The Black Tangled Heart

The Coffee (It's Not A Date)

"Hey" Taylors voice was soft as she stepped into Travis' room and shut the door behind her and then waited for the annoyed look, the huff and puff of his breath and then the harshness of his words but instead, when he finally looked up, his face was soft and his emerald coloured eyes sad.

"Hey, you look nice" He said, his voice just barely above a whisper

"Thanks" Taylor couldn't help but whisper back, intimidated by the tension that filled the air between them, recognising it as something more than just aggression or aggravation

"What's the occasion?"

"Just school, I figured I'd missed enough of it and I should probably show up and pretend like I care"

Travis lowered his head and nodded "I'll drive you"

"Thanks"

"I'm sorry for shouting at you"

"I'm sorry for being a loudmouth that speaks before they think" crossing the room, Taylor paused before taking a seat next to Travis on his newly made bed "I had no right to assume anything about you because the truth is I don't know anything about you at all"

"What were you to think? I barely go to school, I scrape through on the back of my participation on the school boxing team and them wanting to keep me happy to make sure I don't leave. Hardly a model student, hardly a huge shout out that 'I want to go to college'"

Taylor just gazed at the man next to her, his head bowed, his rich, smooth voice restraint but his warmth and scent overpowering her and every barrier or wall she ever put in place to protect her from men and the damage she knew they could do.

"So what do you want to study?"

"I don't want to tell you that"

"Why?"

"Because you'll laugh at me"

Taylor lowered her brows and tried not to let the offence provoke her to react

"I would never!"

Travis' head tilted to the side as he gazed up at her from the corner of his eyes and Taylor thought about how unfair it was his lashes were so long and thick whereas she had to use mascara to achieve a much less attractive look

"You couldn't even believe I wanted to go to college" his voice was cold but she saw the corner of his mouth rise as he attempted not to smile

"And now I do and I'm happy that you do and I'm proud that you want that for yourself"

"Proud?" Travis sat up straight at the word, a look on his face that Taylor couldn't put a name to immediately "You're proud of me?"

"Of course I am" she looked at him until it became uncomfortable, his gaze burning into hers, his eyes trying to tell him something she couldn't quite decipher so she let her own gaze drop to her hands as she attempted to change the subject

"I finish school at 3 I was um... I was wondering if maybe you wanted to um... come to my house with me, I need to talk to my mom"

"As if you think I'd let you go there without me" his voice was hard as he sat up to his full height

"Well I wasn't sure, you were pretty pissed off with me before"

"Taylor, that's just our way. We piss each other off and then we make each other laugh and then we make each other want commit murder and then..."

"We have the hottest sex, anyone ever had in their life?"

Travis gulped at that, his mind flooding with the thoughts and images that had kept him awake all night "Sounds like a pretty unique situation we have going on between us. Some people might even call it special"