Velvet Crowbar

As suds and bubbles slid down her bare back, a new sense of being washed over her. The sensation of the dried salt from the sea being scrubbed away was like washing away the pain. Turning off the water and wrapping herself in a lush white towel, Emma ran her hand through her hair, noticing the slight tan line on her ring finger.

There was a soft knock on the door of her cabana causing her heart to skip a beat. “Room service.” A muffled voice called through the door.

The brunette raised an eyebrow and poked her head out of room, “I didn’t order any room service. You must have the wrong place.” She smiled gently holding the towel close.

“Your husband ordered it.” The door was nearly shut.

Three days, not bad. Emma pulled the door open and took the tray, “I’ll be sure to thank him.” She shut the door again and carried the tray over to the little table behind the couch- a raspberry mojito and a note.

beach bar in a half hour.

Emma rolled her eyes before walking over to her suitcase with drink in hand. She took a long sip before dropping the towel and rummaging around until her hand pulled out a long black maxi dress. The brunette finished her drink and abandon the glass on the coffee table before grabbing some intimates and heading into the bathroom to get ready. As she dressed and applied a light amount of makeup, Emma began running some monologue through her head, preparing herself to face Tommy.

With her hair left drying naturally, Emma decided to forgo sandals as she stepped out of the cabana and locked the door behind her. The sun had just set as she cautiously made her way down to the bar. She bunched some of the fabric of her long dress in one hand as she stepped through the cool sand.

At the sight of Tommy’s back, the brunette felt her stomach drop. It wasn’t too late to just turn around and stand him up- give him a taste of his own medicine. As Emma contemplated her choices, the fighter twisted his torso and scanned the beach looking for her. “Fuck.” Emma muttered to herself as their eyes met.

She took a deep breath and continued to the bar. Emma ignored Tommy at first, ordering herself a drink and carrying out a light conversation with the bartender as he mixed liquids. With the glass in hand, Emma tucked a piece of hair behind her ear and finally turned to Tommy.

“I uh, I’m surprised you came to be honest.” Tommy stumbled over his words, light from one of the torches danced across her face making her brown eyes glisten.

She shrugged and reveled in the burning sensation of alcohol sliding down her throat, “I’m full of surprises.”

Tommy licked his plump lips nervously and scratched the back of his neck, “You uh, you look nice. Is, uh, that a new dress?”

Emma narrowed her eyes and hopped off the stool leaving her empty glass and a five dollar bill on the bar top, “Did you fly out here to talk about my wardrobe?” She continued to walk further away from the small crowd that began to occupy the bar and its surrounding lit area.

“No, I want to talk about what happened.” He reached out catching her arm in his calloused hand.

The brunette recoiled her arm angrily, seething at his touch, “Do. Not. Touch. Me.” She growled through gritted teeth and headed back toward the shoreline, away from the people.

“Alright, I’m sorry.” Tommy held his hands up in defense slowly following after her, “I can explain. I never meant to hurt you, Emma. I love you so much and I know you love me too. I took it for granted and it’s the biggest mistake of my life. Please, just look at me.”

As Emma stared out into the open sea, she felt a tiny pang in her heart as Tommy spoke so desperately. She turned slowly, “As much as I love you, I wish I didn’t.” The brunette ran a hand through her hair and took a deep breath, trying to keep herself from losing her temper, “Congratulations on the win and the money, but it doesn’t make it okay. If doesn’t erase the fact that you left me at the alter so you could run off with one of your fangirls.” She shook her head sadly, “What we had is broken, Tommy, and you can’t fix it. I shouldn’t have come to see you. You should’ve just stayed in Pittsburgh.”

“I did this for us!” Tommy shouted angrily, “I did it so we could have a better life. This money puts us in the green for the next three years! Don’t you understand that I had to do this?”

Emma raised her eyebrow and stared at the fighter furiously, “When you fucked that girl, was that for us too? Is she going to come help up pay rent?”

Tommy took a step closer to the brunette, “I didn’t fuck her, alright?”

“What-fucking-ever, Thomas. I don’t even care anymore.”

Emma dropped to the sand just feet from the tide line and wrapped her arms around her knees. Her body shook as tears sprung from her eyes. Tommy let out a breath that he hadn’t realized he was holding and sat down beside her.

“Where did we go wrong, Tommy?” Emma studied Tommy’s face in the moonlight, “How did we get to this point?”

Tommy just shrugged and wrapped a tattooed arm around her. He pulled her body close to his and tangled his hand in her long hair, “I wish I knew, Em, I wish I knew.”