Hello my readers...No one said anything but I did fix an issue that may help you guys. It dawned on me that you may not want or have the ability to listen to the songs I choose. Or know why I choose them. So I put in the lyrics in that inspired me. Sometimes they explain better what the character is feeling than the text because they don't know what they are feeling yet. I hope that makes sense. On the ones that don't have lyrics, those are just 'cause I thought that if it was a movie, that song would sound good being played during that scene or a specific moment. I believe Annabanana314 and ConsistantlyRandom21 were my only reviewers last time. Let it be known that if you comment, I will mention you. :-D
Oh and no one told me that my page breaks aren't working so I'm trying something new.
Tommy was sitting in the booth across from Noemi. She was telling him about how Kevin almost caught the apartment on fire with the microwave just the night before.
"I am going to have to find a place 'cause the boy is a hazard. Which then means begging my bro for a raise which is like trying to get wine from tap water." Tommy was starring at his plate. It had remains of his meal left on it and he was pushing them around with his fork. "What's wrong?" Noemi asked. Tommy looked up and her amber eyes were warm with concern.
"Nothing, I've just had a lot to think about." He went back to staring at the plate but had put the fork down.
"You wanna talk about it? You can say no, I won't be offended." Noemi could see that whatever he was thinking about, it was wearing on him. His shoulders were set low and his skin was pale and sickly looking. If she went by his current appetite, he likely wasn't eating well either. She watched him lean back in his seat and rest his head against the tall booth. He closed his eyes against the glaring florescent.
"Just what I want out of the time I've got."
"You say that like you know when your number is up and you're counting the days." She was worried about him. He seemed so miserable most days.
"No one knows when their time is up." Noemi cleared her throat.
"Well, aren't you just a ray of sunshine today." She said sarcastically. Tommy brought his head up and looked at her. "So, tell me what do you what out of life?"
"I want what Brendan has."
"Well shit, who doesn't. The only thing that man doesn't have is a white picket fence and a dog." She pointed her finger at Tommy. "Don't you dare give him any ideas." He lips twitched but that was all she got out of him. "So how are you going to go about getting those things?" He could tell she was serious now.
"I don't know." Tommy huffed in total defeat. Noemi nodded.
"Let's start with the easy one. A car. Brendan started out with one."
"I could get one but it would cut into my savings."
"It doesn't have to be a nice car, just one that runs. Unlike mine." That got snort out of him. She could always test his moods with a light hearted joke. The more he responded, the better the mood.
"I need that money in case something happens." Tommy watched Noemi for judgement but saw appreciation instead.
"That's smart. Ok so the car can wait. What about a house?"
"I could buy one if I won Sparta."
"True but what if you don't?" Tommy rubbed his face in frustration and Noemi could see that was the wrong question to ask. "You can't rest your life on something that is not entirely in your control. So, what if you go to Sparta and lose?"
"I probably had a few years of fighting in me before I'm done for. I'd probably do the ones I could for as long as I could. Save the money and then get a job somewhere." Tommy watched her nod.
"Depending on how long you lasted at Sparta, you might get offers to work for people in the industry. Odds are, you would get lots of sponsors banging down your door on the way to Sparta if people knew you would be fighting. There is good money in that. That would add to your funds. To get a house you would need credit history unless you bought outright." Tommy nodded. Putting together a plan was relaxing him some. It made everything more obtainable.
"Sparta would help me get a girl too. No one wants a guy with no job and no money."
"NO! Do not date during or after Sparta. They will only want the fame and the money. Trust me women are vicious. There are girls out there that lie, cheat, and manipulate their way through life. Brendan found Tess when he was a nobody. Jessa, I would worry about more if Frank didn't have everything in the gym." Tommy sighed. "Oh come on its not that bad. You've got a good face and hot tats. Any girl in their right mind would fall at your feet."
"Any girl in her right mind would run screaming from me."
"You see me running?" Tommy raised an eyebrow at her and she realised what she said. She felt her face go a little hot. They sat staring at each other for a while and that recurring sexual tension returned. Noemi would like to be Tommy's girl even if she wasn't fully sure what all that entailed. She was attracted to him and even with his occasional mood swings, he was a nice guy. Especially compared to the joker's I've dated in the past. They were interrupted by Noemi's cell phone ringing. She asked him if he minded her answering since it was Frank and he said no.
"Hello, Francis, finally peel yourself off of your wife long enough to call me back?" Tommy chuckled at Noemi using Frank's real name. "Well, I called to ask you for a raise. Ok, let me rephrase that. I'm demanding a raise." There was a pause. "Why? Well, there's the part where Kevin has almost burnt down the apartment building three times this month and two of them were while we were asleep and the fact that if I have to listen to him have sex with some random chick one more time, I'm going to be on the news. So, I have to look for a place of my own that I can't afford. And that's not even getting into the fact that I am practically running your Gym for minimum wage and too many hours. You realise that the hours I work are illgeal right?" Tommy gave a small closed mouth smile at the table. He couldn't help but eavesdrop with her sitting there.
"Of course Jessa didn't complain! She wanted to get her claws in you. You don't go complaining to your BILF." Tommy could heard Frank's laughter from where he sat. Noemi cracked a grin. Tommy would have to ask her what a BILF was. "Well, ask what some of your UFC buddies pay their office managers." Frank asked her a question. "No, I haven't gotten around to testing the new treadmills yet, I've been too busy. I wouldn't trust Kevin with anything right now. Give him thirty seconds alone and I swear that boy could catch water on fire." Frank must have agreed because Noemi soon said goodbye and hung up. "Sorry about that. I hate answering calls while talking to someone but I never know when I'll get another chance."
"So, whats a BILF?" Noemi started laughing.
"Ok, you know what a MILF is?" Tommy nodded. "Change mother to boss." She waited for him to think about that one. He rolled his eyes with a smile and she started laughing.
"So you heard what I want from life. What do you want Noemi?" Tommy watched her smile sheepishly.
"Brendan's got a nice set up doesn't he? I wouldn't mind a piece of that but I would settle for a guy who doesn't get fisty when I open my smart mouth." Noemi picked at a chipped section of the Formica. "Mom and Daddy fought a lot when I was a kid, so odds are, I'm gonna find a guy that I fight with. So far that's been my MO."
"They fought?" Tommy gave her a horrified and haunted look.
"No, not like that. They had already lived the best years of their marriage by the time I came along and I think I just stressed the situation. They got in shouting matches a lot. I think that was all that kept Mom going for a long time."
"Why do you assume you will marry a guy that you fight with?"
"They have done studies and the odds are astronomical for people to pick a spouse like their parents and later copy their behavior. Has to do with seeing it as a child." Tommy thought about the mousy women he had been drawn to in bars, the wallflowers Pilar called them. The ones that would do anything he said, even let him leave in the morning without so much of a 'yeah I'll call you'. It also reminded him of what Brendan was saying about Tess last night.
"But Tess is nothing like Ma."
"There are exceptions if the example shown to the kids is extreme enough. As adults, they either emulate the behavior they saw or they do the opposite. A girl growing up in an abusive home will get older and find someone that abuses her or will find someone who never would. It's a cycle of abuse, it either continues with the next generation or stops." Noemi shrugs, not noticing the dumbfounded man across from her. "Frank got the good years and it shows in Jessa. She is happy-go-lucky and loves him more than anything. Daddy adored Mom, but things happened and I got the years where they fought." Noemi had come to terms with her behavior long ago. Tess had let her borrow some of her books on relationship psychology back in high school because she didn't know why she kept picking bad boys. It had explained a lot.
"What are the odds of someone becoming an abusive drunk if their father was?"
"I guess it depends on how often the kid sees the behavior and how it effects the individual. I think it still breaks down to choice in the end. You chose to be like your parents or you chose to do the opposite. Why do you ask?"
"Like Tess hasn't told you." He rolled his eyes at her.
"No she hasn't and neither has Brendan. The only thing he will say is that childhood was tough and you guys had to grow up quick. So was mine and so did I."
"Not like this."
"You wanted to know if you are going to become an abusive drunk." She said it as a statement and not a question. Her being perceptive and quick witted made it easy for him to not have to explain things. Tommy nodded. "Brendan made his choice. You have to make yours. In this, you have total control. You write the rules. Have you gotten drunk before?"
"Years ago but yeah."
"Did you hit anyone?"
"One guy and he was asking for it. I just sit somewhere and people watch. Makes me tired most the time." Noemi smiled.
"There you have it." He looked at her funny. She let him think about it. "It's that simple. You would have done it already if you were going to."
Tommy thought of all the times he had gotten drunk with the boys from his unit and then gone to Manny's house to sleep it off on the couch. He had never said one negative word to Pilar or anyone else. He didn't hallucinate like the time Pop drank in Atlantic City. He didn't yell, throw things, or hit people. He only passed out and woke up telling himself 'never again'. Maybe Brendan was right. Maybe Noemi and Tess were right too. Maybe there was hope for him.
Van Halen - You Really Got Me
"Girl, you really got me now, You got me so, I don't know what I'm doin', Girl, you really got me now, You got me, so, I can't sleep at night..."
Tommy was immersed in his late night drills at the double end bag near the treadmill room. He could feel his body starting to tire after being at Frank's all day. He was better improved from when he started but it annoyed him that he accomplished more with Paddy than he was on his own. Tommy heard Noemi walking around behind him, tidying up after a long day. He looked at the clock over his shoulder and saw that it was close to 11, when she locked up and kicked everyone out.
Tommy spent the last few days really thinking over what Brendan and Noemi had said. Each day he felt a little more optimistic about life but it was only in tiny increments. He always ended up back at wondering how to get what he wanted out of life. They all acted like it was so easy to just take what you want, but Tommy knew better.
"You want a ride to Bren's? I'm going to Corky's." Tommy flinched, having lost track of her some how. He could usually track her in those high heels she wore. He turned and looked at her. Tommy's mouth dropped open slowly and he was consumed by the way she looked.
She wasn't dressed in anything special. It was just the matter of the fact that it clung to every single curve of her body. Her red tank clung to her high firm breasts and her small waist. Her mid thigh compression shorts looked painted on and he wanted nothing more than to run his hands up them. He already knew she had wide feminine hips but being reminded of them only made his cock twitch. Her skin was so pale it looked like she was bathed in cream. His mind supplied pictures of what it would be like to have those insanely long legs wrapped around him. I wonder how flexible she...Oh shit she's talking. Noemi had to wave her hand in front of his face to get his attention.
"Huh?" He said inelegantly.
"You want a ride or not?" She still was unsure of their relationship. It had been 5 days since they made out on his bed. Not that she had been counting. Everything was exactly as it was before with them taking turns on paying for lunch but she didn't like not knowing where things stood and then he was just standing there looking like an idiot staring at her and she snapped a little.
"Uh, yeah sure." He was still in a mild daze. He was thankful for his decision to start wearing compression shorts instead of his normal boxer briefs since they kept his erections from being as noticeable, just in case.
"I'll be leaving in an hour if that's OK. Frank wants me to test out one of the new treadmills." She turned and stomped off. Fuck, she's even hotter walking away. Her ass swings more than her ponytail. Just wanna sink my teeth into that. Tommy looked down. Yup, not getting rid of that now. Damnit. He pivoted so that if she looked his way he wouldn't immediately look like a creepy pervert. He watched her get on a treadmill, push some buttons and start running like her life depended on it. Bet she's fast. Wonder if she ever did track.
Noemi's skin flushed pink with exertion and a fine gleam of sweat covered her face. Tommy couldn't help but wonder if she looked similarly while having sex. Tommy knew it was only going to get worse if he stood there and watched her, so he went into the locker room and called Brendan. He didn't answer. Tommy tossed his phone on the floor and huffed. He pulled at the uncomfortable tightness in his sweats only to make matters worse. What is is about her that sets me off so bad? Third time this week that I'm going to have to take care of this before I go anywhere. He rubbed his face with his hands before snagging his soap and a towel on his way to the section of showers.
He had to admit that Frank sure knew how to build a locker room. Each shower head was separated by a waist high dividing wall made of tile and at the end of each was a tall pole for a towel to be hung without it getting wet. There were probably 5 showers per row and 5 rows total. For the shy guys, there was the back wall and for the exhibitionists there was the first row which left your ass hanging out into the main locker room area. Tommy liked the middle rows or the back, depending on how many guys were there. He took a middle row, middle stall today and was all alone.
He hung up his towel, set his soap on the ledge, and pulled off his socks first. He tossed them into the stall opposite his. He pulled up on the hem of his shirt and yanked it over his head. It landed with a soggy slap since it was soaked with sweat. Cage fights and sleep were the only times Tommy went shirtless. He would never admit to anyone that he was self conscious about being in his own skin. It was remains of adolescence that he had never shaken. He pulled off his sweats and compression shorts in one pass and gave a sigh of relief. They were uncomfortable as hell but they saved him having to explain why you could tell where Noemi was if you only looked at his pants.
He turned on the water and balanced the temp before submerging himself under the spray. He closed his eyes and let the warm water relax him. He braced his arms on the white tile wall in front of him. He let his head hang and rest against the cold tile. The water ran in sheets over his shoulders and down his back. He closed his eyes against it and took deep breaths. He wished that the water was Noemi's hands caressing his shoulder, back, ass, and legs.
He imagined her coming up behind him, already naked. He imagined her touching his skin and kissing his spine. He would turn and bring her into the spray of the shower. Her hair would go black with water and her creamy skin would be slippery to the touch. He let out a shaky breath. After having just seen her and the memories of kissing her still so fresh in his mind, it made his fantasy so much stronger. He reminded himself to stay silent lest she come in here to see what he was doing. He let out a silent groan and slid his hand down to his aching, weeping cock. The water helped slick him and felt pleasantly warm.
He went back to his daydream of a naked Noemi pressed up against him, all hard nipples and soft belly. She would press those wonderfully full lips against his and they would kiss while she writhed against him. Yes. He would try to turn her so that he could pin her against the wall but she would refuse. She had something else in mind. Tommy turned, cock in hand, to lean against the tile wall since the last thing he wanted was to slip and fall. His knees were not wanting to support his weight, more so with each pump he gave. The water from the shower head rushed down the front of his body and added to the sensations. He was panting and bucking into his fist as he imagined her kissing down his chest. Down his belly and kneeling before him. Oh god. He threw his head back against the tile wall and squeezed his eyes shut hoping to seal the images in.
Tommy envisioned her looking up at him with the same desire blackened eyes he had seen on Sunday. Her hair wet and wavy, clinging to her face and breasts. Looking at him like he was a god for her to worship and his cock to feast on. His legs and torso were shaking. He couldn't wait to come. His breath coming out in fast pants. God, that mouth around my...
"Hey, is it OK if I take a shower on the other side?" Tommy's eyes slammed open and were big as saucers. He looked over to where she was standing at the end of the row with a towel in one hand and her eyes covered with the other. When the fuck did she come in? He twitched in his hand and looked down to still see his hand wrapped tightly around himself. Fuck! The sight of her so close and with the feel of his hand wrapped hotly around himself made him want to whine in protest that he couldn't just go over there and do what he had just been envisioning.
"Yeah." He let out a hoarse whisper. Please don't look, please. He watched her leave his sight and then he could hear her bare feet slap against the tile floors. Bet her ass makes the same sound if you... No, not while she is in here. I couldn't. But his body had other ideas. He ached horribly. Damnit. He put his free hand over his mouth when he heard the rustling sound of her taking off her clothes. She is naked. The sound of the shower being turned on rang out in the other wise silent locker room.
His hormone riddled brain produced pictures of her shiny with water and smears of soap sliding down her body as she bathed. Maybe if I just...Oh fuck yes. He gave an experimental tug and was rewarded with a flood of pleasure. He clamped his hand over his mouth tighter as he pumped and listened to her shower. I am officially a pervert and I do not care, Ahhh. So good, too good. He wanted to sigh and groan and growl so badly but the thought of getting caught intensified the ecstasy speeding through his veins even as he kept silent.
He closed his eyes and pumped faster and harder. His body felt like it was going to implode. One last shot of her face hovering before the purple tip of his cock was enough to make his back break with the force of his orgasm. He felt like he came for ages. When he came back to his senses, he was in a haze.
"You OK?" Noemi asked sounding concerned. Fuck, did she hear me? That snapped him out of his exhausted daze. He tried to answer her but it came out a croak so he cleared his throat.
"Yeah, just stubbed my toe." He said trying to sound as normal as possible. Toe my ass. His inner voice growled. He quickly washed away the evidence and actually did what he came in here for which was to wash away the day's sweat. He quickly dried off and wrapped the towel tightly around him. He hissed silently at the sensitivity of his skin against the coarse nap of the towel. He had never dressed quicker in his life and quickly walked out to her car to wait in the cold air.
What have I become? A jerk happy stalker taking any piece of comfort and affection he can get? I have to do something about this. But what? Do I try what Brendan suggested? Do I ask her out on a real date? He sighed and was interrupted from his thoughts by Noemi coming out in tight blue jeans and a black shirt that he assumed was the album art of a band. She locked up and they got in the car. There was a tension in the air that was not coming from him and could only be coming from Noemi. They were silent but for her music all the way to Brendan's where she turned off the car in his driveway. Noemi sighed and ran her hand through her hair. Tommy started to get out of the car.
"Hey, wait a moment." Tommy stopped and turned to look at her, which was difficult because her face would get superimposed with the face of the fantasy-Noemi. "Uh," He had never seen her so unsure of herself. She opened her mouth a few times before closing it. She took a deep breath and smiled at him. "Frank gave me a raise after all, so I'll be getting my own place tomorrow." It sounded hollow and lame to both of them. Tommy could tell that that was not what she had been about to say, but he let it go.
"Monday?" He asked. He opened the car door and grabbed his hoodie and duffel.
"Yeah. Goodnight."
"'Night." He answered and closed the door, trying to shake off the awkward feeling that lingered on him.
Noemi blew air out between her lips as she drove her car down the street to Corky's. Kevin's silver Celica was already there. She didn't know what to do. She didn't want to pressure Tommy into defining what they were but it was almost 2 months of them going to lunch or dinner. She wanted to know where she placed in his life, if at all. She resolved herself to being patient. If what they talked about in the diner that one day was any hint, he had some serious baggage. No need to send him running in the opposite direction.
I love love love the shower scene. It makes me laugh still and I wrote it!
READ AND REVIEW!
