Velvet Crowbar

eight.

As soon as she stepped off the plane, Emma was greeted by a man with a Hawaiian shirt and several coloured leis around neck. In his hands he held a tray with two delicious looking drinks on it. Before Emma got a chance to speak, the man opened his mouth with a friendly smile, “Ah, Mrs. Conlon, you’re husband is still boarding?”

That stung.

She shook her head sadly and pulled her sunglasses back over her eyes, “Mr. Conlon won't be making it. Just call me Emma.”

“My apologies.” He still offered a fruity drink with a somber smile.

“Are these alcoholic?” She asked bluntly.

With the slightest nod, Emma adjusted her bags to free both hands and took one glass in each hand, “Perfect.” The man watched her skeptically for a moment before tucking his tray under his arm and directed the young woman to a small water plane that would bring her to the cabana reserved under a last name she would never have as her own.

When she was finally by herself, Emma set both empty glasses on the dressed and shut all the blinds, darkness enveloping her. With her sunglasses and plane clothes still on, the brunette dropped her exhausted body on the welcoming bed and shut her eyes.

6039 miles away, Tommy stepped off a plane as well. Despite the warm air brushing against him, Tommy kept his beanie and bulky jacket on as he wandered through the airport. The fighter quickly hailed a cab and spewed off his address urging the cabbie to “Drive fast or else.” Fifteen minutes later, Tommy found himself tossing thirty dollars into an open window and jogging upstairs.

After the long flight, Tommy opted for the stairs, convincing himself he wouldn’t have to go for a run later on. As he finally reached the apartment, Tommy felt his heart drop and his stomach go uneasy as the front door was left unlocked. Cautiously walking through, Tommy spotted a familiar jacket laying across the back of the couch.

“Tess?”

Moments later, his brother’s wife walked out of the bedroom with a bag full of clothes, “Hey.”

“Don’t ‘hey’ me, Tess.” Tommy barked dropping his bags to the ground, “What the fuck are you doing? Put that shit back.”

The blonde smirked and brushed past the brooding fighter, “You don’t get it do you?” She dropped the bag in a small pile that was forming on the dining room table, “Emma’s coming to stay with Brendan and I for a little while before she decides if she wants to move back to Jersey with her father.”

“Where is she, Tess?” Tommy’s voice dropped an octave. It was guttural and mean, no room for argument.

Tess hardly winced at the ferocity in her brother-in-law’s voice, “Why would I tell you, Tommy? You fucking jilted her!” The blonde placed her hands on her hips, a light shade of red crawling across her face, “Not only did you jilt her but your little ‘Tommy Girls’ sent her pictures of you and your new girl. “

Tommy’s face dropped its stoicism for a moment and a hint of pain flashed across it, “I just need to talk to her.” There was a softness in his voice that nearly caught Tess off guard as she started heading back to the bedroom for the last bit of clothing.

“Don’t you think leaving her at the alter is enough for her to deal with for a while? Give her time to relax. When that guilt sits in deep enough, you’ll figure out where she is.”

The fighter didn’t move from his stop in the threshold. He watched Tess reemerge from the bedroom with a shoe box and a jacket to add to her pile. He didn’t offer a hand when he saw her struggle to carry everything out to her car. All he cared about was finding out where Emma was. After a few moments of silence, just staring at the floor, Tommy grew the stones to go into the bedroom.

Like expected, the closet was neatly picked over and all the pictures were taken down. Some sat in the trash can beside the dresser and others were just gone. Just to the left of the cherry wood dresser was a long black bag hanging from the single nail which once held one of the first photos the couple had taken together. Tommy knew without opening the bag exactly what was inside.

With shaky hands, the fighter pulled down the zipper about half way, just enough to see the delicate white material peak through. Tommy took a few steps back and sat on the edge of the mattress, his face buried in his hands. In such an empty apartment, the silence soon turned into laughter- her laughter. The room began spinning before the walls started closing in.

Overwhelmed with emotions and unsure of what to do with them, Tommy stumbled into the kitchen and threw open the top cabinet above the sink hoping to find an unopened bottle of whiskey. Instead, there was an empty cupboard save for the neatly folded piece of paper. Tommy snatched the piece of paper and crumpled it into a ball in his massive fist.

Waking up several hours later with the piece of paper still balled up in his hand, Tommy sat up on the couch and carefully pulled apart the note, flattening it out on the coffee table before reaching over to flip on the lights and read what was inside. Emma’s familiar small, slanted handwriting made Tommy’s heart wrench.

Handsome Thomas-

Tommy let out a bitter laugh at the way she had addressed him. It was the same way she would start her letters he was overseas on tour.

Of all the letters I’ve ever written you, this is the hardest. Goodbye is never easy so maybe this is just a ‘see you later’. I’m sure you’re pissed about the whiskey, but we both know losing yourself to the alcohol again will make you no better than your father. Bless his heart, but you’re not Paddy Conlon. You’re a better man than that.

Tomorrow morning, bring the dress back to that boutique by the church. I talked to a sweet old woman at the counter- Carol. I wasn’t able to get any money back because the store does not normally take dresses back, but I figured it would make a beautiful dress for another lucky girl rather than collect dust as a sad memory.

I love you, Thomas. I will never stop loving you no matter how hard I try.


Tommy folded the letter back up and heading to the spare bedroom turned office. He dropped his body into the rolling chair and pulled open the bottom drawer of his desk. Lifting the faulty bottom, Tommy dropped the letter amongst his other valued belongings. As he watched the paper fall, a black velvet box with a green Post-It note caught his eye.

Grabbing the box from the bottom of the drawer and kicking it shut, Tommy ran his thumb over the writing. Just days before her passing, Tommy’s mother had slipped the small velvet box into his backpack after his constant resistance to taking the ring.

He shut his eyes for a moment, taking a few deep breaths before pushing the box open. The modest diamond glistened in the small bit of sunlight that snuck through the blinds above the desk.

marry her.
♠ ♠ ♠
extra long because i love you all! only two more before we move on over to the sequel. already 20 subbies over there which just blows my mind!

<3