Addicted to You

Tom looked around for Louie, afraid he had lost her, as he let out a series of apologies before looking down to the person he had knocked down onto the sidewalk. At his feet was Louie herself, gigging adorably as she gathered up some contents that had fallen out of purse during the fall. He gasped, completely embarrassed, before squatting down to her level and beginning to help her collect her items. Yes, he was hoping to run into her before she left, but not like this. He wanted to break the ice, not her tail bone. But, Louie didn't seem to be hurt in any way, and seemed to quite enjoy watching Tom fumble with her items as he gave the frequent "sorry"s and sheepish glances.
"It's okay, really," she assured him. "I'd be lying if I said this was the first time this has happened."

Tom offered her his hand, which she took gratefully, and helped her to her feet. As soon as their skin touched, an almost electric shock ran up his arm and through his entire body. It was almost enough to make him snatch his hand away, it was so overwhelming, but he didn't. In fact, he may have held onto her hand for far longer than necessary, enjoying the feeling of her soft skin on top of his. When he finally released it, she used it to smooth down the front of her tight, dark gray shirt and brush off the back of her even tighter light gray jeans.
"I really am terribly sorry about that," Tom mumbled as he fought to tear his eyes away from her ample yet perky breasts. She waved him off before slinging her large bag back over her shoulder.

"Please, it's okay. I found it to be quite entertaining, actually," she said before letting out another adorable giggle. God, did he love that sound. He smiled a shy smile, for the way he was thinking about this young woman made him feel foolish.

"Well," he finally started, "at least let me buy you a cup of coffee or something to make up for it. I insist."
She seemed to think about it for a moment before giving a large smile and shrugging her shoulders.

"Sure. Why not? I'd love a cup of tea," she stated. He smiled and nodded his head.
"Lovely," was his reply. "Shall we?" She gave another small giggle before slipping her hand under his arm and resting it on his bicep, sending another surge of electricity though Tom's body, before allowing him to escort her down the side walk.

They sat and drank their second cups of tea, all the while continuing to talk and laugh. For a little while shared stories of their lives as addicts, for they knew it for sure to be the one thing they had in common. Tom learned of how she was originally turned onto heroin by her boyfriend at the time, and how he would pressure her into taking more than she wanted. She said she thought it was because he thought it would bring them closer, which, she admitted, it did in the beginning. But soon it was just a problem, for it meant having to come up with twice the amount of money so they could both get their fix. He even started dealing the dope himself, so it was easy money and easy drugs. But then, the beating began. Merciless beatings for no reasons at all. But, she said she stayed, because no matter what, he still always got them their fix.

"I knew that it would be harder on my own. I didn't know any if his connections, and he had become one of the biggest dealers in the area, and I knew that if I left him, I couldn't let him find me. He would surely beat the shit out of me, and I wouldn't know who else to get the dope from, so I stayed," she whispered the last part and adverted her eyes from his. Tom was on fire inside, and not in the good way. He couldn't imagine anyone laying a hand on her, and the fact that some asshole would do that to her, well, it made him mad. Very mad.
But, he hid his anger and showed only his concern as she continued.

"He would beat me constantly, and it would turn him on, for after almost every beating, he would," she stopped and began to chew on her lip. "Maybe this is too much-"
Tom reached his hand out and grasped her's, causing her to look up into his eyes. He gave a small smile and gently squeezed her hand. "If you don't want to talk about it, you don't have to, but if you do... Well, I'm here for you," he whispered. As much as it angered him to hear of the sad bastard that harmed her, or how much it upset him that she had to endure such cruelty, he wanted to know more about her. Every little detail. He wanted to know her.
He needed to know her.

She nodded her head, knowing he meant it, before taking in a deep breath and continuing.
"Well, after every beating, he would... He would rape me." Her voice dropped down to a whisper that was barely audible and her head dropped down so as to hide her face. Tom took in a sharp breath as his eyes darted around the room. He wanted to find this bastard and kill him. Give him a slow, painful death.

Louie gave a delicate little sniffle before finally looking back up to Tom, and after a beat, she gave a quiet laugh.
"I'm sorry. This is hardly tea time talk, is it?" She whispered. "And you barely know me. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have told you my sob story, it's just... Well, I haven't spoken about it to anyone beside my counselor, and I just, well, I feel so comfortable around you. Like I've known you for so long. I feel... Safe."

Tom finally smiled at this, for he felt exactly the same way. And he felt protective of her. He felt the need to keep her safe.
"I know just how you feel," he whispered. She smiled and placed her other hand over the one that remained on her's.
"Thanks for talking with me, Tom. I needed this," she sighed contentedly before finishing her cup of tea.

Tom walked Louie back to the building where the meeting was held and where their cars were parked. Most of the walk was silent, which was fine by them, for they both had a lot to think about. Louie tightened her grip on Tom's arm and, feeling so incredibly relaxed with him, rested her head on his impressive bicep. He glanced down at her and smiled. Louie loved his smile, even his shy ones, which were most common, she realized, as they almost always reached his eyes.

Yet she still couldn't believe she told him everything about Jason, her ex. She didn't know what had come over her. Yes, they were talking about their pasts as addicts, but it wasn't anything that most other addicts had probably been through. But, everything felt so easy with Tom. She didn't feel judged or scrutinized, as he was also an addict and so understood how easy it was to fall into certain ways. And even if that wasn't the case, she had a feeling that he still wouldn't be judgmental of her. She just knew it.
But still, what possessed her to confide in him the one story she had never told anyone before (she didn't count her therapist), was still baffling to her. But, as she continued to mull it over in her mind, she was interrupted by Tom.

"By the way, If you don't mind me asking, I've been wondering; what is Louie a nickname for?"
She smiled and lifted her head from his bicep to meet his gaze. It definitely wasn't the first time she had been asked this. She knew Louie, unlike Lou, was an odd name for a female.

"My name is Lucrezia," she informed him. Tom's eyes slightly widened at this. What a unique name. So beautiful. But it didn't surprise him that such a beautiful girl had such a beautiful name.

"That's lovely. Why not use that instead of Louie?" He asked. Louie laughed.
"Well, when I went into school, none of the kids could pronounce Lucrezia properly, and there were already 3 "Lou"s in my class, so I started using Louie instead, and it just kind of stuck. Now only my family calls me Lucrezia," she stated. Tom smiled.
"I see. Well, I think I prefer Lucrezia." He smiled before tucking her hand tighter under his arm and continuing down the sidewalk, all the while sensing Lucrezia's smile.