she’ll be able to handle the responsibility. She has no experience and is as trustworthy as a used car salesman. She could single-handedly ruin any and all chances the firm has of expanding further into the global market. Unfortunately for her, she won’t be able to suck dicks to get out of it. Good. Great. Grand. Fantastic. Alyssa is a goddamn Director of the firm.

“You’re such a bitch,” I say between gritted teeth.

Before she can respond, the door swings open and Blake steps in. The room grows silent. He’s so worked up, he’s heaving with flared nostrils. He freezes, trying to gain his composure and takes a deep breath before completely dismissing Alyssa. He’s gripping a single sheet of paper so tightly in his hand it’s crumpled.

“For fuck’s sake. I didn’t plan on being tag teamed today,” I say to myself.

Blake takes a few steps forward and then he’s in my face. He smells like stale coffee and old man aftershave. “What the hell is this, King?” he asks, disdain in his tone.

I take the paper from his hand and see it’s the application I submitted for the open position, for his old job. I furrow my brows and look back up at him. “What about it?”

“It’s your responsibility to inform your upper level supervisor before you apply for any position. It’s a company standard that you, for some reason, think you’re too good to follow. That cocky attitude has gone straight to your fucking head and I’ve had enough of it.”

Alyssa crosses her arms and smiles. She’s fucking loving this.

His words almost catch me off guard, but not quite. I know I should’ve went to him and discussed it first, but after dismissing me in the meeting, I decided to go above him and submitted it anyway. Fuck him and his bad attitude toward me. The man wouldn’t piss on me if I were on fire.  He’d block every attempt I made regardless if I’m more qualified than anyone else in our department. So submitting that application was a big fuck you delivered straight from me.

He takes a step back, noticing the anger on my face. “I’ve told HR to remove your application. You do not have my recommendation for that position and as long as I’m around, you’ll never go anywhere in this company.”

I swallow hard, knowing that’s the response I deserve for going over his head. I’m sure it was a shock when he received the call from HR that I had applied. I smile at him, allowing him to taste the hatred I have toward him, tempting him to come closer and say that in front of my face, but he doesn’t. Blake shakes his head at me then turns around and walks out of my office, slamming the door behind him. I clench my fists, fighting the urge to follow him and tell him how many fucks I don’t give about his recommendation.

Alyssa laughs then follows in his wake. Before she grabs the knob, she turns and looks at me. “Don’t fuck with me, Travis. I’ll win every single time.”

I clench my jaw so hard, my teeth grind together. The things I want to scream at her consume my mind and it takes everything inside to not release them. They’ve probably been double-teaming me this whole damn time.

“Keep up this game and I’ll make you wish you never met me.”

“Is that a threat, King?”

I smile at her. “It’s a fucking promise.”

Once the door closes, I clench my fists and pace the length of my office. I’m so fucking livid. My work life has spiraled straight to the pits of hell and I have no control of my future. Before I can stop and take a deep breath, I punch my fist straight through the wall. Sheetrock and dust falls to the ground and my knuckles sting as trickles of blood come to the surface.

It’s too much. It’s all too fucking much.

––––––––

VIOLA

The house is empty and quiet, so I take the moment to open one of my all-time favorite books, Pride and Prejudice. I’ve read it so much the pages are worn and discolored. I feel like me and Jane Austen are on a first name basis. Jane is my homegirl. When I think about Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth Bennet all I can do is sigh. I’m devouring the words like it’s my first time reading it. After an hour I try to reposition my body so I’m more comfortable, but I feel restless. I have been since Drew came home unannounced. The fairytale is over, isn’t it?

A text message pulls me from the pages and I check it immediately.

I’m taking a rain check on the pajama party. There’s a fight tonight, and I’m going to watch it at Jason’s house.

Alrighty. I smile almost immediately.

Drew will be gone for the next few hours, guaranteed, and Travis will be home any minute. My heart begins to flutter and my mouth goes dry. I shouldn’t feel this way and I kind of hate myself for it, but I push those thoughts aside. A part of me enjoys the thrill of sneaking around with Travis.

Like clockwork, I hear the rumble of the Challenger heading down the street. The engine cuts off in the driveway. I quickly tuck my hair behind my ears, lick my lips, and pick up my book. The door swings open and quietly clicks closed. I shut the book and my mouth falls open when I see Travis. He’s distraught and his hair is a disheveled mess. I swallow hard, waiting for him to speak, but he doesn’t. Instead, he walks to the kitchen and I hear the freezer door open and shut. Tequila.

“Travis?” I’m genuinely concerned by his demeanor.

“I’ve had a shitastic day.”

He’s on edge and isn’t making eye contact with me. I watch him take another gulp of tequila straight from the bottle.

“Okay? And?”

My phone begins to ding in the living room with text messages, and lots of them.

“You should probably get that,” Travis says and takes another swig.

I sigh and go into the living room and grab my phone. Courtney has sent me a total of fifteen text messages in one minute. I unlock my phone and begin reading.

OMFG!!!!!!! You’re never going to believe what just happened.

Toby just broke up with me. WITH ME!

Over text message.

What a fucking ASSHOLE!

SERIOUSLY LOLA! I’M PISSED! HE MET SOMEONE ELSE.

I saw pictures of them together on Facebook and asked who she was.

SO HE BREAKS UP WITH ME! I’M SO FURIOUS!

The text messages go on and on and she’s still sending them.

I’m so sorry. Everything is going to be okay. I’ll text you back in just one minute. I’m not ignoring you, I promise.

And just like that, the messages temporarily stop. Thank God. I throw my phone on the couch just as Travis walks from the kitchen, removing his suit jacket. He places it on the back of the couch and undoes his tie with one hand because he’s tightly holding the bottle of Jose Cuervo in the other. Even though he’s not himself at the moment, he still looks hot as hell. I want him to talk to me, tell me what’s going on, but he’s sealed so tight I doubt the CIA could hack into him.

“I wish you’d tell me what’s going on,” I say, but don’t sound confident or even believable. I’ve not seen Travis like this in years. Not since he’d come over defeated from hearing his father scream at his mother.

“I don’t want to talk about it.” He pushes his shoes from his feet and props them on the couch and closes his eyes. I imagined when he came home, things would be much different. We have a few hours to spend together, to be together, but it’s obvious he wants to be alone right now.

“Fine.” I try to sound like I’m not hurt or disappointed, but my voice gives me away. I wish he’d talk to me, but I won’t force him.

I walk over to the couch and bend down to grab my phone. Courtney started with the texts again and I shoot her a quick one. Drew went to watch the game at a friend’s house, so I’m coming over. Cool if I stay over?

YES! OF COURSE! GET YOUR ASS OVER HERE PRONTO!

Before I can walk away, Travis grabs my hand and pulls me toward him. When I don’t budge, he pulls harder until I’m in front of him. The corner of his lips tilt up slightly because he knows I’m going to make him work for it.

He wraps both arms around my waist and pulls me down to him. Straddling his legs, my body falls on top of his and the warmth of him grazes my skin. I can see the pain in his eyes as I search his face, wanting him to talk to me.

He runs his fingers through my hair and I can’t help but sigh and lean into his touch. I inhale his cologne that’s mixed with a hint of tequila. Travis leans up and his lips trace the outside of mine causing my body to melt into him. Want and need travels through me and swirls in the pit of my stomach. Not being able to hold it back any longer, our lips crash together, causing a pool of emotions to spill over. Kisses aren’t supposed to steal your breath away, but somehow, that one did. We pull apart and I take a moment to study his face while his eyes are closed.

“Viola,” Travis whispers; our eyes finally meet. They tell me everything he wants to say and nothing all at the same time. His voice is a plea, and I wish he’d let me in.

I finally break the silence. “I’m going to stay at Courtney’s tonight. Her high school sweetheart dumped her for someone else and she’s a hot mess. I have to stop her from eating a gallon of ice cream.” Alone anyway, I think to myself.

It’s the first time he’s cracked a smile since he’s been home, even if it was a small one.

“You don’t have to go,” he says, genuinely. “I don’t want you to go.” His words go straight to my heart.

I shrug, feeling defeated by the tug-of-war that’s consuming me. “She needs me right now.”

He bows his head and nods. “I’m sorry for snapping at you.”

“We’ll talk when I get back,” I reassure him, but I need the reassurance too.

I nod with a small smile and grab a change of clothes from Drew’s room. If I know Courtney, she really is eating like the world is going to end tomorrow.

––––––––

Loud bass echoing off the walls and Taylor Swift’s, We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together is blaring through Courtney’s apartment when I walk through the door.

Apparently it’s worse than I thought.

“Courtney?” I call out, setting my bag down on the table and kicking my shoes off. I go in search of the music to turn it down, but before I find the stereo, I see Courtney sitting in the middle of her living room with pictures surrounding her in a circle.

Way worse.

“What are you doing?” I yell over the music, searching for the remote to turn it off. The song finally ends and I breathe out in relief.

“Don’t make me sit down here all by myself,” she says, holding a picture of her and Toby and rips it right in half. Blank Space begins and I squeeze my eyes shut.

Yeah, she’s lost it.

“Court,” I say, sitting down next to her. She grabs the remote next to her and finally turns the music down. “Talk to me. What happened?”

“He’s a cheating asshole who didn’t have the balls to break up with me before he slept with someone else.”

“He’s an idiot.” I take the picture from her hand and throw it down. “He doesn’t deserve you.”

She rolls her eyes and I can tell she’s been crying hard. They’re red and bloodshot.

“Yeah, I know. But it doesn’t make the pain hurt any less.”

I wrap my arms around her shoulders and squeeze. “I know.”

We sit in silence for a few moments, listening to Taylor’s lyrics. “Want to go trash his car? Find a couple golf clubs or bats and go all T-Swift on his ass?”

That makes her giggle as she wipes a tear from her cheek. “Yes.” Her lips form into a small smile.

I chuckle. “He’s not worth your tears. Or the amount of bail money it’d take to get us out of jail.”

She sniffs, wiping her face once again. “I just never imagined someone you love could hurt you so much. He was just telling me last week how he couldn’t imagine not having me in his life, how happy he was with me, and how excited he was for our future. I thought he was hinting at getting engaged and now this? How the hell did it go from that to this?”

“Sounds like he was trying to convince himself more than anything. He’s a dumbass for letting go of the best thing that’s ever happened to him.” I grab her hand and grip it to grab her attention. “You know that, right? He wasn’t good enough for you.”

She nods in agreement, although I’m not sure she really believes it yet. I know she’s hurting and she has every right to be, but I want to take it off her mind.

“Want to go out? Or get some ice cream? I won’t allow you to wallow over him alone,” I say firmly, but with a smile as I play to her ice cream weakness.

“You could give me all the dirty details on you and Travis?” She perks up, her brows rise with hopefulness.

I sigh, rolling my eyes at her. “Seriously? Hearing sex details of me and Travis will not help.”

“I’ll be the judge of that.”

I finally talk her into leaving the apartment. We drive around for a bit until we find a cute little ice cream shop. I give her some details about Travis and I, but there isn’t much to say because I don’t really know what’s going on between us. I’m just as confused as I was after the first time we fell into bed together, but a part of me doesn’t want to question it just yet. The more I get emotionally involved, the higher the risk for getting hurt by him again.

“So now that I’m an old single lady again, how do people my age meet guys?” she asks, licking the ice cream off her spoon.

I laugh, scooping my finger in what’s left of my banana split. I nearly spit it out after hearing her question. “You’re twenty-two!” I almost shout, but then remember people are sitting all around us. “You don’t even get a discount on your car insurance yet.”

“But I feel old to be getting into the dating game. I’ve been with Toby since I was eighteen. I never had to do the bar thing to find a hook-up on Tinker, or whatever the hell it’s called.”

“I think you mean Tinder,” I laugh. “You’re going to graduate soon, so take this as a blessing! You get to be single and free to do whatever the hell you want. You could travel, have all the one-night stands you want, or finally see a movie you want to see for once.”

She snorts. “Yeah, he was kind of an asshole when it came to picking out movies.”

“Speaking of, we should go buy a bunch of junk food and binge eat while watching chick flicks. It’ll get your mind off that douchebag.” I know I’m being an enabler, but if it makes her feel better.

She pushes her empty dish away and dramatically sighs, setting her head down on the table. “I don’t even know how to be single. I keep having to remind myself not to text him, because it’s just something I always did.”

“Texting someone every second of your day was not healthy, Court. You should be able to go to a store or restaurant or the bathroom without him knowing.”

She looks up at me, not moving her head. “I’m pathetic.”

“C’mon. No pity parties on my watch.”

“Do we still get to binge eat?” she teases, reaching for her purse and letting me pull her along.

“Uh, duh. That’s the main reason I came over tonight.” I grin.

For one night, I set my thoughts aside. I focus on Courtney and cracking jokes to keep her spirits up. We end up renting How to Be Single on iTunes and surrounding ourselves with candy and popcorn. I know I’ll wake up with gut rot in the morning, but tonight, I don’t care.

Before I fall asleep, I check my phone and send Travis a goodnight text. I hope you’re feeling better. I ate enough junk to feed a small village and will probably be puking my guts out by morning. I don’t think I’ll be able to look at ice cream ever again.

After waiting twenty minutes and not hearing back from him, I decide to turn my phone on silent. Hopefully, he’s sleeping off his crappy mood and will want to talk about it tomorrow. Courtney is passed out next to me on the floor, but I can’t turn my brain off long enough to fall asleep.

Sometime between remembering meeting Travis for the first time and reminiscing about the last time we were together, I finally managed to fall asleep. When I wake up, there’s a smile on my face, and I can’t wait to see Travis after he’s done with work tonight. The fact that we can’t act any different around Drew is kind of thrilling in its own way.

Then when I grab my phone and see I have no new messages, disappointment fills my heart, and I hate that I even feel that way.

“Are you hungry?” I hear Courtney ask from the kitchen. “I can make pancakes. Or eggs. I might have some bacon around here somewhere...” I can hear her digging around the fridge.

I groan. “I can’t even think about eating right now.”

“Really?” she asks, stuffing something in her mouth. She sounds peppy, so that’s something I suppose, although I’m almost certain it’s all an act.

“Maybe after I shower. I can feel the sugar leaking out of my pores.” I stretch and stand up from the floor.

“Go ahead. I don’t plan to shower all weekend.” The sadness in her voice doesn’t go unnoticed.

I walk to where she is, her hair piled on top of her head, a piece of toast in one hand and her mouth full of jelly. Looks like I may need to stay longer than I anticipated.

“Don’t give me that look.” She sighs. “I just need a couple days to cry it out and then I promise, no more wallowing.”

I can’t really argue with that. Everyone needs a few days to get it out of their system.

“Okay, but by Monday, I expect normal, crazy Courtney back.”

“Promise.”

I smile. “Okay, I’m jumping in the shower.”

“Okay, no problem,” she says around another mouthful.

Ever since the day Travis took my clothes and made me walk down the hallway naked, taking a shower brings a whole new meaning. The memories of our past and the memories of the present makes me conflicted on everything, but I can’t stop thinking about them.

I close my eyes and allow the hot water to beat down my muscles. The last week has been a bit more active than I’m used to and sleeping on Courtney’s hard floor did nothing to help that. I take a little longer than necessary. Her bath wash smells amazing, and I take advantage of her expensive shampoo.

Once the water starts turning cold, I rinse and shut it off. I feel better than I expected to but I know I’d feel even better after Travis and I talk about last night.

As I’m toweling off, I hear Courtney knocking at the door. “Lola, you decent?” Her tone sounds rushed.

“Yeah, come in.” I tighten the towel around me and shake my hair out. I start digging around her drawers for a hairbrush. When I find one, I set it on the counter and notice Courtney’s reflection in the mirror behind me.

Her eyes are wide and her face has gone pale. Something’s wrong.

I turn around and see my phone in her hand. “What’s wrong?”

“I-I...” she stutters.

“What is it?”

“Your phone kept vibrating on the table, so I checked to see who was calling.” She swallows, finally taking a breath. “It was Drew.”

I search her face, worried. “Is he okay?”

“It’s Travis.” Her words go straight to my gut. “He was in a car accident late last night. Or rather, early this morning, I guess.” My heart sinks

“Oh my god!” I shriek, reaching for my phone. “Is he okay?”

“I...don’t know details, but...”

“I need to call Drew back right away.” I begin calling him, then end the call before he picks up. “No, I need to get dressed. I should start heading over to the hospital.”

I unzip my bag that’s sitting on the vanity and begin digging for my clothes, tossing out all the other crap.

“Viola...”

Once I have what I need, I drop my towel and start getting dressed. My mind is spinning and I’m thinking the worst. I should’ve called him after he didn’t message me back or even came gone to the house to make sure he was okay. I don’t know what happened at work, but I’d never seen him that worked up before.

“Viola, wait,” Courtney grabs my attention as I’m about to zip my bag back up and head out.

“I’m stealing a hairband. Hope you don’t mind.” I dig through her drawer and find one so I can throw my wet hair up in a ponytail. “Shit, my keys. I have to find where I left them.”

I walk past her and down the hallway to the living room where I left my purse. As I begin digging for them, I hear Courtney walking up behind me.

“He wasn’t alone.”

I pull my keys out of my purse and then head to the door for my shoes. “Do you know which hospital they took him to? Otherwise, I’ll call Drew on my way out.”

“Viola!” she yells, pulling my attention up to her. “Are you hearing what I’m saying?”

“What? Yeah, you said he wasn’t alone.” I swing my purse over my shoulder and once the realization of her words hit me, I pause. “What do you mean? Was he with a friend?”

“Not exactly.” By the look on her face, I know what she’s about to tell me is bad.

“Tell me.”

“He was with a girl.” She pauses, my heart hammering even louder, needing to hear the rest of what she’s about to say. “She was in his backseat without any clothes on.”

A huge lump forms in my throat. No. There’s no way. I shake my head.

“Who was it?” I ask, part of me not wanting to know. “Do you know her name?”

She pinches her lips tight, pity and regret written all over her face.

I close my eyes, because I’m pretty sure I know who’s name she’s about to say. Tall, busty blonde. Sends nude pictures of herself to him.

I can feel my heart breaking inside my chest.

“Courtney, tell me. What was her name?” My voice is pleading, begging her to say it. I need to hear her say it.

She moves her eyes up and looks at me, inhaling a deep breath. I close my eyes for the impact, but I wasn’t prepared.

“Mia.”