Chapter 13
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
A fter a few minutes of cozy silence, Sarah turned to face him. “Did we?” She looked away, her face turning a charming pink. “Did I…”
Travis pulled her back up against him. “Did you beg me to sleep with you? Absolutely that happened.”
She turned around, her mouth open in pretend horror.
He held up his hands. “But that secret stays with us. I swear.”
Her eyes twinkled with a kissable horrified delight. And he wouldn’t be able to resist for long, he knew it.
“But you weren’t there in the morning.” She leaned her head back up on his shoulder.
“No, I was having a hard time sleeping for some reason.” He groaned. “And so I snuck out when I knew I wouldn’t wake you.”
She sighed next to him and he would have given a lot to see the expression on her face. But he waited. Maybe she would say something.
“There are a lot of guys who would have taken advantage of that situation.”
He considered her words. “Maybe. But you wouldn’t have offered such an opportunity to any of them.” He nudged her.
“True, but really, you impress me, Travis.” She sat forward again. “But I’m not saying that means I never want us to um…you know…if the timing were right kind of thing.” Her face turned the brightest pink he’d ever seen it.
His smile grew and he soaked in her beauty, her tentative acceptance of him, all of it. “I’m not sure what’s talking here, the snowed in cabin, our growing up memories, or something funky you slipped into the cocoa, but I’ll take it all.”
“Really?”
“Of course. Sarah, I’m ready for something here. I’d like to give it a try, if you would.”
She shifted. “What does that mean?”
He groaned.
“What? Do you want to talk or not? You did bring it up you know.” She poked his shoulder.
“I know. I’m sorry. I just don’t have all the answers, Ok. And I’m afraid to tell you everything.”
“Afraid?” She opened her mouth to say more and then shut it, nodding. “That’s fair. I’m pretty terrified myself.”
He shook his head. “Now see, we just need to tell ourselves that we are the safest people we know. It’s going to be okay.”
“Better than ok.”
He nodded. “Yes, absolutely, the best ever thing. If we can just let it happen.” He studied her.
“And we keep ignoring the world.”
He closed his eyes. “Yes, and that.”
“Totally do-able.”
“You think?” His linked their fingers together in the most natural easy way.
“I do.”
And then she surprised him by sliding down onto the couch so that she was laying on her back. She pulled at the front of his sweatshirt, tugging him to follow her down. “Come on you. Let’s see what this is like.”
This time he didn’t resist the invitation. He lowered himself gently down mostly next to her, his arms holding his upper body above hers, his face hovering right near her face. “You. Are so beautiful.” He lowered his mouth to hers, as close as it was possible and said, “I can’t believe this is happening to me.” Then he closed the distance softly, gently, carefully, tasting her lips. And he was lost. She was everything he’d been hoping. She responded immediately, lifting her head for more contact, for more, moving her mouth over his with a hunger that he completely matched. So thrilled to discover this secret she’d been hiding as well as he’d hid his own, he set about setting the record straight, telling her in every way he knew how that she was wanted and loved by him, but without words. They weren’t ready for words. He demanded the same of her, begged for, tugged, nibbled the same confessions in return, a soft groan, a demanding kiss, everything that said, “I love you too–without words.” He kissed her and loved her and played with her hair and held her close until he knew things would go further than he wanted on their first night together if he kept going. He slowed their kisses, lengthened their in-between-cuddles and eventually just created some space between them and said, “We’re going to have to do that again.”
She giggled into him. “You think so?”
He nodded, running his hand over her soft hair. “I’ve never been more certain of anything in my life. After this, I will never ever get enough of you, ever.”
She nodded against him. They were tentative. He knew that. No words had yet been spoken, no promises, except physical ones. He had some catching up to do if he wanted anything really special with Sarah and if he wanted it to last, which he did.
The fire had long since settled into a soft glow, casting shadows on the log walls, but neither of them moved to add more wood. Wrapped in the comfort of shared warmth, Travis and Sarah stayed tangled on the couch, his fingers lazily combing through her hair, her head resting against his chest. The snowstorm outside had quieted to a gentle hush, the kind that blanketed the world in a silence that begged for secrets.
For a while, they just listened to the rhythm of each other’s breathing, hearts beating in quiet sync. But there was an energy buzzing between them now, something that went beyond the kisses they’d shared, beyond the years of friendship and hidden glances.
It was the need to truly know each other now like they had when they were younger.
Sarah shifted slightly, propping her chin on his chest to look up at him. Her eyes glinted with something playful, but also… something deeper. “Okay,” she whispered, her voice soft but steady, “let’s play a game.”
Travis chuckled, brushing a stray hair from her face. “Another game? You know I’ve got a competitive streak, right?”
She rolled her eyes, the corners of her mouth twitching. “Not that kind of game. It’s called Tell Me Something I Don’t Know .”
Travis raised an eyebrow. “You already know everything.”
“Do I?” she asked, her tone light, but there was a challenge in her eyes. A challenge he couldn’t resist.
“Alright,” he murmured, tucking her closer. “You start.”
Sarah bit her lip, thinking for a moment. “Okay… when we were fourteen, I pretended to be annoyed with hockey, but I actually used to watch your games when you didn’t know. I’d sneak into the rink with Tatum and sit way at the back so no one would see me.”
Travis blinked, his heart giving a little unexpected lurch. “You’re kidding.”
She shook her head, grinning. “Nope. I had this whole persona to keep up, you know. ‘Sarah Cooper, the girl who’s too cool for hockey, figure skating all the way.’ But I watched every game you played that year.”
Travis chuckled, but there was a softness in his chest now, knowing she’d been there all along. “I think I would’ve played better if I knew you were watching.”
She snorted. “Please, you were already obnoxiously good.”
His hand traced slow circles on her back. “Alright, my turn. Something you don’t know…” He paused, then smirked. “When we were sixteen, and we were skating out here on the lake, you fell into the snow because I made that dumb joke about penguins…”
Sarah groaned, covering her face. “I remember.”
“I fell next to you remember? … And I was this close to kissing you,” Travis finished, his voice dropping.
Her hand lowered slowly, her eyes wide. “What?”
He smiled, his heart pounding. “Yeah. I wanted to. But I didn’t.”
Sarah stared at him, and for a second, the air between them felt thick, heavy with what could’ve been.
“Why didn’t you?” she whispered.
Travis sighed, his thumb brushing over her cheek. “Because I thought you’d laugh in my face. You were always so cool, so… untouchable. I figured, why ruin a good thing?”
Sarah’s gaze softened. “Travis… I wouldn’t have laughed.”
He felt his heart twist at that, the realization of how many years they’d wasted, too afraid to take the leap.
But there was no fear now. Only this moment.
She swallowed, resting her hand on his chest where his heart thudded beneath. “Your turn again.”
He thought for a second, then grinned. “I’m still scared of the dark.”
Sarah laughed, the sound warm and familiar. “No way.”
“Swear,” he said, chuckling. “Remember that time the power went out during the storm, and I claimed I was just checking on Tatum?”
Her mouth dropped open. “ That’s why you barged into my room with that baseball bat?”
He nodded, laughing. “Yep. Wasn’t trying to be the hero. Just a coward looking for backup.”
Sarah shook her head, grinning. “Gosh, I thought you were so brave.”
Travis sobered slightly, his fingers tightening around her waist. “I’m not always brave, Sarah. Especially when it comes to you.”
Her smile faded, but not in a bad way. In the way that made her eyes go soft, her guard lowering inch by inch.
“Tell me something I don’t know,” she whispered, her voice barely more than a breath.
He swallowed, feeling the weight of the moment settle in his chest. “I’ve loved you since we were seventeen.”
Sarah blinked, her breath hitching. The fire crackled in the silence, but neither of them moved.
“I think I knew,” she whispered back. “And I think… I’ve loved you just as long.”
The words hung between them, fragile but undeniably true.
He didn’t say anything, just leaned down and kissed her, soft and slow, like they had all the time in the world.
But when they pulled apart, she pressed her forehead against his. “One more?”
He nodded, brushing his nose against hers. “Yeah.”
She took a deep breath. “Sometimes, when I wrote those articles… it wasn’t just about holding players accountable. It was about pushing you away. I thought if I made myself the enemy, it would be easier not to love you.”
Travis felt his heart ache, but he didn’t pull away. Instead, he cupped her face gently. “Sarah… you could’ve written a thousand articles, and I still would’ve loved you.”
Her eyes shimmered, and for a moment, they just stared at each other, seeing everything they’d been too scared to admit for years.
“I’m sorry,” she whispered.
He shook his head. “I’m not. Because we’re here now.”
She smiled, a little watery but completely real. “Yeah. We are.”
They didn’t need any more words after that. They just held each other, letting the years of unspoken feelings settle between them, knowing that from this moment forward, there was nothing left to hide.
They knew each other—truly knew each other—and that was the most intimate thing of all.