As requested...smut! :)
"Do you think they like me?"
The ask was quiet, spit out when she went into the kitchen with Travis for a few more beers. His friends had already begun to filter in, heading into the living room from outside after they'd put out the fire he'd made.
Always conscious if she sounded insecure, she tried to phrase it casually, as though it wasn't a weighted question. She hated how she continually still second guessed herself, but it seemed especially important that the people Travis was close to didn't have preconceived notions of who she was and what she was about. She wouldn't have blamed them if they had; it happened more often than not. With Joe's friends and even his family, she'd had to work extra hard to make sure they knew she wasn't some spoiled celebrity. Went out of her way, mainly due to the fact she got the sense they didn't imminently trust her.
Immediately, though, the friends Travis kept close either must have been debriefed and warned to be cool or they were just naturally like that. Either way, she had been concerned about making a good first impression; throwing together some wings and dip, homemade salsa and guacamole and fresh cookies before they'd arrived, assimilating herself with Trav's kitchen.
"You don't have to do all that, Tay," he'd insisted, but she could be stubborn when she wanted to be and he had let her do her thing. There was no way he couldn't tell what the reason was behind why she was doing it, but smartly, he said nothing.
The night had seemed to go well. They were all warm and welcoming, funny and loud, much like Travis himself and immediately, she felt comfortable.
"You'll have to give me the recipe for that salsa," Kumar let her know as they sat around in the backyard. "What's the secret...garlic?"
"Mmhmm and a little dash of smoked chili pepper," she had grinned. "I'm glad you liked it. I'll write it down for you."
"Holding you to it," He turned to Travis, "better watch myself with this one...I'll be out of a job."
Ross and Aric were extremely sweet, too, bringing her into the Travis stories they told and by the end of the night, she was buzzing, not just from the wine, but because of how at ease she felt.
It was no secret that the kind of fun most people had, the experience of being youthful and carefree was a sacrifice she had made early on. Even when she visited her friends back home, it felt like a world she just wasn't a part of, no matter how hard she tried...a visitor in a foreign land.
Being with Travis and who he chose to surround himself with brought out something in her that she'd skipped right over. Sure, she had fun, but everything always seemed so intense, except maybe for being at Blake's and Ryan's with their crew. It was a breath of fresh air not to have to be on all the time. There was no need.
Now, it was out there, out in the open and Travis who'd been grabbing a couple of bottles from the refrigerator, turned to look at her as she leaned against the countertop, pointing and flexing her foot out in front of her.
"Tay," he said, the corners by his eyes going soft, "of fucking course."
He was completely sincere and she relaxed, bringing her foot back down. She didn't really need the reassurance, but his willingness to give her some just the same made her happy.
"Come here," she commanded softly and he did, setting the handful of Bud Lights on the counter next to them.
The whole thing had moved fast since she'd taken a chance and texted him. Fast but somehow at the perfect pace, simultaneously. There was something familiar about him, like she had known him for years instead of almost two months and every time he turned those gorgeous eyes in her direction or smiled or touched her, even with the simplest brush of his fingers against hers, the butterflies invaded. Different, she could recognize, than being in constant fear she would do something wrong or speak out of turn; a catastrophic series of events that would drive him away. No more dipping herself into a turbulent sea, fighting the waves and hoping she would be able to make it ashore, not with him and it felt like such a fucking relief.
