Our love
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Iris stayed with Travis for a few days after her return to New York, after running away from home...again. She was scared down there. She didn't feel as safe as she was suppose to and with Travis...it was a whole different world to her.
He was the same as he was two years ago. So was she. She quit her street-walking and drug dealing. It was the best thing for a now 14 year old Iris.
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But was Travis Bickle a rough man around the edges, seams ripped to shreds, safe for little Iris? People change...but to her he seemed all the same. His dark brown hair had grown from that insane mohawk back to it's lifeless, careless shape. Sweet dark locks that she longed ever since meeting him that day out by the curb to run her tiny little fingers through.
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Travis smoked, and tried to quit the weed, that he had started long ago but started up again by long hard days, and terrible depression.
It sadened little Iris.
"You shouldn't run from your home Iris. You need them, and they nee-she interrupted the man there, sitting beside him on his bed. "I can't. I just can't. You don't understand Travis. I feel better here with you."she looked at him as she talked, so softly with a tiny southern drawl roaming her hand toward his rested legs.
Travis sighed and dropped his head into his hands, looking down at the tathered carpet below.
Iris closed her eyes, and without hesitation, put her arms around him from around the waist, and put her head down upon his shoulder, squeezing him tight. Travis was shocked! He jumped a bit after feeling her against him.
XXX
"I-Iris?"he turned to meet those cute glowing blue eyes of hers, so distracted, he barely knew what he was turning around for. His heart raced. His body tensed, and his face sweated.
He knew what that meant, but hadn't felt it in a long time. He thought he'd never feel this way after Betsy left him...never again. Until he met this young girl who desperately needed him, who clung ever so tightly and lovingly to his body.
It felt so unreal. Betsy hadn't even gotten this close to Travis, well. Without being a bit forced to anyway. But this felt good. Felt right even though it was seemingly wrong for an older man like Travis and a young girl like Iris to be so close.
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That night, it rained. Not hard though. It was somewhat calm actually. And Iris fallen fast asleep in Travis's bed, in the other room.
He didn't dare crawl into it with her, so he camped out in his trashed livingroom, on the mattress out there. He knew he was a troubled sleeper. He had that Taxi job for a reason. But he wanted to take a five minute break before he heads out.
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Through those five minutes all he could think about was Iris. Why she was here, and why with a guy like him? Maybe they were the same in a way...they were family. They both had terrible ups and downs, made bad mistakes and took wrong ways, but here they were, still living. It sort of didn't make sense at first, but maybe after a long stroll around town would probably CLICK!
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It was nearing midnight now, and he jumped into his taxi and left. Still bugged the hell out of him. Iris was here, Iris was there, Iris was soon everywhere. Damnit it hurt him.
Even the drive didn't cool him down.
But it was a great feeling...to keep those other feelings away, he turned on the radio, and found a good station he could actually listen to.
Some oldies!
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He wasn't the type that would sing along to a song, but tonight he did. He had to. To keep away temptation!
X
A few times during the drive, Betsy popped in and out of there. He didn't know why she did, but maybe he still had feelings for her deep inside. What a snobby bitch she was...why was she in there?
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Travis returned to his apartment. He walked up the stairs. He pulled out the keys while doing so, and put them into the lock. He turned it slowly and opened the door.
It was dark. Just as it was when he left.
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He took off his jacket, and carefully stripped off his t-shirt from over his head, and dropped it into the pile of other discarded clothes right in a near corner of the livingroom.
he took a seat at the made-for-three dinner table, and slouched back.
He slid both hands into his jean pockets, and shut his eyes. Temptation-temptation...temptation! It soon became the beat of his heart...he didn't understand.
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Iris stirred in her sleep, and soon found herself away, and sitting up in bed.
She noticed everything around her was dark. And no more sound of the rain...it stopped.
X
She jumped out of bed, silently creeped into the livingroom and found Travis sitting at the table, head in his hands, and absolutely bare chested. He looked terrible. He was broken without her.
"Travis?"she whispered so quietly he could barely hear. But he did. He raised his head in an instant and found sleeping beauty in the doorway of his bedroom.
They didn't do anything.
"Sleep good?"he asked, trying to be friendly, as he watched her walk toward him.
She smiled small, still trying to get sleep away from her with a few yawns and stretches. She didn't reply.
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"I-I dreamed Travis."she stood close beside him. He stared up at her with almond eyes.
He then looked back down at the face of the table. "About what, Iris?"he asked, wanting to know more. He fidgetted in his seat a few times, and she let it out. "About you."
he froze completely.
He didn't know how to respond after that, so he swallowed as he stood up tall to his feet, and grabbed her by the small balls of her shoulders. She was afraid but also very determined: "What did I say?"she forced herself out of his grasp, and gave him a different look she never gave him before.
...silence over-powered them.
"You said nothing."he honestly replied, moving towards his bed.
Iris stood where she last was, and stared at the older man. "So you hate that I dreamed about you? Dreamed that you held me in your arms...kissed me...touched-uh!"she was grabbed harsh a second time somehow by Travis.
He didn't look friendly...
"I-I wish I could."he spoke to her, in complete confusion to her. "What?"she wondered, with a sweet sparkle in her eyes.
His grasp tightened.
He almost looked as if he was to cry. He'd gotten instantly weak. "Dream...about you."he finished, and with that, let her go. Walking to his bed.
Iris knew she would have cried if she didn't collide into his chest that moment. She knew she was too young for him, and he was too old for her. It would never be a real romance for them. She loved him like a woman should a man.
...
He held her back, and he held tight!
"Don't cry sweet Iris."he pulled her back to wipe those tears from her smearing eyes, and stayed in that sweet moment for a while, before he did something totally wrong.
He put his hands on her shoulders again, pulled her forwards until she was leaning on her tip-toes, and kissed her petite lips. It was wrong...it was bad. It wasn't right. But it felt right...she stared at him the entire time, trying to deepen the kiss, but he pulled away too fast.
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They were quiet the rest of the night...entire night.