The Secret Of Us

nine

I couldn't sleep. Travis and I lay there for a little while, but I knew we were both wide awake. So eventually, just as the clock hit nine, I sighed and lifted my head. 

"I'm not sleepy." I said. 

"Me neither." Travis sighed, tucking some hair out of my face. "You know." He paused. "Since I was such a fucking asshole and ran out on your birthday, why don't we celebrate it now? We still have..." He glanced at the clock. "Three hours of it left. And I haven't given you your presents yet."

I smiled bashfully, and Travis ruffled my hair playfully before he moved to the side of the bed. I sat up, crossing my legs as I pushed all of my hair over my shoulders, watching as he held up one finger to say he'd be just a minute before leaving the room. He was back a minute later with his arms full of brightly wrapped boxes, and I blinked in surprise at the sheer amount of them.

"Trav I..."

"Shush." He cut me off, sitting back down next to me. "Open them first. Then you can tell me off about how many I got you."

I sighed at him as Travis smiled playfully, and I reached for the biggest box first. He watched as I ripped the paper away, and my breath caught at what lay beneath.  Travis had got me a cot for the baby, an adorable wooden one. My eyes filled with tears as I looked at the picture on the side, stroking it gently. Then I looked up at Travis.

"Trav." I breathed. 

"If you don't like it we can take it back and get a different one." Travis told me, but I shook my head.

"It's perfect." I told him, reaching out for his hand. "Trav, I love it so much." My emotion rose higher, tears suddenly spilling down my cheeks. "It's so perfect." I whispered.

"Oh, Bug." He reached up and stroked my cheeks clean. "It's not much." 

"It's everything." I told him. "I love it." 

"And Bug...before you open the rest I wanted to ask you something." Travis paused and I nodded, telling him it was okay to keep going. "I want you to be honest and tell me if I'm being selfish, but I want you to staying living with me when the baby comes." He squeezed my hand gently. "Because I know we don't have any idea if the baby is mine or not, but I already feel like they are, and I want to be around them." His eyes glazed with tears which were quickly blinked away. "I know it's a little disjointed but I want to be here to help you, with the baby."

I started crying a little harder as I watched him, overwhelmed with what he was offering. A safe home, help, a father figure for my baby even if he wasn't the father. Travis was telling me that he'd be that even if we knew the baby wasn't his. And that meant the world, so I nodded. Travis nodded in response, and that was all we said about it.

"Well go on." He murmured. "Open the rest."

"Kay." I smiled, wiping my cheeks and reaching for another carefully wrapped present.

On top of the cot, Travis had got me an adorable little changing table, a baby bath, a tiny car seat, and a mobile for above the cot. I was an emotional mess by the time Travis placed the last present in my hands. A little box, no bigger than my palm, and I shook my head at him. 

"I got it for you anyway Bug, might as well open it." Travis nudged me, so I slipped my fingers beneath the paper.

I could tell that it was jewelry immediately, and my cheeks flushed a little when I opened the plush velvet box. Inside was a thin silver chain, half of a heart hanging off the end. I laughed, smiling up at Travis. 

"You remember." He whispered. 

"I remember." I nodded. The cheesy best friends necklace that I'd got us when we were children. We'd lost them.