by Michelle Amy
“Well, I only shoved him when he shoved me. I didn’t hit him or anything.”
“Oh.”
Jack continued with the rest of his story. “He put me in the back of his car and brought me to the precinct. They called my folks. My mom and dad came down to the station. They were given the option: I could go home with them, or I could spend the night in the juvenile detention center. Apparently, it was an option that a lot of parents with troubled youths opted for.”
“It seems a little harsh.”
Jack gave me a wicked grin that I knew was forced. “You have no idea. My mom didn’t want to go for it. She wanted to take me home. But my dad was livid, and he made the call. They loaded me into another cop car and brought me to the Center.” He stopped talking.
It was getting more difficult for him; I could see it in the tension that had settled in his shoulders. His fingers were fidgeting. “I’m sorry.”
He laughed. “Don’t be. I put myself there. I was handcuffed when we arrived. They checked me in and I had to dress in an oversized gray sweat shirts and dark gray loose pants. I hadn’t quite grown fully, and everything I wore was too big for me. The sleeves were about four inches too long and my pants dragged on the floor. After I was dressed they brought me to the bunkers.”
Jack was picturing it all. His eyes stared unseeing at a picture of Greece on my wall. “The bunkers were massive,” he continued, “fifty boys slept in one room on cots with brown blankets and mattresses thinner than you can imagine. My bed was in a corner. I was thankful for that. But everything got so out of control so fast.”
Part of me wanted him to stop talking. Part of me realized that I didn’t want to know what horror he had suffered in that place when he was a child. I was aching for him. His voice had changed. It was softer, slower. He seemed like a different person than I was used to as he sat before me, reliving the most horrific night of his life.
“There was a group of boys there who had it out for me. I never did anything to them, never even looked at them. But they took it upon themselves to make that night hell for me. There were eight of them. They were all bigger than me, all older than me. It didn’t take me long to figure out that all the other boys were afraid of them and avoided them as best they could. I tried to do the same. They wouldn’t let me.
“So, after teasing me all day and making it quite clear that they had plans for me, they cornered me. It was night, nobody was awake- or, they all were, but none of them dared to do open an eye- and they came to my cot.” Jack swallowed. “They beat me. I couldn’t get away from them. They beat me senseless. Broken ribs, collarbone, fingers. I needed stitches on my lip and I bit through my tongue. I had a concussion. Shattered knee cap.”
I put a hand on his knee. “You don’t need to keep going.”
His stare fixed me. “I do.”
I bit my bottom lip and nodded. “Okay.”
“I passed out, eventually. I don’t know how long I was unconscious for. At least fifteen minutes, probably more. When I came to...” He closed his eyes. His jaw clenched and unclenched as he regained his nerve to continue. “When I regained consciousness I could barely move and was covered in bruises. They were laughing. And I lay at their feet and cried until they finally left. I never want to feel helpless like that again.”
I couldn’t stop the tears that were rolling down my cheeks. Jack didn’t look up at me and waited until I got myself together. I sniffed and wiped my eyes. “I’m so sorry that happened to you. I can’t imagine... I can’t believe... how could the Center have let that-”
“The system is and always has been that way. It’s easier for people to look the other way than to try to fix the problem. I don’t blame the other boys for not stepping up for me. They were as scared as I was. Some of them probably had the same thing happen to them, and they weren’t lucky enough to get out there the next day. Some of them were in there for months.”
“But still-”
“I know.” He said. “I know.”
I played with the drawstring on my pants. I didn’t know what else to say. I ached for him. I wanted to make everyone who had hurt him suffer. I wanted them to feel the pain he had felt. I wanted to punish them. I blinked and looked up at him. “I get it.”
“Get what?”
“I get why you fight. You fight to protect the little guy.” I cocked my head and couldn’t help but smile. “You fight to protect that kid who didn’t have anyone who was there to help him when he most needed it.”
“Honestly, I’ve never really thought about it. I just refuse to tolerate assholes.”
“I can accept that.”
He raised an eyebrow.
“If you fight again, it’s not going to break us. I really, really like you Jack. I don’t want to change you to fit a checklist of ridiculous traits I expect. I respect you. I trust you. You’re not malicious. I know you wouldn’t hurt someone... unless they deserved it. And I admire that.”
The corner of his mouth twitched. “I really like you too.”
My heart hiccupped in my chest and I grinned at him. “Thank you for sharing all that with me. I hate that you had to endure that. I hate that your father did that to you. Does he know?”
“Does he know his son was nearly killed in juvie?” Jack laughed a malicious laugh that held no joy in it. “No, he doesn’t. And I don’t intend on ever telling him.”
“Why?”
Jack shrugged. “Because he doesn’t deserve to know.”
“It seems to me like you’re protecting him from the truth.”
“Trust me, I’m not protecting him.”
“You’re protecting your mom.” I stated.
He sighed. “Yeah, I am.”
I leaned forward and kissed him. “You are an incredible man. How did I get so lucky?”
Jack snickered. “You’re a pretty incredible woman, yourself, and I’ve been wondering how I got so lucky. You and I, we make a good team.”
“Baggage and all.” I said, unable to stop the giggle that came out of me when he lightly poked my ribs.
Chapter Twelve
When the front door burst open I was tangled around Jack on the sofa. One leg was hooked around his and my arm was draped across his chest. He was playing with my hair and had his cheek resting against my forehead. Both of us jumped when the door banged open, and Brooke’s voice rang out through the apartment.
“Holy fucking balls,” she yelled, “Alice, are you home? I just had the shittiest day of all time and I am in desperate need of some wine and binge worthy food. I’m feeling for some good old fashioned pizza. And ice cream. And some god damn chocolate. Alice?”
I detangled from Jack and fell off the couch. My hip hit the floor and I yelped. Jack laughed and covered his mouth, watching me rub my hip as I gathered myself up off the floor. “In the living room, Brooke!”
I heard her stomp down the hall. When she emerged she was wearing her pale blue scrubs. Her hair was a blonde disaster on top of her head. She didn’t see Jack laying on the couch. “Thank God you’re here,” she said. “I just got fired.” Then her eyes welled with tears.
“Oh no, Brooke. What happened?” I went to her, opening my arms for a hug. She collapsed into me and started to sob.
“I have no self control, Alice, you know that. I say what’s on my mind and-”, she abruptly stopped talking. She lifted her chin from my shoulder and I heard her swallow. “Hi,” she managed, “you must be Jack.”
She withdrew herself from my hug and wiped her eyes. “I’m sorry I’m such a mess right now, this definitely isn’t the first impression I wanted to make on Alice’s boy toy.”
“Brooke!” I snarled, flicking her elbow.
“What?” She scowled.
Jack extracted himself from the couch and offered her his hand. She shook it and looked him over. I wanted to tell her to stop checking him out, but I understood why she was doing it. Jack was one of the hottest men I had ever seen, and she was no doubt having the same thought
process I had the first time I saw him.
Jack cleared his throat. “I’m sorry to hear about your job.”
She rolled her eyes and threw her hands in the air. “Well, fuck them. They’re loss.” She shuffled to the wine rack beside the television and I gave Jack a look out of the corner of my eye. He was smiling.
“Do you want to talk about it?” I asked her.
She pulled out a bottle of red wine. Our corkscrew sat on top of the rack and she set to work on burying it in the neck of the bottle. Jack watched and I tried not to laugh as he gauged the danger of Brooke wielding a sharp object in her state. As she twisted, she vented. “We had this stupid guy come in for a cleaning. He came to the desk to check in for his appointment, and I told him it would be no more than a five minute wait, to which he responded, ‘perfect, just enough time for us to get to know each other’. I was nice about it and told him I was at work, but was flattered.
“And he wouldn’t stop. He just kept going and going and it was downright annoying, not to mention embarrassing. A woman would never hit on a man like that while he was working. So finally, I told him to take a hike. And my boss overheard it and apparently had to let me go.”
Jack went to her and took the wine out of her hands. “Let me,” he offered, pulling the cork out in less than three seconds and handing her back the bottle.
“Thank you,” she sighed.
“That seems like a foolish thing to let you go for,” Jack said.
I crossed my arms. “She’s not giving you the full story. She has a temper and a foul mouth, haven’t you noticed?” I turned to Brooke. “When you say you ‘told him to take a hike’, what did you actually tell him?”
A wicked smile graced Brooke’s lips and she planted her fists on her hips. “Well, first I told him to get lost. Then he asked me if I was on my period.”
“Oh, bad move,” Jack muttered, his eyes widening in mock horror.
Brooke nodded. “Yes, I know. So, I told him that yes, I was in fact bleeding from my vagina. And no, that doesn’t mean I would have been interested if I wasn’t. I told him when a girl says she’s not interested, it means she really, truly, isn’t interested. Then I may have gone on a bit of a feminist rant. He stood there like a stupid oaf just staring at me. Then it was time for his appointment. I walked around the front of the desk and asked him if he was just going to stand there with his dick in his hands, or if he was ready to have his teeth cleaned. When I left him in the room I excused myself so I could go change my tampon.”
I had been struggling to hold in my laughter for the entirety of the story. Jack was staring at her with genuine surprise as she poured three glasses of wine. She took a deep breath and grinned at us. “So, that was my day. Now I’m unemployed and demand that the two of you keep me company while I accept my fate and prepare for the worst endeavour ever: job hunting.”
Jack started to laugh. The sound was a contagious one, and soon Brooke and I were laughing too. Jack shook his head. “If you were my employee, I would have given you a raise.”
Chapter Thirteen
After an evening of copious amounts of wine and laughter, Jack spent the night. We fell asleep clinging to one another and our breathing falling into unison. When I woke it was to the sound of someone cooking in the kitchen. I could smell bacon and hear laughter. Brooke and Jack were getting to know one another.
I listened to them for a while, unable to actually catch what they were saying but being able to tell that they were enjoying themselves. Every now and then Jack’s laughter rang through the apartment and filled me with a warm and fuzzy joy that I hadn’t felt before. I lay in my bed smiling at the ceiling like an idiot, until finally I decided to go and join them.
We talked about anything and everything while we ate and sipped our coffees. Jack indulged us in funny stories from his work and his life, and Brooke cast me many glances that I interpreted as ‘this one might be a keeper’. I was happy to be with them. Everything felt right, and that same feeling of being safe was ever present.
When we finished eating Jack and I showered together. He washed me with tender hands and I washed him, exploring all of his body. We were unable to keep our hands to ourselves, and the hot water and steam was a tantalizing combination. At one point I ended up on my knees in the shower, and Jack braced himself with his forearms against both glass walls of the shower. When he drew me back up to my feet he turned me around and my breasts left an imprint on the steamed up glass. We laughed at this afterwards.
After we dried off Jack lounged on my bed. He lay atop the blankets, naked and proud, watching me struggle to get my jeans on. He whistled as I did up the button. “I wish you didn’t have to work tonight,” he groaned.
“Me too,” I said, smiling over my shoulder at him as I did up my bra. “But a girl’s gotta do what a girl’s gotta do. We can see each other tomorrow? Or you can wait here for me to come home, I’m sure Brooke wouldn’t mind.”
Jack clasped his hands behind his head. “I don’t think that would be fair to her. I’ll go home and we can see each other tomorrow. The wait will be worth it.”
I grinned. “It will.”
“I could come visit you?”
“Maybe wait a few days before popping by, give Max a bit more time to cool off.”
Jack shrugged. “Probably wise. I don’t know how I’ll pass the time without you.”
“I’m sure you’ll think of something.”
Jack rolled off the bed and gathered up his clothes. He dressed, all the while casting long glances at me as I pulled my shirt on over my head. “I think I’ll head out,” he said, coming up behind me and wrapping his arms around me.
“Okay,” I said, leaning my head back on his chest. “I’ll call you later, when I’m home?”
“Sounds good to me.” He kissed my cheek and my neck. “I better go before I lose control.” He squeezed my butt with one hand and gave it a gentle slap before he made his way to the door. “I’ll talk to you soon.”
I grinned at him. “Yes, really soon.”
When he was gone Brooke came into my room. I was sitting at my vanity putting on eyeliner. She perched herself on the edge of my bed and crossed her legs. “So,” she said, “he’s a winner.”
I looked at her in the mirror and smiled. “Right?”
“Oh hell yes. And he’s totally into you. Like. Seriously into you.”
“Really?”
“Yep,” she nodded, “we had a good chat while you were sleeping.”
“What did he say?”
“I’m not telling. He and I have a special bond now, and you aren’t allowed to partake. And, by the way, you told me he was hot, but you never quite explained just how hot. I mean, how does someone look like that? It’s just not natural.”
I laughed and my eyeliner made a squiggly line. I swore under my breath and grabbed a Q-tip. “I know. It’s crazy. You should see him naked.”
Brooke raised an eyebrow. “I don’t think I will be getting that opportunity. I will just live vicariously through you. Is he good in bed?”
I twisted in my chair to look back at her. “You have no idea.”
Brooke squealed and I giggled. “Tell me!”
“No, we aren’t high school girls anymore.”
“Oh come on,” she whined, “just a little tidbit. You can keep all the juicy stuff to yourself.”
I rolled my eyes. “Well, he knows how to use his hands, I’ll give him that much. And his tongue. And everything else. He’s a God in bed, okay? I’ve never had a man do what he does.” I stopped when I felt my cheeks starting to burn.
Brooke giddily tapped her heels against the bedframe. “I need to find me one of those types of guys. Ask him if he has any friends.”
I gave her a stale stare. “Really?”
“Maybe wait until you guys are a little further in. But yes, seriously. Tell him I prefer blondes. And tattoos are good too.”
“Oh yes, I’m sure he can pull your ideal man out of his ass fo
r you.”
Brooke shrugged. “You never know.”
I finished my makeup and turned around fully to face her. “I shouldn’t be too late tonight. I’m thinking I’ll be home around one. If you wait up for me do you want to have appetizers and wine and girl talk?”
She grinned. “I would love that. I’ll pick everything up. Brie? Baguette?”
I nodded. “And I’m craving spring rolls.”
“Done,” she said, hopping off my bed and going to my door. “I’ll see you later tonight, and I will be prepared with shitty horror movies and food.”
“Can’t wait,” I said, slipping on my jacket.
Chapter Fourteen
Jack’s fight with the goon squad of four jocks was the talk of the Red Rose for my following four of five shifts. I couldn’t escape questions about him from coworkers and regular clients, who approached me with big eyes and even bigger curiosity. I explained several times that Jack was fine, and soon was bombarded with more personal questions.
Are you and Jack an item?
How long have you been together?
Do you think it will last?
By the time I lost all patience and was tired of indulging strangers in the tales of my personal life, Jack graced the Red Rose with his presence again. He had been kind enough to let the dust settle after the fight, knowing that Max wouldn’t want him in the place right away. He waited until his knuckles healed and until I begged him to come visit me on one of my shifts. He had agreed, promising to come see me around ten o’clock, before the place started to swing with music and I would be confronted with the late night rush of millenials buying drinks.
It was as I was pouring a porn star shot that I heard a man’s voice speak my name. I finished pouring, handed the drink off, and turned to face my visitor, a smile tugging the corners of my mouth.
It wasn’t Jack.
It was a tall, lean blonde man with a cruel smile and even crueler eyes. He winked at me.
Chris.
