Best Part

PART 14

HER POV

IT WAS NEVER EASY.

It wasn't easy to endure his attitude.

The more months passed, the more he became blunt.

If he used to be just cold, now he's freezing.

If he used to be just rude, now he's unbearable.

He changed. A lot.

Time flies so fast. It has already been a year since I met Travis.

The man with a chaotic personality.

The man with a messy life, and the man I believe will bring chaos into mine.

I never missed a visit to his house. I always went there to make him feel that I was there for him. A year has passed, yet it still feels like days.

He's still the same ill-mannered guy. Whenever I visit, sometimes he doesn't talk. Sometimes he tells me to leave, saying he doesn't want to see me. Most of the time? He ignores me as if I don't exist.

But every time he pushes me away, I just smile at him. I know he's annoyed with me, but he can never truly get rid of me. Every time he tries to push me away, it only makes me want to stay more. No matter how many times he tells me to leave his life, I will stay. I will stay as long as I can.

I know I'm just a strange woman who suddenly barged into Travis' life. We don't know each other. We are strangers to one another, but that won't stop me from helping him. As they say, sometimes it's easier to talk to a stranger.

But every time Gwyn asks me why I'm helping him... I still don't know why I'm doing this.

I met him for a reason. Maybe I was meant to meet him... so I could help him stand up again. To help him through whatever he's going through. To remind him that even if he feels like the world has abandoned him, there is still someone who wants to stay. To remind him not to focus on the ones who left, but on those who stayed.

I've been staring at Travis' room for a while now. He hasn't come out for days. Over the last few months, he has grown even more silent. He never lets me see him. He doesn't want to be disturbed in his room, and he refuses to come out.

"Travis..." I sighed.

I immediately turned to the door when I saw it open again. James entered, carrying a box of pizza. He walked toward me, flashing a sweet smile.

"Emily, has he talked to you yet?" I shook my head and smiled to reassure him that I was fine.

"Nope... but it's okay. It's his decision to ignore my presence. It doesn't matter to me whether he acknowledges me or not. What's important is that I'm here, especially when he needs me."

James sat down, staring at Travis' door.

"He's back to square one."

I was confused. I looked at him.

"What do you mean?"

"He's back to how he was in the first year, Emily. Every time another year passes, it's as if his memories from before come back to haunt him."

So that's why Travis suddenly changed again.

"I still remember the first year he was like this... he wouldn't even glance at me. He ignored me every time I was here... and he kept pushing me away even more. Every time I saw him like that, it hurt me deeply... because that's not who he really is."

"His past must have been really painful, huh?"

James smiled bitterly.

"If only you knew, Emily... it was excruciating. If you're going to be in Travis' life, you need to have a lot of patience... because he will do everything to drive you away. He doesn't want anyone staying in his life anymore because of what happened before. Many friends, relatives... and women have tried, but in the end, they all gave up on him."