Beautiful Disaster

“Travis! You have to release me from the bet! I can’t date Parker and live with you at the same time. It looks terrible!”

“So quit dating Parker.”

I glared at him. “That’s not the problem and you know it.”

“Is that the only reason you want to leave? Because of what people are saying?”

“At least before I was clueless and you were the bad guy,” I grumbled.

“Answer the question, Pidge.”

“Yes!”

Travis looked beyond me to the students entering and leaving the cafeteria. He was deliberating, and I grew impatient while he took his time making his decision.

Finally, he stood tall, resolved. “No.”

I shook my head, sure that I had misunderstood. “Excuse me?”

“No. You said so yourself: a bet’s a bet. After the month’s up, you’ll be off with Parker, he’ll become a doctor, you’ll get married and have your two-point-five children and I’ll never see you again.” He grimaced at his own words. “I still have three weeks. I’m not giving that up for lunch room gossip.”

I looked through the glass window to see the entire cafeteria watching us. The unwelcome attention made my eyes burn. I shouldered passed him to walk to my next class.

“Pigeon,” Travis called after me.

I didn’t turn around.

That night, America sat on the tile floor of the bathroom, babbling about the boys while I stood in front of the mirror and pulled my hair into a ponytail. I was only half-listening, thinking about how patient Travis had been — for Travis — knowing he didn’t like the idea of Parker picking me up from his apartment every other night.

The expression on Travis’ face flashed in my mind when I asked him to let me out of the bet, and again when I told him people were saying he was in love with me. I couldn’t stop wondering why he didn’t deny it.

“Well, Shep thinks you’re being too hard on him. He’s never had anyone he’s cared enough to—,”

Travis poked his head in and smiled as he watched me fuss with my hair. “Wanna grab dinner?” he asked.

America stood up to look at herself in the mirror, combing her fingers through her golden hair. “Shep wants to check out that new Mexican place downtown if you guys wanna go.”

Travis shook his head. “I thought me and Pidge could go alone tonight.”

“I’m going out with Parker.”

“Again?” he said, annoyed.

“Again,” I said in a sing-song voice.

The door bell rang, and I hurried past Travis to open the door. Parker stood in front of me, his naturally wavy blonde hair sitting atop his cleanly shaven face.

“Do you ever look less than gorgeous?” Parker asked.

“Based on the first time she came over here, I’m going to say yes,” Travis said from behind me.

I rolled my eyes and smiled, holding up a finger to Parker to signal him to wait. I turned and threw my arms around Travis. He stiffened with surprise and then relaxed, pulling me tight against him.

I looked into his eyes and smiled. “Thanks for organizing my birthday party. Can I take a rain check on dinner?”

A dozen emotions scrolled across Travis’ face, and then the corners of his mouth turned up. “Tomorrow?”

I squeezed him and grinned. “Absolutely.” I waved to him as Parker grabbed my hand.

“What was that about?” Parker asked.

“We haven’t been getting along lately. That was my version of an olive branch.”

“Should I be worried?” he asked, opening my door.

“No,” I smiled, kissing his cheek.

At dinner, Parker talked about Harvard, and the House, and his plans to search for an apartment. His eyebrows pulled in. “Will Travis be escorting you to your birthday party?”

“I’m not really sure. He hasn’t said anything about it.”

“If he doesn’t mind, I’d like to take you.” He took my hand in his and kissed my fingers.

“I’ll ask him. The party was his idea, so….”

“I understand. If not, I’ll just see you there,” he smiled.

Parker took me to the apartment, slowing to a stop in the parking lot. When he kissed me goodbye, his lips lingered on mine. He yanked up the parking brake as his lips traveled along the ridge of my jaw to my ear, and then half-way down my neck. It took me off-guard, and I let out a quiet sigh in response.

“You are so beautiful,” he whispered. “I’ve been distracted all night, with your hair pulled away from your neck.” He peppered my neck with kisses and I exhaled, a hum escaping with my breath.

“What took you so long?” I smiled, lifting my chin to give him better access.

Parker focused on my lips. He grabbed each side of my face, kissing me a bit firmer than usual. We didn’t have much room in the car, but we made the space available work to our advantage. He leaned against me, and I bent my knee as I fell against the window. His tongue slipped inside my mouth, and his hand grabbed my ankle, and then slid up my leg to my thigh. The windows fogged within minutes with our labored breath, sticking to the cool windows. His lips grazed my collarbone, and then his head jerked up when the glass vibrated with several loud thumps.

Parker sat up, and I righted myself, adjusting my dress. I jumped when the door flew open. Travis and America stood beside the car. America wore a sympathetic frown, and Travis seemed just short of flying into a blind rage.

“What the hell, Travis?” Parker yelled.

The situation suddenly felt dangerous. I’d never heard Parker raise his voice, Travis’ knuckles were white as he balled them into fists at his sides — and I was in the way. America’s hand seemed tiny when she placed it on Travis’ bulky arm, shaking her head at Parker in silent warning.

“C’mon, Abby. I need to talk to you,” she said.

“About what?”

“Just come on!” she snapped.

I looked to Parker, seeing the irritation in his eyes. “I’m sorry, I have to go.”

“No, it’s fine. Go ahead.”

Travis helped me from the Porsche, and then kicked the door shut. I flipped around and stood between him and the car, shoving his shoulder. “What is wrong with you? Knock it off!”

America seemed nervous. It didn’t take long to figure out why. Travis reeked of whiskey; she had insisted on accompanying him, or he’d asked her to come. Either way she was a deterrent to violence.

The wheels of Parker’s shiny Porsche squealed out of the parking lot, and Travis lit a cigarette. “You can go in, now, Mare.”

She tugged on my skirt. “C’mon, Abby.”

“Why don’t you stay, Abs,” he seethed.

I nodded for America to go ahead and she reluctantly complied. I crossed my arms, ready for a fight, preparing myself to lash out at him after the inevitable lecture. Travis took several drags from his cigarette, and when it was obvious that he wasn’t going to explain, my patience ran out.

“Why did you do that?” I asked.

“Why? Because he was mauling you in front of my apartment!” he yelled. His eyes were unfocused, and I could see that he was incapable of rational conversation.

I kept my voice calm. “I may be staying with you, but what I do, and who I do it with is my business.”

He flicked his cigarette to the ground. “You’re so much better than that, Pidge. Don’t let him fuck you in a car like a cheap prom date.”

“I wasn’t going to have sex with him!”

He gestured to the empty space where Parker’s car sat. “What were you doing, then?”

“Haven’t you ever made out with someone, Travis? Haven’t you just messed around without letting it get that