Falling on Dead Ears

The ride was long and peaceful. The rumble of the engine under us was lulling to say the least, and Travis constantly shaking chest made it easier to realize he was enjoying the silence I came with. I was sure he wanted to talk he hardly ever stopped talking while we were on the dock. But here, he couldn’t. His words would fall of deaf ears quite literally. I couldn’t see his mouth and there was no way he was going to sign what little he knew while riding through town.

The bike rolled to a stop in front of a small café and the rumble below me died. Glancing up at Travis quickly I blinked startled as he patted my side and stood up himself.

Slipping off the bike I watched him confused. Smiling he placed a hand on my side and began leading me towards it. My hands moved quickly trying to understand what was going on, he simply frowned at me before smiling.

‘I’m hungry, aren’t you?’ My mouth floundered at my hands seemed to stutter. Even if I was starving hungry I’d never go into a café for food. I’d get treated differently or called a lair. Why someone would call another person, one they don’t even know, a lair for a physical condition is beyond me. ‘Come on.’

Air-conditioning hit my back heavily, making me shiver and step closer to Travis’s body warmth. Taking a quick look at his features, he didn’t seem to notice so I didn’t step back. As I spun around he seemed to tighten the grip around my waist, pulling me closer as a boy walked up to the podium.

Travis’s chest shifted differently than it did on the bike. My eyes darted to his face to watch his lips move. The smallest change in tone and pitch made different muscles move and work to create them. A simple laugh made most his chest and abdominal move in sync, as he talked most of his abdominal only moved as his chest stared rather stationary unlike most people. For many people, I’d noticed, it was opposite, their stomachs barely moved and their chests shifted more due to intakes in breath.

Sitting in the small booth I watched Travis slide in across from me with a wide smile. He way always so happy it was hard to frown, hard to focus on all the horrible things around him. Such a bright beacon of light.

‘what’d you want to drink?’ he asked gently. Glancing at him I smiled as a menu slid in front of me. My eyes darted up to the waiter that had seated us smiling brightly at me. Forcing a smile I looked down at the menu. I simply lifted three fingers next to me, trying to hide it from the waiter and watched Travis look at the menu and nod. ‘two lemonades please.’

The waiter took his leave and Travis leaned forward on the table smiling at me.

‘Are you embarrassed about it?’ He asked gently. Shaking my head I licked me lips. I didn’t care if people knew, as long as they treated me like a normal person for the most part. Someone yelling at me when my back was turned was not something I found of, especially if I turned around to find them steaming at the ears for not listening to them. ‘alright….’ he seemed un sure.

Licking my lips I began moving my hands and Travis blinked startled. Pausing I repeated the movements slower before he passed me a napkin and a crayon.

I couldn’t help but smile at him. Taking the crayon from his long calloused fingers I flipped it around in mine for second before placing it to the rough napkin.

‘I would rather be treated as shy than be treated like I’m stupid.’ pushing it towards him I glanced down at my menu, not really all that hungry.

The hand tapping the polished table in front of my face got my attention. Focusing on his lips as they moved I listened to him.

‘That I get but you can’t assume everyone will treat you that way. I don’t.’ Smiling I lifted my hands a up, palms facing me and rolled towards myself a few times, as if I was trying to cool off. Then I pointed at myself and smiled. ‘what’s that mean?’ taking the napkin and the crayon back I wrote two simple words down:

‘I’m glad.’ His smile grew as I turned the napkin towards him.

‘I try.’ He shrugged before looking down at his menu.

Lunch was a bit awkward to say the least. After we’d ordered our food the waiter checked on us more than he probably should, whether it was because I was deaf or because Travis and I seemed to be the only two in the place under forty, I wasn’t sure.

‘I’ll be back.’ Travis stated as he slid out of the booth. Worrying my bottom lip I nodded and sat their quietly by myself.

My hands mashed together under the table as I glanced around the café. The waiter was heading my way and it made me more nervous than normal when I saw him coming. He smiled and waved looking at me. I didn’t have Travis to talk for me and seemingly scare the guy off.

‘are you doing alright?’ He asked smiling at me. I simply nodded and glanced away before back at him. I didn’t want to seem rude in case he spoke again. I didn’t mean to ignore people it just happened. ‘ for someone so shy you stare a lot…’ He stated. My cheeks flushed and I glanced down. That was another thing that people assumed before knowing I was deaf. That I was staring at them, not listening to them.

The table shifted as the boy leaned on it. Glancing up at him he smiled down at me. It was a coy startling smile. It wasn’t like Travis’s. It didn’t make me want to smile back. It made me want to sink back in my seat.

‘why don’t you say something?’ He asked. Licking my lips I glanced around again, hoping to spot Travis. In a matter of a few days the man had become my safe haven. ‘are you scared of me?’ His lips moved, but the tone was lost to my ears. Was he trying to be nice and simply had a creepy smile? Or was he just being a creep?

Swallowing, I slowly moved my hands, trying to tell him I was deaf. He only blinked and smiled at me. Licking my lips I waited for his reaction only to get a bigger smile.

‘Are you deaf?’ Nodding I made my index finger and middle finger into a V and waved them in front of my mouth letting him know I could read lips. ‘Mute too?’ shaking my head I repeated the action. ‘wow, deaf, mute, and cute.’ my cheeks flushed at the simple utterance of the words.

Tucking hair behind my ear I glanced around for Travis again. He really needed to hurry up. Worrying my bottom lip more I sighed, placing my hands on the table and fumbling with them.

The presence next to the table didn’t go away, like I’d been hoping. Instead he leaned down towards me only to stand straight up. Watching him I smiled at the hand on his shoulder and Travis standing directly behind him.

Travis turned his head away from me and put his nose by boy’s ear, telling him something that made the boy completely pale before hustling away from the table. Travis took his seat with a wide smile.

Lifting my hands I questioned him and narrowed my eyes, waiting for an answer.

‘Don’t worry about it.’ was all he stated. Huffing I pursed my lips and tapped the table. I wanted to know what he said. I hated being out of the loop because of my lack of hearing. ‘Don’t worry about. I got it covered.’ he smiled brightly. Licking my lips I glanced down at my lap and fumbled with ends of my shorts.

Closing my eyes I let him tip my head up. His warm calloused fingers dancing under my chin as he gently shifted my head. The gentle tap on my nose radiated through my whole face and caused me to open my eyes.

Travis had a soft sincere smile on his face as he leaned over the table, fingers still under my chin.

“would you rather still being harassed by him?’ Shaking my head I slipped my hand into his and lowered his hand away from my face. ‘let’s head back. Yeah?’ Nodding I smiled at him as he circled his fingers around my hand while turning and trying to catch the waiter for the check.

It took the startled waiter a moment to make his way over and help us out, but he did.

Standing Travis gave a gentle tug to my hand and helped me out of the booth. The cold wood floors under my feet kept shifting and vibrating from all the foot traffic around the café. It was awkward to finally take notice of it as we were leaving yet never noticed upon arrival or during our whole stay.

Travis had kept my mind off it the whole time.

Travis. My eyes traveled from out interlocked hands all they way up his toned arm and bare sculpted upper body to his face. His brown curly hair was sticking up in every direction, his defined chin sculpted up to meet his lips and his broad nose. Even from a one-sixth angle he was hansom.

Getting on the bike as he patted the space in front of him I gripped the bars again, just as tightly as before. The second he kicked the bike to life my muscles tense from the intense vibrations.

‘my’lady?’ he teased as he walked me up to the house and opened the door for me. Biting my bottom lip I stepped into his house nervously. His hand slid around the hip and waist as he stepped inside, closing the door behind us. My eyes focused on him as he walked us through the house. ‘Welcome to my messy home.’ He beamed and waved an arm around the slightly destroyed home. It wasn’t like a pack of rabid wolves had come through and eaten most of his house, just a few things were tossed around in a homey way.

Smiling up at him I patted his shoulder. His shoulder shook as he glanced around, focusing on something to the side before running off.

Twisting my hands together I shuffled in my spot nervously, awkwardly. Who just ditched someone in their own home? Spaz.

Heavy vibrations shifted on the wood floors below my feet making me almost smile. Most people didn’t have wooden floors which made it difficult to feel the heavy footsteps or shifts of furniture against the floor.

Lifting my gaze I smiled weakly at Andy stopping by a large archway. He just stared at me standing by the door before smiling. He tipped his head back, possibly yelling, before rushing to me.

Stepping back I let my muscle lock as he scooped my small frame up over his shoulder. Hair hid my vision as I tried to shift myself up and off his shoulder. The large bumps to my middle making me slightly nauseous as everything seemed to blur and blend together in pure silence.