Forever Almost

Chapter 26

Travis boarded the flight with a heart full of determination and anger. He couldn't let things end the way they had with Taylor. After everything they had been through, he needed answers—he needed her. As the plane landed, his resolve only grew stronger. He wouldn't leave without talking to her, without understanding why she had run away.

He waited outside the music school, his eyes scanning the entrance with a mix of anxiety and anticipation. The moment he saw Taylor step out, he felt a wave of emotions crash over him—relief, longing, and an undercurrent of anger that he couldn't shake. She looked as beautiful as ever, but there was something different about her. She seemed more fragile, as if the weight of the past month had worn her down.

When Taylor spotted him, her expression shifted from surprise to panic. She hesitated for just a moment before she turned and walked away, determined to avoid the confrontation she knew was coming. But Travis wasn't going to let her slip away again.

"Taylor, wait!" he called out, his voice firm but tinged with desperation. He quickly caught up to her, matching her hurried pace as she tried to ignore him. "Please, just talk to me. I need to know what's going on."

Taylor's heart raced as she continued walking, her mind a whirlwind of thoughts. She had expected this day might come, but she wasn't ready for it. She wasn't ready to face him. "There's nothing to talk about, Travis. Just go," she said, her voice tight, trying to maintain her composure.

But Travis wasn't about to back down. He followed her all the way to her small home, his frustration growing with each step. By the time they reached her front door, he had reached his limit. "Enough!" he shouted, grabbing her arm and forcing her to stop. "You're not going to keep running away from this! Tell me what's wrong, Taylor. We can fix it, whatever it is. Just talk to me!"

She turned to face him, tears welling up in her eyes. "There's nothing to fix, Travis. You should go back to Kayla," she said softly, her voice trembling with the effort it took to get the words out.

At that moment, something inside Travis snapped. The realization that she had done all of this—left him, distanced herself, and isolated herself—all for Kayla's sake filled him with a mixture of hurt and fury. How could she think that Kayla mattered more to him than she did? How could she not see that she was the one he wanted?

"Kayla?" he repeated, incredulous, his voice rising with anger. "You think I want Kayla? After everything we've been through, you still believe that?"

Taylor flinched at the intensity of his words, but she stood her ground. "She needs you, Travis. I thought—" She faltered, her voice breaking, "I thought I was doing the right thing."

"The right thing?" Travis's voice was filled with disbelief. "What about what's right for us, Taylor? What about what we want?"

Taylor opened her mouth to respond, but the words caught in her throat. She didn't know what to say. She had been so focused on what she thought was right, on trying to protect herself and Kayla, that she had pushed Travis away. And now, standing here in front of him, she realized just how much she had hurt him.

"Please, just go back to her," she whispered, turning away from him, but Travis wasn't done. He wasn't going to let her close herself off again.

"No," he said, his voice dropping to a low, determined tone. He stepped closer to her, his presence overwhelming. He grabbed her arm and spun her around, forcing her to face him. "Enough!" he shouted, his voice shaking with barely controlled rage. "What the hell is going on? Why are you doing this? Why are you pushing me away?!" His words were harsh, each one laced with the pain of betrayal. He was desperate for answers, but all she gave him was silence.

"Go back to Kayla," she whispered, the words almost too soft to hear, but they struck him like a blow. Travis recoiled as if she had physically slapped him. He couldn't believe what he was hearing.

"Kayla?" His voice dropped, cold and furious. "You think I care about Kayla?" he snarled, his grip on her arm tightening slightly. "Is that why you've been torturing me? Because you think I should be with her?"

Taylor's eyes filled with tears, but she tried to remain resolute. "She needs you, Travis. She—"

"She needs me?" He interrupted, his tone incredulous. "And what about what I need? What about us, Taylor? Do you think I give a damn about Kayla?"

Before she could respond, Travis pushed her back onto the couch, his movements fueled by the anger and frustration that had been festering inside him for weeks. Taylor gasped as she fell back, but he was on her in an instant, leaning over her, his eyes blazing with a mix of fury and desperate need.

"You're not listening to me," he growled, his hands gripping her hips as he leaned closer, his face inches from hers. "You never listen to me. I don't want Kayla. I don't need her. It's you, Taylor. It's always been you." His voice cracked with emotion, but the anger still simmered beneath his words.

Taylor tried to push him away, her hands pressing against his chest, but Travis was unrelenting. His hands moved to her gown, pulling it up with rough, determined movements. "You're mine, Taylor," he whispered, his voice low and intense. "And I'm going to show you."

With one swift motion, he pushed her thong aside, four of his fingers finding their way inside her with a roughness that mirrored his anger. Taylor gasped, her body tensing at the sudden intrusion, but Travis didn't stop. His touch was possessive, demanding, as if he was trying to imprint himself onto her, to make her understand that she belonged to him and no one else.

"Do you feel that?" he hissed, his voice thick with emotion as he moved his fingers inside her, his pace unrelenting. "You think I want anyone else? You think I'd ever choose Kayla over you?"

Taylor whimpered, her hands clutching at his shoulders as she tried to process the intensity of what was happening. The pain was sharp, but there was something else there too—something that made her heart race and her body betray her mind's attempts to push him away.

"Travis...please," she gasped, but he wasn't listening. His anger had taken over, driving him to make her feel what he was feeling—the desperation, the need, the overwhelming certainty that they were meant to be together.

"You don't get to tell me to go back to her," he growled, his voice rough as he increased his pace, his fingers working her with a punishing rhythm. "You don't get to push me away like this, Taylor. Not when I've only ever wanted you."

The intensity of his touch, combined with the raw emotion in his voice, was too much for Taylor to handle. She felt herself breaking under the weight of it, her body responding despite the turmoil in her mind. She could feel the tension building, could feel herself being pushed to the edge by his relentless assault.

"Travis, please... I'm sorry," she cried out, but it was too late. The pleasure crashed over her in a wave, pulling her under as she came undone beneath his touch. Her release was overwhelming, consuming her completely as she trembled against him, her body shuddering with the force of it.

Travis didn't relent. As she collapsed back onto the couch, he withdrew his fingers, bringing them to her lips. "Suck," he ordered, his voice low and demanding, still tinged with the anger that had fueled their encounter.

Taylor obeyed, her lips parting to take his fingers into her mouth, tasting herself on his skin. Her eyes locked onto his, and for a moment, all she could see was the intense need in his gaze—the need for her, and only her.

As she finished, Travis pulled his hand away, his expression softening ever so slightly as he looked down at her. "You're mine, Taylor," he said, his voice still rough but carrying a new, tender edge. "And I'm not letting you go. Ever."

Taylor's chest heaved as she tried to catch her breath, the intensity of what had just happened leaving her reeling. She looked up at him, tears still glistening in her eyes, and for the first time, she allowed herself to believe that maybe, just maybe, they belonged together!