Intertwined episode 18

🤝INTERTWINED🤝

💑EP EIGHTEEN💑

 

The next Friday night, I was having coffee with Eric. He wason a business trip in Manhattan. He figured he’d see me firstbefore he went back to Connecticut.We were interrupted when my phone rang. My heartpounded when I saw Chris’s number on the screen.

“Chris. What’s he calling me for?”

“Realizing what a big fool he’s been?” Eric suggested.

I answered the call. “What?”

I heard Chris’s intake of breath on the other line.

“Brianne…” His voice was sober. “I’ve been waiting for youin your apartment.”

“What? Who told you to go there? I should have changedthe locks! I cannot believe you had the nerve to actually useyour keys!”

He didn’t say anything for a while. He took another deepbreath. “Are you coming home anytime soon? It’s beennearly two weeks now. And I see no signs of you. I droppedby the dance studio, hoping you’d be there. Sarah told meyou’d gone to Manhattan.”

“I’m selling everything in that apartment!” I muttered.

“Are you…moving to Manhattan for good?”

“Yes. Why not? Everything I love is in Manhattan!”

“Including Travis Cross?” he asked.

“Especially Travis Cross!” I snapped. “Did you call me fora good reason, Chris?”

He took a deep breath. “I guess…I just want to apologizefor everything. I was…I don’t know what came over me. Italked to Cindy again. She told me everything. She also told me that you didn’t see Cross again until graduation. That heavoided you after the huge favor you asked of him.”

“I still don’t see this as a good reason.”

“You were a stupid girl in high school, weren’t you?” heasked, and he chuckled humorlessly. “I was even morestupid for letting jealousy cloud my thinking! I’m so sorry,honey.” He was crying now.

I bit my lip, trying to get a grip of all the emotionsenveloping me. But out of all those feelings, I recognizedthe most potent one—anger.

“If there’s a way…if there’s ever a way that I can makethat up to you, I would do anything! I love you, Brianne! Ipromise I’ll never forget that again. And if…if you say thatyou and Cross are like brother and sister more thananything…I will believe you. I will…get to know the guy! I’ll

do anything just to be given another chance!”

“How many hours after we broke up did you sleep withAlana?” I asked him.Silence.

Then a sharp intake of breath. “That’s…not fair, Brianne!I was drunk! I was a mess!”

I took a deep breath. “How stupid do you think I am?”

“I know you’re not stupid! I was just shooting for anotherchance. I realized how…different you were! I guess I had tobe with Alana to realize what an amazing woman I wasalready in love with! And I may never forgive myself forhurting you. But I want just one chance. And I will use thatto make it up to you. Even if I have to make it up to you forthe rest of our lives!” He kept on crying. And I felt likecrying, too.

“Brianne…I realized that it’s you. I miss the warm smileyou have when I wake up in the morning. I want to have kidswith your hair, your eyes, your smile…and you can teachthem how to paint, how to dance. I was so wrong…” Hepaused. He s-cked in a deep breath and then he said,“There are more important things that matter in life. And I want my life to be filled with your laughter, your smile. If…ifyou’ll have me…we can plan our wedding! Cindy told meabout your family tradition and how pressured you were toget married by the time you’re thirty-one. I would ratherrush you to the altar…than not have you at all in my life! Iguess it takes something like this to realize a lot of things. Ilove you! I am not asking for much. Just a chance!”

I didn’t say anything. I couldn’t. Tears were rolling downmy cheeks now, but I didn’t want him to realize that.Why would Chris call me and ask me this now? Now thatI had started settling in my new life? That I had gottencomfortable with my life with Travis? That I was beginning tofind a routine with Travis?

“I can’t,” I said. I tried my best to keep my voice steady.

“I can’t trust you anymore, Chris. I didn’t do anythingwrong. I was happy…all in love with you, introducing you tomy family…and you went all cold, accusing me of sleepingwith the person who’s probably the only close family I haveleft…the only tie that binds me to my brother. And if thatwasn’t enough, you slept with Alana. You wouldn’t have

touched her if you didn’t have the hots for her long beforewe had a fight. You weren’t just devastated! You werewaiting to find an excuse to justify…having a taste! And Ican’t be with a guy whose love and loyalty for me was…soweak!” I took a deep breath. “And it’s too late now, Chris! Ican’t go back!” And I hung up on him.

Eric didn’t say anything. He put an arm around me toprovide the only thing I needed at that moment—comfort.

“If I didn’t know your s€×ual preference, Eric, you wouldbe flying to the street corner by now,” I heard a cold voicesay behind us.

I didn’t turn around. Instead, I quickly wiped my eyesand my cheeks.

Travis sat in the empty seat in front of us. My efforts tohide my tears were futile. He was, after all, the one personwho could read me like a book.

“Who died?” he asked icily.I glared at him.

“I guess Christian came to his senses and wanted ourgirl back,” Eric replied for me.

Travis narrowed his eyes. “I hope you didn’t say yes.”

“Of course not,” I said. “He…said he’d marry me rightaway. He’d make it up to me for the rest of my life.”

“Did he also say he’d give you the moon and the stars?”Travis asked sarcastically.

“Well, at least he’s realized this now,” Eric said. “Youcould have gotten back together with him…had he not sleptwith somebody else. And you were right. He wouldn’t havetouched that slut if he hadn’t been interested in herbeforehand!” Eric smiled at me encouragingly. “You did theright thing, sweetie.”

When I looked at Travis, I saw that he was staring at mewith a cold, measuring expression. He was reading mywordless reactions toward Christian. I blushed. It was one ofthose times when Travis stared at me like that and I feltunnerved all of a sudden.

I turned away from him for a minute. When I looked athim again, he gave me a crooked smile.

Eric told us that he was meeting another friend in half anhour, and he’d leave us alone. He promised to visit againthe next month.

I was left with Travis. He stood up and placed some billson the table for the coffee that Eric and I drank.

“Where are we going?” I asked.

“Let’s take your mind off your stupid ex. I don’t likeseeing you this way,” he said, pulling my hand.

“What way?” I asked.

He turned to me. Then he took a deep breath and said,“Having second thoughts about marrying me.”

I stopped in my tracks. That wasn’t my intention. I neverhad any second thoughts about marrying Travis. Of course,it only felt natural to feel pain again after Chris called, but the thought of breaking off my engagement with Travisnever really crossed my mind.

Especially now…when Travis and I had formed a bonddifferent from the one we used to have. When we now bothseemed to feel comfortable about the prospect of marryingeach other. When our relationsh¡p had changed from beingthe best of friends to being betrothed. When recently, Ifound myself constantly finding comfort in his arms, and heseemed comfortable in taking down his cold, ruthless maskin front of me.

Travis raised a brow at me, as if challenging me to denythat. I glared at him. He wasn’t trying to hide the fact thathe was pissed. He continued staring at me with a coldexpression on his face.

Because I didn’t know what else to do or how to prove tohim that I never had second thoughts about ourengagement, I reached up and gave him a quick k-ss on thel¡ps.

Then I walked away as fast as I could. I was pretty sure Iwas blushing like hell. Travis caught up with me after a fewseconds. We walked in silence.

Finally, I looked up at him. He had a grin on his face, onethat I had never seen before. It was mischievous, boyish,and teasing. I glared at him again. Finally, he laughed.Without saying anything, he took my hand in his andintertwined our fingers.

***

We went to dinner. Then we went to check out the bars. Ihad too much to drink, and I was tipsy and laughing all theway home.

I don’t remember much, but I know I was still able toshower and dress into a matching pink silk cami and shorts.

When I woke up again, I found myself in bed, locked inTravis’s arms.

I stared up at him. He smiled at me. “Good morning,angel,” he whispered.

I smiled. “Good morning, Travis.”

I glanced at the clock on our bedside table. It wasalready nine in the morning.

“What are you up to today?” I asked him.

He shook his head. “I thought I’d spend the wh0le daywith my fiancée,” he said. “After all, another guy is vying forher hand. Perhaps I should show her that she’s still betteroff marrying me.”

I laughed. “Will you let it go? You know I’m not goingback to Chris,” I said. “I haven’t changed my mind. I’m stillgoing to be Mrs. Travis Cross. And besides, shouldn’t you berelieved that you have a chance to be off the hook? Off thevow I forced you to take fourteen years ago?”

“Fourteen years ago, I probably wouldn’t have stoppedyou from going back to him,” he said. “But things havechanged now, haven’t they?”

I stared up at his handsome face. He was right. Thingshad changed between us. It was like neither of us thought ofmarrying the other as a last resort anymore.

I rested my head on his shoulder. “Yes,” I whisperedsoftly.

He gave me a tight squeeze and I felt him k-ss the top ofmy head. “When are you going to start preparing for ourwedding?”

“When do you want to get married?” I asked.

“Three months?” he asked. “Is that enough time for youto prepare?”

I propped up on one elbow and stared back at him. “Thatsoon?”

“I figured you’d want to be married before your thirtiethbirthday,” he said.

“Yes. But don’t you need more time?”

“For what?’

I shrugged. “Get your women accustomed to the factthat you have to be discreet because you have a wife now?”

He fell silent. Then he took a deep breath. “If that is thecase, then you need not worry about that at all.”

“I can be toxic to you. I’m sorry,” I whispered.

He reached for my hand and then brought it to his l-ips.

“You don’t need to say sorry. You are my fiancée. That isreal. I will marry you. That’s real too. So don’t feel as ifeverything you ask of me is a favor. Remember, I am TravisCross. Nobody could force me to do something I don’t wantto do.”

I felt touched by what he said. I closed my eyes for amoment. Somehow, I could not imagine myself being inChris’s arms anymore. Because, there in Travis’s arms…I feltmuch safer.

Travis and I decided to spend the day at a resort. I hadbeen indoors too long, and I missed swimming and baskingin the sun.

We ran into Karl in the corridor on our way out. Helooked lost in his thoughts, as if he was trying to composesome sentences.

“Karl!” I called him.

He froze when he saw us. “Good morning, MissMontgomery. Mr. Cross.”

“Are you okay?” I asked him.

He nodded.

Travis raised a brow at him. He didn’t need to sayanything, and I could tell Karl swallowed hærd beforeopening his mouth to speak.

“Sir…” he started. “I was…going to ask if…if…if I couldtake Monday off…I mean…I don’t think it’s going to be abusy day…”

“Don’t you think it’s up to me to say if Monday is a busyday or not? If you’re not busy, Karl, maybe I should startreviewing your job description…or your salary package,”Travis said in a cold,unemotional voice.

“Yes, sir,” Karl said immediately. “I’ll be in the office onMonday!”

And with a slumped shoulder, he turned on his heel and walked toward the stairs, obviously not wanting to share theelevator with us.

I glared at Travis.

“What?” he asked.

“You didn’t even wait to hear what he was about to askyou! For all you know, he needs to take the day off becauseone of his loved ones is sick! Just because you don’t havefamily doesn’t mean everybody else around you doesn’thave one, either.”

“Of course I have family. You. Not my fault if you rarelyget sick I don’t have to take a day off work.”

“How could you be so…insensitive to the people aroundyou?”

Travis took a deep breath. “Let’s not fight about this,Brianne,” he said. “Don’t ruin our day because of one of myemployees.”

“You only look at Karl as an employee,” I said. “But if youreally look closely, you will see that the guy cares aboutyou. He knows what you want and do not want! He’ssensitive about your preferences and your needs.”

“You make me sound so g-y, Brianne! Cut that out.”

“You know what I mean, Travis!” I said, this time raisingmy voice. “Karl takes his job to a different level! He’s a high-caliber employee. You should be lucky you have him as yourassistant.”

“And I thank him enough every time he gets hispaycheck. More than enough, actually, if you know howmuch he’s earning.”

“And because of that he’s lost his right to be…treatedwith consideration?”

Travis sighed. The elevator door opened into our parkinglot. “What do you really want me to do, Brianne? Just say itand I’ll do it, and let’s get it over with.”

“I want you to find out what Karl wants to do on Mondayand give him the day off if it’s reasonable to do so.”

He handed me his phone. “You thought of it—you do it.”

“That’s beside the point. I’m not Karl’s boss,” I said. “Youare!”

“But since we got engaged, you’ve become the boss ofme. Override my orders to my employees if you see fit!” hemuttered, and then he turned toward his car.

I dialed Karl’s number.One ring.

“Yes, sir?” Karl asked in an alert voice.

“Travis runs a military rule in the office, doesn’t he?” Iasked, my tone light and teasing.

It took a moment for Karl to respond. “Am I…am I onspeakerphone?” He really sounded scared.

“Of course not. You’re on friendly grounds, don’t worry.”

“Thank you, Miss Montgomery. How can I assist you?”

“Why were you going to ask for a day off?”

It took a moment for him to respond. “Well, mygrandmother is sick. I wanted to drive to Jersey to visit herfor the day.” His voice actually sounded teary.

“Oh, I’m sorry to hear that,” I said sincerely. “Okay. Youcan take a day off.”

“But…but Mr. Cross will not…”

“Will not contest that. I’ll send you a text confirmation.Go visit your grandma. And buy her a box of cookies fromme. Charge it to Travis’s card—I’ll just pay him back.”

Karl didn’t say anything for the next ten seconds.

“Karl?”

“Thank you, Miss Montgomery,” he said. “Mygrandmother and I are very close. I really appreciate this.You’re…a wonderful woman. You are the woman that TravisCross needs.”

I handed Travis his phone back.

“Happy?” Travis asked.

I raised a brow at him. “Yes. Because Karl’s grandma is

sick. I felt good about giving him the day off on your behalf.”

I turned away from him. I heard him sigh, and then hegave my arm a tug and pulled me to him into a hug.

“Okay, it’s done,” he said. “Can we please stop fightingnow?”

“I just want you to learn, Travis. Learn to be sensitive tothe people around you. You’ll know that more than half ofthem care about you sincerely.”

He sighed. “I’ll try…next time.”

Travis checked us in to a suite. We had breakfast on thebalcony and watched the people sunbathing by thepoolside.

“Do you do this much?” I asked him.

He shook his head. “Rarely. The apartment has an indoorpool. I’m on the priority list.”

I raised a brow.

He sighed. “It means they can kick anybody off of thepoolside if I choose to go for a swim.”

I narrowed my eyes at him. “People are at your disposal,and sometimes you like using the privilege.”

He looked away from me and took a sip of his coffee.

“What is the use of having privilege if you aren’t going touse it?”

Logical. But then again, it wasn’t right. Travis’sdisposition was improving. But I knew a total makeover wasimpossible overnight.

Baby steps, I thought to myself.I stood up from the table, still angry but refusing to haveanother argument with Travis.

“I’ll go change,” I excused myself.

I took a quick shower, applied lotion on myself, and thenfinally changed into a two-piece suit.I heard a knock on the bathroom door, and then Travispeeked in when I was trying to tie my halter-top bikini. Ilooked at him in the mirror.

“I was wondering what was taking you so long,” he said.

He opened the door. He was already in his board shorts.Seeing that I was struggling to tie my top properly, hewalked over to me and took the strings of my top in hishands. Carefully, he tied the strings. I felt self-conscious. Iwas only wearing matching boyshorts, and my back wasbare in front of Travis as he tied my suit into a nice, secureknot. I was pretty sure I was blushing.

When he was done, he stared at me in the mirror. Hetook a deep breath. “Will you forgive me if I promise I willschedule my swims to make sure Mr. Ferguson need not kickanybody out of the pool from now on?”

I stared back at him. I realized then that he was trying tochange his ways…for me…because he was slowly trying notto be such a difficult, ruthless man…the man he was allthose years…the man his father made him to be.I nodded. I turned around to face him and held my pinkyup for him. He stared at it for a moment, and then hehooked his pinky to mine and smiled at me.