Chapter 24
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
Isabella
PRESENT DAY
The echo of Travis’s argument with his mother lingers in my mind as we walk into his house, a step behind one another. From the second we left his mother’s place until now; tension has been building in our shadow and clinging to the silence that settled between us. I’ve never seen him like this, all up in his feelings and dark between the edges.
“Are you okay?” I ask as soon as we get to the living room. I turn to him, slowly, as if I’m scared to see him in the light.
Gloom dresses up his face as he stares at me, and before I know it, he’s coming towards me with his feet stamping on the floors of his living room. His arms wrap around me, and he buries himself in the crevasses of my shoulder. I feel the tautness in his embrace, as though he was holding me together just as much as he was holding himself.
“Why didn’t you say anything?” he whispers in his hideout.
“Travis, look at me,” I say, pulling him away from me but keeping my hands steady on his shirt.
The second he shows himself, my heart drops. His eyes are reddening with sorrow, and it pains me to cause that. I failed to prevent that from happening.
“This is why I couldn’t tell you. You look awful.” I tighten my grip on his shirt, keeping him close to me. “I didn’t want to see you like this, crying and angry at people you shouldn’t be.”
“I deserved the truth, Bella,” he says, but it barely comes out.
“Yes, you did. But I also didn’t want to hurt you. Two women in your life weren’t on the best of terms and though now you don’t see how messed up that was, back then, it would’ve destroyed you,” I say, trying to glue him together.
Things were rough outside, but here, in the comfort of his home, away from the harsh words he threw at his mother, it felt safe—just us in the bright light, standing in a bubble where none of the world’s heaviness could reach.
“Teenage Travis wouldn’t know what to do and teenage Isabella was just a girl who loved enough to let go. I knew when to let go, and though I regret doing so, it was the right thing to do.” I breathe in. “But regret is just something one feels when they return to what they deserved.”
“Isabella,” he breathes out.
“And before your mother, I had my worries. I really needed you with me back then. I knew you were busy living in the world and going through college, but I was selfish enough to want you by my side for as long as I wanted.”
“I’m sorry I wasn’t there.”
“No! Don’t even dare apologize for that. It was wrong of me to expect that from you. My life was moving slowly and unsteadily, but that was my problem to fix. I didn’t have to lash out at you for my failures. Which is why I left without turning back.”
“What?”
“I loved you very much, Travis. And I’m sorry it took me that long to own it.” I pull him closer. “Yes, I regret leaving you here without a word. But I don’t regret leaving.”
“You don’t?”
“No, because if I hadn’t, I’d be stuck. Stuck in my failures, my troubles, and eventually, you would’ve broken up with me, and then I will succumb to my filth and?—”
“I’ll have to stop you right there,” he interjects. “I would never have broken up with you, and I know we can’t be aware of the future, but that much, I know. Also, bad days always get better, so there’s no way things would’ve been the same as the years went by. So, yes, leaving got you this great job, a stable life, and a perfect view of the Eiffel Tower, but what makes you think you couldn’t have had that same life here in Road Haven?”
I ruefully smile at his thoughts.
“Travis, it’s not about the job or the view. Leaving changed me for the better. It shaped me enough to find the courage to return.”
He smiles and drags me in for another hug. “Do you believe in fate?” he asks, and I laugh, my body vibrating in his arms. “Because I believe that’s what brought us back together.”
He pulls back.
“I understand what you’re saying. I get it.”
Those words alone were warmer than any embrace. It means a lot to me to know he can look past what I had done to see how important it was for me to find myself.
“I’m proud of you,” he murmurs, and the smile on my face turns around. “I never got to say it but, I am. And thank you for coming back to me.”
Tears stream down my face, and oddly, they’re not sad tears. No one has ever said those words to me, not even my mother, whom I love so much. Hearing it for the first time through Travis’ lips is something I never thought I needed, but it warms my heart. It makes everything worth it.
Now, I know to speak up about my pain instead of writing it down on a piece of paper that’ll be imprisoned in my eyes only.
“Travis,” my voice falters. “I—I have to tell you something.”
Only I can ruin such a beautiful moment like this, but it must be done. The sooner I tell him, the easier it might get.
He looks down at me, his gaze in search of mine. “What is it?” he asks.
“I’m going back home,” I begin. The words tear out like a magnet and throw themselves at him. “I have a life there—work, friends, everything I’ve built. And as much as I’d love to stay here with you and build one with you, I can’t just leave it all behind,” I continue, my heart aching with each word. “My flight is in two days.”
He stands there without a word escaping him and just nods as his shoulders slump. “I get it, Isabella. I do. You’ve worked hard to build that life, and I’d never ask you to give any of it up.”
He pauses, staring at me. His hand comes up and lands on my face, tracing my skin. “But I’ll wait for you,” he softly says, lifting my chin so I look into his eyes. “Just like I’ve always done. No matter how far you go, I’ll be here when you’re ready to come back.”
The tears pile on and slip down my cheek, but I don’t bother to wipe it away. Instead, I lean in, pressing my lips to his, letting all the love I’ve yet to show him, the appreciation, and the bittersweet desire pour into that kiss. Words wouldn’t be enough to show him how thankful I am for his understanding, nor would it be enough to let this ache in my heart go away.
The sun hits my eyelids, cutting short my deep sleep. I open them to the sight of Travis’ torso, and it all comes back to me. Looking up, I land on his eased face with his eyes closed and mouth shut. He looks so peaceful. I run my fingers over his face, feeling his eyebrows, his eyes palpitating, his nose breathing life into him, and his lips holding moments of last night. All in the right place.
I let myself sink against him, resting my head on his shoulder, and listening to the continuous pattern of his breathing. As I continue to stare at him, his eyes slowly open and I panic. I quickly shut my eyes, pretending to still be asleep.
It’s a struggle to keep the act as his warm hand finds its way to my bare back, drawing soft circles on it. The sound of our breaths and the hum of the city outside fill up the room and bring comfort to our silence. For a moment, it feels like we’re the only two people in the world.
“I know you’re awake, sweetheart,” his husky voice sends shivers down the same spine he’s caressing.
Sweetheart! I haven’t heard that in a while.
“Sleep well?” I ask, slipping out of the act and out of bed. The morning breeze winds up on my naked skin, and I grab the first thing I see on the floor. Travis’ shirt. It falls on my skin up to my upper thigh.
“With you here… definitely,” he answers. “Can we stay in bed a little longer?”
“I’ll be back. Today, breakfast will be ready and brought to you in bed,” I say before winking at him.
I’m so happy.
I go downstairs to start the coffee and fry some scrambled eggs with some toast. As I pour water into the machine, a loud ring startles me.
“I’ll get it!” I yell to prevent Travis from coming down and ruining the not-so-surprise breakfast.
But the second the words came out, I regretted it. Who am I to be opening Travis’ door this early? What if it’s one of his friends or worse, my friends? Or his family?
Every possibility starts filling up my brain, and I hesitate, glancing at the door. Who could it be?
Gently, I turn the doorknob, opening it to find Travis’s mother standing on the other side. Family . Her gaze shifts as soon as she sees me, and I recall the tension from last night.
“Isabella,” she greets, her voice even but astonished.
“Mrs McGreen… good morning,” I say, standing still. She scans me from head to toe and I snap out of the shock to look at myself. Shit! I’m standing in front of her with nothing but her son’s shirt. It’s my luck, I guess.
I hush the shame and step aside to let her in. “Travis is still upstairs, but I can call him for you,” I say, pacing to the stairs.
“No, it’s fine. Actually, it’s good you’re here. Can we talk?” I look up the stairs, begging from within for him to decide on his own to rush down here.
“Um, sure.”
She nods, makes her way to the living room, and sits on the sofa. I follow, trying to read the expression behind her composed face.
“Would you like some coffee?” I offer, attempting to break the silence between us.
“Tea, if you have it,” she says, a faint smile painted on her face.
I nod and head to the kitchen, preparing her tea and our coffee, suffocating from her presence just a few feet away. What the hell am I even doing?
I stretch my arm to hand her the cup, and she accepts it with a quiet “thank you,” and we sit in silence.
After sipping for a while, she shifts in her seat. “Things got heated last night, didn’t they?” she asks, and I awkwardly smile. “I’m sure you know that everything I’ve ever done has always been to protect Travis,” she says, directing pins at me.
I look down. “I understand, Mrs McGreen. But he’s a grown man now, and he deserves to make his own choices—even if they’re not always the ones you’d want for him.”
Her gaze softens. “You’re right,” she admits, her voice barely a whisper. “It’s undeniable I took the wrong shortcut, and I understand how that could’ve hurt both of you. But I truly believed I was doing the right thing for Travis. Even back then, I could see how much you cared for him, but he cared too much for you. And I guess that was my problem. I was scared he might only need you in his life and that drove me to all this,” she scoffs.
“Travis will never not need you. You’re his mother, and we were barely adults.”
“I know,”
“I understand your fear, Mrs McGreen, but it doesn’t justify the things you said to me. They pinned me down, you know?”
“And I’m sorry,” she says, and it releases so much pressure.
“Your words are important. Even the ones you don’t think much of, cut deep. Each one of them echoed in my mind for as long as I can remember and drove me to fight, so in a way, I’m thankful for your push, but I’m also appalled you could say that to me.”
“I—”
“I saw you as a mother, Mrs McGreen, but I guess you didn’t really see me as a daughter.” I block her.
She shifts a bit forward and puts down the cup on the table. “Isabella,” she begins. “I had no right to say those things to you, and I’ll forever be sorry for that. You’re enough and maybe even more. But I don’t have to say that to you… I’m nobody to say that to you, nor was I someone to say otherwise. I’m extremely sorry,” she says in one of those motherly voices that aches my heart.
“It’s fine.”
I don’t know what to say.
“No, it’s not,” she says, and I stoop my head down, fidgeting with my fingers. “You’re more than enough.”
And I look up, a fond smile on my face.
We sit in silence, the tension softening into something that feels almost like mutual respect. All I had asked for. For the first time, I feel she perceives me as more than just a brief fixture in Travis’s life. She sees me for who I am.
Just then, Travis appears from a corner, taking in the sight of us sitting together. His gaze shifts between us, relief crossing his face.
“Mom,” he says, smiling. Travis is smiling at his mother.
He crosses the room, strangely happy at the sight of both of us.
“Can we talk?” he asks, looking at his mother. He offered first.
I take her nod as my cue to step out.
“I’ll leave you two to it as I go…” I look down again. “Dress up. And thank you, Mrs McGreen, for…” I shift to Travis standing there, gawking at the interaction, a smile on his face. “For everything.”
“Call me Libby,” she says with a smile, and I return one to her.
Libby . I repeat in my head. Despite everything, I still missed Libby and her amazing snacks. It’s great to have her back.
I get back to the kitchen to give them some privacy and from the soft chatters piercing through the walls, I sense it’s a conversation enough to mend the rift formed between them.
And from that, pieces start getting back together. With only two days to spend with Travis before heading back to France, every moment counts. So, I made them count.
From drives around town, chats at the cafe, lake propagandas, gossip about what’s supposedly going on with Dan and Raina, and cozy nights on Travis’ bed… we spent that time together. But eventually, the last day hit us like a truck, and it was time.
Travis offered to drive me to the airport for one last hug, kiss, and look at each other faces. And as promised, we do just that for about half an hour, pushing back the moment I have to walk in there and leave.
“I don’t know how long I’ll be gone,” I say, my voice muttered on his chest as I hold on to him.
“I know.” He separates us and looks at me.
He pulls out a tie from his wrist and says, “I’ll be here, waiting. No matter how long it takes, Isabella.”
With the tie, he gathers my hair back, still keeping his eyes on me. Why does he have to be so nice to me? Now, I don’t want to leave. I stare at him, stuffed with tears welling up.
I lose control and close the gap between us as I succumb to his chest, sharing one last, lingering embrace. I clung to him as if holding on to the memories we’ve shared to this point, and to those we have yet to create.
This wasn’t goodbye; we both knew that. But it hurts the same. “Take care of yourself,” he whispers, brushing a kiss against my forehead.
“You too,” I manage to let out, pulling back to look into his eyes one last time. And with a pouring heart, I turn toward the gate. I slowly walk away from him and with every step, I whisper to myself to not turn back. I can’t turn back. And until the plane took off—I didn’t.