14| A Scandalous Sleepover

"I can't let a girl inside my room at this time of the night. Mom would kill me." Travis shouted at Zoey through the phone and she rolled her eyes so hard that she feared they would pop out of the orbits.

"Oh come on you pus..." She was so close to cursing but then she realised he was her last chance at this moment. "I mean... Please Travis. Do you really want me to spend the night on streets?"

Travis pondered over her words. She was right; he couldn't let her stay in the streets. This area wasn't safe for girls at this time of the night.

"You will be the one responsible if some drunk tried to have his way with me." Zoey said and Travis grew more anxious. He has never slept in a same room with a girl, beside Maya but she was more like a sister to him. But he didn't have any other option than letting her in.

"I... Fine." He finally sighed. "I'll open the main door."

"No, I can't risk getting caught. Just make a rope with some clothes and hang it out." She said and Travis' eyes widened. He couldn't imagine a girl climbing a rope made of clothes to access a room on second floor.

"Wait." He said and retreated into the room. What Zoey was forcing him to do was stupid and dangerous but he couldn't back out now, could he?

Exhaling loudly, he went to his cupboard and pulled out some shirts, tightly securing them with each other. He feared if one of the shirts ripped off, Zoey would end up with a permanent injury.

Once he was sure it was tight enough, he slung the rope over the window and motioned Zoey to climb up. He held it tight between his hands while Zoey slowly pulled herself off the ground. All the while, his hands were getting clammy because of the fear of getting caught or Zoey falling.

"Hold it tight." Zoey said and Travis nodded, sweat appearing on his forehead due to anxiety.

"Just... Just don't fall." He called back and held the rope tight.

Slowly and steadily, Zoey finally reached the window and then hopped over it, falling forwards onto Travis. Not expecting the sudden arrival, his knees wobbled and he stumbled backwards, ending up falling on his floor with Zoey on top of him.

For a small moment, their eyes locked with each other; Zoey's dark brown ones with Travis' hazel orbs. Her proximity made his heart pound against his ribcage and his vision started turning blurred.

"Finally." Zoey said and disentangled herself from Travis, standing up straight and then brushing the dust off her pants. "Thanks, Anderson." She said and lifted her head, only to realize now that Travis was shirtless.

Travis watched as Zoey's eyes travelled down his bare chest, momentarily darkening. He felt conscious under his gaze, although he knew he had a nice body for someone who couldn't afford a gym membership. He walked back towards his study desk and picked up his shirt to put it on.

"I prefer you shirtless." Zoey grinned behind him and he passed her a blank glare. He was angry at her for landing both of them in trouble. If her father knew he helped her in hiding, he would have his men bury him alive.

"You... You are a troublemaker, Zoey." Travis accused.

"I have been called worse." She shrugged.

"Your father must be worried for you. Such attitude will land you in some big trouble one day." Travis huffed and cleaned his room under her calculative gaze.

"If I needed a lecture, I would have stayed in my own house." Zoey grunted. "If you want me gone, just say and I'll leave."

"No." Travis stopped and his shoulders slumped in defeat. "You can spend the night here."

"Good, because I wasn't really planning to leave." Zoey said and made herself comfortable on the chair.

Travis assessed her from head to toe. The clothes she was wearing were covered in dirt and crushed grass which indicated that she must have jumped from her room into her lawn. He made his way to his cupboard and pulled out the shortest pair of sweatshirt and pyjama pants for her.

"Here, your clothes are dirty. You can change." He said to her.

She stared at the clothes with uncertainty and then took them from his hands. She looked around for the door to bathroom but didn't find any.

"We don't have attached bathrooms. There is just one downstairs and one on this floor but it's right beside Mom's room." He said and a frown appeared on Zoey's face.

"Fine. Just turn around. I'll change here." She said and Travis' eyes widened like saucers. The thought of Zoey underdressed in his room caused some inappropriate thoughts to run through his hormonal mind.

"Um... I..."

"Just turn off the lights and turn around. It's not a big deal." She said and stood up to change.

Nodding, Travis went to the door and stood with his face towards it. Behind him, he could hear the sound of shuffling and the butterflies in the pit of his stomach increased.

When she was finally done, Travis turned around and his breath hitched when he found her without the pyjama pants. The sweatshirt reached the middle of her thighs and the rest was bare. The sight of her smooth legs was too much to handle for him at this time of the night. "I am used to sleeping in shorts." She said when she found Travis gaping.

"Um... Well..." He tried his best to keep his eyes from wandering any low. "You can sleep on the bed."

"Where will you sleep?" She asked, looking at the bed which was too small for two persons.

"I'll manage on the floor." Travis said.

"You know if there was any other guy, he would have used this as an excuse and made me share the bed with him." Zoey said as she observed the look of pure disinterest on his face. If only she knew!

"Guess, I am not other guys then." Travis said dryly and pulled out the extra mattress from under the bed. It was often used whenever Mario or Maya came over for a sleepover.

Once they both were done bickering and the sleeping issue was finally settled, Travis turned off the lights and lay down on the floor, but not before giving Zoey a glance who was sprawled on his bed. That was surely the highlight of his highschool, having Zoey Crawford inside his room at this time of the night.

With the lights now off, the only thing brightening the room was the moonlight coming from outside. In the small room, they both could easily hear the sounds of each other's breathing but neither of them had the courage to initiate the conversation.

••••••••••

"Travis! Travis!" Rose's voice erupted from her room and Travis rose to upright position. His eyes fell on Zoey sleeping peacefully on his bed and then the sound of Rose's footsteps reached his ears.

He hurriedly slid the mattress under the bed and hopped under the blanket with Zoey. The sudden movement woke her up but before she could say anything, Travis buried both of them under the blanket and covered her mouth with his hands.

"Ssshhh," he said to the very panicked Zoey. Soon, the door opened and Rose said, "Wake up, Travis. I'm leaving for work now. I've prepared a sandwich for you."

"Ok." Travis replied and waited for the door to close again. His eyes were locked with Zoey under the blanket, their bodies glued to each other in a very uncomfortable manner.

Once the door closed, they both let out the breath they were holding and parted from each other. It took both of them a moment to control their galloping heartbeat.

"What to do now? I can't go to school in these clothes." Zoey said, heaving a sigh.

"Just freshen up. I'll arrange some clothes for you." He said and made his way out of the room with his fresh clothes in his hands.

•••••••••

When Travis stopped the car in front of Maya's house, she made her way to the car with the shopping bag in her hands. Reaching the passenger seat, she put her hands on her hips and said, "Travis Anderson, why in the world did you need a ladies jeans and a small-sized T-shirt?"

"Just sit inside and I'll explain." He said, opening the door for her.

Once Maya did as he said, Zoey's head peeked through the back seat and Maya jumped in her seat in fear. An expression of pure horror and confusion appeared on her face and she looked at Travis for an answer.

"Just give her the clothes. I'll explain once Mario is here." He said and started the car. Despite her reluctance, Maya passed the shopping bag to Zoey and sat straight in her seat.

Through the mirror, he could see Zoey stripping out of his clothes and slipping into Maya's and the sight was enough to rush all the blood to his cheeks. Although her undergarments covered the scandalous parts, this was still too much for him and his virgin eyes.

"Keep your eyes on the road, Anderson." Zoey said to him and Travis choked on the air on being caught. Beside her, she could see Maya grinning at him but he ignored both women and kept his focus on the road.

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