Page 59 of Bulletproof
Sadness made Derek sink lower in his seat. He couldn’t imagine how bad Travis felt right now havingto relive the memory. “She sent you back?” he asked quietly, his burger now sitting in his stomach like a rock.
Travis let out a heavy breath. “I fucked up. I was so pissed that everything went to shit when I was finally happy. I was out of control. I didn’t know how to deal with the loss and grief, or how to comfort Emily. I got in trouble and ended up in Juvie.” He paused, a painfulfrown clouding his face. “Emily visited me. I could see that she was having a hard time. She didn’t smile anymore and she had dark circles under her eyes. Then, one day, she told me she was losing the house so she was moving to Texas with her sister.”
“You never saw her again?”
Travis shook his head. “No. She said she wanted me to go live with her when I got out, butthey sent me to live with another family. One that liked to beat me with a belt. They said I was better off with a mother and a father who were more adept at handling a teenage boy. Two years later, I was out of the system.” He lifted his head and stared off into the distance in silence. “I always wondered if she tried to look for me. Or what happened to her. I hope she’s happy. Wherever she is.”
Derek felt like an ass for stirring up shit from Travis’ past. His blood boiled at the unfairness of it all, and for the young Travis that barely had a chance to enjoy a happy home. “I’m sorry, Trav. I didn’t want to bring up bad memories. We were having a nice time, and now I had to fucking ruin it. I’m sorry, man.”
Travis reached across the table and covered Derek’shand with his palm. “I’ve never told that to anyone, Derek. I don’t know what it is about you that makes me open up. It’s hard carrying around so much shit sometimes.”
“You can talk to me whenever you want.” Never had anyone needed Derek. Never had he provided solace or support to anyone the way Travis needed it. It gave him a sense of worth. He wanted to help this guy so badly. Hewanted to bring a little happiness into Travis’ life. The guy looked so carefree and fucking happy on the outside. Probably no one knew, or suspected, what lay beneath the surface. To the outside world, Travis was just a guy living on the edge looking for a thrill and a good time without a worry in the world. The real Travis, the one that hid inside, was the polar opposite of that one. Somehow,Derek wanted the two to meld and form one entity that didn’t need to live either high or low, and to find a happy medium somewhere in the middle. He wanted Travis to be whole, not two halves of an extreme.
“That was a long time ago,” Travis said, dismissing the subject. “I like to leave the past in the past.”
It sounded like a healthy way to look at it, but Derek knewit was a lie. He wanted to hug this guy so fucking badly, hold him and comfort him, but he didn’t want Travis to confuse his empathy with pity.
Travis plastered a big smile on his face, which Derek saw right through, and shed the sadness in his eyes. “If you’re not gonna eat that cheesecake, I will.” Travis sunk his fork into the pointed end of the cake and sliced off a big chunk.He stuffed it into his mouth and smiled with his mouth closed while he chewed.
Derek dove in with his fork, then Travis again, until there was only one bite left. They both looked at it and at each other. Derek was about to offer it to Travis, but before he had the chance, Travis devoured it. “You hog!” Derek said, with a laugh.
“Sorry. I couldn’t help myself. That wasthe best fucking cheesecake I’ve had in a long time.”
The waitress cleared the dishes, and Derek threw a wad of cash on the table.
“Save it.” Derek waved his hand at Travis when the guy took out his wallet. “You can pick up the next one.”
The crowd in the diner had been content to stare from their tables, until they noticed that Derek and Travis had finishedeating. The first one to venture to the table was a dude with tattoos covering both arms.
“I know it’s late, but I gotta get your autograph,” the guy said. “I’ve been a fan of Bulletproof since you guys had your first hit single. You rock.”
“I did promise them an autograph after we ate,” Travis reminded Derek. “And they were pretty respectful.”
Derek thankedthe fan and signed a napkin. He even posed for a selfie.
A girl slipped into the booth next to Travis. “I want your autograph. Right here.” She pulled down the neckline of her top and whipped out one of her giant breasts. Derek squinted across the table at the large ring that stretched out the tip of her bright pink nipple, and grimaced. Brandon had barbells through his nips but theywere miniscule in comparison to the rings this chick had. She stuck her chest out and Derek felt the weight of her gaze. Oh shit. He got caught staring, and his cheeks grew hot. “Sorry.”
She giggled. “I got another one right here for you to sign, babe.” She pulled the other side of her top down so both humongous breasts were exposed.
Travis handed Derek a marker, andthey both wrote their names across the woman’s massive mammaries. Derek sat back in the booth and signed an autograph for another fan, but Travis remained fixated on the woman’s breasts, which were still hanging out while she admired the dual signatures. Derek watched Travis’ eyes go from one breast to the other, jealousy twisting his stomach like a vice.Why the fuck is he still staring at hertits?“OK, you’re done.” Derek waved the girl away. “Next person.”
The girl grabbed Travis’ face in her hands and kissed him on the lips. Derek’s nostrils flared as he watched her tongue push its way into Travis’ mouth. Luckily, Travis pulled away, laughing, and it only lasted a few seconds because Derek almost lunged across the table to pull this chick off his man.
A large crowd swarmed the table, and again Derek regretted leaving the bodyguard behind. “We’re gonna be here all night if we don’t do something,” he whispered across the table to Travis.
“No worries. I got an idea. You got a guitar on the bus?”
Derek liked where this was going. He’d never played while Travis sang before, and the thought of a little impromptu performancetogether filled him with excitement. “You singing?”
“Shit yeah.”
Derek jumped up and stood on his seat to address the crowd. “I know I promised to sign an autograph for everyone, but we need to get back. How about if I get my guitar from the bus and play a song while Travis sings?”
The fans cheered and clapped.
Derek and Travis made their wayoutside, shrouded by an army of fans that were dangerously close. Too close. It could easily turn into a mob scene, and if it did, Derek had no one to blame but himself.
They made it safely onto the tour bus, and Derek retrieved the Gibson he stowed under his bunk and the cabinet amp. He found a mic and some wires in one of the closets, but stopped when he saw the crowd of peoplesurrounding the bus, which had doubled. It would be impossible to open the doors without being bombarded. “Fuck. This was a bad idea.” He looked at the long row of people, two and three deep. “Maybe we should just leave.”
