I Love Your Bubblegum Smile

“Please tell me why I have to do this again?”

An upset looking Travis crossed his arms across his broad chest as he followed Harley into the elevator. He pouted as she pressed the button that led them to the ground floor, and watched it light up as the elevator began to slowly putter downwards.

“Because you love me, and you are doing Alex a favour.” Harley smiled, loosening Travis’ black tie so it hung from his neck more. “Besides, you look handsome.”

“I do look handsome, don’t I?” Travis joked, before pecking Harley quickly on the lips, notifying her that he was no longer mad.

She grinned in return, before the elevator doors gradually pried apart. Harley grabbed Travis’ hand, before pulling him into the lobby.

She checked his outfit one last time—a classic black tie with a white button down, black slacks and a black vest—before her eyes travelled to her own outfit. She self-consciously tugged at her dress, hoping it didn’t fall too low, before walking further into the lobby.

Her gold heels clicked against the marble floor, and she faintly heard the sound of leather shuffling along behind her, indicating that Travis was trailing after her.

She scanned the large area in search of Alex, and found him sitting on one of the plush waiting couches beside Lisa, flipping through a Home and Living magazine. She continued to walk toward them and noticed that Alex had seen them as he stood up while grabbing Lisa’s arm.

Harley immediately felt a tug in her chest as she watched Lisa. Lisa looked absolutely stunning in a low-cut flowing ocean blue dress, intricate silver heels and a small sequined clutch.

Her makeup seemed to be done to perfection, and her blonde hair was pulled atop her head in an elegant bun.

Harley couldn’t believe that she had been so stupid and decided to wear a black dress. She had no idea why she had been thinking that a black dress would be classic, or why she would go with simple gold heels and a gold wristlet.

Her only makeup was her cherry red lipstick, and her hair sat plainly on her shoulders. She was furious at herself. She should have been more...colourful.

Lisa smiled unsurely as Harley approached, and Harley could tell that Lisa had definitely wanted to be with Alex alone. Harley knew that Lisa hadn’t wanted Travis and Harley to interrupt her date, but she couldn’t say anything to her boyfriend.

Alex beamed at Harley as Travis settled awkwardly beside her.

“You look great,” Alex said, motioning towards Harley. Harley smiled nervously as Lisa frowned.

“Thanks, you look good too.”

Travis wrapped his arm around her waist protectively and Harley vaguely remembered the fact that she was the one who helped Alex get dressed. She blushed a deep crimson, and ducked her head slightly to hide her growing blush.

“Are we ready to go?” Travis asked, his eyes darting between Harley and Alex.

“Of course,” Alex smiled anxiously, before resting his hand on the small of Lisa’s back and leading her towards the exit. Travis sighed, before he and Harley followed.

___________________________________________________

The taxi cab ride to the restaurant was awkward. Travis was stuck in the passenger seat as Harley, Alex and Lisa were crammed in the back.

The ride was a long one as the restaurant was located deep in the city, and the ride was filled with an awkward silence.

Alex and Lisa had started to make out half way through the journey, while their driver had chosen to ignore them and instead turn the radio up so the sound of loud Mexican singers filled the air.

Travis continued to catch Harley’s eye through the rear-view mirror, and he continued to frown, though Harley chose to ignore him. Harley knew that the date was upsetting Travis, but she did not want him to ruin her night.

Once they had finally pulled up at the restaurant, Harley was glad that she had made the journey.

The outside of the building alone was beautiful, with grand archways and a fountain of two angels spurting out water. As soon as they stepped out of the car, violin music was heard from the inside.

The walls were smooth, and painted a rich yellow, and a sign in fancy cursive read Insieme hung overhead.

The group quickly shuffled inside, to be greeted by a fine-looking man in a suit, waiting by a podium. He held four menus in his hand, as though he knew that they would be coming.

He lead them further into the building, letting them know that he would be seating them, and Harley couldn’t believe her eyes.

The room was filled with large tables covered in gold and black tablecloths. Intricate crown moulding, along with pitch black paint covered the walls, while the floor was marble. The chairs were a wonder in their own, with comfortable gold cushioning and large arm rests.

A variety of wines and numerous wine glasses rested on a nearby table, and in the dimly lit corner, a string quartet continued to play a soothing melody. A black chandelier with numerous crystals twinkled overhead, and dimly-lit candles assisted to light the restaurant.

Harley was in complete shock. She had never been in such a fancy place in her life, let alone with her boyfriend.

Sure, her other boyfriends had taken her on dates, but that included the bowling alley or a Fall Out Boy concert, not...this.

She was practically pushed in her chair by the waiter, who appeared soon after the man who had seated them disappeared, and Travis sat next to her, and squeezed her hand warmly.

She smiled, while Lisa and Alex exchanged looks. The menus soon arrived, and Harley let out a sigh of relief as she spotted the menu translated in English in italics.

Once the waiter had come and gone, and the orders had been placed, Harley felt a huge knot form in her stomach.

Neither Alex, Lisa nor Travis had yet to say a word, and Harley had a feeling that agreeing to go on this date was a big mistake.

The waiter had come and poured some luxurious red wine into their glasses. Harley had quickly finished the glass, and he was quick to replace it.

“We have a free day tomorrow as well, right?” Harley questioned, blurting out the first thing that came to mind.

Alex, who had previous been playing with the napkin in his lap looked up sharply, while Lisa let out a small whine. Travis looked relieved.

“Yeah, but I plan on sleeping in.” Alex said, adding a yawn for emphasis.

“But Alex,” Lisa whinged, “I wanted to go to the mall tomorrow.”

“We can do that...if you want.” Alex sounded reluctant, but Lisa smiled triumphantly letting him know that she had gotten her way.

“Of course,” Lisa smiled, “you guys are welcome to come as well.”

Travis glanced at Harley before frowning. “Sorry, but We The Kings has a recording session tomorrow.”

“What a shame.” Lisa frowned, before twirling her blonde hair around her finger, “But you can still come, right Harley?”

Harley looked confused, and sent a hopeless glance at Travis who just frowned back. Harley nodded slowly, earning a girlish squeal from Lisa.

“Wonderful.” She grinned, before looking at Alex.

“Awesome,” He smiled genuinely, glad that Harley would be joining them. Harley smiled back. Lisa glanced between Harley and Alex, and frowned.

“Did you know that Alex once gave a fan a lock of his hair?” Lisa piped up spontaneously, earning odd looks from both Alex and Travis. Harley watched the glint in Lisa’s eye, and knew right away what she was trying to do.

“Well, Travis once spent the day at a children's hospital and gave the childen in the cancer ward autographs," Harley replied, shooting Lisa a challenging look.

“Alex uses strawberry shampoo, and washes his hair three times a week.”

“Travis uses watermelon-kiwi, and washes his hair four times a week.”

“Alex loves animals.”

“Lisa...” Alex trailed off, glancing back and forth between the girls.

“Travis loves his fans and would do anything for them.”

“Alex is great in bed.”

“Lisa?!” Alex cried, embarrassed.

“Travis is g—“

“More wine?” The waiter appeared, cutting off Harley before she could speak.

She glanced at him and nodded tensely, glad that their argument was over. He poured more of the wine, before retreating to the corner.

“This wine is good,” Alex commented, after a moment of tense silence.

“I agree,” Travis replied, squirming in his chair.

“Me too,” Harley said, moving her arm off of the table.

It happened in a matter of seconds, but it was too late to react. Harley’s elbow hit the edge of her wine glass, which then tipped over, delicately hitting the table, spilling the remains of her wine on Alex’s lap.

Alex looked shocked, as the reddish-purple substance began to leak into the crotch of his dress pants.

“Ohmigod.” Harley yelped, her words slurring together to form one incomprehensible squeal.

She grabbed the napkin from her lap and began to pat at Alex’s lap anxiously. He looked confused for a moment, and Harley muttered in frustration as the napkin did nothing to help.

The napkins were for decoration, not to help clean up a mess.

Alex grabbed Harley’s hand and stopped her from dabbing, and her eyes trailed upwards to meet his.

He gave a pointed look at her, then to Travis and Lisa, then towards his soaking crotch, then towards her hand, which remained on his crotch.

She quickly retracted her hand, getting the message and blushing, before returning to her seat and requesting a wine refill.

“So,” She cleared her throat as the tips of her ears began to burn, “you ordered the lasagne?”

___________________________________

Travis and Harley stumbled out of the taxi, feeling drunk out of their minds. The wine refills had continued to flow, just as the conversation had.

After the initial spill with Harley and Alex, Travis and Lisa had decided to get talking, as did Alex and Harley.

Soon, after both couples were full of food and alcohol, Alex and Travis had requested the bill. When they had seen the price, they needed another glass of wine just to calm their heartbeats.

Alex and Lisa decided to take a separate taxi to do god-knows-what, leaving Harley and Travis to find their own way home.

After Travis had paid the taxi driver, Harley had grabbed his hand and led him towards the elevator. She drunkenly pressed the button of her floor, and waited for the elevator to travel upwards.

Once the doors had pulled apart, Harley and Travis stumbled towards her room and shoved the keycard in the door. The door flung open, and they stepped inside.

The hotel room was dark, and Harley felt Travis’ breath on the back of her neck. She flicked on the lights and turned around, and his lips were on hers.

His lips were warm and comforting, and gave her a sense of wanting as her stomach churned in a good way and her mouth twisted upwards into a smile.

Her arms wrapped around his neck as he led her towards the bed, and she managed to slip off her heels in the process.

His hands gripped her hips with strength, and he turned her towards him and held her close as they tumbled backwards onto the bed.

His lips found their way to the base of his neck, and began kissing the hollow of her neck with breathtaking precision. She unravelled herself from him long enough to untie his tie in a rush, and fumble to unbutton his shirt.

He aided her to pull it off him, and began to take off hers, his calloused fingers trailing along her stomach and along her breasts.

She smiled as his tongue made its way into her mouth, exploring.

Slowly though, her mind began to clear as she thought of Alex. She wasn’t sure why, but the image of him in his charcoal boxers made her pull away slowly.

Travis let out a breath as she placed her hands on his chest and pushed him back slightly.

“Travis,” she breathed out, and he let out a soft grunt in response, “we should stop.”

Travis sighed, before pulling himself away from her completely and sitting beside her. His chest continued to rise and fall as he steadied his breathing. He studied her cautiously, but nodded his head in agreement.

“You’re right,” he smiled slowly. “It’s too soon, isn’t it?”

“Yeah,” She lied, “I just want this relationship to last, and I don’t think having sex in the first week is going to help.”

“I know,” Travis smiled, pulling his button down back on and laying down beside her. “I wish it would though.”

“Me too,” Harley smiled, closing her eyes even though she was still in her dress. “Me too.” She repeated, her mind slowly closing off as she drifted into sleep.