Diamond in the Rough

Jem pours the last dribble of whisky into his glass and carries it with him to answer the front door. He staggers and bounces off the walls in the hallway, drunk more than he should be at this time of day.
He opens the door and sees who is calling.

"Hi" she says awkwardly.

He pokes his head out the door and looks around.

"No cops?" He asks, sceptical. He leans against the door frame and waits for an answer.

"We need to talk and I would rather we talk somewhere private"

Jem sucks his bottom lip and opens the door wider, she follows him into the kitchen.

"You came here to talk, so talk" he says, jumping up onto the worktop. He drains his glass and looks at her with expectant eyes.

"I understand why you did what you felt you had to do" she says "but I don't want to see that you have been arrested"

Jem shrugs his shoulders. He wouldn't get arrested. He would rather die than go back to Walpole.

"So, why's there no cops with you, huh" he asks, jumping down and taking a few steps closer to her."Or are they gonna break down the door at two in the morning?"

Fiona licks her dry lips, her senses are on fire. She can smell his aftershave with the mixture of booze.

"I haven't told anyone."

"More than your jobs worth. Why not rat out Charlestown's most infamous criminal?" He asks, stepping closer until they are centimetres apart. He's looking down at her slightly and she smells gorgeous, just like her full time.

"I don't want to hurt you" she replies in a barely audible whisper.

"Hurt me?" He asks. "What makes you think calling the cops would hurt me?"

"You had a bad time in prison. I read your file"

Jem walks away from her and leans over the sink. He squeezes his eyes shut and turns round, his face red and he looks as if he is about to cry. He never even told Doug what had happened.

"So?" He laughs "if you're gonna do bad shit then you live with the consequences"

Fiona watches him as he turns around, leaning over the sink with his tongue in his cheek. She crosses over to him and rests her hand inbetween his shoulder blades.

"What happened wasn't your fault. You know that, right?"

"Sure" he whispers and swallows the lump "Why do you care what happened?"

Fiona feels her stomach flip like a theoretical pancake, a dozen or so feet in the air.

"Because I care about you, Jem"

"You don't even know me" he replies quickly.

"I want to get to know you"