27
TRAVIS
Fake Date Group Chat.
Celine – We’re at your apartment but it feels weird without you.
Dornan – Yeah, dude. It’s not the same without you.
Elias – Celine’s out of control. We need you to come back and show her who’s boss.
Celine – You all know who’s boss. She’s tight and wet and warm and greedy.
Dornan – Jesus, Celine. Are you trying to give us all heart attacks?
Elias – She’s not wrong, though. Pussy power’s a thing.
Celine – We miss you…what’s happening with the investigation?
Travis – I have news…
When the plane lands, I feel such a sense of relief. I love Germany as a country - the culture, the beautiful landscapes, the friendly people - but Lina made my stay there unbearable.
Returning home a second time is even more emotional because I know there's no reason to go back.
I only have a small suitcase with me so there's no need to wait for luggage. In the arrival hall, I expect to walk straight through to search for a cab. Instead, I find Celine waiting for me, flanked by Dornan and Elias.
She runs to me, throwing her arms around my body tightly and pressing her face into my neck. I breathe in her soft floral scent, and it's like I've shed a concrete overcoat to run across a sunny field barefoot. The relief to be back and in her embrace winds me.
Dornan and Elias wait for our reunion with smiles on their faces. When Celine eventually lets me go, I press a kiss to her lips and then greet the boys, shaking hands. "We thought you might appreciate a ride?" Dornan says.
"I definitely appreciate it."
"And we have your keys." Celine pulls them out of her pocket and dangles them in front of me. "We might have christened your bed just a little."
"That's good. I wish I'd been there."
"You were in spirit." She smiles and takes my hand. "Maybe you can be later?"
Hell yeah! I want to scream it from the rooftop, but instead, I smile and kiss her. "I wouldn't miss it for the world."
"So, what happened?" Elias takes the handle of my suitcase and wheels it behind him. As we start walking, I tell them everything that happened.
"Dornan was right. I managed to find Lina's ex, and he told me he's the child's father. At least, Lina had told him he was two weeks before she told me. It seems she got on a plane out of desperation, hunting for a man to be a father to her baby. I guess she knew I was loyal and wouldn't desert her. Leaving the baby behind was tough, even knowing it's not mine. That poor kid has got to grow up with Lina as its only parent. Maybe one day, she'll find another sucker to step in. In fact, I'm sure she will because that's the kind of person she is. I'm just glad it's not me."
In the car, Dornan leaves me to sort out the playlist, and I select something I know Celine will like. As soon as the first bars play, she immediately squeals. The journey to my place becomes a singalong, and even Elias joins in.
When we're getting close, Dornan signals in the wrong direction. "Where are you going?" I ask.
"We need food. My belly is growling."
He pulls up to a fast-food drive-thru; not exactly a healthy meal I should eat but fuck it. The plane served gross slop, and I'm hungry as a wolf. Unless they've been grocery shopping, my cupboards are going to be bare. We order a mixture of burgers, wings, and fries, with milkshakes and sodas. Dornan drives to the next window to pay.
"I'll get this," I say. I'm not rolling in it, but I've been working for a couple of years, and these guys are all students.
"No way. I'm getting it." Celine pulls out her credit card and attempts to lean through Dornan's window. She manages to tap her card on the reader, and the server pulls the machine back in. He looks up and shakes his head. "It's declined."
Celine looks confused but pulls out another card. "Try this one." She taps the machine again. After a few seconds, the server shakes his head.
"It's declined."
Celine shrinks back, staring at her open purse and the cards.
Dornan hands over his card, and it goes through right away.
We exchange looks as he drives to the collection window.
I turn to find Elias resting his hand on Celine's knee. "Do you think he canceled your cards?"
Celine shrugs. "I'm not sure. It's never happened to me before on one card, let alone two."
"He threatened it, didn't he?"
She purses her lips, still staring at the cards. "He did, but I didn't think he'd go through with it. For what? Because I wouldn't drop my plans for his last-minute invitation after he hadn't called me for weeks. The only thing he does for me is give me money."
"Do you want to call the bank and find out for sure?"
She shakes her head. "It's obvious that he's cut me off financially. What am I going to do?"
"There's a job at the Daily Grind. I heard they pay okay," Dornan offers.
"Yeah. That could work, but it won't help me with the cost of my accommodation. That's only paid up until the end of the semester."
I don't offer immediately, but now that I'm moving out of home, my room is free. I'm sure Gab and my mom would be cool with Celine moving in with them. I'd offer for her to stay with me, but my apartment is further away from campus, and I don't want to freak her out with gushing offers of serious commitment just yet. Plus, this thing we're in involves two other people. I'd have to consult with Dornan and Elias before offering anything. Treading on toes in such a big way wouldn't exactly maintain great relations.
"We'll sort something out," I offer. "Don't worry about anything. You have three men here. Between us, we'll come up with a plan. Dornan nods and when I turn, Elias raises his head in agreement.
Celine's smile is falsely bright; a straight line of tight lips that doesn't meet her eyes.
Her father's action isn't just about the physical withdrawal of cash. It's more than that. He's emotionally withdrawn from Celine, too. I know what it's like to lose a parent. Worse still, I know what it feels like to think you know someone but find out that they're a different person.
When it's a parent, it shakes you to your core.
My dad projected that he was the perfect family man. It wasn't until he was killed in a car accident, next to a woman we didn't know, that we found out he was living a double life. His betrayal still cuts me despite the years that have passed.
The drive to my place is short. Celine is quiet, and her low mood affects us all. I'm relieved that the music overlays the silence.
It's weird to go into a place that's mine, but I've never lived in. Elias, Dornan, and Celine have spent more time in this apartment than I have. But, as we spread our food out over the table, it starts to feel like home.
"I'm just going to wash up," I tell everyone. I take my suitcase into the bedroom and head to the bathroom. Closing the door, I pull out my phone and dial mom's number.
Her relieved gasp of my name makes me smile.
"Hey Mom, I'm back."
"Are you coming home?"
"Not right now. I'm just hanging out with some friends."
Her happy humming noise makes me grateful she's so cool.
"Listen, I wanted to ask if you'd be okay with letting Celine move into my old room. She's having some family issues that have become financial. From next semester, she won't have the money to pay for accommodation."
"Of course," Mom says. "She's not only your friend. She's Gabriella's, too."
"She'll probably be at my apartment a lot of the time," I add.
"That will be nice for you both." Mom's unseen smile is obvious. She hasn't asked me what's going on with Celine, but I can tell she's made assumptions and is happy about them.
"Okay. I'll see you tomorrow," I say.
"I'll have dinner ready at seven pm. You can invite your friends if you want."
I love my mom, not only because she's been a rock of stability and love throughout my whole life but also because of how warm she is to all my friends. She loves people, and she loves feeding them even more!
"I will. Thanks, Mom."
Everyone's tucking into their food when I return to the open-plan living space. I take a seat between Elias and Dornan, facing Celine, and tell her about the arrangement I've agreed with my mom.
"Are you sure?" she gasps, as though I've offered to give her Buckingham Palace.
"Are you kidding me? My mom is desperate for more people to feed. Just be prepared to start letting your pants out at the waist."
She laughs, and it's the sweetest sound. Everything about Celine is a contrast to Lina. Her loyalty and kindness. Her fierce desire to support the people she cares about. Her sense of fun and warmth.
"That's great," Dornan says, touching her arm.
"And you can crash at mine anytime you want," Elias says.
I can tell they’d both invite her to stay if they could, but dorm rules are strict about sharing.
"Is it okay to ask what's happened about the video?" I take a bite of my burger and then a long swig of soda, enjoying the familiar tastes.
"The police have Eddie's phone. They arrested him last night, but we haven't heard anything else."
"That's good. Is the video still up?"
Celine shakes her head. "It's been taken down from the site he uploaded it to. I checked last night. But who knows how many times it's been downloaded and shared."
"Hopefully, it wasn't up long enough for that to happen."
"And it's impossible to keep track of without immersing myself in gross content twenty-four-seven."
"Exactly." Elias offers her one of his hot wings, and when she doesn't take one, he offers one to me, too.
"Thanks, man," I say.
"So, what's the plan with you?" he asks. "Do you think you'll still be able to start that job?"
"I called them from Germany to explain what happened and tell them I'm coming back. They haven't filled the role, so they’re happy for me to start. I get the feeling that they're a little worried I'll let them down again. I guess the only way I can prove I'm reliable is by being reliable."
"So, Lina didn't fuck things up for you?"
"I'm out of pocket for two flights. I can handle that. It was the right thing to do. I had to be sure."
Celine nods. She goes to say something but then brings her lips together.
"What?" I cock my head to the side.
"I just…" She looks around at each of us in turn and her cheeks warm. "I just wanted to say that I really enjoyed playing revenge games with you, but now Eddie's well and truly out of the picture, I release you from your commitment."
"Release us?" Elias's nose wrinkles like he smells something gross.
"I just mean, I don't have any expectations for what this is, so if you don't want to do this anymore, all you have to do is let me know."
"Errr." Elias looks like Celine just said she wants to hack off his testicles.
Dornan lowers his burger solemnly. "You're joking, right?"
"I just…well, we haven't exactly talked about what this is…" She waves her hands around to encompass us all.
"I thought it would be obvious by now," Dornan says. His eyes search mine and then Elias's, checking to see if we're all on the same page. We both nod.
"Obvious?"
"Yeah. It's what you said you were doing at the Red Devil."
"What?" Celine's confusion is too cute, and it makes me want to kiss her on the tip of her nose and then shackle her to my bed.
"Gathering your own harem!"
Her smile is brilliant and bright. She drops her burger and leaps up, taking Dornan's surprised face between her hands and kissing his lips. She does the same to Elias, who's reluctant to let her go, and slaps her ass when she tries to pull away. Then she rounds the table to me.
When I left for Germany, I thought this thing between us was going to be over before it even started. The way I missed her felt stronger than it should. I tried to tell myself that I was being an idiot for even thinking she'd want more than what we started. Dornan's one of her best friends, and she's known Elias intimately since before we started playing as a group. If she was going to choose to solidify a relationship with any of us, it was going to be one of them. But as she kisses my lips tenderly and lets me pull her into my lap, I feel the truth.
She wants us all, and it's not in a greedy way. She sees each of us individually and how we work as a unit. What should be impossible feels infinitely possible with Celine at our center.
"I missed you," she whispers. "I'm glad you're home."
Home .
This apartment I've never lived in feels warm and inviting because of the three other people here with me.
I feed Celine chips, and we laugh at a stupid story Dornan tells us about yesterday's locker room antics. And when we're done eating and the conversation slows, Celine stands and leads me by the hand into the bedroom, encouraging the others to follow.