CHAPTER~8~

Chapter8~~~~~

Chapter8~~~~~~

I was holding Travis's face in my hands, gently treating the small wound on his cheek, but my mind wasn't focused on the cut anymore, his eyes were locked on mine, deep and intense, and I couldn't tear my gaze away,

His face was so close to mine, his breath warm against my skin, and before I knew it, I was moving closer, it felt like the world had narrowed to just the two of us, his face, his green eyes and that dark mysterious energy around him was so given,

My heart was pounding and my thoughts were a jumbled mess, and I had the sudden urge to kiss him, it wasn't even a conscious thought, I just moved, my lips almost brushing his,

But suddenly his hand was there, gently but firmly holding mine,

"What are you doing?" he asked, his voice smooth and low like a melody that sent chills down my spine,

I froze, my face flushing instantly, and for a second I couldn't find any words, my mind had gone blank and I was sure my face was as red as a tomato, I wanted to explain but I couldn't, it was like the moment had slipped right through my fingers,

Before I could even recover, the sound of footsteps broke the tension, and I quickly turned my head, and it was Celia who had appeared from the kitchen carrying a tray of sandwiches she prepared, she set the tray down on the coffee table, but her usual energy was different she looked distant, almost lost in thought she sank onto the couch as her eyes were unfocused and I couldn't help but notice the way her shoulders slumped,

Celia's voice was quieter than usual when she spoke,

"I don't know what I'd do without him" she murmured as her gaze fixed on the floor,

"Travis is the best, he's always been there for me even when things were hard" she added,

My eyes darted to Travis, I could see his expression shift, his body tensing as if her words were pulling him into a place he didn't want to be, his hand slowly released mine, and he looked away, his gaze distant,

Celia's voice cracked a little, and she sniffled, wiping her eyes,

"He almost got hurt today… protecting me from those bullies and he didn't even think twice about it, I love him more than anyone even more than our older sibling" she confessed,

Honestly that hit me like a ton of bricks as I blinked, my mind racing,

Older sibling???

I didn't even know they had one, I thought it was just the two of them, Celia and Travis, so why hadn't I ever heard about an older sibling before?

Confusion twisted in my stomach and before I could stop myself, I blurted out,

"Your older sibling… who's that?"

Celia hesitated as her eyes clouding over with something I couldn't quite place, but I think it was sadness and there was something more, something unspoken between them, Travis shifted uncomfortably beside me as his expression hard to read, his eyes avoiding mine,

"Never mind" Celia muttered shaking her head, as if the question itself had triggered something painful,

"It's not important" she added,

I sat there, my mind racing, what had just happened? I asked myself,

There was more to this family, more I didn't know and more that I wasn't sure I was ready to uncover especially if it involved Travis and his sister in ways I couldn't even understand yet,

But I couldn't shake the feeling that something wasn't quite right, and I had a sinking feeling it was a secret that was bigger than I could imagine,

I could feel the tension building in the air, thick and heavy, as I turned to Celia and insisted,

"Please Celia, tell me about your older sibling, I want to know" , My voice was soft, but I needed to understand, there was something important here, something I couldn't ignore,

But as I spoke, my eyes involuntarily flickered to Travis, and I saw it, the subtle shake of his head, a perfect signal for her not to say anything,

I paused, feeling a knot tighten in my chest and I was confused, Why wouldn't he want me to know? Why didn't he trust me with this?

I couldn't hold it in any longer, I turned to him, my voice sharper than I intended as I asked,

"Travis, why did you stop her from talking? What's going on?",

He looked at me with cold eyes, his voice cutting through the air like a sharp blade,

"It doesn't concern you" his tone soundind flat and harsh,

His words stung more than I was ready for, my heart dropped into my stomach, and I felt an unfamiliar rush of hurt, I stood up quickly feeling my face flush with a mix of anger and disappointment,

"Fine" I muttered, "if it doesn't concern me, then I'll just leave" I frowned,

Without waiting for a response, I walked toward the door, trying to hide how upset I was and as I stepped outside, I folded my arms across my chest, feeling the cool air hit my skin but it did nothing to cool the heat rising inside me, I felt really bad, Why was he pushing me away? We were friends, weren't we?

Out there by myself, the questions kept circling in my mind, Why didn't he trust me? Why couldn't he let me in?

I didn't even notice at first when Travis walked out to join me, his footsteps soft on the grass, when I looked up, I saw him standing there, his face softer than I'd expected but there was still that brooding energy about him like he couldn't fully let go of whatever he was holding back,

"I'm sorry," he said, his voice quieter now, almost sheepish in an emo kind of way,

"I didn't mean to hurt you", his words were an unexpected relief, but they didn't erase the sting, "I just don't want you to get tangled up in my family's mess" he continued, his eyes searching mine like he was trying to read me,

"I know it's a lot to take in and when I'm ready I promise I'll tell you everything, I just need you to understand that" he pleaded,

I could feel the vulnerability in his words, in the way he was looking at me, slowly I let my arms unfold, my mind processing what he'd said, I understood, I did, it wasn't about me, it was about him, his family, and the mess that he didn't want to drag me into. It was like he was trying to protect me but in doing so he'd pushed me away, I couldn't be mad at him for that,

I nodded slowly, giving him the space to breathe, and I could see the relief wash over him,

"I get it" I said softly, "I understand now" I added,

A quiet smile tugged at the corners of his lips, and for the first time I saw him look almost lighter,

"Thanks" he murmured, "And thank you for being here for Lia, she barely has any friends, and you've been good to her, that means a lot to me" his words were sincere, and it made me feel a little warmer inside, like maybe I wasn't as invisible in his world as I sometimes thought,

I smiled back, genuinely this time,

"I care about her, I said, "And I care about you too, Travis, just don't shut me out, okay?"

He nodded, his eyes softening, "I won't" he promised, and for the first time, I felt like maybe just maybe there was more to this story than I'd ever known, but that I was willing to wait for him to share it when he was ready.

His lips quirked into a small smile, and for a moment, it almost felt like he was letting his guard down just a little, but then, in one smooth motion, he pulled me closer to him, my breath caught in my throat as he leaned down and pressed a soft kiss to my cheek,

My heart went wild in my chest, and I swear it was pounding in my ears. My cheeks burned, and I knew they were probably as red as a tomato. I was frozen for a moment, too stunned to say anything, but then I felt his eyes on me, and I could see the mischievous glint in his expression,

"Don't blush so hard, girly," he teased, his voice dripping with that familiar, cool tone that made my insides flip,

"I'm....I'm not blushing!" I protested, my voice coming out way higher than I intended, I could feel the heat in my cheeks, and I knew I was so obviously lying, his smirk grew wider as he watched me squirm, and he chuckled under his breath,

I rolled my eyes, trying to hide my flustered expression but I could feel my heart still racing,

He seemed to enjoy teasing me, and after a moment, he cleared his throat and changed the subject,

"So common, I'll take you home on my motorbike" he said, his tone casual but with an underlying hint of something more,

I hesitated for a second, thinking of Celia,

"But what about Celia? Is she going to be okay?" I asked,

Travis's face softened for a moment, and he gave me a reassuring look, "We have a nanny who takes care of the house and looks after Celia too" he explained,

"Celia's a teenager,I know, but I can't take any chances, the nanny's out on an errand, but she'll be back soon, fon't worry about it",

His words hit me in a way I didn't expec, there was something about how protective he was of her something that made me see him in a new light, he wasn't just this brooding and mysterious emo guy he was a caring older brother, someone who valued his family more than anything,

"I understand" I said quietly as I nodded, I had a newfound respect for him knowing how much he cared for Celia,

I turned back to Celia, who had been watching us from the door, I walked up to her, wrapping my arms around her in a tight hug,

"I'll see you tomorrow at school, okay?" I whispered,

She squeezed me back, and her voice was soft. "Thank you for being a good person, Mercedes. I'm really glad we're friends",

My heart warmed at her words,

"Of course" I replied with a smile, "see you tomorrow Celia",

We waved goodbye and then I followed Travis outside, he was already at his bike, waiting for me, I felt a little nervous, but mostly excited as I walked over to him, he handed me a helmet, and I took it with a small smile, my heart still fluttering from the kiss,

We both put on our helmets, and I climbed onto the back of his motorbike, the moment I wrapped my arms around him to hold on, I could feel his warmth through the leather of his jacket, his scent filling my senses, there was something comforting about it, something natural, I could feel the vibrations of the bike beneath me but what really made me feel like I was floating was the way my body pressed against his, the closeness between us,

As we sped down the road, I held on tighter, my fingers digging into his jacket and I couldn't stop the smile that crept onto my face, I was so close to him too close and yet it felt like everything was exactly where it needed to be,

I could smell him more now, his natural scent, a mix of something earthy and fresh, with just a hint of cologne, it made me feel even more drawn to him, and I couldn't help but hug him tighter from behind, in that moment everything else faded away,

And I realized, finally, that I really, truly, had a crush on him. My heart wasn't just racing from the bike ride it was him, all of him, and I wanted more, I wanted him, I thought about the soft kiss he'd given me on the cheek earlier and how it made my insides twist in a way I hadn't experienced before,

But I didn't know when it would happen, when he would finally look at me like I wanted him to or if he even felt the same way, all I knew was that I was willing to wait to see where this could go,

For now though, I held onto him tightly, savoring the moment, and let the world around us blur into the background...