Chapter Text
Travis was in his room, laying in bed listening to music as he heard a knock at his window. He quickly sat up, his heart skipping a beat at the sight of her. He grinned widely and rushed over to open the window.
"Taylor! What are you doing here?" he whispered excitedly, trying not to wake anyone in the house.
"Missed you."
Travis grinned, his heart swelling a little at her words. "I missed you too, Tay." He stepped aside to let her in.
"Come here, you." He chuckled softly, opening his arms for a hug. She hugged him, her arms around his neck, gripping him tight as she got on her tippy toes.
Travis held her close, resting his chin on top of her head. He could feel how tightly she was holding onto him—like she hadn't seen him in months instead of just a few days.
After a moment, he pulled back slightly to look at her face. "You okay?" His voice was gentle but laced with concern—he knew Taylor well enough to recognize when something might be on her mind.
"I need your help."
His eyebrows knit together in slight confusion, but he nodded immediately. "Of course."
She sat down on the bed, crossing her legs.
"I need—lessons."
"Lessons...?"
His eyebrows raised. He was a little thrown by the request—but it was Taylor, and even if it was something completely insane, he'd do it for her.
"...Lessons in what, exactly?"
"You know how me and Drew have been going out..." She fidgeted with her hoodie strings.
Travis stiffened slightly at the mention of Drew—he wasn't a big fan of him, never had been. But he kept his expression neutral, waiting for her to continue.
"Yeah...what about it?"
"I don't know—" She hesitated before continuing. "How to kiss."
Travis blinked. He wasn't expecting that.
"You... you want lessons in kissing? From me?"
She nodded, her cheeks growing red.
She looked down at the floor.
Travis felt his heart skip a beat at the sight of her blushing. He quickly pushed the feeling down again, focusing on her expression.
He was torn. Part of him—a pretty big part—wanted to say no, to tell her he wasn't comfortable with the idea of teaching her how to kiss, especially while she had a boyfriend.
But then there was that other part of him...the part that would do anything for her, the part that just wanted to make her happy.
He let out a sigh.
"Okay," he said softly, "I can teach you."
Her head shot up to look at him. "Really?"
Travis swallowed. The look on her face made his heart flutter again.
"Really," he confirmed, pushing off the wall and moving to sit down next to her on the bed. "But under one condition."
She positioned herself on the bed so she could face him. "Yeah."
He took a deep breath, trying to ignore how close she was sitting next to him. He could feel the heat radiating from her body, and it was...distracting.
"The condition is that this stays between you and me," he said firmly. "No telling Drew or anyone else about it, got it?"
She nodded. "For sure, just us."
Travis nodded back, satisfied.
"Alright then," he said, shifting slightly so he was facing her properly. He took another deep breath—this wasn't something they'd ever talked about before. "So... how do you want to start?"
"I don't know! You're the one teaching me!"
"Fair enough," he said, crossing his legs. He took a moment to just look at her, taking in the way her hair fell around her shoulders, the way her eyes looked in the dim light of his room... he shook his head slightly.
"Alright, first thing to know about kissing... it's all about the lips."
She nodded, studying his concentrated expression. It was one of her favorites on him—it made him look so smart, so ho—
"Got it. Lips."
"Yeah, you got it," he grinned, noticing the brief pause in her response.
"Lips are the most important part of a kiss," he explained, his gaze dropping down to her lips for a moment before he brought it back up to her eyes. "They're where all the sensation comes from, how you communicate with the other person. They're the ones doing most of the work, really."
She swallowed.
He cleared his throat, trying to focus again on teaching rather than... whatever else was creeping into his mind right now.
"Anyway," he continued, voice slightly lower than before, "there are different kinds of kisses; soft ones that are just gentle and sweet, then there's more passionate ones where you use your tongue a little."
"I don't know what Drew wants." She confessed.
He tried to keep his tone neutral when he responded.
"Well... you can figure that out as you go," he said carefully. "But usually guys like a mix of both—soft and sweet at first, then more intense if things get heated."
There was a pause between them for a moment—the room felt almost too quiet.
Then Travis spoke again, his voice softer now.
"You... you've kissed Drew before, right?"
She shook her head. "That's why I'm asking you."
Travis' eyebrows raised in surprise.
"Really?" he said, trying to hide the mixture of emotions—relief, shock, concern—that were coursing through him.
"You've never kissed him at all?"
"Nope."
Travis exhaled sharply, running a hand through his hair. This changed things—completely.
"So... Drew's your first kiss then?" He asked.
"Technically, you are." She chuckled. "But yes."
Travis froze.
He was her first.
"Oh," he managed to say after a moment.
"If you don't want to it's fine—"
Travis shook his head quickly. There was no way he was backing out now. He scooted closer to her on the bed, closer than he probably needed to be for the lesson.
"No," he said firmly, his gaze holding hers. "I'll teach you."
"Okay."
He took a moment to just look at her—she was so close that he could count the freckles on her nose if he wanted. He felt the sudden urge to reach and touch one, but he kept his hands to himself, clearing his throat again.
"Close your eyes," he instructed quietly.
She obeyed.
He took another deep breath, trying to calm himself.
"Now... you just have to relax," he murmured, scooting a little closer still. "Try to clear your mind of everything else—just focus."
He lifted a tentative hand, hovering it just millimeters away from her jawline.
"Wait I'm nervous." Her eyes snapped open.
Travis froze, his hand hovering in the air mid-reach.
"Hey, hey, it's okay." He said gently, his other hand moving to rest lightly on her knee. "It's just me, remember? You don't have to be nervous, Tay."
"Okay, I'm sorry."
Travis shook his head, giving her knee a reassuring squeeze.
"Don't apologize," he said quietly. "It's normal to be nervous about this stuff, trust me."
He paused for a moment, studying her face closely. She still looked tense.
"You sure you still want to do this?" He asked softly.
She nodded, "Please."
He let out a slow breath, his hand finally making contact with her jaw, thumb brushing over her freckles.
"Close your eyes again," he murmured, voice low. "And just... follow my lead."
She closed her eyes gently.
Travis' pulse hammered in his ears as he watched her close her eyes again, trusting him completely.
He leaned forward slowly—agonizingly slow—giving her every chance to pull away if she wanted.
And then, finally, their lips met.
At first she remained still, paralyzed, almost. Travis kept the kiss light, barely there—just a soft press of his lips against hers. He didn't move, giving her time to adjust.
His own hands trembled slightly where they cupped her face now—he was nervous too.
After what felt like forever but was probably only seconds, he pulled back just enough to whisper:
"Breathe."
"I'm sorry." She whispered.
"Don't apologize," he repeated, his thumb gently stroking her cheek. "You're doing fine. Just keep breathing, okay?"
"That felt good."
Travis felt a warmth spread through his chest at her words—both relief and something else, something warmer.
"Yeah?" He murmured back with a small smile. "Good."
He hesitated before continuing.
"Want to try again? Maybe this time... you can move your lips too?"
She chuckled. "Yeah—right. I'm sorry."
Travis chuckled, shaking his head again.
"You really need to stop apologizing, ya know," he said gently, still cupping her face lightly.
"You're doing fine. We're just figuring things out, alright? I'm not expecting you to be a pro on your first try."
Before he could finish speaking, her lips were on his.
Travis was caught completely off guard. His eyes widened in surprise for just a split second before he instinctively leaned into it, kissing her back properly now.
She tried to move her lips against his, still pretty much scared.
Despite her nervousness, Travis could feel the effort she was putting in, her lips awkwardly moving against his in a kind of uncoordinated dance.
He didn't mind, though. In fact... he found it kind of cute.
He hummed against her lips, one hand moving to rest on the back of her neck, guiding her movements ever so slightly. She sighed against his lips, her hand coming up to grip his arm.
That sigh against his lips sent a shiver down his spine—it was soft, almost involuntary.
He deepened the kiss just a bit more, still keeping it gentle but now adding the faintest hint of pressure with every movement of their mouths together.
"Mm—Trav."
The way she said his name—soft, quiet, almost needy—made his heart skip a beat.
He pulled her closer, then he broke the kiss for just a moment to murmur, his eyes meeting hers:
"You're doing great, Tay. Really."
"I totally suck."
Travis huffed out a laugh at the unexpected comment. "First of all, language," he teased gently, the corner of his mouth tugging up into a small grin. "And second, no, you don't suck. You're doing just fine, okay?"
He brushed a loose strand of hair back behind her ear, his hand lingering by her cheek. "It's your first time, remember? Cut yourself some slack."
"So you're confirming I suck!" She held her hands up in fake surrender. "Fine! Fine."
Travis let out another chuckle, rolling his eyes playfully.
"I'm confirming that you lack experience, not skill," he clarified.
She giggled. "Okay what do I have to do next."
"Eager, aren't we?" he teased, his finger tracing a small circle on her cheekbone.
He pretended to consider the question for a moment, his eyes flickering from her eyes down to her lips and back again.
"Well, there is one thing you could try..." He said slowly.
She pushed him playfully. Eager? Please.
"Tell me."
"Alright, alright," he said with another grin.
He sat up, a little straighter now.
"Next... you could try tilting your head to the side just slightly," he explained gently. "It helps get better contact with their mouth."
She tilted her head to the left. "Like this?"
Travis observed as she shifted her head slightly, cocking it to the left. He smiled, nodding approvingly.
"Almost," he said quietly. "A little more... there you go."
His eyes were fixed on her mouth as she moved, and he couldn't help but notice how good she looked from this angle—chin slightly angled up, lips parted just so...
"You seem to enjoy this Kelce." She straightened up.
"Of course I'm enjoying it," he said with an eyeroll. "Who wouldn't?"
He leaned back a little against the pillows of the headboard, crossing his arms. "Okay, fine—let's try something else."
"I'm listening."
Travis glanced over her for a moment, a small grin pulling on his mouth. He knew this next part was more advanced, but he couldn't resist trying it out on her.
"Alright," he said, shifting a little closer to her. "I wanna show you something I think you'll really like..."
She bit her lip absentmindedly.
He had to forcefully remind himself to keep his cool.
He took a deep breath—this was it.
Slowly, carefully, he leaned in again and pressed his lips to hers once more... but this time when they met his tongue barely ghosted over her bottom lip—just enough to tease.
Her body visibly stiffened, feeling extremely hot all of a sudden.
Travis felt her body tense up in response to the new, unexpected sensation, and he fought the urge to smirk. It was working.
"That was uhm..."
Travis couldn't help but grin at her flustered reaction.
"Yeah?" He prompted, voice low and teasing now as he studied the way she was struggling to form words. "What was it? You can tell me."
"Wet."
Travis' grin widened at her blunt honesty.
"Yeah," he admitted, his own cheeks warming slightly. "That's what tongues do." He shrugged casually, as if this wasn't anything out of the ordinary.
"But you liked it?"
"If I say yes I'll get your ego too high." She smiled.
"You know my ego is already huge! I can take it!"
"Do that again." She said.
A smug smile spread across Travis' face at her request, and he leaned in again right away, this time pressing his tongue a bit more firmly against her bottom lip.
This time he didn't pull back as quickly, instead gently tracing her lip with his tongue in a slow, deliberate motion.
She quite literally wanted to swallow his tongue, eat his mouth. But she didn't. She just closed her eyes.
Travis was acutely aware of every shift in her expression—the way she closed her eyes, the slight parting of her lips as if inviting him to go further...His own pulse picked up speed at the sight. He could tell she wasn't just tolerating this anymore—she was enjoying it.
His hand came up to gently rest on her jawline again, tilting her face ever so slightly—just enough to give his tongue easier access to her mouth. He pressed it against her lips once more, this time just barely teasing the edge of it between them, silently inviting her to open for him.
She opened her lips instinctively, giving in to the pleasure, the urge to have him inside her, inside her mouth.
He didn't hesitate, taking the clear invitation and sliding his tongue slowly between her lips.
She almost moaned at the feeling.
He leaned forward suddenly, one hand moving to grip her hip instinctively, pulling her closer as his tongue dipped deeper into her mouth, tasting her fully, his head spinning with the sweet sensation.
He felt her hands come up to grip his arms, her nails digging into his skin through his sleeve, and that was somehow even more arousing for him. His tongue continued its exploration of her mouth.
She kissed him back, her lips sliding against his wet mouth, her hand gripping tightly his sweatshirt, sinking into the skin underneath.
Travis couldn't get enough of her—her taste, her touch, the way she was clutching his arm like her life depended on it...
Her hand rested now on the back of his head, pulling on his hair.
His hips jerked forward instinctively, pressing against hers for the briefest second before he caught himself and forced them still again.
"Travis—" She begged for air.
Travis reluctantly broke the kiss, gasping for air as he pulled back just enough to look at her face.
Her lips were swollen from their kisses, her cheeks flushed dark pink—she looked absolutely wrecked in the best possible way.
"Yeah?" He panted out breathlessly, still trying to regain his own composure while staring down at her with half-lidded eyes.
"I can't breathe." She chuckled, breathless.
"I can't help it if you keep kissing me like that." He panted.
"Did I do good?" She asked.
"Are you serious?" He asked, raising an eyebrow at her. "You seriously still need to ask that?"
She smiled shyly. "Yeah?"
"Don't be shy with me now," he teased, eyeing her. "I felt the way you were grabbing my arms. You know you did good."
"I was grabbing your arm because—"
"Because...?" he prompted, holding back another smile at how flustered she was—it was utterly adorable.
"Because I couldn't breathe."
Lie.
"Uh-huh," he said skeptically. "Yeah right."
She crossed her arms over her chest.
"Oh come on now," he said with a scoff. "You can't seriously think I believe you're grabbing onto me like that just because you 'couldn't breathe'."
"Why then."
"Oh, I dunno..." he said, raising an eyebrow. "Maybe because you were enjoying it a little too much and didn't want me to stop?"
She forced herself to hide her smile.
"No—I have a boyfriend."
Travis raised both his eyebrows at that response, unable to hold back his smirk any longer.
"Oh, right," he said with exaggerated politeness. "Your boyfriend," he said, with just enough emphasis to tease her. "I'd almost forgotten about him."
"Me too," She mumbled, more to herself than to him.
"You're a terrible liar," he observed. "You actually expect me to believe you forgot about your boyfriend while you were sticking your tongue down my throat?"
"Are you being fucking sarcastic now?"
"Me? Sarcastic?" He said, feigning innocence. "Never."
There was a moment of silence.
"Does every guy kiss the same?"
"Well... no, of course not," he said honestly. He tilted his head, studying her with a curious expression. "Why? You asking me how I compare to that boyfriend of yours?"
"Maybe."
"Maybe, huh?" He echoed, rubbing his chin thoughtfully as if seriously considering the question. "Well... I'd like to think I'm a little better than him."
"Not hard to believe." She said.
"I know my way around a mouth or two." He paused for a moment, watching her reaction.
"Ew Travis you're disgusting."
"Oh please," he said. "I saw the way you were clutching onto my arm, remember? Don't give me your innocent act now."
She remained silent, then—
"Can we try again?"
Travis blinked in surprise at her request—he hadn't expected her to be the one asking for more.
"Yeah," he said immediately, already leaning back toward her. "Of course we can."
"Something else."
Travis paused, tilting his head slightly.
"Something else...?"
"Something more—more."
"More...?" he echoed.
"More."
He swallowed hard before speaking again.
"More like... what?" He asked quietly.
"You tell me."
"Alright," he finally said after another second of hesitation. "If that's what you want."
His voice dropped even lower as he continued:
"Then how about this?"
Before she could respond, Travis gently cupped her face again and pressed his lips to hers—but this time the kiss was deeper from the start. His tongue slid into her mouth, exploring every inch of it.
She melted into it, her hands immediately finding their way back to his arms—gripping him like an anchor. Her body was warm against his, pliant and eager under the weight of his touch.
His tongue was teasing hers in a lazy dance that made heat pool low in both their stomachs.
"Travis," She whined softly in between kisses.
Travis groaned involuntarily at the sound of his name leaving her mouth—the raw, needy tone to it going straight to his groin.
He leaned even closer now, tilting her head back to deepen the kiss further. His tongue delved in a little more firmly now.
He broke away just long enough to speak.
"God, you taste so good,"
He only allowed himself another second to enjoy the sight of her flushed face, her kiss-swollen lips, before he was leaning back down again, capturing them once more in a kiss.
"Wait—" She broke the kiss. "This is going too far—"
Travis let out a frustrated noise at the abrupt end to their kiss.
"Too far?" He repeated, struggling not to let his disappointment show too obviously in his voice.
"Are you—trying to—?"
"Trying to... what?" He asked, his grip on her face loosening slightly. He studied her carefully.
"Have..."
"Have what?" He said gently, still keeping his voice light even though a thousand thoughts were racing through his mind already.
"You know what..."
"Say it." He said simply, holding her gaze and refusing to look away.
"You just—you look and feel like you want to take this further." She gestured in between them.
He let his eyes rake down her body for a moment, his own body reacting almost involuntarily as he took in the sight of her flushed face.
His own breathing grew slightly ragged as he looked back up to meet her gaze. "And if I did...? What would you say to that?"
"I can't cheat on Drew."
He could've pointed out the fact that he had no idea if she and Drew had ever really discussed exclusivity, but decided to skip over that for now.
"Right," he said finally, letting out a low breath. "Of course."
"I-I just can't." She breathed out.
Travis felt a pang of disappointment at the finality in her tone, but he tried his best to hide it, forcing a nod instead.
"Because you love him, right?" He said after a moment.
"I don't love him."
Travis blinked.
That was not the answer he'd expected her to give.
"Then why the hell are you even still with him?"
"I mean I like him, but..."
"But what?" He said, "You're okay settling for 'just like'?"
"We're 17 Travis, we don't need to be in love to kiss."
"Of course. You're right."
"Oh don't be mad just because you don't have a girlfriend." She teased.
Despite his annoyance, Travis felt a small laugh escape his chest at her remark. He rolled his eyes affectionately, shaking his head.
"Oh please," he replied with a scoff. "I could get a girlfriend easily, you know that."
"Then go."
He paused, meeting her gaze squarely as a sly smirk spread slowly across his face.
"On one condition."
"Shoot."
He leaned forward a few inches—not so much as to invade her space, but just enough to emphasize his next words.
"If I get a girlfriend before the end of the school year...You'll do what I want." He continued, watching a flicker of surprise move across her face as his words registered.
"And what do you want?"
"Nothing crazy," he said casually. "Just... you have to admit I'm right about something."
She didn't immediately respond, her eyes narrowing as if trying to figure out what he was really up to.
"So? Do we have a deal?"
"Tell me what you're right about."
Travis couldn't help but chuckle at her response; she had fallen right into his trap.
"You'll find out when I get my girlfriend." He replied simply.
"Tell me!" She whined.
Travis grinned—she was whining. That meant he had her hooked, and it sent a thrill through him.
"Nope," he said with finality, popping the 'p' just to annoy her further. "Not telling."
"I hate you."
"You should kiss me again instead." He said, already leaning in.