chapter 10
Just as I was settling in for the night with a movie, I heard a tap on the door. I had locked it, so assumed that my parents needed me to let them in. When I opened the curtain to make sure it was them, I saw Travis standing there instead. He was staring at the ground with his hands in his pockets and I hesitated before opening it.
“Hey Paige!” He looked up and smiled sweetly.
“Hey, what’s up?” I asked, wondering why the heck he was at my door.
“You left the festivities early. Is everything ok?” he asked, sounding disappointed by the fact.
“Yep, I’m good. Just tired and wanted to come back to relax.” My voice was like ice, but I wasn’t aiming to impress.
Then, as if today had never happened, he said, “I was hoping we could spend some time together tonight.” His comment infuriated me because I didn’t understand why now all of a sudden he was going to acknowledge my existence again.
“Really? Why would you want to do that? Did your friends ditch you or something?” I asked, relaying my anger with the edge in my tone.
“You’re mad at me aren’t you?”
“You could say that,” I stated clearly.
“Listen, I know I’ve been a jerk today. But I have a good explanation.”
I cut him off before he could go on and give me some lame excuse. “Really, there is a good explanation for why you spent the day with me yesterday wanting to learn all about me and kissing me, and then today completely ignored my existence. I would love to hear it.”
“Shit Paige! I’m really sorry. I know it all looks bad, but honestly, I have a good reason. Well, I thought it was good up until this moment, but now I’m not so sure if any reason is a good enough excuse for the way I’ve acted.”
I was all ears watching him and saw the honest torment on his face for the way he had behaved, so I was curious as to what he was going to say.
“Paige, I like you,” he admitted, moving closer to where I was standing. “Yesterday was the best date I’ve ever had. I hope you don’t mind that I call it a date?” I shook my head in response because I had felt the same way about our day together. “Well when we got back, after the little laundry room incident, I realized that Ashley is more vindictive than I expected. I knew she was dealing with some jealousy issues towards you, but I didn’t know she would take things so far. Especially since you had been so nice to her in the bathroom the other day and spared her a lot of embarrassment. Anyway, it made me think that for now we should keep things on the down low, until we get to know each other better. I don’t want her to make things worse for you and scare you off. Knowing Ashley, you might wake up to find your wardrobe burned or all your hair cut off.” He chuckled then added, “Just kidding. No, but really just for now while we get to know each other better I thought we could keep things quiet. I really would like to keep you to myself for now, and see what happens. Would you be alright with that?”
The way Travis said he wanted to keep me to himself, showed that he merely wanted to be selfish with my time and my heart fluttered at the thought. His explanation really did make sense and I could understand his rationale. If Ashley truly had feelings for him, she would really hate me if after only five days, I was already his girlfriend. My summer would probably be doomed from that point forward. But maybe if things did start to work out between Travis and I, he could gradually ease me into the group and she could get to know me first. It would probably make my life easier around here for sure. So after giving it some thought, I agreed with his plan.
“I can understand where you’re coming from, and why, I just wished you had told me. It would have been nice if you had let me in on your plan, so I didn’t spend my day wondering what went wrong?”
“Nothing went wrong, you are perfect,” he said grabbing my hands. “I really like you Paige, just so there is no doubt in your mind, I want you to know that.”
“You know you could have whispered hi to me on the beach earlier when you retrieved the football. It would have spared me a lot of turmoil today.”
“Yeah, sorry. That’s because I’m a guy. I was so focused on checking out your body in that sexy black bikini that words completely failed me.” He shrugged his shoulders and then gave me a sexy grin.
“That’s good to know. For a second I was worried that you didn’t like it,” I teased as I took a step down to come to his eye level.
“Damn you’re gorgeous,” he whispered as he leaned forward to kiss me. Our lips met briefly, but then I heard some footsteps on the gravel behind the trailer and worried that it was my parents coming, so I pulled away.
“Hey, do you want to come with me somewhere?” he asked with excitement suddenly radiating in his voice.
“Sure, where are we going?”
“It’s a surprise, but go ahead and put on a sweater because it’s a little chilly tonight.” I went back in, grabbed my white cable knit sweater and threw it on. It fell off one shoulder, but I figured I would ask Travis to warm me up if I got cold.
Travis led me down the road and into the woods behind his parents’ RV. We meandered in the dark through the trees for a while and although I couldn’t see I felt safe by his side. He knew where we were going and held me close making sure I didn’t trip on any stumps or branches. I loved the feel of being in his arms and I felt at peace for the first time all day. It was clear that I had overreacted earlier, but I truly hoped that it wouldn’t be long before we could become public about our feelings.
After about a five minute walk, we came to a campsite. There was a tent set up, and a fire pit, and nothing but trees surrounding us. “Welcome to my home!” Travis said as he guided me towards the campsite.
“Wait, what? You live here? I thought you stayed with your parents?”
“Nope. There is no way that I would be able to survive an entire summer on Barney and Lucille’s couch listening to them snore every night. So this is where I sleep,” he said.
Travis made his way to the fire pit and started a fire for us. Once it was lit, I could see better and saw the nice cozy set up he had. The tent was big enough for two people and was filled with blankets and pillows. He had a flannel blanket on the ground by the fire pit, which I went ahead and sat down on. He came to sit next to me once the fire was going, and snuggled close. “So is this where you bring all of your dates?” I teased, snuggling closer into him.
“You are the first girl I have brought out here, so no,” he said, wrapping his arms around me.
I enjoyed the warmth of the fire, and being wrapped in Travis’s arms as we sat and talked. He was telling me about Willow Falls and all of the great things to do in the area. Somehow, the conversation shifted to his parents and family life, and he began telling me how the campground saved his parents’ marriage.
“I was young, but I remember it really sucked for a while. My parents always fought and if they weren’t fighting, they barely spoke to each other. But once they bought this land and opened the campground, things changed. My dad made an effort to be with us throughout the summers, unless he was called in for an emergency, which made my mom feel less neglected. After our first summer together here, my parents really fell back in love. I don’t know if it was because they were running the business together, or just enjoying their time without the distractions of the outside world, but whatever it was, we became a family again.” He was staring into the fire, and I couldn’t help but reach out and brush the side of his cheek with my finger. I was still amazed by how open and honest he was with me, and it all felt so real.
I was thinking about what Travis said as I ran my fingers across his cheek and through his hair, and it made me question if my parents were searching for the same thing. I knew that my mom had been unhappy for the last few years since my dad’s work picked up and that she too felt neglected. It was making sense now why she had been so insistent that we actually get away to a place with limited distractions. I was beginning to think that she not only wanted time with me, but also wanted to see if she could rekindle things with my dad. The fact that I would be leaving next year was probably making her realize that it would just be her and my dad alone together from now on, and if they didn’t get things back on track, then their marriage might not survive. Since we arrived here, they have seemed really happy, so I truly hope that they continue to grow closer before the end of the summer.
As the worry showed on my face, Travis broke the silence. “Are you okay?” he asked, brushing the hair away from my cheek and turning to face me.
“Yes, I just think my parents are going through a similar phase in their marriage and hoping that being here will help.” Travis nodded in understanding and leaned over to kiss my cheek. The feel of his soft lips made me smile, and my fears instantly washed away.
“They look really happy together, and I can tell how much they love you, so I have faith that they will survive once their baby girl leaves the nest.” His words reassured me on every level and I was once again amazed by his calming effect.
We continued talking for what felt like a couple of hours. Somehow, the subject of birthdays came up, so I turned toward him to ask. “So, when is your birthday?” He smiled at me and then bit his lower lip, which elicited all kinds of tingles throughout my body before he spoke.
“It’s actually tomorrow.”
“What? Is it really or are you trying to trick me?” I asked.
“Yes, it really is. I will be nineteen years old tomorrow,” he stated, lying back on the blanket with his hands tucked behind his head.
He looked so sexy, and I had gone long enough without kissing him. So I moved to straddle myself across his body and spoke, “Well, in that case I need to make sure I get all of my kisses in now because tomorrow you will be too old for me.” I leaned forward to where I was practically laying on top of him with my hands placed on the ground to hold myself up.
“Is that so? Too old, huh? Well, in that case I better take it while I can get it.”
He reached up, grabbing the base of my neck and pulled my head down to meet his lips. Our mouths found each other and our tongues eagerly slid together. It was so soft and sensual, and filled with so much desire. Moans slipped out from both of us as we continued and before long, he turned us so that I was lying below him and he was braced above me. Our lips refused to release each other and our hands began exploring. Just as his hands were sliding down the front of my body and had slipped under the hem of my sweater he pulled away. I pouted at the loss of contact and wondered why he had stopped.
He turned to look at his watch and said, “It’s 12:01 I’m nineteen now, so I guess I’m too old for you to kiss me.”
I smiled at his remark and then made my desire known. “Happy Birthday Old Man! Now, kiss me!”
“Done!” he stated and then pulled me back against him with ravenous force.
His hand began to slide its way back up underneath my sweater and I remembered that I was braless. I had removed it getting ready for bed, so all that separated him from my breasts was a thin piece of cotton t-shirt. Travis moaned at the discovery, and gave my breast a squeeze. I felt the sensation of him rubbing over my nipple through the material, and was lost in the moment. He began giving both of my breasts full attention while I relished in the sensations that were streaming through my body. Although I had made out with other boys before, nothing ever felt like this. My body was on fire.
Travis stayed on the top of the material, not taking things too far, which I thought was sweet. Even though my body begged for more, I appreciated his self-restraint. I could feel how much he wanted me though, since the length of him was pressing hard against my leg. I didn’t have as much self-control and wanted to take things a little farther. I was aching to feel the release of the current that was coursing between my legs. So I reached my hand down, and felt him through his jeans. He immediately responded with a low roar that vibrated in the back of his throat through our kiss, which encouraged me to continue. I grasped him through the material and began sliding up and down over the denim, admiring every inch of his hardness.
Travis followed my lead and moved his hand down between my thighs. He was brushing over me and the thin material of my leggings was allowing him to find the exact spot where I needed him to be. He rubbed over me with just the right amount of pressure and I pushed my hips up to meet his palm. Neither one of us ever made any attempts to go under each other’s clothing, but before long we were both finding our release in sync. “Travis,” I cried out as I fell over the cliff of ecstasy.
Our lips finally parted, and we lay there panting, trying to catch our breaths. After a few seconds, Travis began placing light kisses down my cheek and across where he stopped to nibble on my ear. “So far I would say it’s been an incredible birthday,” he whispered, pulling his head back up to meet my eyes. I smiled at him shaking my head.
“Boys are so easy to please,” I teased. He hopped up to go into his tent and told me to give him two seconds. I figured he wanted to clean himself up, and realized I was right when he returned in his black sweat pants. He laid back down with me after stoking the fire, and held me as we talked and looked up at the stars. It was so easy being with him, and I noted that I had never felt this way with any of the other guys I had dated.
“You look tired,” he said, rubbing the side of my cheek while I lay with my eyes closed. “I should get you back. Unless you want to stay the night?” I opened my eyes to see him smiling and biting his lower lip like he really liked the idea.
“Although I would love to, I better get back. I don’t want my parents to worry in the morning, or for my mom to get the wrong impression about me,” I said, rising to my feet and straightening out my clothes.
Travis walked me back up to my campsite. It was almost two a.m., and my parents were sound asleep. I had sent my mom a text earlier in the evening so she wouldn’t be worried, which she clearly wasn’t since she hadn’t waited up. Travis pressed me against the RV and kissed me for the hundredth time before saying goodnight.
“Paige, I had an amazing night. It’s just so easy to be myself with you,” he whispered, shaking his head while his lips hovered over top of mine.
“I’ve been thinking the same thing all night. Thanks for taking me to your place and for sharing your life with me.”
“Thanks for listening,” he said. Travis leaned in to give me one last passionate kiss, and then I went inside. I was glowing with happiness, so of course it took me forever to fall asleep.