Traveling always seemed to be the most exhausting part of my job, no matter how many flights I took. As I sat on the plane, typing away on my laptop, Tree sat across from me.
"Do you think we could post this?" I asked, turning my phone to show her a photo of me planting a kiss on Travis's cheek at one of the recent games I attended.
"Hmm, maybe not directly, but have someone you trust post it," she advised, smiling at the picture.
"Got it," I replied, already pulling up Travis's contact to confirm if he was okay with it.
Tay: Tree said to get someone else to post it, but yes.
Trav: Does that mean I can set it as my lock screen?
Tay: Do you still have that one photo?
He knew exactly which photo I meant, the one from my movie premiere. We had to be cautious even about something as simple as our lock screens, just in case. Thankfully, we'd been careful because fans had an uncanny way of figuring things out, even with the smallest hints.
Trav: Not anymore.
Accompanying his message was a screenshot of his lock screen featuring the photo from the game.
Tay: Can you get Chariah to post it along with the other ones?
Chariah had already been asked to post two photos from that night, but she hadn't mentioned this particular one.
Trav: Done, I've got to get back to practice. Love you, have a good flight. I'll see you in a few days.
Tay: Love you too.
I closed my phone and returned to typing on my laptop, the screen filled with emails demanding my attention.
"You seem really happy," Tree observed, glancing up from her screen.
"I am," I replied, pausing my typing and smiling.
"I'm glad," she said, her fingers resting on the keyboard as she stopped to look at me.
"What's up? You hesitated," I noted, sensing something in her demeanor.
"I didn't," she retorted, slightly defensive.
"Come on, Tree. What's on your mind?" I closed my laptop, giving her my full attention.
"I just want you to be careful, you know that," she said, meeting my gaze with a sincere smile.
"Promise that's all?" I prodded, not wanting her to hold anything back.
"Promise. Would I lie to you?" she teased.
"Yes," I chuckled.
"But not about this. Taylor, Travis seems like a really nice guy. He's giving his all to this relationship, and I just think you need to make sure you're listening to him and giving your all too," she said, her voice gentle but firm.
Her words echoed in my mind. Suddenly, it hit me—I'd been letting Travis do everything, pouring his heart into our relationship while I merely existed in it. I loved him, but I hadn't been showing him how much I truly did. It was time for me to step up and reciprocate what he'd been offering all along.
A/N - not sure when the next chapter will be out as i am working with another author (SwiftestDreams) to add some smut to it.