Chapter 43
TRAVIS
The sound of paper ripping repeatedly keeps me from getting any rest. I roll over and hang my head off the side of the bunk, glancing down at Penn. He’s stretched out, notebook in his lap, scribbling shit, and then tearing it out, adding it to the little pile of paper shrapnel at his feet.
“Writer’s block?”
“No.” He refuses to look at me as he writes, almost frantically. He tears out another page, balls it up, and tosses it through the air. I reach down, snatch it, and roll back up on my bunk. “Hey, what the fuck?”
I hear paper rustling and unroll the crumpled-up ball as quickly as I can, my eyes scanning the words.
Barbie Olivia Barbie,
I love you more than I can ever express.
Missing you this much has only confirmed what I knew from the night I met you, I’m drawn to you in a way I’ve never known, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.
We once played a game of five questions. I’ve been saving my last one since that night..
“Give that back.” Penn leaps up on my bed, ripping the paper from my hand.
“Is someone writing a love letter?”
“Shut up,” he growls, punching me in the arm and jumping down.
“It sounded good. Why did you stop?” I lean over the edge again, peering down at him.
He starts gathering all his trash and shoving it into the drawer next to our beds.
“It’s nothing. Go away.”
“I can help. I think it’s cute you’re keeping the art of mailing love letters alive. Seems a bit wasteful when you could just send her a text, but what do I know?”
“Nothing. You know absolutely nothing, and it’s not a love letter.” He runs a hand through his hair, looking stressed.
“A song? Though, I have to tell you it’s not hittin’ yet. Doesn’t mean it won’t.”
“Ugh, it’s not a song! It’s–I’m…going to propose.”
I jolt, slamming my head off the ceiling. “Ah, fuck!” I bark, rubbing the top of my head. “Beg pardon?”
He rolls his eyes and crawls back into his bed. “You heard me.”
“You’re going…to propose…to Olivia?” He blinks at me, refusing to answer my obvious question. It was rhetorical anyway. I’m just processing. “When?”
Why hasn’t he mentioned this before? It’s obvious this is where their relationship was headed. I called it long ago, even when he was in denial, but I didn’t think he was thinking about it already. I always thought Tanner would be the first to go.
“I have a few dates in mind. I’m going to wait until her store opens. She needs to focus on that.”
“Yeah, and you still have to get a ring. That could take a while. Gotta make sure it’s perfect and shit.”
“I already have the ring,” he says, and my hands shoot out.
“What? Since when?”
He shrugs. “For a while. I bought it when we were doing SummerFest.”
My jaw pops open. “Wow, and you didn’t fucking tell me!?”
“Shh!” he says, glancing around. “You and Ellie were still messing around.” I open my mouth to argue, but he sends me a look. “Don’t act like you weren’t. I didn’t want you accidentally opening your mouth during pillow talk or some shit.”
My face twists in horror. “Pillow talk? Do I look like I have pillow talk?” It’s like he doesn’t even know me.
“Well, I’m telling you now. I have the ring. It’s going to happen when the tour is over. You’ll be the first to know. No one else knows yet.”
There’s a warning in his tone that I wave off.
He didn’t tell me shit. I went snooping.
Since when doesn’t he tell me stuff? He plays a lot of shit close to his chest, until I poke and poke, but I thought he’d have told me this the minute he thought about it.
Or at least included me in the ring shopping. I could’ve been helpful with that.
“I saw it in a window one day. I wasn’t even looking,” he says, reading my mind.
“Whatever,” I mumble.
He sighs, pulling out his phone. “I have a picture. Do you want to see it?”
I shrug. “Whatever, I don’t care.”
“Stop being a baby. I was going to tell you when I worked out all the details.” He scrolls through his phone before handing it to me.
I study the picture, keeping my face impassive. It’s nice and seems perfect for Olivia. It’s not small, either. That probably cost him a nice chunk of his savings. He’s got those songwriting royalties now, though, so he’s doing fine.
“Well?”
“Fitting,” I say, tossing his phone to him. “Princess cut for the country club princess.”
“How do you know it’s princess cut?” He arches his brow.
“Lucky guess,” I lie.
I was so insane as a teenager I thought I’d marry my girlfriend at the time.
As soon as we graduated, she went off to college in California.
I stayed for the band, but I was all in, looking at rings and imagining shit that was never going to happen with her.
Thankfully, I found out who she was before it was too late.
A whole fucking sea of women swimming at my feet, and I was holding out for someone that had forgotten about me the moment she moved into her dorm.
She regrets it, too. The way she treated me.
The lying and cheating when all she had to do was be honest with me.
She was horny? Fine. I can understand that.
Call me, we’ll have phone sex or meet halfway.
Or hell, at least tell me you’re trolling so I know. One thing I can’t stand is a liar.
She tried to come back right as the band started building momentum, wanting to hop on the fame train before it took off so she could look like she was a ‘ride or die’ or some bullshit. I sent her ass back to Cali so fast there was a cloud of dust in her wake.
“You good?” Penn asks, dragging me from my memories.
“Yep, I’m going to find something to eat. Congrats man, I’m happy for you.”
Penn’s pending nuptials have been stuck in my head for two days. Why? No fucking clue. So what? He’s getting married. Nothing’s gonna change between us. We’ll still live within fifteen minutes of each other. Unless he moves? Nah, he’s not going to move. Right?
Olivia already lives with him, and it hasn’t affected my life much.
I’ll see him nearly every day for band practice. We’ll hang out and drink a beer after. He’ll still watch Animal Planet with me. Yeah, nothing’s gonna change.
“Hey.” Ellie plops down on the couch next to me.
“Hey, where’s Cinnamon?”
She makes a face. “She’s sleeping.”
“Bummer.” Who knew I was a cat person? Certainly not me.
I mean, I love all animals, but pets are different.
I wasn’t sure I could handle the responsibility.
I was planning on getting a fish when I get home.
Can’t do that if Cinnamon is going to be around.
I haven’t said anything to Ellie, but I’m going to want some sort of visitation when the tour is over.
I’m not just going to be some deadbeat dad.
“So, uh, what are your parents’ names again? Was it Bill and Martha or?”
My head swivels around. “Why the hell are you asking me that?” My hackles go up on high alert, heart instantly beating five times harder than it was two seconds ago.
“I-I’m doing a profile on all of you for social media. Like a meet the band, but more in-depth. I’m sharing random facts, that’s all. I need everyone’s family names.”
I clear my throat, heart settling. “Oh, fine. Yeah, Bill and Martha Beckett.”
“And they live in what city, again?”
“Fort Lauderdale.”
“Right. In one of those fancy communities?”
“Is this about them or me?”
She laughs, but it’s a little too loud. The hell is her deal? “You’re silly. I was just curious.” She jots something down in her phone and gets up. I follow her. I want to see if the cat is awake yet.
The sight I’m met with has me gasping like a schoolgirl. Liam is spread out on his bed with my Cinnamon on his chest as she purrs and rubs all over him.
“What the fuck, dude?”
He jolts. “She woke up and came to me!” His eyes shoot to Ellie, who only seems amused. There’s no way I’m letting him replace me as the favorite.
“It’s ok, Liam. I don’t mind.”
“Bullshit!” I interject. “Liam, step away from the cat.”
“Travis,” Ellie scolds.
“What? She’s a ginger! Don’t let him get too close to her. He might try some weird shit.”
Liam gapes at me, and a cross between hurt and horror passes over his features. “Dude!”
“You’re an ass,” Ellie says.
My hand flies to my chest. “Me? I’m looking out for her. You know he has a weird ginger fetish.”
She rolls her eyes, then looks at Liam. “Ignore him.”
I reach for the cat. “Come here, Cinnamon. Daddy’s here now.”
“Oh my God,” Ellie groans. “You’re not her dad. I’m a single mother!”
I ignore her. “Come on, girl.”
She rubs under Liam’s chin again, then walks to the edge of his bed and pounces in my arms. Ellie scoffs, heading to her bunk. The smile I send Liam is triumphant, before I take the cat to my bed.