i can't want you (i'm taking you anyway)

part 3

Taylor's POV

I'd never seen my brother like this in my life. Stunned beyond belief, and angrier than ever. But he wasn't looking at me. Just Travis. Looking at him like he was seconds away from actual murder.

I looked at Travis. His hands had tightened around my back at the sight of my brother and the playful, loving look that had been on his face was long gone. I swallowed, ice flooding through my veins. We'd taken it too far, felt too safe, and now we'd pay the consequences. I hadn't even been thinking clearly. All I'd been thinking about is how happy I was, how amazing it had been to give up my virginity to Travis, and how he told me he loved me without actually saying it. No one had ever come as close to taking my heart, but there he was with it clasped in the palm of his hand. And now was all crashing down.

"Austin..." Travis started to say as I stepped down onto the ground, removing my arms from around him. He kept a hold of my waist until I was standing on two feet, and then he let me go.

"I cannot fucking believe you." Austin shook his head, quickly turning on his heel and stalking away around the corner.

Travis and I stood there for a long moment in tense silence before I looked up at him. He was staring after my brother, obviously torn between rushing after him and staying back with me. Then he looked down to meet my gaze, and the expression on his face killed me. He was torn, obviously hurt, unsure. I couldn't even imagine what he was feeling.

"I should go talk to him." I eventually said.

"You think it'll help?"

"I have no idea." I sighed. "But one of us has to go talk to him and I think he'll just yell and not listen if he sees you."

"Right." Travis rubbed his forehead and sighed as well.

"Hey." I rested a hand on his arm. "It'll be okay. I'll try talk some sense into him." Travis nodded. I tentatively smiled before stretching up, pressing a kiss to his cheek before turning away.

I climbed up out of the water hole and scrambled over the rocks after my brother. He was almost back to the hut when I caught up with him, stumbling over the rocks and grass in my bare feet. It was a lot harder to keep up than I thought with no shoes on, but I managed it.

"Austin!" I grabbed his arm, forcing him to stop. "Can we please talk about this?"

"What the hell were you thinking?" My brother turned on me, furious, and I stumbled back a step. "You're just a kid! What the hell are you doing with him?"

"Don't yell at me!" My voice rose in response to his, and then I took a breath, trying to calm down. "Austin, please. It's not a big deal."

"Not a big deal? Not a big deal?" He didn't stop yelling. "Do you have any idea what you're doing? He might be my best friend, but he treats girls like shit!" I pressed my lips together as Austin kept going, knowing he just needed to get everything out. "He's older than you, he should know fucking better! You're just a little kid! You're a dumb, stupid, kid!"

"Whoah, what on earth is going on?" Dad came out of the hut, pushing between us. "Cool it with the yelling."

"Tell him Taylor." Austin told me, folding his arms. "Tell him."

"Tell me what?" Dad looked at me.

"It's not a big deal." I insisted.

"Not a big deal?" Austin repeated. "I walked in on you and Travis getting a hell of a lot more comfortable with each other than you should be!" A movement behind his shoulder caught my eye and I raised my gaze to see that Travis had caught up, just in time for my brother's accusation to silence every single one of us.