Run to You Read online

  “Wow, anything else?” He laughs.

  “Do we have a deal or not?” I ask, ignoring his sexy laugh.

  “Scouts honor,” he replies holding up his fingers in what I can only assume is a Boy Scout gesture.

  “Fine, let’s get this over with,” I reply with a sigh and proceed to follow after Katie and Brian.

  “So what is it you hate about me so much, if I am allowed to ask?” Travis asks beside me.

  “I don’t hate you. I don’t know you well enough to hate you. I just know what guys like you are all about and I’m not interested in being some sick notch on your bedpost.” I state putting as much attitude as possible into it.

  “You’re awfully judgmental for someone who doesn’t know a thing about me,” He says, looking hurt.

  “Am I wrong?” I ask, keeping my eyes on the floor.

  “Wow, I mean no offense you’re hot and all but beauty isn’t just on the outside. You’re not really my type so don’t flatter yourself to much darlin.” He states with a huff.

  “Who’s judging who now?” Taking obvious offense to his statement. How dare he think I’m not beautiful on the inside. Like he has room to talk, he doesn’t know me either. Why I am so angry? I don’t even like the guy, even if I have imagined what those perfect lips would feel like kissing their way down my neck. I mentally shake my head, no…thoughts like that were not allowed to flow through my mind.

  “What, you can dish it but can’t take it?” he smirks.

  “Unbelievable, you’re something else you know that! You don’t know anything about me, how dare you judge me like that!” I shout and stomp my foot like a spoiled toddler. Why am I letting him bait me like that, why do I care. I don’t have to take this, I turn around and stalk off away from them. I can hear them all laughing as I turn the corner. I need a new roommate.

  Travis

  I can’t believe I let her bait me in like that. Who the hell does she think she is? I know I shouldn’t have said what I did, but she doesn’t know me either. I haven’t even known this girl a week and she’s already getting under my skin.

  “You’re going to have your hands full with that one,” Brian laughs as he elbows me.

  “Hey stop it, she’s a super nice girl maybe she just doesn’t like men. Or maybe it’s you.” Katie smiles.

  “Whatever, it doesn’t matter. What do I care what some girl I don’t even know thinks about me.” I shrug.

  “Whatever you say man,” Brian chuckles.

  I trail behind Brian and Katie for a while, in and out of every clothing store you can imagine. My eyes start looking around, searching rather…searching for the blue eyed goddess that I can’t seem to wipe from mind. Shit, I’m a fuckin idiot…I have to find her and tell her I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said those things to her.

  “Hey I’ll find you guys later, I’m going to go walk around.” I say.

  “Uh-huh, sure you are…go get her bro,” Brian winks at me. He’s knows what I’m doing.

  I start back tracking our steps, checking all the stores we had already been too. I head back toward the Macy’s since that’s where I saw her last, but I still don’t see any sign of her. Shit…maybe I’m too late. Maybe she left. Would she do that? Just leave her friend here? Desperate, I start asking random people if they’ve seen her, giving them a detailed description. No luck, she’s just vanished.

  I’m about to give up when I hear someone sniffling. Following the sound it leads me down toward the hallway near the bathrooms. I silently pray it isn’t Chloe I hear, if I made her cry I’ll shoot myself. Last time I made a girl cry was 2 years ago, with Sam. Samantha and I were together since high school, she was my high school sweetheart. Followed me out here a couple of years ago. She was amazing. Perfect in every way. Well…almost perfect but everyone has at least one flaw. For Sam it was more of a weakness. She was weak for rich men, powerful men. Of which I was neither at the time. Ironically it was the things I said to her that also made her cry. Guess my mouth can be a pretty powerful weapon. The only difference is Sam deserved those words, Chloe didn’t. Chloe isn’t Sam but my mind has a hard time distinguishing the two.

  Chloe

  Once out of ear range of them, I pull out my phone and call Mac. He answers right away.

  “What’s wrong kiddo?” He asks with concern

  “Why does something have to be wrong for me to call you?” I respond holding back tears.

  “Well of course it doesn’t kiddo, but I haven’t heard from you all week so I guess I just assumed. I’m sorry. What’s up, are you excited about your first day tomorrow?” He asks, I can tell he’s smiling. You know that way people sound when they have a big smile on their face.

  There was silence for a while, I can’t speak, and I know I will burst into tears at any minute. Why did I call Mac, I knew this was a bad idea.

  “Kiddo? Chloe? Are you alright?” Mac asks, now sounding a little panicked.

  “I’m fine,” I sniff.

  “You don’t sound fine, Chloe what happened?” Mac probes. He never uses my name, unless he’s really upset or worried. He’s been calling me kiddo since the day he met me.

  “I just, I just don’t think I can do this Mac. I thought I was strong enough…that I could do this on my own but I’m not Mac, I’m just not.” I am sobbing now, I can’ stop the tears from flowing now, I’m in full blown ugly cry mode. I sit there with my back against the wall of the hallway near the bathroom; attempting to shield myself from people who walk by. I’m sure I look a mess, mascara running down my face, snot plastered to my cheeks. Awesome.

  “Chloe, what happened?” Mac asks again.

  “It’s nothing, Mac really. I just-I just felt like having a breakdown. It’s silly really and I-I shouldn’t have bothered you.”

  “Oh kiddo, you know you are never a bother to me. Now tell me what happened before I drive up there and find out for myself,” Mac declares. He is serious, I know he would do it.

  “Can I…can I talk to my dad? I mean, is it-is it a good day?” I ask, knowing I will regret it but I just need to hear his voice.

  “He’s okay Chloe, I’ll go get him. Just remember, he doesn’t remember much okay kiddo. So don’t get your hopes up,” Mac reminds me.

  “I know, I just-I just need to hear him,” I answer.

  “Yeah, I understand kiddo, I’ll get him.” Mac replies.

  “Hello? Hello who’s this?” My dad’s voice radiates through the phone, sounding a little bothered by the call. The sound of his voice is comforting to me, its home.

  “Uh-hey dad, it’s me…Chloe,” I say. Hoping he will know me.

  “Chloe?” He pauses. “Oh, yeah yeah, where are you pumpkin?”

  “I’m-I’m at the mall daddy,” I answer, between sobs. He hasn’t called me pumpkin in a long time, I miss that, I miss it so much.

  “Are you okay, is he there? Do you need me to come get you?” Dad askes, the tone in his voice changes to panic.

  I knew the “he” he was referring to, but I refuse to go back through that memory. That memory is buried and I won’t bring it out again.

  “No, no dad. He’s not here, I’m fine. I just-I just miss you that’s all.” I assure him

  “Well, I miss you too pumpkin. Is your mom there with you?” He asks.

  “Yeah, of course she is daddy, she says to tell you she loves you,” I lie. I’ve been through this before, it’s best to not correct him. Why make him live through that pain again. I am strong, I can handle it, he can’t.

  “Oh, okay. Well tell her I love her too. I gotta go now pumpkin, gotta get ready for my shift. I love you.” He says, sniffing a little as if he knows I am lying.

  “Love you too daddy,” I reply and end the call as Mac starts talking. I can’t talk to him, not now. I stand up and start to make my way back toward my car. I decide Katie can get a ride from her new friends.

  “Chloe? Hey there you are, wait up a minute will ya?” Travis hollers from behind me.

  G
reat.

  “Just leave me alone, Travis. I don’t have anything else to say to you.” I reply, refusing to turn around. His soft fingers lace through mine and force me to face him. I don’t look at his face, I’m focused on the way my hand feels in his, it’s warm and safe. I pull away quickly and stare at my feet.

  “Look Chloe, I’m sorry about what I…”he stops mid-sentence and lifts my chin up with his thumb. “Shit, I-I’m sorry Chloe, really…I shouldn’t have said those things to you. I’m an asshole.” He says and attempts to bring me closer for a hug but I push him off.

  “I don’t need your pity or your sympathy. Just leave me alone.” I demand and attempt to walk away yet again.

  “Chloe, please…don’t leave like this, let me make it up to you. Buy you a coffee or lunch or something. Come on give me a chance, let me fix this.” He pleads.

  My phone starts ringing, Papa Roach’s-Scars from my back pocket, Travis brings his eyes up to meet mine and he looks genuinely sorry.

  “You going to get that?” He asks with a small smile.

  “No.” I reply. It’s Mac, I can’t talk to him yet.

  “Chloe, I really am sorry for what I said back there. I’m not really an asshole, well not all the time at least,” he chuckles and runs his hand through his messy hair. “Please, let me apologize, by letting me get you a coffee or something.”

  “Fine,” I sigh, “Let me just get cleaned up a little.” I reply and head into the bathroom.

  Chloe

  The girl staring back at me in the mirror looks nothing like me. My black mascara is piled up under my eyes making me look like a raccoon. My nose is red and puffy like a freaking tomato. I run some water in the sink and splash it on my face, using a paper towel to wipe under my eyes and remove the smeared mess. I run my fingers through my hair and decide to just through it up into a messy ponytail, it is beyond fixing at this point. Satisfied that I look a little less frightening I emerge from the bathroom. Travis smiles sweetly at me and offers me his arm.

  “I can walk just fine on my own thanks,” I respond and head toward the nearest Starbucks. Travis just chuckles and jogs to catch up to me. We walk in silence until we reach the entrance. Travis opens the door for me and bows his head allowing me enter first.

  “Thanks,” I say.

  “So, what can I get you? Mocha? Latte?” Travis asks as he pulls out his wallet.

  “Uh-I’ll take a Pumpkin Spice Latte, please. They’re my favorite and they’re only available this time of the year. You know, during Fall, and since its Fall now…wow, I’m rambling, I’ll shut up now,” I smile, feeling embarrassed. What is wrong with me, why I am I nervous? This asshole made me cry and insulted me.

  Travis laughs, “I love those too.” He orders our drinks and also picks out some pumpkin loaf while I take a seat near the back facing the store windows. Travis takes the seat opposite of me, “So, look…I think we got off to a bad start. Let’s start over. I’m Travis, I am a Leo, an only child and I’m 21 yrs old. I’m originally from Idaho, I moved here 3 years ago. I am currently in charge of security for a law firm up town”

  I just stare at him for a moment.

  “Um, this is the part where you introduce yourself and tell me something about you,” Travis coaxes.

  I take a deep breath, “I’m Chloe…I am also an only child, I’m from a small town in Colorado. I am going after a Law Degree and in the process of looking for a part time job, so that I can move off of campus and live on my own.”

  “You mean you would want to move away from Katie?” Travis chuckles, which makes me chuckle.

  “She’s really nice and all don’t get me wrong, but we have like nothing in common,” I shrug.

  “Yeah, you guys don’t seem like you are joined at the hips or anything. My boy Brian seems to really like her though,” he replies and takes a sip of his latte.

  I just nod, we sit in silence for a while and drink our lattes, occasionally making eye contact. Travis breaks the silence first.

  “Chloe, I really am sorry for the things I said to you earlier. I didn’t have any right to make those statements and I feel like a total ass. I have this habit of pushing people away and sometimes, makes me go a little crazy.” He says with an honesty I wasn’t expecting.

  “Yeah, I know what you mean. I-uh-I push people away too,” I agree. Travis smiles at me and neither of us speak anymore. It is as if we understand each other and don’t need to say anything else. Katie and Brian find us a few minutes later, Katie’s arms are filled with bags from various stores. As we all say our goodbyes, and I thank Travis for my coffee; Katie gets Brian’s number and I give mine to Travis. You know just in case, we were all together again and we get separated. Although I guess I could’ve taken his number instead. But, well I don’t know, he is hot. We had barely made it back to my car when my phone chimes with a text.

  -Just making sure you didn’t give me a fake number.

  I don’t try to hide my smile as I reply back.

  -Why didn’t I think of that, oh well too late now lol

  “Someone is smitten,” Katie teases.

  “Whatever, let’s just go,” I reply, knowing she isn’t wrong.

  Chloe

  I wake up to the sound of someone knocking on our door. When I open it there is nobody there. Instead, taped to the door is a small envelope with my name typed on it. I peel it from the door and flop down onto my bed to read it, secretly hoping it’s from Travis. Katie peeks her eyes open and glances at the clock…it’s 6:45am.

  “Ugh, who was that?” She groans.

  “I don’t know, there was nobody there and this was taped to the door,” I reply and show her the envelope.

  “Oh my gosh, you have a secret admirer! How exciting,” she jumps up suddenly wide awake. “I have to pee but I want details when I get done!”

  I just laugh and open the envelope. My laughter is cut short as the contents stop my breath. Tucked neatly inside is a small clipping for my town’s newspaper. The article from the day after the incident, “Local town Golden boy’s good name tarnished.” It’s not even the article that freaks me out, it’s the words written on the bottom in black marker, “No sleep for the wicked.” I quickly crumble it up and shove it under my mattress just as Katie skips from the bathroom.

  “Well, what did it say? Who is it from? Was it Travis?” She beams with excitement.

  “Uh-nothing…strange actually it was empty,” I lie, “I’m going to go for a run before class.” I don’t wait for her to respond, I just throw on my shoes and race out the door.

  I only make it a few feet outside before I collapse onto the sidewalk and cry. I must be crying loudly because I don’t hear anyone approach me, instead I see a pair of men’s shoes through my blurry vision.

  “Chloe?” Travis asks as he drops down and grabs my arms. His hand reaches up and lifts my chin, “What’s wrong? Are you okay?” But I can’t answer, I have no words, nothing comes out just more sobs. Travis wraps his arms under my knees and lifts me up with ease. I don’t bother to ask him what he’s doing here so early or make a smart ass comment about him stalking me; no instead my head falls into place under his chin and I don’t say a word. I don’t know how long he carried me or even how I ended up in his truck. I can’t tell you how long he drove because I sat there curled into a ball. My arms are wrapped around my knees, and I’m rocking myself back and forth. It isn’t until he stops that he finally speaks again.

  “Chloe, you’re scaring me. Do I need to take you to a hospital or something?” He asks, searching my face for some clue as to what to do.

  “No!” I shout, louder than I meant to, “No, no hospitals,” I state between sobs.

  “Talk to me then Chloe, what’s going on?”

  “It’s nothing…I-I just need a minute,” I say trying to deflect further questions.

  “It’s not nothing Chloe, something happened and I want to know what it is. Did someone hurt you?” He’s angry now, his tone has an edge in it that
wasn’t there earlier.

  “I’m fine,” I reply. No I’m not, and I’ll never be again.

  “Damn it Chloe,” he slams his fists onto the steering wheel causing me to flinch. “You are not fine, you were collapsed on the ground in your damn pajamas, balling your eyes out. You couldn’t even move, so don’t sit there and lie to me.”

  I glance down at my clothes and realize he’s right, I hadn’t even changed, I just ran. I look over at him. He looks terrified, and angry at the same time, and to be honest it’s kind of sexy. Without thinking I climb over the center console of the truck and position myself onto his lap. His eyes search mine as his hands came up to grip my sides. I need to numb this pain, I need to chase out the darkness that is now invading every inch of my body. Lust is something I can replace it with. My arms go around his neck on their own accord as I bring my lips down hard onto his. He hesitates for a brief moment before opening his mouth to mine. His tongue is soft and gentle, where mine is fierce and demanding, on a mission of its own. I pull away from his lips slightly but only to make a trail of kisses down his cheek to his ear. He groans in response as I gently nibble on his ear lobe.

  His grip tightens on my sides, pulling me closer to him as he wraps his arms fully around me. I know this is wrong and crazy, but it feels right in so many ways. I want him. My hands find their way up his shirt as I adjust my body to allow myself to reach further down. I can feel the bulge in his pants grow bigger as my body wiggles on his.

  “Wait.Chloe.We.Can’t.We.Need…to stop,” he pants out between my lips colliding with his.

  I stop kissing him and quickly climb off of his lap, rejection burns through me. I’m such an idiot. His hand reaches out and laces his fingers with mine, as if he can tell what I’m thinking. He turns in his seat so that he is facing me. “I didn’t mean it like that Chloe. I want you, trust me, I didn’t want that to end,” he says as he brings my hand to his lips and kisses it. “But, you were seriously upset a second ago and I can’t just ignore that. Something happened and I want to know what it was. Please,” he pleads as his green eyes bore into me.