Broken

Apparently a $25,000 purse was too good to pass up, because minutes later Tommy had agreed to fight in a tourney a few months down the road. Jade could only hope that at that time, her Andrew problem would be gone. That she could watch Tommy fight and only worry about his well-being, not her own. The thought brought a sigh to her lips. Would her life ever be that simple?

He was quiet as he walked her home, hands shoved into his pockets while a toothpick played on his lips. Tommy was usually pretty quiet, but today it was somewhat unsettling.

By the time they had arrived on her front steps, she couldn't take it anymore. "What's eatin' ya, Tommy?"

He seemed to deliberate, running a hand through the back of his hair before finally taking the toothpick out to speak. "You weren't supposed to get hurt."

Jade tugged on her ponytail as she sighed. "You were teachin' me to fight, Tommy. It was bound to happen." She plopped down on a step then, patting the cement next to her until Tommy obliged and sat down. Jade almost immediately regretted her offer, an electric buzz flowing through her veins at his proximity. It was ridiculous how drawn she was to him now, ever since that stupid drunken night. Too late to change her mind now.

They sat in silence for a while, each lost in their own thoughts. Despite the draw she felt towards him, Jade was surprisingly comfortable. Tommy wasn't much of a talker, his actions usually saying more than his words. She was so relaxed in the moment, she was startled when he spoke quietly next to her.

"Why'd ya ask me to teach ya to fight, Jade?"

She turned her head towards him, just enough that he could see her raised eyebrow. "All you know about me, and you really need to ask?"

"I know the why you wanted to fight, doll. But why me?"

Jade was cautious, curious, not sure where the line of questioning was going. She took her time while she formulated her answer, worried that the wrong one might mean bad news. "You cared."

"Not sure that's enough of a reason."

She huffed out a sigh, trying to straightened out the jumbled mess of words in her head. "Can you name me one other person that woulda woke at the asscrack of dawn to make sure a total stranger was safe on her run? For months?"

"Not really."

"That wouldn't have run away from how angry I was, all the time?"

"Was-"

But the words were coming now and he wasn't stopping her. Jade was anxious now, jumping off the stairs and started pacing as she went. "That wouldn'ta pushed her for information? That cared enough that when someone that was still a stranger asked him to teach her to fight, barely put up a fight of his own before he said yes?"

"Jade-"

"That was so fiercely protective, he threatened an entire gym bodily harm? That was patient, kind, gentle with me, more than I deserved? That never asked for a single thing in return, but my trust in the ring and sometimes some eggs in the morning? That didn't take advantage when I showed up at his door in the middle of the night, too drunk to have said no?"

"I'd never-"

She cut him off with a glare, finally stopping her frenetic pacing and turning to face him for the first time during her rant. "It coulda never been anyone else but you, Tommy."

He looked heartbroken when he finally responded. "I don't think I can train ya for a while, Jade."

The words hurt much more than she would have expected them to. "But," she sputtered, all the fire and passion she had just built up suddenly gone, a hollow hole in her chest instead. "Why?"

Tommy wouldn't quite meet her eyes when he responded. "I gotta fight comin' up now, I gotta train."

"Was this about earlier, in the locker room? I'm sorry, Tommy, I thought-"

"It's not about the fucking locker room."

Jade's heart started pounding. He couldn't leave her now, not with what was coming. "If I was too forward, or did something wrong, I'm sorry, I-"

He was on his feet and dragging her body against his in a second, his lips suddenly pressed hard against hers in a hungry, desperate kiss. Every nerve ending in her body exploded in pleasure, her heart beating so fast she was sure that it would stop all together. She could have sworn she felt a growl come straight from his chest, vibrating through her body as he kissed her, kissed her, she hoped he never stopped kissing her. Tommy's hands were everywhere, on her face, gripping her hair to hold her against him tighter, on her waist, her arms. She surrendered her mouth to him with a sigh, her lips falling open just so, silently begging to continue, never to stop, to hold her and kiss her forever.

And just as suddenly he stepped away, jaw locked and eyes ablaze with fury or passion, she wasn't sure which. Jade couldn't stop staring at him; it felt like her whole world had tilted on its axis. She panted, slightly out of breath, and still she couldn't stop staring at him.

It seemed hours before he finally spoke. "It's not about the goddamn locker room."