🏁 Tetrology Of The Sea - Book 1: From The Sea 🪼🔨💻 💞 🔮

Twenty-Five

Travis pulled out the chair for Shana and she sat down as Esper climbed into the chair next to her. Travis sat down and started look at the menu. Esper looked at Shana and back at her father.
"How do you know daddy?"
Shana looked at Travis for an answer but he continued to look at the menu, blatantly ignoring her silent cry for help. Seeing that he wasn't going to help her explain, she decided to tell the truth.
"Me and your daddy were next door neighbors when he was younger and were friends."
Travis made a sound but Shana ignored him as the waitress walked up and took their order. Once the drinks were ordered, Travis looked at Shana and gave her a smile.
"So, how has it been since we last had a good talk?"
"Not very good... Considering our last 'good talk' ended up in you telling me to leave forever." She said with a slightly accusatory tone.
Travis frowned. "Okay, I deserved that. Just keep your grudge out of Esper's earshot, okay?" Shana made a face but nodded. "And for your information, I did that because I felt it was best for everyone. Enough of that though, why are you with that creep?"
"Pay back a debt."
"You said that before. What debt?"
Shana looked around but looked like she might burst to tears. Travis automatically grabbed her hand on impulse and looked at her in concern.
"Is it that bad?"
"Please don't do that, Travis." She said, pulling her hand away from him. "Don't try to be sympathetic towards me."
Travis sighed. "Woman, I'm not trying. I can tell that things are just not the way they should be. Feel free to talk with me."
Shana looked into Travis' black eyes and sniffled.
"I can't do it here."
"Then we'll take it home. We'll wrap it up and talk it out."
"Travis, I'm engaged."
Travis narrowed his eyes at her and then slid his eyes to Esper.
"You were also in a relationship with him when you made Esper. We're just talking this time, Shana."
Shana wanted to slap him in the face but he was right. She knew that Travis was a gentleman and she was the one that made his guard go down last time. If she hadn't pressured him, he would have never done it. He would listen to her and to her fears, her guilt, her pain. He would be the fiancé that she could never have.

They wrapped the stuff up and took it home. Travis set up Esper to watch her show in her room and set her food down on the floor.
"Daddy, why did we come back home?"
"Patchy Patch's sister needs to talk with me. Grown up talk... Plus, if you're a good girl and eat all your food, you can have a popsicle before you go to bed."
"Okay!"
She began to eat her food and Travis smiled at her before he left to back into the living room. Shana was poking her food, not looking hungry at all.
"Okay, Esper is going to be in her room for a while. You can talk without interruption now if you want to."
"I don't know if I should be telling you all of this."
"Who am I going to tell? You are the only friends I have besides my students."
Shana nodded and then set her plate on the table.
"After you dropped out of school, things got a little better. There was nothing to fight about anymore but things were a little lonely for me. I missed you a lot... But the next year was full of horrible things that I... I just don't know what happened. One day we were all fine and dandy the next day, my dad gets this call from the police that says that Aylin is in the hospital with third degree burns. We went to the hospital and found him lying in the hospital bed, his whole side burnt to a crisp, like charred barbeque. He was in a coma for a while, about three months and when he finally woke up, he was different. He would never tell us what happened and how it happened. Craig was somehow involved too but neither would tell me.
"All the time he was in the hospital, none of our friends would come and see Aylin. I thought that was strange and I tried to ask Aylin about it but he wouldn't respond to me. He didn't like to talk very much anymore... One day I walked in on Craig talking to him and Craig was backing up like he was scared half to death of Aylin. I don't know what happened but it seemed pretty serious. Out of everyone, Craig was the only one that stayed friends with us. Eventually, Aylin got better and with some therapy for his arm and face, he was back to normal... except for the burns and the eye patch. He said that something pierced him in the eye but..."
"Wow, it seems like you guys have had some rough times."
"Yeah... So what about you? How have you been?"
"Well, considering I've been raising Esper and trying to hold down my dancing career."
"I heard that you were a competition dancer. That sounds exciting."
"It's exhausting but exhilarating. The rush of adrenaline before you dance is always a good feeling. It's so nerve wracking but feels good as well... It's confusing."
"You seem like a really good teacher."
"Well, we have a competition coming up... You should come watch it."
"I doubt Craig will want to watch that."
"Who gives a shit about Craig. What do you want to do, Shana?"
"Well, I mean-"
"No, I mean this in everything from here on out." He stood up and grabbed her hand, pulling her into his arms. "What do you want?"
Shana gulped as she looked up at him, his black eyes asking her what her deepest secrets were. What were her desires?
"I want..."
"Yes?"
"I want you."
Travis stared at her for a moment and then pushed away from her.
"As much as I would love to be with you, I can't."
"Why not?"
"Shana, you're engaged. Marriage is a little more serious than being someone's girlfriend."
"But I don't want to marry Craig! I want to be free! I want to be with you and Esper! I want to be free from feeling guilty about Aylin! I want to live my own life!"
"Then go live it. Tell Craig to piss off and go live your life."
"But I want to live it with you."
Travis sighed and grabbed her hands.
"How about this: you go live your life for a year and in that time, if I haven't found someone and you haven't found someone, only then will we be together."
"That's a long time."
"True, but it will give you options and freedom, the things you've been wanting most."
Shana nodded and Travis lifted her head to him.
"I promise that if we are both single and you still want to be with me, I will take you... But for now, you need to focus on what you want to do."
"Daddy, can I have a popsicle now!?" Esper said, running in from her room.
Travis caught her as she jumped and carried her over to the freezer for her to pick one out.