The Adventures of Macy and Travis

The Third Time Is Not a Charm

        My earlier discovery has been nagging me ever since he dropped me off at the door. A crush? What am I seven? The idea of this 'crush' was bugging me because we were friends. Period.

                I went downstairs cause I knew when all else fails ask your mom. "Mama?" She was cooking supper. I went and sat at the kitchen table.

        "Yes, Macy." She answered.

                "So. Have you ever liked someone even though you weren't supposed to? Not because anybody had forbid it- um. Have you ever liked someone you didn't want to like?" I rambled leaving her confused.

           "Are you okay, Mace?" Mom never called me Mace, that was Travis's thing. Ugh, Travis.

                I shook my head. "Have you ever liked someone that you were just friends with?"

        "A time or two why?" She looked over her shoulder at me and she had a small smile. "Do you like Travis?"

                "No-I mean- yes- I don't know what's going on." I sighed exhausted, banging my head off of the table.

        "What do you mean you don't know what's going on?" She came over and sat in the chair in front of me. She sat a glass of sweet tea in front of my head.

        "It's just...We are friends, you know? It was never supposed to be more complicated than that, and this morning I just had this absurd desire to kiss him." I lifted my head up and looked at her. "And he is absolutely adorable, and he offers the best hugs." I groaned bringing myself out of the dreamy daze I had been in. "How do I make it stop?" I whined like a little kid.

        "You can't, dear. You're just gonna have to suck it up and decide what to do about it." She ruffled my hair.

                "Mom, we are gonna get an apartment together." I cringed waiting for an explosion, but instead she laughed.

           "I can see that making your crush easier." She got up and went over to the stove again.        

        "I can't back out on him now, it was my idea. I'm thinking I might be able to stop him from drinking." I reasoned as I stood beside her at the stove. "And he needs that."

                "Supper will be done in a few." She said as she kissed my cheek.

            "I'm not hungry." I mumbled moping back to the stairs. Her laugh filled the kitchen.

                I flopped down on my bed. The pillow on the left still smelt slightly like him, and it was driving me insane. I threw it across the room, but the smell didn't disappear. It was all over my sheets and all my pillows. It was proof I was losing it as I threw the comforter, my sheets, and the rest of my pillows across the room. Leaving just the mattress cover visible, as I flopped back down.

        I turned on the tv, and watched the first episode of this seasons Twisted  in peace before my phone decided to ring. I looked down and there was Travis's cheeky smile. Decline.

        I put my phone down and it started to ring again. Decline.

                I didn't want to talk to him, not that he had done anything wrong. It just wouldn't be fair for me to drag him into my thoughts without me even knowing what is going on. We've almost kissed twice and every time we get interrupted which is by far the most obvious sign from the heavens that it shouldn't happen. I groaned wishing Danny Desai would take my thoughts once again.

                I turned off my phone and the tv, and laid over. I needed a nap. I fell asleep slowly, the ceiling fan whirring me to sleep.

           

        I felt the bed dip in beside me, and I rolled over opening my eyes slowly to see the back of someone I had been trying to avoid.

               "Trav?" I asked confused. He turned around and looked at me. He had my phone in his hand. "What are you doing?" He didn't even look the least bit guilty.

                "I'm checking to see how many calls you declined before deciding to turn off your phone. So pretty much just making sure that I was right and you were ignoring me. Oh looky here," He said glancing down at my phone. "4 missed calls, and 12 messages."

            I rolled my eyes, laying my head back down flatly on the mattress. He sat my phone down and laid down beside me.

        "What's up?" He asked.

                "Gas prices." I muttered as I rolled over and closed my eyes.

        "You know what I am talking about, and it's not gas prices. Why is your whole bed set scattered across the floor, and why are you ignoring me?" He asked wrapping his arm around my waist. He pulled me close and then rolled me over so I could look at him. I don't know how he expected me to talk with his lips so close to mine, and his touch making me want to explode.

                I managed to breath out one word. "Nothing."

                        "Mace." He said softer.

        "It's nothing, really." I muttered rolling back over and closing my eyes.

                "Mace you can't just do this." He raised his voice slightly as he sat up, turning his back to mine.

            "Do what?" I ask.

      "You can't just sit there, and get me all worried and then not even tell me what is wrong. You can't let me, let you get away with it." He sounded exhausted.

                I finally sat up and looked at his back, which was slumped over in defeat. I crawled over behind him and wrapped my arms around him, sticking my head on his shoulder.

        "I don't know what it is, Trav." He looked at me from over his shoulder. His eyes were genuine and his lips were so close. His orbs flickered down to my lips then back to my eyes. I wanted him to kiss me, I needed him to kiss me. Just when I thought his lips might touch mine, his phone rang. The third time is not a charm. His eyes looked confused and then like me he tried to shake off whatever was about to happen.

                "Yeah, okay." Then he paused. "Seven? That's good." Then pause. "You have a good day, bye."

        "We have to show up at work by seven tomorrow." He explained. I nodded and let go of him. As much as I needed that kiss, the Heavens still didn't approve.