Five in the Morning

“Do you realize how beautiful you are right now?”

My eyes fluttered open to the sound of Travis's southern drawl and I turned my head to face him. “What did I tell you about watching me sleep?”

“That it's extremely romantic?”

“It's creepy.”

Travis pouted his bottom lip and I rolled my eyes. “That's not going to work on me.”

I felt his hands move to my sides and before I knew it he was on top of me. I screamed and burst into a fit of giggles as he began to tickle me. It was moments like these that I lived for. I had always told him that I hated to be tickled, that it was one of the things I hated the most. He smiled when I told him that because he knew it wasn't true. He smiled because he knew that deep down inside, it was something that I honestly loved. He was right.

“What do you say?” Travis shouted over my loud, obnoxious laugh and the rustling of the sheets.

I knew what to say. We had played this game multiple times and each time it would come to this. I would be laughing so hard that I wouldn't be able to breathe, and that would be the moment when he choose to ask me that question.

I grabbed a hold of his hands, lifted them off of my sides, and caught my breath before saying, “Uncle! For goodness sakes, uncle!”

Travis fell down next to me on the hotel bed and he sighed heavily. I turned my body so that I was facing him and he glanced into my eyes. “You really think I look beautiful?”

He broke out into a smile and nodded his head. “Only everyday.”

He maneuvered his arm underneath my neck and pulled me close to his side. I could smell the clean scent of his aftershave and I buried my face into his neck. “Can we just stay like this forever?”

“I wish, but we've been hiding out in this apartment all weekend.”

I smiled as memories of the weekend that we spent in this hotel down the street from my college came flooding back. After we left the student center the day Travis showed up, we decided that we needed to spend some quality alone time together. He came up with the idea of us getting a hotel room and I didn't object.

“I know, but I can still be sad about it right?”

Travis kissed my forehead and I could feel him chuckle beside me. “Yeah, you can be sad. But one of these days we won't have to say goodbye, pretty girl. Remember that.”

Travis slid the card to unlock the door and he pushed it open easily. The hotel room was smaller than I had imagined and Travis looked back at me with an apologetic expression.

“I thought it was going to be bigger.”

I smiled at him and set my bag down on the floor. “It's perfect.”

He snaked his arms around my waist and kissed my forehead softly. “You're too good, Brittany Wright.”

I buried my head in his chest and he rested his chin on top of my head. Even though I knew we weren't going to have sex, I still was overcome with this overwhelming feeling of nervousness. Travis must have sensed it because he grabbed a hold of my shoulders and held me out at arms length.

He searched my face and asked, “Are you okay?”

I nodded and sat down on the bed behind me. “Yeah, I just-do you remember the last time we tried to sleep next to each other?”

Travis sighed and knelt down in front of me. He rested his elbows on my knees and looked into my eyes. “Things are different now, Britt.”

“I know, but how do you know that you won't get that feeling again?”

After a few moments of silence, he placed his hands on either side of my face and stared into my eyes. I had never noticed it until now, but there were tiny specs of gold scatter in his deep blue iris's.

“Lindsey is a part of my past that I can't erase, but you are in my present and hopefully whats going to be in my future. That's how I know.”

“You still awake?” Travis's voice brought me out of my trance and I glanced up into his tired eyes.
“What if I told you I wanted to come back home?”

Travis moved his arm out from under my head and leaned his back against the cheery wood headboard. “You're coming come for spring break in a few months, right?”

I propped myself up on my elbow up and gave him a small smile. “No, I mean, yes spring break is in March but that's not what I mean.”

Travis just looked at me and I took that as my cue to continue. “We have been away from each other for two years and I don't want to spend another moment without you by my side. I want to come home...with you.”

A small smile played on his lips and he wrapped his muscular arm around my shoulders. “I would love that, but I don't want you to completely change your life because of me. That's not fair to you.”

“Baby, love like this doesn't knock often...and you are the part of my life that I want to pursue.” I reached up to touch his face but before I could, he grabbed my hand.

I could feel my heart start to pound and I began to wonder if I should have even said anything. Travis held onto my hand for a few minutes and then a mischievous smile appeared on his lips. He pulled me on top of him and his lips pressed against mine aggressively.

I straddled his hips and he wrapped his arms around my waist. He pulled me close to him as his hands moved underneath my shirt and onto my bare back. He kissed from my forehead down to my cheek and I couldn't help but ache for him.

I felt his lips move to my ear and I heard him take in a deep breath before saying, “Come home with me, Brittany Wright.”

I pushed myself up from his chest and looked straight into his eyes. He held my gaze and I knew that he was being serious. “Are you sure?”

Travis caressed my cheek with his fingertips and nodded his head. “As long as you promise me you will take online classes.”

I rolled my eyes and smiled down at the man that I was insanely in love with. “I think that sounds fair.”

“Man, I love you so much.” He uttered while pulling me back on top of him. I nuzzled my head into the crook of his neck and he dragged the covers on top of us. I could hear the steady beat of Travis's heart and for some reason, that sound alone brought tears to my eyes.

“I love you too.” There was truth in those four words that I had never spoken before. It overwhelmed me to think that someone loved me just as much as I loved them. Laying here with Travis in this small hotel room made me realize that there was more to life than what I had imagined.

There was a lot that I didn't know about life and about love. However, there was one thing that I was certain of; no matter where I go or what I do, I would be happy if Travis was by my side.