It's been five days since Travis and I started dating and things have actually been okay.
Scratch that. We're fake dating.
And let me explain what this 'okay' thing is.
Every girl at camp either wants to kill me, ship the relationship, be me, or won't let me explain how "Travis has changed towards me and I have towards him, for the better".
Every boy at camp that thought I was tough and cool backed off and thinks I'm not as strong and independent anymore.
And then, all of my siblings are asking me why I had lowered my standers to be with him. They constantly tell me that I could do way better, but in truth have no idea that Travis and I aren't really dating.
Gods help me.
The only person that's been making me feel good about this, just so happens to be the man himself, whom I'm "dating".
He always manages to put a smile on my face...him and I have come pretty close, and I've even started to accept his company more and more often. I have to meet Travis for training. Today we agreed to practice on sparing. He wanted weapons but I didn't feel like wounding my boyfriend.
When I reach the training building, I see that there are other campers in here too. Hazel is sitting and is working on bending the mist with a cat in her lap—who I assume is really Frank. Leo is running from Claresse who looks like her hair is smoldering a bit. And Percy and Jason are fighting each other with Annabeth and Piper setting up a betting booth on who will win. Even Nico is there and he wears an amused smile. There is Will Solace and a couple of his siblings ready for any injuries to patch up.
I smile at my busy friends and their marketing business and spot Travis. As I make my way to him, he spots me too and smiles. I smile back and when I reach him, he takes my hand and leads us to the far end of the building, away from the fight.
"Katie, darling," he says.
"Yes Travis, love?"I answer. This has become a game for us. The pet-names. It's stupid but he's winning.
"Are you ready to get you ready to get your butt whooped?" He mulls.
"You should be asking yourself that question, not me." I smirk.
"You sure, Gardner?"
"Positive."
"Let's make a bet. I heard that Myra and Jake are having a party."
"I don't want to go." I stop him.
"Exactly. If I win, we go. If you win, we don't."
I think this over as I slip off the sweater. The same one he let me borrow. I won't admit it but it is really comforting to wear. Something that's us. Even if there isn't a real us.
"Deal."
We shake hands and get ready to fight.
He lets go of my hand, steps onto the mat and then puts his hands to fists, holding them up in a fighting stance. I face him and put my hands up. He nods to check if I'm ready and I nod back.
Travis makes fake punches a couple of times and I flinch. As he fakes again I give a right roundhouse kick it his stomach that he blocks and tries to backhand the side of my head.
I barely duck out of the way in time and his hand brushes my hair. I get up and shoot a quick punch to his wind pipe and catch him.
He stumbles back for a moment but quickly conceals it as he tries to kick me.
I move back in time but he throws a combo of back-fist and punch. I block the punch but the back-fist catches my head and I stumble back, cupping the side that got hit. I see Travis's eyes fill with concern and he drops his hands for a second.
"You okay—?"he asks but I kick and tackle him to the ground.
I straddle his hips and press my elbow to his throught lightly. "Perfectly fine." I laugh, "why do you ask?"
He uses a technique to reverse our position and now he is in between my legs with my back on the mat. "Wow. Is that what I get for caring? Tap out and we'll be done here. " he jokes, smirking.
I groan. He keeps my hands above my head by holding my wrists and he is much too heavy for my to use the technique on.
He leans close to my face and taunts me. "Come on, love, make this easy, tap out and we'll go to the party."
I shake my head. I don't want to be anywhere near that cow with makeup named Myra. And I don't want to tap out. I close my eyes.
I need a away out.
Travis leads closer and I feel him breathe on my jawline and my breath comes out shaky.
"Travis," I whisper "stop."
He kisses my jawline lightly and I hold my breath. Why do I feel like this? "Katie..." He mutters.
He kisses my jaw, my neck, my collar bone, my cheeks–I can't do this. Why do I feel like this? Now isn't the time.
I manage to plant my feet on the ground and lift my hips off of the mat, trying again to reverse our position.
Travis is too heavy for my to fully flop him off of me but I successfully created enough space for me to get one leg between him and I.
I knee him in the stomach and hear the wind rush out of him. While he's distracted I scramble out from under him and get back onto my feet.
"Gods—agh—" Travis clutched his stomach with one hand. "That hurt!"
"Sorry, love," I wink. The butterflies from his small kisses earlier are still in my stomach.
I aim a punch at his head and he blocks. He tries to kick my abdomen and I barely manage to move out of the way in time. I go for kick at his check but since I'm shorter he has more reach than I do. He grabs my leg and pulls me towards him. I let out a yelp as he catches me by surprise and try to twist out of his grasp.
Again he hesitates at my yelp and in his moment of uncertainty I pull my leg back. When Travis tries to kick me it's my turn to catch his leg. I lift and pull his leg up and he falls back into the mat. I put a knee onto his back to and grab hold of his arms behind his back to keep him down.
"Gods damnit!" He struggles but cant get out of this one. Travis lies face down on the mat, arms behind his back. I smile as he taps out.
"That's what I though," I laughs as I scoot back and sits in front of him. At his smile the nervousness and the butterflies build up again.
There's that feeling again. He sit up and I look away, pushing whatever strange emotion I felt down.
"I'll be damned." Travis groans, stretching his arms, and rotating his shoulder. "I really thought I'd win."
He stands up and gives me a hand. Which I accept, "Underestimating me? Yeah, that'll be fun."
"I won't do it again," He flashes a smile. I nudge him with my elbow and he groans.
"Need to go to the infirmary?" I raise my eyebrows.
"What? No," He brushes off. He raises our intertwined hands above my head and spins me around in a circle. I smile at him, this relationship is actually starting to make me kind of happy.
No...I push down the giddiness and tell myself to get over the butterflies in my stomach.
I frown when he groans again."Theres nothing wrong with needing to go to the infirmary."
"Katie," He shakes his head.
"Come on." I say. "What if I really hurt you bad?"
Travis' eyebrows furrow, and we have a staring contest. "Fine!" He breaks.
"Don't be a sore looser," I tell him, "Get help when you need it.
"Such a caring girlfriend," He cracks a grin. "What would I do without you?"
The strange emotion resurfaces with his smile. Gods, what's happening to me...?
edited
august1st2017