3. Travis Phoebe (ManxMan)

•Travis 7.

The car smelled of him and flowers. I caught the bouquet in the back and pursed my lips then getting in.

The first few minutes were silent. I had cleaned up as much as I could before he and I left the party, everyone whistling and I just knew from Regina's glare I would be getting an earful.

"Do you like pizza?" I blinked out of my own head to look at him.

"What?"

"Pizza. Would you have one with me?"

"You don't eat food though." He chuckled glancing at me.

"I'd like to watch you eat it."

"Raph-"

"It's just pizza. And it can be whenever you'll allow it. The ball literally is in your court."

I sighed pursing my lips before turning his radio on. Billie Eilish hostage played immediately and I resisted the urge to smile.

"You're a Billie fan."

"She understands me on a spiritual level."

"That's intense." He laughed.

"You don't like?"

"I do..." I went silent listening to her words which resonated with everything I felt in that moment. I glanced over at him as he drove and the sounds of Billie played on, her words feeling like the exact situation I had with Raphael at that moment.

I wondered to myself what I would do. He was making it harder to reject him, to push him away and I couldn't place the foreign fear in my heart then. I wanted him, I did, but I was too conscious of what it meant, the danger it held.

Once we got to my place, a bunch of songs had past and the last one was Maddison Beer but it cut off before I could recognise which one. Raphael reach back and handed me the flowers. I laughed and shook my head.

"I waited for you."

"I know." I looked over to him, he stared at me with a soft sadness as I took the flowers. "I caught you leaving. I had to sort out a few things with the Oni. I'm sorry if you th-"

"No." I stopped him feeling indifferent. He didn't get the satisfaction of knowing it hurt me. Knowing that I fell for his act. "I thought nothing. It doesn't meant anything." I opened the door and he grabbed me.

"It means a lot to me."

He knew. I blinked not looking at him as his grip eased.

"Goodnight... Raphael."

I planted the flowers like a fool and the wrapper joined the rest at the bottom of my desk drawer, the drawer had nothing but Raphael in it and I rolled my eyes for being sentimental about it all which was obviously what it was becoming. I shut the drawer and slept.

The headache blossoming was enough to make me a pain to my people.

I growled at the laughter of pack members who would stick their tongues out at me and simply laugh at my life. Theodore came by with Kalika on his him. The girl squealed at the sight of me and I smiled painfully and turned to take her. She wrapped her arms around me happily then.

"Travy!" She pulled away smiling and showing off her few teeth.

"Hey, baby girl."

"I got pet!" I looked at Theodore who rolled his eye. I smiled down at her. "Is big and yellow!"

"Oh? Big and yellow," I tapped trying to think what it could be."I'm not sure I know what it is."

"Snake!"