Travis stops what he’s doing and looks at me, raising an eyebrow almost suspiciously. “It doesn’t take an advanced degree in architecture to know how to find a bedroom. Besides, it was the only door that was open, and seeing all your clothes strewn all over the place, it was a logical conclusion.”
I laugh and fold my arms, watching him as he tries to hastily throw my clothes in the suitcases. I can tell the disorganization is bothering him, and I feel a little ashamed, but I brush it off easily enough.
“Is that everything?” Travis asks as we stand by the door with two suitcases and a backpack filled with my laptop and filming equipment.
“Should be. If I’ve left anything behind, I can always come back,” I say, practically pushing him out. I can hardly wait until I’m back in his cabin, playing house.
We get in the car, and Travis undergoes the same driving ritual he did leaving the first time. I put on my seat belt without prompting, and we head back to his house.
Travis hastily brings all my things to a guest room and sets them down before running off to his office, checking his watch the whole time to make sure he’s still on schedule.
“I’ll be about an hour. Then I want you to show me everything this guy has sent you,” Travis says, looking over his shoulder briefly as he rushes into his office.
I stand in the center of his guest room, looking around curiously. I wouldn’t expect someone like him to get a lot of company, so I’m surprised he even has a guest room. I plop down on the bed, testing how lavish it feels beneath me. For a room that probably gets no use, Travis spared no expense.
I wonder what his bed feels like. I bet it’s perfectly suited for his exact needs, meticulously tested in an actual factory lab and not somehybrid memory foam mattress he got through a deal on Amazon. I don’t know when, but Travis is eventually going to let me see it. After all, I’m going to be waking up next to him every day for the rest of our lives.
“Sage!” Travis calls from the other side of the door, jolting me out of my thoughts. I lost track of time daydreaming about the two of us, and I hurry to grab my laptop and meet him in the living room to go over all the details. “I have to go to sleep in two hours, so we don’t have much time.”
I open the laptop and pull up my Instagram account to show him everything. “I’ve been a content creator for two and a half years. I don’t remember exactly when DarkHours99 started messaging me, but it couldn’t have been long after I started.”
I open our message exchanges, highlighting how he would often send me several messages in a row without any response, leaving me paragraphs upon paragraphs talking about how beautiful he thinks I am.
“He comments on literally everything after I post it. If I were to post something right now, within five minutes he would leave a comment, possibly even message me privately.”
Travis leans forward on the couch, resting his elbows on his legs as he analyzes the messages between us. His eyebrows are furrowed, as if he’s concentrating deeply. It warms my heart to see how much he cares about what I’m going through. He’s truly interested in this issue of mine, and I’m thankful for that. Not a lot of women can land men who genuinely care about what’s going on with them.
I guess I’m just one of the lucky ones.
“And all of the messages are this suggestive?” Travis asks, sitting up and looking at me with a hint of frustration in his eyes.
I have to bite the inside of my cheek to keep from squealing from excitement. He’s actually frustrated—maybe even angry. He sees that someone has been harassing me, and he feels so connected to me that it bothers him too. I have him right where I want him. It’s only a matter of time before he’s falling head over heels for me.
I nod and lean forward to load up my profile to show him some of the comments being left on my public posts. As I do, I scroll to the bottom and see a new message I haven’t read yet from him.Why won’t you answer me? Are you with him?
Travis looks concerned again as he stares at the message.
“What am I supposed to do? He might know where I am, and he can do something to try to find me.”
“He’s not going to hurt you,” Travis says with confidence in his voice that has me believing it. I look at him, feeling more appreciative for his presence than I ever have. I can read between the lines. He’s going to protect me. He’s never going to let this man do anything to harm me.
“I’ll try to figure out where he’s sending you messages from in the morning.” Travis takes a deep breath as he stands up and stares down at me. “You should try to get some sleep tonight.”
He turns around and walks away, presumably heading toward his bedroom to sleep for the night.Alone. Tragic.
“Thank you,” I call after him, standing up and biting my lip as he turns around and nods. “Thank you for everything. You have no idea how scary it is to be alone. There are all kinds of bad people out there, and I’m glad I have you to help.”
He smiles at me without saying anything and walks away.
I go back to the guest room and climb into bed, trying for what feels like hours to fall asleep. All I can think about are the messages DarkHours99 has sent and the possibility that he’ll show up somewhere in town to confront me. I think about him breaking into Travis’s house, and Travis taking care of the situation for me.
It puts a smile on my face. I just feel safe with him in a way I haven’t with many other people. So, naturally, when I can’t fall sleep, I go find him. I crack open his bedroom door, being as quiet as a church mouse, to find him sleeping on his back with the blankets perfectly tucked around him and his arms flat beside him. I don’t know why I would expect him to sleep in any other position.
I tiptoe across the room and carefully pull up the blanket and climb in bed next to him. He doesn’t stir at all. I don’t want to wake him. He looks more peaceful now than he has ever since I’ve known him. Instead, I lie next to him, studying every inch of his face until I fall asleep.
Chapter Thirteen
Travis
