Paradisal Tragedy (14 page)

Sixteen

“You’re really quiet,” Travis observed as Annabella sat in his car and stared out the window. She hadn’t said a word since they got in the car, which worried Travis. He thought she may have been having doubts about everything.

“Sorry,” she said without looking at him.

That was enough for Travis. Pulling over to the side of the road, he turned off the car and stared at her.

“Hey, will you talk to me?” Travis asked, shifting in the driver’s seat. He pulled her chin towards him, so she was forced to look at him.

“What do you want me to say?” she asked. What
was
there to say? Her father used to support her and now he was pulling her away from the one thing that meant the most to her.

“I want you to stop suffering in silence the way you always do, I want you to open up to me about how you’re feeling. You’re not alone, baby, and I don’t want you to keep your feelings inside that pretty little head of yours,” Travis told her as he cupped her face between his hands.

“Why doesn’t he want me to be happy?” Annabella questioned out loud.

“He does, Bella, he loves you. That is a given. Listen, with my past I don’t blame him for being so anti-us. I mean, I slept around with girls I didn’t care about. He’s your dad, and while he may not know that, he knows my type. He just wants to protect you,” Travis tried to reason with her.

“So you think it was right for him to say all those horrible things to you?” Annabella asked in shock. How could he possibly be taking her father’s side?

“God, no. I don’t believe the way he handled the situation was right at all, but Bella I understand it,” Travis explained as he wiped away her tears gently.

“I just thought that he’d be happy that I was finally happy. For months I’ve seen the pity in his eyes; the way he looked at me was just like someone died. And now that I’m happier, he’s so against it,” Annabella told him.

“Baby, this is our first date, and while what happened was something important, can’t we just enjoy our date? We can talk about that later. I promised you a night you’d never forget and I always keep my promises,” Travis smirked.

Letting out a sigh, Annabella decided to put all of this behind her for a few hours. She had been looking forward to her date with Travis all day, and she wasn’t going to let her father ruin that for her.

“So where are we going?” Annabella asked, as Travis started the car back up and continued to drive.

“First we’re going to go to the restaurant where we met. Afterwards, it’s a surprise.” Travis said with a smile.

“Why won’t you tell me?” Annabella whined.

“Because it’s a surprise.”

“Travis, I know we agreed not to talk about it, but I’m really sorry about my dad, he’s usually not like that,” Annabella explained after a beat of silence. Her father was usually the rational one out of her parents, but her mother had taken over that role tonight.

“You don’t need to apologize for something that wasn’t your fault,” Travis told her. ”Your dad just doesn’t understand, he’ll come around.”

“I sure hope so. Right now though, I don’t think I can even stand to face him,” Annabella admitted, dreading the fact that when the date was over, she’d have to go home.

“You still have that key? I told you, you’re always welcome at my house. Bella, just say the word and you don’t have to go back there tonight.”

“I’ll let you know,” she said, knowing exactly which answer she was leaning towards.

“Now stay right there,” Travis said as she shut of the car off and got out. Deciding to be a complete gentleman for her tonight, he opened her door, and held out a hand, which she took.

 They sat at the table that Annabella had been sitting at the night first night she met Travis. If you’d told her then that she’d now be dating him, she would have told you that you were crazy. It was amazing how much she’d changed since Travis walked into her life. Here she was sitting across from someone she cared deeply for, and more than that she was wearing a tank top.

“What are you thinking about?” Travis asked her as she watched a smile appear on her face.

“Nothing,” she lied.

“You’re lying, you were thinking about me, weren’t you?” he joked.

“And if I was?” she challenged.

“So you were... Just can’t resist me, can you?” Travis asked playfully, reaching over to touch her hand.

“Don’t get ahead of yourself, rock star,” Annabella said, giving him a new nickname.

“Oh, come on, you know it’s true.”

“Okay, fine, I was thinking about you. I was thinking about the first time we met,” she commented as she stared at him.

Travis flinched. “God, I was such a douche,” he said.

“You were, but you’re not anymore. In fact I think you’re a pretty wonderful guy,” Annabella admitted.

“I try,” he told her with a smile.

A waitress interrupted them then. “Hi, I’m Kelly. I’ll be your waitress for tonight, what can I get you?” she asked.

“Trust me?” Travis asked, as he looked to Annabella.

“I do.”

“We’ll have two cheeseburgers with one big side of chili fries. She’ll have a coke, I’ll have a tea.”

“Will that be all?”

“Yes,” Travis told her and then she was gone.

“So now you’re ordering for me too?” Annabella joked.

“Did you not want me to?” Travis asked, worried that she was serious.

“I was kidding. Travis, thank you for tonight, thank you for everything.”

“Thank me when the night is over,” Travis told her as he leaned in to kiss her.

“Travis!” A female voice gasped near their table. When he turned his head, Marissa was standing beside his table with her friends.

“God, just the way to ruin a perfect night,” Travis said out loud. “Go away, I have nothing to say.”

“Who are
you
?” Marissa asked, turning her attention to Annabella.

“That’s none of your goddamn business,” Travis dismissed her. ”Leave me the hell alone.”

“So you must be the next girl on his long list of girls to hook up with,” Marissa said.

“You know what Marissa, she’s nothing like those girls, or like you. She’s not just someone I want to fuck. She’s my girlfriend, someone I genuinely care about. In fact, the only girl I have
ever
cared about. Now if you’ll excuse us, we have a date to continue,” Travis said. Annabella sat in silence, surprised by his statement.

“Honey, you should get out while you can. He’ll only break your heart and then you’ll be nobody. Just like he did to me.”

“Was that before or after you lied about being pregnant?” Annabella challenged. She always despised girls like Marissa. In a way she reminded her of Aubrey, except Aubrey could never be as cruel as Marissa. And Aubrey certainly didn’t pine over a guy that didn’t want her, she’d just move on to the next.

“You told her?” Marissa asked “I made a mistake but that doesn’t negate the fact that I love you.”

“I told her, yes. I told her because we’re starting a relationship, a real one, and secrets aren’t a way to start that. I don’t know who you’re trying to fool, but I don’t love you and we all know Marissa only loves herself,” Travis said as he stood. “Get away from Bella, get away from me, and stay the hell out of my life. If you don’t, I swear to God, I’ll make your life a living hell.”

“When did you become so cruel?” Marissa asked.

“About the time that you were screwing Josh behind my back.”

“That’s not fair,” Marissa protested, noting that she knew how big of a mistake it was that she made.

“It’s not? Excuse me; I’m the one who had to endure the pain. Don’t play the victim; the fact is you’re nothing but a tramp. I told you when we first started hooking up that I didn’t do the whole screwing other people. You know what? I think we’ll take our order to go. Come on, baby,” Travis said, grabbing Annabella’s hand. They got their order and left. 

“Are we going to talk about that?” Annabella asked, holding their food in her lap while Travis drove.

“No. There’s nothing to talk about,” Travis said.

“Yes there is, Travis. You said we weren’t going to let anything ruin our date, so don’t let her.”

“You’re right, I’m sorry sunshine,” he said. “We’ll just enjoy our food on our next adventure.” Travis smiled.

“Where are we going?” Annabella asked with an excitement in her eyes.

“Well someone close to you told me you’ve always wanted to go to the beach for a candlelight dinner with someone you cared about. Here we are,” Travis said as the pulled up to the beach.

When they arrived at their destination, they were near the ocean. Travis had set up a table with two chairs. There was an unlit candle in the middle, and picnic basket underneath. The moon shined right down on the table. It was beautiful.

“My original plan was to just have to dessert here; that’s what is in the basket,” Travis told her as he pulled out the chair for her. “But things have changed, so I guess we should just enjoy the rest of our night.”

“It’s perfect, Travis. I couldn’t think of a better way to end the night,” she told him.

“Bella, I’m sorry about Marissa. I just want you to know that no matter what she said, or whatever she tries to do, I want to be with you. There’s nothing I’ve ever wanted more than I’ve wanted to just spend time with you.”

“Shh,” Annabella said, placing her hand on his. “It’s not important. She’s not important to me. I care about you, Travis, and nothing she says or does will change that. You’re the first person I’ve trusted in such a long time and I’m not going to let her ruin that.”

“That’s good to hear. Come here,” he said, as he stood and reached a hand for her that she took. “Dance with me.”

“There’s no music,” she said.

“There doesn’t have to be; it’s just you and me baby doll.”

“Okay,” she said and they began to slow dance the night away.

Everything was changing right before Annabella’s eyes and she couldn’t contain any of her excitement. It was possible that for the first time she was even falling in love.

Seventeen

Travis sat on the blanket he laid out for him and Annabella as he held her in his arms. They were still on their date, and despite everything with her dad and Marissa, it was still perfect. He couldn’t have been happier than he was in that moment. There were no words to describe the happiness that consumed him. He couldn’t explain just how much he loved being with her.

It was completely different than all the girls he dated; this was real. Travis felt a connection to Annabella. It was something he couldn’t walk away from. Between all the issues he had with his dad, and all the trouble he got in during school, his life was a mess. Annabella changed that for him.

His dad had abandoned him years ago, and not a day went by that he didn’t hate him for that. His dad had everything to do with the rebel he became. Acting out was his coping mechanism and it worked up until he found Annabella. Now, he didn’t feel the need to get in trouble because the only trouble he wanted to get in was with her.

“What are you thinking about?” Annabella asked, breaking the silence that sat between them.

“You,” Travis said in an amused tone.

“What about me?” she asked lifting her face to look at him.

“I was just thinking that my life was dull until I met you,” he admitted.

“I know the feeling,” she said, her mood darkening. Travis knew she was hiding something somewhere deep inside. His only wish was that she would trust him enough to share it with him. He wanted that. He wanted her to share her hopes, dreams, joys, sorrows. He wanted it all.

“You know, until I met you, I got myself into a lot of trouble,” Travis told her.

“Trouble?” Annabella asked.

“Nothing you need to worry about. After my dad left I acted out a lot,” Travis said to her, finally opening up to her about his father.

“Can I ask you a question without you getting upset?” Annabella asked.

“Of course, love.”

“How come you don’t go see him? I know he left, but it seems like you need closure.”

“I can’t bear it. Not to mention that it would hurt my mother, and that’s not something I’m going to do for him,” Travis told her, and it was true. His father was the one who had an affair, the one who left. His father was the one who not only abandoned his mother, but abandoned him. How could a parent leave their own kid?

“I’m sorry, Travis. Your dad will regret leaving you someday. You’re an amazing person, and so is your mom. I really like her,” Annabella told Travis. It was the truth, but it was more of a way to comfort him.

“I don’t want you to waste your sorry on me, Sunshine; I’m just fine. I know that there is no hope left for my father and me. However, I do know there’s still hope for yours. Your father loves you, and as much as he acted like a dick tonight, I don’t want you to pick a fight with him because of me. I know what it’s like to lose a parent, and I wouldn’t want you to ever feel the pain and emptiness that comes with that,” Travis told her as his arms tightened around her.

“I love Daddy, but the way he treated you, the way he treated
us
… It was so unlike him. My dad has always been my number one supporter in everything I do. When I was five, I told him I wanted to be a princess, and he said he’d buy me my own castle. When I was ten I told him I wanted a pony, he went out and bought me one, when I was sixteen I told him I wanted to be a writer, and he bought me one hundred dollars’ worth of writing books,” Annabella told him, remembering just how close she used to be with her father until she started carrying around her secret.

“Your dad loves you,” Travis stated. He knew unconditional love when he saw it because it was the exact thing his mother has given him for the past eighteen years.

“I know he does, but I’m just not ready to have the conversation about you with him right now. I already know how it’s going to go,” Annabella said.

“Interesting,” Travis said before kissing her.

Sitting up, Annabella watched the waves that surfaced under the moon. It was such a beautiful sight.

“It’s really beautiful out here,” she said, hugging herself. It was getting a little chilly.

“Here,” Travis said, wrapping his jacket around her. “You’re beautiful.”

“You’re just saying that,” Annabella said, denying her beauty.

“You are, and you know what, I know you don’t think that, which makes you all the more beautiful. The fact that you’re oblivious to your own beauty makes you the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen,” Travis replied.

“You’re so sweet, Travis,” Annabella said, pulling him into a kiss.

“We should get going soon,” Travis told her as he looked to his watch to find it half an hour past midnight.

Before Annabella could answer, her phone started to vibrate in her pocket. She didn’t check her caller ID before answering. When she answered she immediately regretted it.

“Where are you?” Her father was pissed.

“I’m out,” she said, not giving him what he wanted.

“You’re supposed to be home.”

“I’m not
supposed
to be anywhere, Dad.”

“Bella, you’d better get here now, before I ground you.”

“Then do it; I don’t care,” she snapped at him. She couldn’t take his attitude anymore.

“Get your ass back here right this moment, young lady!” he yelled through the phone, causing fury to rise inside her. She was beyond angry with him and she didn’t care what he had to say anymore.

“I’m not coming home. Not now. I was all for it until you started your crap again. Don’t expect me to come back,” she said to him. She could hear his breathing begin to quicken.

“If you’re not back here tonight, when you get home tomorrow, you’ll be grounded for life. You’re my daughter and you’ll do just what I tell you to do.”

“My being your daughter doesn’t make me a piece of property. I don’t belong to you dad, I don’t have to listen to you any longer. I’m an adult and the fact that you’re trying to get in between Travis and I shows that you really don’t care about me as much as you say you do. You don’t do this to someone you love,” Annabella said to him.

“I’m only trying to protect you Bell. It’s my job to keep all the bad things away from you.”

“
You can’t keep the bad things away from me!
” She’d shouted louder than she thought. “They’re there, Dad! They’re always there, and you can’t protect me from everything. If you could I would have never changed,” she said, immediately regretting it the moment it came out.

“What is that supposed to mean?” he asked in a worried tone.

“It just means that I’m not going to let you control my life. Daddy, I love you so much but you have to let me make my own choices. And I know you think Travis is a mistake, but he’s not,” Annabella whispered, watching Travis pack up their stuff.

“Baby, I know you don’t understand this now, but someday you’ll understand that I’m only trying to protect you.”

“I know that, but you’re going about it all wrong. I don’t need protection from Travis.”

“Except you do,” he said, getting angry again.

“Whatever daddy, I have to go.” Annabella said before hanging up.

Standing in the exact position she was in when she hung up, Annabella felt the pressure of the world on her shoulders. How could her father possibly be acting this way? The man she loved more than anything else in the world was the one person bringing her down. She couldn’t handle any of it. Not on her own anyway.

How could she come back from that? How could she stay with Travis knowing that her father didn’t support it? But how could she walk away from Travis knowing how happy he made her, and how strong she felt for him.

It was a lose-lose situation. No matter what she did, someone would be disappointed in her. How was she supposed to go on knowing her dad hated the fact that she was with Travis? Her dad’s opinion meant the world to her. Why couldn’t he just see how happy she was? Why couldn’t he come around the way all her friends came around for her?

“Bella, are you okay?” Travis asked her. She’d completely forgotten where she was until he called out to her.

Wiping away her unwanted her tears she walked past him. “I’m fine.”

“Stop,” he said, grabbing her arm so she was forced to stand in front of him “You’re not fine.”

“It’s nothing, really,” she tried pushing away from him, but he wouldn’t let go.

“Please, don’t let whatever that call was about ruin our perfect evening. Bella, you can tell me anything and you know it’ll stay between us. I don’t want you to push me away after all the progress you’ve made with letting me in,” Travis said.

“He is trying to control my life, Travis. Why won’t he stop?” she asked “He just won’t let me be happy.”

“I take it that was your dad.”

She only nodded.

“It’ll be okay. Do you want me to take you home so you can talk to him?” Travis asked. He didn’t want Annabella to ever have the fear of losing her father. She was far too important. He’d do whatever it took to make sure their relationship stayed perfectly intact.

“I don’t want to talk to him. I can’t go back there, not tonight,” Annabella said, feeling the ping of disappointment in her father strike.

“Do you want to stay with me tonight?” Travis asked her. He just wanted to make her feel safe.

“Is that alright?” she asked, not wanting to impose on his life.

“That’s more than alright; I’d love to have you, sunshine,” Travis told her as he wrapped his arms around her to comfort her.

“Are you sure? I don’t want to be a burden,” she admitted. Lately she felt like she was only a burden on other people.

“You’re not a burden, not to me. Do you want to stop by your house for some clothes?” He asked.

“No, I don’t want to go there at all. I just want to stay with you. I feel safe when I’m with you.”