Secret Valentine

“How mad would you’re mom be if I took a flower or two?”

“It would be best to just take one Jess.” He started walking to the flower bed. “Wait a second,” he stopped on his heels and spun around to face me. “She just got a bouquet of flowers from dad the other night, I’ll go grab one.” I raised a hand to stop him. “Don’t worry I’ll get a masculine one.” He smiled and ran inside before I could say anything more, mere seconds later Travis reappeared with a rose.

“Ugh, Travis that isn’t a flower for a guy!”

“Milady,” he bowed in front of me and offered me the rose.

“Oh,” I blushed with one hand over my face as I took the rose.

“And this one is for Hunter.” Travis pulled a beautiful yellow flower from behind his back. “This is the acacia flower it represents friendship,”

“How do you know these types of things?”

“Mom,” he sighed rolling his eyes.

“Ah,” I nodded.

“Shall we walk?” Travis said taking my hand.

I snaked the rest of my arm around his, totally intertwined. We started walking down the sidewalk again our arms swinging due to the fact that my Travis had just given me a rose. I randomly started to hum, then it turned into La’s. “La la la la lalalalalala laa.”

“Juliet what are you doing?”

“Idk…” I bit my lip, and looked down at the cracks in the sidewalk.

“What song was that? It’s pretty,”

“It just popped into my head it’s nothing.”

“I like it. I think I’ll have to use it for a new song.”

I smiled up at him. It was a good feeling to know that a song could possibly come from my random melody. We walked by my house, and my mom’s car was in the drive way. “Umm, I want to put this in some water.” I looked at Andy’s truck that was also parked in our drive way.

“I’ll stay here,” his eyes were slightly scared.

“Okay brb.” I ran up to the door, and knocked four times. The door opened. “Hi Andy,”

“Good afternoon miss Jessica.” Andy greeted me with open arms.

“Hi,” I said awkwardly as I hugged the guy. “Is mum in?”

“In here Juliet,”

Andy turned around. “I thought you weren’t going to call her that anymore Monica.”

“I’m not, Travis is outside, isn’t he?”

“Yeah he is Mum,” I ran into the kitchen. “Lookie,” I showed her the rose.

“Awh this is pretty did he give this to you?” Her face lit up like a child’s face on Christmas day. “Let’s get that pretty vase your Grama gave you.” She went into the living room, and grabbed the mono-flower vase that my Grama had given me when I had turned 15. I followed her back into the kitchen where she filled the vase with water. I passed her the rose. “There, beautiful, where is that strapping fine young man?”

“Right here,” Andy rounded the corner.

“Not you Andy,” I squinted at him.

“No, I meant literally,” Andy smiled and then Travis peeked out around him.

I blushed as I ground my foot into the floor. I watched my foot as it swivelled on the floor.

“What were you two up to while I was gone this afternoon?” My mother smiled.

My eye became huge as I looked up at Travis; his eyes were wide and bewildered. “Th-that depends Monica,” Travis stuttered.

From the corner of my eye I saw my mom roll her eyes. “Andy, could you go and get the mail?”

“Right on it,” he went up smooched my mom on the cheek and went outside.

“Your father called Jess,”

“Fack,” I rubbed my face, what did he tell her?

“Language Jess,” She scorned me. “You two did some things after I left…”

I looked back at Travis; his face was getting redder and redder with each passing second. “Yeah so?” I asked.

“I just want to know what the situation is… Are you two together or just fuck buddies?”

“Umm Mum the proper term is ‘Friends with Benefits’.”

“Okay well what ever I want the dirt.”

I walked over to my tomato-red faced boyfriend, and held his hand. “We’re together,” I looked up at his face to see the shades of red cool down. He nodded smoothly.

“Alright good to know, and what happened with Hunter? I thought you two were good friends.”

“I’m going over to apologize,” I mumbled.

“Alright got the mail,” Andy rounded the corner and handed it to my mom. He tried to remain conspicuous as he eyed Travis’ and my hand. “We have news for you Jessica.” Andy smiled.

“And that would be what?”

“Travis can leave first,” Andy’s eye brows lowered.

“He’s family now Andrew.” Mum rubbed his arm in a soothing matter.

His eye brows perched, and then he continued. “We’re getting married.” He smiled triumphantly.

“Yay!” I shouted and hugged my mom.

“Congrats,” Travis rubbed the back of his head.

Andy walked up to him, I could barely hear what he had said to Travis, but I didn’t care too much to eavesdrop.

“I told you Jess,” She whispered into my ear.

“Ya, ya what ever, ehee,” I squealed now I was the little kid on Christmas day.

“Juliet lets go, before the damage is irreversible.” Travis’ voice was so shaky it made me wonder what Andy had said to him.

I quickly kissed my mother’s cheek and ran off with Travis. As soon as I slammed the door behind me I took a hard look at Travis’ face. It had gone from red to white with in the few minutes that he had been inside my house. I took his hand again and ran half way down the street. “What did he say to you?!”

All I got was him stuttering no full coherent words.

“Travis cut that out what’d he say to you!” I shook him gently.

“He’ll kill me,” I managed to work out with his partial words.

“Why, when?”

“I-i-i-if I hurt you,” he was coming back to life. The color of his skin was closer to his regular skin tone.

“Travis, plenty of people say that all the time.” I stroked his face. “It’s going to be alright.”

He looked at me. His blue eyes were huge, and full of concern.

“Travis what’s wrong?”

He shook his head. “Lets go,” he started to walk ahead.

I started to follow him. I reached for his hand, but at the last second he freaked out and shoved both hands into his pockets. “Cut that out you’re scaring me Travis!” I basically screamed as I stopped on the sidewalk.

He paused with his foot in mid air. He looked like he was going to look back, but he didn’t. He started walking again. I ran in front of him, I was terrified with what Andy had done to him. “Jessica!” He screamed at me. “Don't you get it? I already hurt you!”

I felt the blood leave my face, along with the air in my lungs. I stared into his eyes, seeing that he meant the truth was horrifying. I tried to speak, but I made no sound, I had the words in my head, but they wouldn’t come out.

“Jess?” Travis gripped the tops of my arms. “Jess?” He tucked my hair behind my ear. His hands were burning hot on my shoulders. His hands drifted from my shoulders to my face. “Jess?” His voice was now panicked. “Breath Jess, you have to breath.” The words came out rushed and frantic.

I gasped, along with my lungs filling, my eyes started to tear up. He hugged me. “I’m sorry I shouldn’t have dropped it like that, Jess, I’m so sorry.”

“Abada, abada, ah—” Sobs over came me. His arms tightened around me; I flung my arms around him.

“Okay Jess I get it, you can loosen your grip.”

I broke away from him. “Lets go,” I sobered.

“Jess are you sure?” He asked.

“Yes,” I said curtly.

“Jess, you could stop crying that would make me surer of it.”

“They’re tears for Hunter now okay?” I sighed. They were deep down. “I just want to go and apologize now before it can’t be reversed.”

“Fine, lets go.” We both trudged off for the next three minutes.

We arrived at the Thompsen house. “Stay here Juliet.” Travis made me hide in the bushes that surrounded their yard.