Lacey.

Ben was kind enough to buy the camera that I had picked out. The man that owned the store we were in ended up being named Martin and he was much more talkative once he realized Ben was going to spend a lot. Well, he was nowhere near as talkative as Hannah but he introduced himself and asked if we were new around here. Ben told him yes and just like at the cafe with Meredith, Martin seemed to already know the answer.

He nodded, "You're the new kids that finally took over the old Haddish Farm, right?" He nodded to himself before we could confirm or deny this. "I knew 'em before they had to get rid of it. Was nice back in the day." And then Martin leveled us with a look that just said we had better not mess the farm up because he obviously had standards on where it should be, despite the fact that it was dormant for years.

We visited one other place for Hannah and Ben and I waited in the car that time because there wasn't much around. Ben had opened one of the security camera boxes he bought and was reading through the pamphlet that came with it.

I tapped the tip of my lip as I looked out the window. Two women jogged by on the sidewalk and one truck passed us as we sat parked on the curb.

"What?" Ben asked, not looking up from the instructions he was reading.

I watched as he grabbed the security camera and started inspecting it. I didn't answer because I figured he was just talking out loud and trying to figure out how to work it.

"What are you thinking about?" he asked, startling me. "You have something on your mind."

I frowned, confused on how he knew this because I did. "If you were me and all of your stuff was at your old apartment, would you go back to get it?" I asked.

It seemed like such a silly question now that I voiced it out loud. There was no immediate reason not to go and get my stuff. But it felt like if I went back there, I would be leaving the protective bubble of the Casey gang that had just started to calm down. I was afraid that something would happen to keep me from returning even though it was logically as simple as driving back or buying a plane ticket. Also, I was afraid that something would happen to my friends if I left. I knew I wasn't the thing keeping them safe, I hardly did much but that didn't stop me from worrying that if I left, the safety bubble would pop.

Ben kept tinkering with it, "Yeah, definitely. I mean, it's just stuff sitting there. Plus, you could see your dad, right?"

I pursed my lips to the side because I couldn't remember the last time I'd talked to my dad other than it being a long time ago.

"We don't really talk anymore," I said.

"I know, Travis told me," he said and I wasn't surprised. "May I ask why?"

"After I was released from the hospital and we went back home, he got...very controlling. He didn't let me go to the grocery store or gas station by myself. Anywhere I went, he drove me and picked me up, like when I had to go to physical therapy. He monitored my phone to make sure I wasn't texting or calling anyone I shouldn't be. I let it go for a while because I figured he was just concerned and worried about me. I understood that but then kept blaming Travis for everything and told anyone he ran into."

Ben frowned and I continued, "He brought me everywhere with him, including to church a few times which we never did before and the priest asked for a moment of prayer for me, because I "was letting evil corrupt my head and choices" which was embarrassing, to say the least." I buried my head in my hands, keeping the fact that some of the teenagers attending church that morning interpreted the priests words in their own way and propositioned me.

"We ran into his mom's new family at the grocery store once. Do you know them?" I asked.

Ben nodded, "I know of them."

"Well, it was his mom, his step-dad, and his step-brother, Nate, who I knew from therapy. He said hi to me and introduced his family to me, mentioning that I knew Travis. That just snowballed into my dad learning that this was Travis' family and he said such terrible things right there, to his mother, Ben! I had to pull him out of the store before Travis' dad or Nate either called the cops or punched my dad."

He paused what he was doing, this time looking up at me. "Did you tell Trav that?"

"No."

"Good."

"I didn't think he needed to know," I admitted. Telling Travis would do nothing but upset him, it had no other purpose and it was done and over with. I was glad Ben agreed with me. "He'd known the agents were interested in hiring me but tried to get me to turn it down. I accepted their offer and he lost it. We had a big fight and I moved out within the week. We haven't spoken much since then."

Ben seemed thoughtful for a moment, running his hand along his chin.

"Still though," he began and I held my breath for what he was about to say. "I would still try to talk to him if I was you. Maybe just to set the record straight, try to make amends, or even one last goodbye. Between all of us, Trav and Hannah are the only two who still talk to both of their parents. Annabeth doesn't know where her mom is, Finn doesn't know who his parents even are, and you are on rocky terms with your dad. That's a lot of parents not in the picture. As someone who didn't get to say goodbye when I had the chance, I would jump at the opportunity you have."

I thought about his words the entire drive back to the house.

When we parked and got out of the car, Hannah was swinging her bag with two video games with enough force back and forth that it was making me nervous for the well being of the discs inside. I grabbed one of the bags full of the camera I picked out and then a bunch of security cameras for Ben, who had a bag full of them he was carrying.

Instead of walking right up to the house, we walked around the side and toward the back. We passed the spot where Finn and Travis were digging, but besides two freshly dug holes and one shovel laying on the ground, they were nowhere to be found. We continued up to the back door.

There, sitting on the steps to the porch, was Travis. He had one leg sprawled out lazily in front of him. The other leg was propped up on one of the steps below him. His elbow was resting on that knee and his head was resting on both his hand and the railings.

Hannah went up the steps and with a wave and nod of her head, she said directly to Travis, "Tomato," and continued on inside of the house.

Travis looked after her like she'd just confessed she had a tail. He looked back to Ben and I. "What did she say?"

"Tomato," Ben repeated.

"Does she want one or did she buy a really great one or some shit?" he asked.

I pulled my lips in between my teeth to hold in my laugh.

"No, she was calling you that," Ben said.

Confusion was all of Travis' face and he was silent for a moment, looking back at the house door and then to us again. "Is she on drugs?"

Ben snorted and held his hand out for the bag I was holding. I grabbed the camera and handed him the bag. I considered hiding the box and case behind my back, but Travis was back to staring absentmindedly out into the trees beyond us, much like he was when we first arrived so I didn't bother. After taking the bag from me, Ben went into the house.

I sat the things I'd gotten down a few steps above me and sat down next to Travis. We were silent, with him lounging and me resting my arms on my knees.

"Are you okay?" I eventually asked.

He wasn't okay this morning but I had been trying to let him deal with it whichever way he wanted to. I wasn't going to sit him down and force him to talk about it if he didn't want to. He was crying. I'd never really seen him cry and that scared me.

Travis let out a painful sigh that sliced through the air. "I'm so fucking sore."

"He bought two trees?" I asked.

Travis nodded. "They're getting delivered tomorrow."

"And the delivery people wouldn't, you know, dig the holes to plant them?"

There was another groan. "Finn wanted to."

My lips formed and 'Oh' but no sound came out.

"Yeah," Travis finally turned his head to look at me. "What'd you do?"

I was stunned for a moment by his appearance. His hair was a little longer than when I first came back to Melkin and it was falling in his face. He had a black shirt and black jacket on. All of that magnified his blue eyes that I couldn't stop staring at.

His eyebrows pulled in toward each other. "What?"

I smiled and brushed my thumb along his cheekbone that had been furthest away from me earlier. "You have dirt on you," I explained, brushing it off of his face.

As I was getting the last of it off, Travis looked at his hand that had been resting on his face and brushed his hands together, smacking off any left over dirt. He flicked a few times at the sleeves of his jacket and dirt cascaded off.

After, he scooted down one stair so I was above him and then leaned toward me, draping his body over my legs. His arms wrapped around my legs and his head rested on my thighs.

"You didn't answer me," he mumbled.

"Hannah wanted to drop her resume off at a few places and Ben and I went looking around town."

"What'd you guys get?" he asked, making no attempt to look at the box I had removed from Ben's bags.

I looked around at the view. It was okay but I knew there were better views of trees and the sky and maybe even that bridge that went to what I thought was a creek. All of those places would be better than this spot to show him what I got.

"Do you want to go on a walk?" I ran a hand through his hair.

Travis tightened his hold on my legs. "I don't ever want to move from this spot. I'm never touching a shovel again."

I rolled my eyes and leaned back but I couldn't reach the camera from here. I wiggled my legs a little to try to get out of his grasp enough to grab it but he kept his arms around me like a lock. He may be complaining about how sore he was but he seemed to be just fine based on how good of a grip he had.

"I'll show you what I got but you have to let go," I told him.

"Just tell me."

"It's literally four steps up, I can see it."

He shook his head against my legs. "My ears work fine."

I sighed at his stubbornness. "It's a gift for you. Let me get it."

Travis didn't move except for his thumb, rubbing back and forth on my leg where he was holding me. I narrowed my eyes, trying to stay annoyed but it was no use.

"I got you a camera," I told him quietly, nervous he might not like it.

"A camera," Travis echoed.

My stomach plummeted. "If you don't like it, it's fine. I know where the store is and can take it back."

"Hmm," was all he said, his thumb still moving.

It was a stupid idea. He'd had so many pictures on his phone and in his old bedroom, I just thought he might like it. Whenever I was fantasizing about the future, it was Travis and I in some new city where he could take pictures of it all. He could have a photo collection just of sunsets in different cities and countries if he wanted. I had told him so during the many times he was passed out and just kind of clung onto the idea. I realized I never confirmed whether or not he actually wanted something like that.

"It's okay, I can return it," I said and then continued on in a rushed voice to hide my embarrassment. "I was thinking about going home."

He turned his head so that instead of the side of his face resting on my thighs, his forehead was. He raised his head a few inches, opened his mouth, and then bit the side of my thigh lightly. I was too confused to do anything.

"No," he muttered with his mouth still on me. He let go and kissed the spot he'd just bit but I had pants on and he didn't really put pressure into it so it didn't hurt. I didn't tell him this as he kissed my leg again.

"What do you wanna go back there for?" He asked, forehead back on my thigh.

"All my clothes are there."

"We'll buy you new clothes."

"My car."

"I'll get you a new car."

"My apartment," I added remembering why I had felt compelled to buy him a camera in the first place.

"Don't worry about it."

"Because you're paying for it?" I asked once he didn't admit to it.

Travis didn't say anything so I wiggled my legs. He closed his arms tighter around my legs to try to hold them in place.

"Maybe," was all he said.

"Ben said I should talk to my dad while I'm there, tell him goodbye."

Travis groaned but it sounded like a growl and then it stopped abruptly when he said, "What are you telling him goodbye for?"

"I doubt he'll see eye to eye with moving out here, so I could pick up my stuff and talk to him to at least say I made one last attempt."

"Moving out here? So you're not leaving to go back there?"

I realized then that my intentions weren't clear and Travis had taken my words the wrong way. "No," I stated because I didn't want him confused. "I just want to go back to pick up my things and bring them here, home," I said because this was my real home.

He moved down one more step while I was talking so he could place his chin on my knee and manage to look up at me without hurting his neck. The view of him was breathtaking.

"I'm not leaving you," I clarified.

A sly grin found its way onto his face. He pulled my legs so they were stretched out in front of me instead of bent and then finally, he let go of them. Travis moved so that he was hovering over my legs with one leg and arm on either side of me. And then, with painstakingly slow actions, he crawled up the steps and over me, forcing me to lean back to avoid colliding with him.

The edges of the stairs dug into my back and my head was resting right on a rough spot but I didn't care. Travis had one knee bent near my hip; his other leg was still outstretched because I could feel his shoe against my ankle. But that wasn't what had my heart beating fast, oh no.

It was his elbows resting on the stairs right next to my head as he kept himself hovering above me. It was his eyes flicking bright with happiness as he stared so intently at me I thought I was going to die.

Again, I wondered how sore he really was if he was able to do this after digging in the ground all day. Perhaps he was lying about how tired he was. Or perhaps he was just that strong.

I glanced at his bicep next to my head but it was covered in a stupid jacket.

"You're not going to leave me?" he asked.

"No," I whispered because my voice had left the building the second Travis situated himself over me.

"You promise?"

"Yes."

"Promises are a very big deal to me," he said, eyes dancing over my face.

"I won't leave you."

He grinned and my heart flipped.

"I promise not to leave you either," he said, voice just as quiet as mine had been.

I blew out an amused breath. "I would find you if you tried."

Travis laughed and it was like an entire symphony was playing in my ears.

"You look like an angel," he whispered before his lips fell down to mine.

I didn't bother responding because what did you say to something like that? Plus, I didn't want to interrupt kissing him because it was obvious now just how long we'd gone without actually kissing like this and without it being some sort of jealous thing.

"Walk like an angel," he whispered against my lips in between kissing me. "Talk like an angel."

I wanted to yell at him to stop talking and just keep kissing me. I wrapped my arms around his neck to try to pull him close to me, so he couldn't keep pulling back to talk mindless words.

"But I got wise," Travis said, doing the exact opposite of what I was aiming for, despite the hold I had on his neck. He pulled away, farther than any other time. And then, he sang, "You're the devil in disguise."

"Travis," I groaned.

"Oh, yes you are," he continued singing and pushed up away from the stairs and me, crawling forward slowly.

The way he was moving up the stairs would have dragged me with him but my head brushed the top of the next stair and I was lying on some of my hair so it was more painful than it should've been. I was quick to drop my hands from his neck and relax back on the stairs.

"The devil in disguise," he sang but sounded strained as he stopped so that his chest was right above my face instead of his face and his arms were extended out in front of him.

I tried to see what he was doing, but I couldn't move my head much without hurting my head. It looked like one of his hands was still extended and the other was planted somewhere above my head.

Travis sighed and in one fluid motion, moved back down the stairs and off of me. He was back to sitting in his original spot near my legs but this time he had the camera box in his hands. A steady beat was tapped out against his knee with one hand.

"You fooled me with your kisses," he looked at me and then started jiggling his knee. "You cheated and you schemed." His hand stopped hitting his knee and instead, he started tapping both of his hands on the camera box. "Heaven knows..." he stopped singing and started humming, getting too into the beat.

The problem with the beat was that it was against the camera I still needed to return.

"Travis," I said, reaching for the box.

He swatted my hand out of the way in time with the song he was playing and kept humming, saying a word here and there. I tried again and the same thing happened only this time, he waved one of his fingers in my direction in a no fashion.

"That's breakable, it's not a drum kit, give me it," I said, during multiple attempts to get the camera box back from him.

Travis angled his body away from me. "Heaven help me, I didn't see the devil in your eyes," he sang, mischievously smiling at me as he did so. He stopped his attack on the camera box and hit his hands a few times on the stairs before stopping. Well, stopping his hands. His leg still bounced and instead of smacking the box, he was looking at it.

"I can't return it if you break it," I told him, reaching again but he smacked my hand away.

He held the box in one hand and drew his hand back over his shoulder, like he was about to throw it.

"Travis!" I hissed.

He laughed and held the box on his legs. I watched his hands intensely, ready to try to swipe the box from him again if I had to.

"I'm not going to break it," he said.

"You were trying awfully hard to."

A small chuckle came from him.

"What song was that?" I asked.

Travis looked blankly at me before looking back at the camera box, picking at the tape that sealed the box. "Elvis Presley," he said and then muttered under his breath. "I'm going to have to break up with her."

"What?" I asked.

He ignored me, continuing as if I wasn't there. "Doesn't even know the King. She's making me break up with her."

I smacked his shoulder but he barely moved. His focus was back on the box as he peeled a long piece of tape off and tried to flick it to the ground but it was sticking to his fingertips. He shook his hand furiously a few times before I grabbed the tape from him and balled it up in my fist.

"Don't try to win my heart back now," he teased, pulling open one of the flaps of the box now that he was free of tape. "When we drive back with your car, we can listen to his songs. It's the only way we can stay together."

I raised an eyebrow at him for a moment before I registered what he was saying. "When we drive back?"

"You're not going without me," he said.

There was a smile on my face as I said, "I'm coming back."

His answer felt like a little more of Travis, my Travis, was seeping into him.

"Ask me if I care, gorgeous. I'm going."

Guess who's getting closer to being the Travis we know and love!!!

The song linked to the chapter is the one Travis sings by the way (:

Hope you liked it, I can't wait for you to read the next few chapters! <3 If you want to read them in advance before they come out on Wattpad, visit patreon.com/jschristine and you can subscribe (it's a monthly thing that you can cancel any time)

Okay, it's midnight and I'm not at all ready for work tomorrow morning so I have to go. I HOPE YOU ENJOYED IT