Another High School Romance

twenty four

Once Travis and I had managed to drag ourselves of bed, I got dressed and we went out. Travis didn't seem to love the idea that it was his birthday - since he wasn't all that happy about turning thirty - but he humored me since he knew I loved birthdays. And Mom did too, and it was really nice to see her smiling.

We did end up visiting my grandma's grave, just for a little. Travis drove Mom and I to her grave, left for a few minutes, and came back with two little bouquets of pale yellow roses. Tears rose in my eyes as he pressed one into my hand and handed one to my Mom before moving to step back, maybe to give us some space. But I held out my hand, and he took it with a small smile.

"Thank you." I whispered, and he squeezed my hand gently. Mom moved forwards, walking up to the grave and resting her flowers down. "Travis." I swallowed, unable to summon any other words. But he seemed to understand what I was trying to say.

"I know." His other hand slipped around my jaw, fingers tucking into my hair. "I know."

I stretched up and he met me in the middle, placing a light, sweet kiss on my lips. A tear dripped down my cheek when we parted and he wiped it away, squeezing my hand gently. I smiled, glancing away to see Mom watching us. Blushing a little, I crouched down and placed my flowers next to Mom's.

"Happy Birthday Grandma, I love you." I whispered.

We went for a small walk after that down by the river, not too long since I was still a little worried about Mom's health. But she seemed really happy to be outside, so I didn't fuss too much. We went out to brunch at a cafe just off the river once we'd finished walking, and I was delighted in the fact that Travis couldn't stop smiling. He seemed really happy, which was all I wanted. I felt bad that this was how he was spending his birthday, but was also determined to make it the best I possibly could in light of the circumstances. 

We went back home around noon so Mom could see the doctor, and luckily he said that she was getting a lot better. The chemo was almost completely flushed from her system, and we could start looking at other options in a few days. Once the doctor left, Mom settled down to have a rest and we left her alone to have some quiet.

"I'm sorry." I sighed to Travis as we sat down on the couch together. "This was such bad timing. You shouldn't have to spend your thirtieth birthday like this."

"Beautiful, I wouldn't spend it any other way." Travis tucked his fingers under my chin and lifted so I looked at him. "I've never been crazy about my birthday, so this is perfect. You have to be here to look after your Mom; I understand that." His other hand rested on my knee, stroking gently. "It's perfect, really."

I gave a small sigh, not convinced. Travis shook his head at me, leaning in and kissing me softly, like he thought he had to prove it to me. I caved to his embrace, shuffling closer on the couch. The way Travis was kissing me made me think that maybe he really did love today, but how could anyone love today? I'd tried, but we'd still spent the majority of it looking after Mom. Travis said he didn't mind, but he'd probably rather be with his family.

"You still don't believe me." Travis murmured a moment later. 

"No." I admitted.

"Hey." He pulled back and took my face in his hands, staring at me insistently. "I mean it when I say there's nowhere else I'd rather be. You have made this day perfect in spite of the bad things that happened. That's not easy, and you should give yourself more credit beautiful." Travis kissed me again, and I folded as he pulled me closer.

I ended up on his lap, straddling his hips as our kisses escalated. We couldn't stop going back for more, leaving long, lingering brushes of lips over and over. My body screamed to get closer as my heart thumped longingly for more of his touch, more of his lips, more.