The Good Ones Go

"It's not like that, Madie," Travis sighs as his eyes survey the woman on the opposite side of the marble island. Her arms are crossed in front of her chest, and though she was teasing him about Chelsea moments ago she doesn't seem too happy now, and he knows what she's thinking.

"Are you guys married? Did I just make you cheat on your wife or is this one of those weird open relationships?" Madelaine has been freaking out on the inside this whole time, and she can't hold it in anymore. She's a little jealous because she wants Travis to be hers, and as she stands on the brink of finding out he isn't she's unsettled.

"What? No!" Travis is shocked at the suggestion. Is he that easy to read, or is Madie just one to jump to conclusions? "We've been friends for years. She's married to my best friend, Adam," he explains doing his best to hide the jealousy in his voice because he knows its there. He leans against the counter trying to hide his awkward posture. The past couple months have been spent repressing those emotions and thoughts, and now Madie is making him dig them back up. He wants to be done with this.

"Oh," Madelaine suddenly feels stupid. Her feet shuffle against the hardwood floors as she furrows her brows in thought. "Then why can't I stay here?" She doesn't quite understand. He's hiding something.

Travis sighs, "because you invited yourself." It's silent for a moment, and he can see her shift awkwardly again. "I thought I'd leave London, and this would be done," he motions to the two of them as he clarifies the situation before bringing his fingers together to fidget some more.

"I'm sorry for ambushing you," she bites her lip as a blush claims her cheeks. She's forgotten all her suspicions in the blink of an eye because it seems like the floor is going to swallow her alive. "I didn't want it to end," she admits, "I like you." Her eyes flutter up to Travis for a moment before she averts them to the floor in search of a trap door that'll open any second. She's embarrassed, and she knows her face must be the color of her hair by now.

Travis gulps and nods his head as he watches her panic in place. He figured that out - that she likes him - but he doesn't know if he's ready. Does he want her to like him? Does he want to like her? He's back to picking at his nails as he thinks. Chelsea left so abruptly, and now he's stuck here. He had spent so long anxious to see her, and when he did the world could have spun out of orbit, and he wouldn't have noticed. She, on the other hand, was so pissed. It's almost like she's jealous, but it's probably the fact that she thinks he expects her to act like nothing happened. Travis doesn't know what to make of her reaction, but he knows she still makes him weak in the knees. He lets out an audible sigh as he remembers promising himself he would move on. He left for a reason.

"It's fine. I get it. We were supposed to be a fling," Madie sighs when Travis says nothing. She has relaxed now, and her skin is porcelain again. Something is going on in his head, and she doesn't need to know what it is to understands what's happening here. He probably doesn't like her. She should've known better than to follow some cute guy that fucked her too well into the middle of nowhere.

Travis looks across the counter at Madie's frowning face. This has become a mess too fast. He knows it probably won't end well, but seeing how disappointed she is makes him want to take it all back. "Well, you're here now, so maybe we just take our time," Travis shrugs looking dead at her for a reaction. This could be his chance, and he knows he should take it.

"So, should I book a hotel?" the redhead asks biting her lip again as she looks up at Travis' blank expression. Her hands are back at her sides fingering the fabric of her tunic in anticipation of his answer. If he wants them to take their time then she'll oblige. There's something about him that draws her in, and she'd take Travis anyway she could have him.

"It's fine. I overreacted," he tells her even though his mind is screaming at him for it. Chelsea was already upset, and this will make it worse. He straightens his back letting her arms fall to his side. He doesn't know what to do. This is awkward.

Madelaine solves the problem for him. She walks around the island and places her arms around Travis' body eagerly. It has been only several hours since she felt him so close, but it was too long for her. She stands on her toes reaching up for a kiss, and Travis doesn't hesitate in kissing back. His tongue is in her mouth on instinct, and her moans are involuntary, but they change the mood quickly. Before Travis knows it, his fingers are creeping up under her blouse, and she's nibbling on his lips grinding into him.

"I thought we were taking our time," she pulls back to tease him. Her eyelashes bat up at him provocatively because she really doesn't want to take her time with him. He's too alluring to take in small doses.

When her words hit his ears, Travis rolls his eyes playfully. Madie's squeal resonates through the kitchen when he picks her up, and a grin grows on his face. He carries her up the stairs to his bedroom listening to her giggle with every step he takes.

On the bed clothes are flying and moans are echoing. Madie is scratching at his back, and Travis is holding her so tight he thinks she may explode beneath his fingertips. Once he's inside her everything disappears except the image of Chelsea staring back at him in the depths of his mind.



Chelsea scoffs out loud when she pulls up into the driveway of her house. This is what she skipped work for? How dare he tell her he loves her, and then disappear? How dare he come back and call her to pick him and his girlfriend up? She shakes her head as she rolls the window down and lights a cigarette. The wind blows the ash back into the car and onto her dark blue jeans. She dusts it off mindlessly before taking another drag.

All the years she's known him Travis has never had a girlfriend. One night stands were plentiful, but a real public girlfriend? Never. She sighs reaching for her phone. She has spent months pining over him, worried, hoping he'd come back. She was scared to see him, to realize that maybe she loves him too, but that's done now. He's moved on, and it's time for her to suck it up and do the same.

"Chelsea?" Colson's hopeful voice resounds through the speakerphone. She's not surprised he picked up, and even though she called him, she isn't sure if she really wanted him to.

She takes another drag and closes her eyes before she says, "so my schedule worked itself out. You still up for lunch?" She's spent her life bouncing back and forth in the company of a man to lift her spirits, and maybe she doesn't know how to really be alone, but she desperately needs a distraction - it's just ironic that she's calling Colson for one.

"Great. Yea, sure," he sounds surprised by her words. He's keen, but he doesn't want her to know. "I just dropped Casie off at her grandma's for the day. I can meet you wherever," he knows his words are too eager, and he's sure she can hear it, but he can't help himself. He's been waiting for Chelsea to walk back into his life ever since she left, and when the opportunity presents itself to see her how could he pass it up?

"Where's grandma?" she asks just as eagerly. She needs to see someone. She needs to see him. He was the one that brought her down every time, and now the tables have turned, and he's going to do the lifting up that she so desperately needs.

"Clyburn," he responds biting his lip. He watches the elderly woman scoop his daughter up from the couch, and a smiles inches across his face as he waits for Chelsea to respond.

"That's a ten minute drive. I'll meet you at the diner down the street from Loyola?" she asks as she puts the car in reverse and pulls out of her driveway.

"I'll get us a table," he tells her as he leans over to plant on kiss on Casie's forehead. "Daddy's gonna be back in a couple hours, Cas. Be good for grandma," he says to the toddler as he moves his phone back to his ear.

Chelsea can hear the smile in his voice, and there is one on her face at the words he speaks to Casie. She melts into the moment of silence before she realizes they're still on the phone. "See you soon," she adds nibbling on her lip. She waits for his goodbye before hanging up and driving off.



The ringing doorbell makes Travis groan as he tears himself away from Madie and reaches over to grab his pants off the ground. The hardwood floors are cold beneath his bare feet, and as he feels a chill run down his bare back he can hear the heater kick on.

"Just ignore it. They'll go away," Madelaine suggests with a grin. She doesn't want him to leave just yet. When they get up there are real world problems awaiting them, but in his bed right there they can be happy together.

The doorbell chimes again, and Travis laughs at her statement before planting a kiss on her nose. He lets out a yawn as he makes his way out of the room and down the stairs. When he opens the door Adam is standing there, and this time Travis is even more surprised. Last time his friend was here, he made it clear they couldn't recover from what Travis did. He understands. Now when he looks at Adam, though, he doesn't understand why he's here. His face is almost unreadable as his eyes scurry across Travis' body.

Adam quickly glances at Travis' naked torso hoping that Chelsea isn't here with him. It's a little awkward because of how they left it, but he reaches over to give Travis a hug. It's been hard without him. He was his best friend after all. "It's good to see you, man," Adam says as he lets go.

"Come in. It's freezing out there," Travis says as he feels the cool winter air nip at his skin. The hug is unexpected, but Travis doesn't want to make this more awkward than it is.

Adam obliges as he walks in, and Travis watches as he slips his Calvin Klein dress shoes off. The Baltimore winter is not kind, and he wouldn’t wear his expensive pairs out in the snow and salt.

"Is Chelsea here? I haven't heard from her today," Adam is prying because the shirtless Travis makes him nervous.

"No. She dropped me off and left. I guess she had stuff to do," he offers knowing it's a lie. The lies that Chelsea and he weave are not doing any good for their friendship, but it's the only way Travis knows to keep from hurting his friend.

Adam nods in relief that his wife did as she said she would. "She's been worried sick this whole time. It wouldn't have killed you to answer a few calls you know," he tells his friend as he makes himself comfortable on the couch as a sense of déjà vu overwhelms him. He pulls his jacket off and throws it over the arm of the sofa before looking over at Travis who sits himself down on the ottoman again.

"Yea, I don't know. I told you it's best if I gave you guys some space. How's it going by the way?" It's Travis' turn to pry. Even with Madie upstairs in his bed he's still jealous of Adam. He didn't mean to worry Chelsea, he just can't sit around and watch her dance between Adam and MGK while his heart breaks. He's pathetic, and he's moving on.

Adam shrugs. "It's okay. She's trying. She's kind of been a mess since you dipped," his answer is truthful. If Chelsea knew what he was saying she'd probably be pissed, but Adam knows better than to beat around the bush. He's over the lies. If Chelsea wants to be with Travis, then he'll know how she feels anyway. Hiding is what got them here.

"Sorry I made everything a mess. I figured the time apart would help her out. Sometimes it's easy to confuse feelings, and I thought if I removed myself from the equation for a while things would settle down," Travis defends his actions, but it makes him feel good to hear Adam say Chelsea missed him as much as he missed her. God, he fucking missed her. He brings his hands together and picks at this skin around his nails. These uncontrollable feelings make him nervous.

"I don't know if that was really necessary, but maybe it worked. She's come around a little. Cole is still too close for my liking though," he admits rubbing his face in frustration. He's more worried about Colson, to be honest. At least if she leaves him for Travis, he'll know she's in good hands.

Travis gulps feeling the familiar dizziness that overcomes him at the sound of the man's name. They used to be friends once. It's funny how girls always get in the way. Maybe all his absence did is bring the two closer. He hopes not because he'd never forgive himself.

"Hey, listen man," Adam's voice interrupts his thoughts, and Travis looks up waiting to hear what he'll say.

"Chelsea told me about you deleting that voicemail. It was kind of a dick move, but it made me realize that you care about both of us. I'm sorry for making the kiss such a big deal. You're right it's easy to get emotions confused, and I trust you. I know you won't make the same mistake twice," Adam remembers that he came here for a reason, and that was to fix this friendship. He won't lie the betrayal still hurts, but they'll never get over it if Adam's unwilling to let go.

Travis nods. Deleting that voicemail was for Chelsea's sake. He hadn't admitted that he loved her then, but now that he thinks about it, it may have been a selfish act. He just wants her to be happy, and she was way happier with Adam than Colson. "I wish she saw it that way," Travis says. His hear flutters at the thought of her still upset with him. He'd turn the world upside down to fix everything for her. 'Pathetic,' he reminds himself.

"Did she say anything?" Adam's curious. She's refused to talk to him about her feelings since Travis has been gone. Maybe it was difficult for her to resolve them without the closure of talking to Travis first?

"Nah, we didn't really get a chance to talk after that night," Travis shakes his head trying to keep the images of Adam's hands all over Chelsea's breasts out of his mind. They're married. It shouldn't affect him this way. The boundaries don't make sense, but they should.

"Yea, about that. I'm sorry you walked in on us. I mean, she's my wife, but you didn't have to witness it," Adam's only sorry that he saw it unfold. He won't apologize for having sex with his wife, just that Travis caught them in the act.

Travis gulps. The images are stuck. He can't get them out. "Yea, no, it's cool. It made me realize I was being stupid, and redirecting my emotions," every word is a lie, but he hopes Adam doesn't see it. It's not cool. Travis wasn't redirecting anything. He loves Chelsea. He's pathetic.

"So, how was London?" Adam asks with a smile on his face. The tension seems to be retreating, and he's glad for it. Maybe it's time to stop talking about his wife altogether.

"Uh, great. I had a good time. It was hectic, you know, but fun," Travis is trying to collect himself again. The sound of footsteps makes him turn his head, and he's surprised to see Madelaine walking down the stairs in a robe. He had almost forgotten she's here again.

"Hey," her smile is brilliant as she speaks. "I was wondering what was taking you so long," she says eyeing the man on the couch.

"Oh, sorry, Madie this is my best friend Adam," he states, and Adam's lips curl into a grin at the introduction. He reaches out to shake her hand, and she complies with a smile.

"Two best friends in one day. I must be special," she jokes. "It's nice to meet you, Adam," she adds before she walks away toward the bathroom on the first level leaving the pair alone.

"Well, I see what you mean by fun," Adam jokes with a chuckle as he watches the redhead strut down the hall.

"Yea, it was unexpected, but," Travis shrugs turning his attention back to his friend.

"But she's hot, and you couldn't say no," Adam teases again grinning at his friend.

"Very true. It's been about a month. We're just testing the waters, I guess," he tells Adam, still unable to wipe out the images from his mind. Chelsea should be here, no one else just Chelsea.

"Good. I'm happy for you. If I could start over I'd probably pick someone with a lot less baggage too," Adam responds before realizing what he let escape his mouth.

Travis purses his lips at the comment. He wants to defend Chelsea. He knows his eyebrows are furrowed by the upsetting words. He wants to get up and punch Adam. He wants to tell him to get the fuck out, to stay away from Chelsea, but it would only make Adam suspicious so he holds his tongue though his fists are clenched at his sides.

"I love Chelsea, but you know what I mean," Adam says frantically trying to save face. It sounded bad. He replays it in his head and wonders where the hell it came from.

Travis nods as if to say yes, but he really doesn't. If Adam is tired of all her fucking baggage then why is he still around. This is stupid. He shouldn't be going around dragging Chelsea's name through the mud if he wants to be with her. He wants to tell him to grow up, to apologize or fuck off. He wants to call Chelsea and tell her to leave him. He doesn’t do any of it, just nods.

"Well, I'll get going, leave you two love birds alone," Adam says when he realizes how fast that got awkward. "Let's catch up sometime this week. It's been too long, man," Adam suggest as he makes his way to the foyer again while slipping his coat on.

Travis follows in his step saying, "sure, bro. Drive safe." He locks the door when Adam leaves and lets out a sigh. There's no moving on is there? He should've never brought Madie in to this, it's only going to get more complicated.



"Hey, thanks for coming. I hope I didn't interrupt any other plans," Chelsea says as she takes her jacket off before sitting down.

"No, I was just gonna hang out with Casie and her grandma all day really, so I guess you kind of saved me from that," he laughs it off as he looks her over trying to be discreet.

"Mom still not in the picture?" Chelsea asks looking down at the table. She couldn't look Cole in the eye for that question because it still hurt.

"Nah. She's got too many other ones to be interested. At least her mother is, you know. I'm grateful for that," he admits taking a sip of his Coke. "I hope you don't mind, but I already ordered for us. I was starving," he chuckles as he looks over at her. He can tell this topic bothers her, and he'd rather spend this meal talking about something else.

Chelsea looks up surprised by his words, but she offers him a smile.

"So, what happened to your plans?" he's curious because he didn't expect her to drop everything for him.

"Oh, I just had to pick up Travis from the airport. He was in London for fashion week," she says eyeing the waitress who she suspects is carrying their food. "I thought he might hold me hostage for the day, but he had other things to do so I thought I'd keep my word and call you," she says before moving her water out of the way so the woman could place the food in front of them.

"Buffalo chicken wrap," Cole announces ignoring any mention of Travis, and Chelsea offers him a grin before throwing a fry into her mouth.

"At the risk of sounding crazy, how do you still remember everything I like?" she asks. First Starbucks, now this. She's surprised. When they were together he barely bothered to remember her birthday.

"It's kind of hard to forget all the little things about you, Chels," he admits biting his lip. He's spent so long thinking about her that he had replayed everything he could remember and engrained it into his mind, but he couldn't tell her that.

Chelsea doesn't say anything. She uses her food as an excuse as she takes a bite. This is going to take a turn that she wants to avoid, and she can feel the nerves building.

"I did listen, you know, I was just shit at showing it. You leaving was a pretty good shock, and then Casie was born a year later. It put life back into perspective for me," he tells her. His eyes meet hers for a moment before she redirects them back at her food. Colson decides to drop the conversation and takes a bite out of his burger. It's silent for the rest of their meal, and he's upset at himself for making it awkward.

"I'm sorry about how things ended," she finally says half a wrap and all her fries later. She can't avoid this forever, and Colson deserves some closure too.

"You? You're not the one that fucked up, Chels. I'm sorry for everything I put you through," he tells her, and she can see the hurt in his features. He wishes he could take it all back. She was there for so long that he took her for granted.

"What doesn't kill you makes you stronger, right?" Chelsea offers trying to keep the awkwardness at bay.

"That's why you're the strongest person I know, Chels," he compliments. It's true. He has put her through so much, and she rose above it all. He watches her take a sip of water before he says, "I missed you so much, Chelsea." It's probably not the right thing to say, but it's what he feels, and if their past showed him anything, it was to be honest.

"I know how you feel," she starts, "I spent the last half of our relationship missing you."

Her words hit him hard like a crashing wave on his ears, but he knows she has every right.

"I'm sorry. I guess I'm still a little bitter, huh?" she tries to laugh it off wiping her hands with a thin diner napkin.

"It's okay. I understand. You always deserved so much better. I'm glad you have Adam," he says before wrapping his lips around his straw. Richard doesn't deserve her after everything he put her through.

"Have is a strong word," she replies regretfully averting her gaze.

"He's still mad?" Colson's surprised. That guy seemed to be cool and collected about everything.

"About a lot of things. We're trying to figure it out, but we're hanging on by a thread to be honest," she doesn't know why she's even telling him so she fidgets in her seat.

"I'm sorry. That's my fault too," Colson's tone is sad.

"It's not. It's mine. I should have known better than to marry him while I was still in love with you," she says, and her eyes go wide when she realizes the words she's let slip. The butterflies are digging at the walls of her belly.

Colson is left speechless as he looks up at Chelsea whose eyes are everywhere but on him. "I, uh, I don't know what to say," he manages. Her words take him by surprise. He didn't know.

"No, sorry, oh my god, I didn't mean to say that," Chelsea is trying not to panic.

"Why didn't you leave him when I showed up at the wedding?" Colson asks confused. He's shocked that she went through with it. Was it just to spite him? No, that's not who Chelsea is.

"I wanted to want to move on. I gave you too many chances, and you threw every one of them away," she admits. There's no running away from the conversation now.

Colson nods. "And now?" he's scared that asking will chase her away, but what's he got left to lose?

"I don’t know, Cole. It's been so long. I'm married. I think now there's someone else too, but I don’t know. It doesn't seem like there's much to do about it," she sounds hopeless as she thinks back to Travis.

"Chelsea," his tone in kind of warning, and it forces her to look up at him as he speaks. "You took too long to leave me even though you were unhappy. Don't wait too long again. Take it from me, the good ones go if you wait to long," he says looking at her nostalgically. He wishes there isn't someone else now, but she's right: he threw all of his chances away.

"I wish we could go back to Shaker Heights," she chuckles awkwardly.

"Yea, me too, but life has a torturous yet funny way of working itself out," he sighs keeping his eyes locked on hers. If they're supposed to be together, then they will. She's worth the wait.

Chelsea nods as she takes his words in. If he had just been this person with her, then she wouldn't be in this situation. She can't blame him though, this is her fault. Travis has moved on now, and that's her fault too. Cole's right: the good ones always go. They sit in silence for a few minutes, thanking the waitress who brings the check. Cole pays for it, and she doesn't protest just offers a silent smile. She repositions herself, and her leg brushes against his long legs that stretch underneath the table all the way to her side. The contact is comforting, and she allows herself to rest against him for a while longer.

"Thanks for lunch, Cole. I should get going," she says when she looks down at her watch to see it’s already 4. Adam would be home any minute, and she doesn't want to have to explain herself.

"Sure," he nods with a smile. "Call me soon. This was nice, and I'd like to do it again," he suggests.

"I will. Let me know how Casie's next appointment goes," she tells him standing up to put her coat on.

"Chels," he stands to call after her before she walks off.

"Yea," she turns around to look at him.

Colson takes a step and closes the space between them only to leave a soft kiss on her cheek. She's surprised by it, and he's surprised by himself. "I love you," he admits biting his lip.

Chelsea smiles. It's unavoidable. "I love you too, Richard," she admits before grabbing her purse and walking away.