Chapter 22

March 1st

As it was a Wednesday, and there was no show on that night, Katrina got off work early. It had been a short day but intense, classes, conditioning and fittings for costumes all packed in with no time for a lunch break. The ever-present challenge of avoiding Daniel was also proving particularly wearing, the man was everywhere, watching classes with increasing regularity, loitering in halls talking to dancers, forcing Katrina to get pretty creative about her route to and from the dressing rooms. She sighed, taking the last of the bobby pins out of her hair and shaking it out of its net. He hadn't spoken to her since that night in the studio but occasionally she felt his eyes brushing over her body like wandering fingers and would glance up to meet those cool appraising eyes with a glare of her own. She couldn't be rude, couldn't complain, she needed this job and needed it badly to work out.

"What's up?" asked Danni, appearing at her elbow, half in and half out of a leotard.

"Nothing," replied Katrina, "just tired is all." She hadn't told anyone but Tommy what had happened between her and her boss, didn't really trust anyone to keep the secret well enough. Gossip would spread around the company like wildfire and then, well, then she could pack her bags and go straight back to Chicago.

"Sure?" asked Danni, searching her face, "you seem a little down recently."

"Really hon, its nothing, too many late nights, maybe you me and Sonja should have a girls night in?" she forced herself to smile.

Danni laughed, "Good plan, can we watch Pretty Woman and eat Cheetos?"

"Definitely, as long as there's chocolate I'll be happy."

"I'll hold you to it y'know." warned Danni, reaching for her phone to text Sonja about their plan, pink and green manicured nails flashing across the tiny buttons.

Katrina said her goodbyes to her friends for the day before heading out of the dance center. Tired as she was, her spirits couldn't help but lift at the thought of her next stop for the day, she was getting her hair done. She did it exclusively for herself, Tommy had never noticed the subtle highlights and lowlights she had put in every few weeks, she doubted very much if he'd comment if she went and cut it all off. Still, she liked to look her best for him and for herself.

The bell over the door of the salon tinkled as she let herself in, the place was quiet, the after work crowd having yet to roll in and the lady at the counter greeted her warmly.

"Hey, you must be Katrina right? Four o'clock?"

"Yeah that's me." She replied.

"If you'd like to take a seat over there we'll be right with you." The receptionist flashed her a winning smile

She hadn't been here before; the salon she usually went to had shut down after a rent-hike by the landlord. Overhearing Katrina complaining about the state of her highlights Sonja had recommended her own hairdresser, "A gem" she called it.

Katrina sat in the waiting area, looking around. Everything was pristine and painted in varying shades of pink and purple, very girly, it was being stuck inside a box of violet creams.

With highlights newly refreshed and her hair carefully washed and blow-dried, Katrina flipped to the back of the news paper as Laura, the hairdresser, started to hot-tong her hair perfectly straight. She skimmed past the football results and the racing pages until she was at the back of the sports section. Her eyes alighted on a short article about upcoming MMA fights in the Pittsburgh area and she felt her heart turn over as she spotted Tommy's name in print.

A list of upcoming fights in Pittsburgh wouldn't be complete without mentioning the scheduled fight between Georgian ex-sheriff Forrest Griffin and local boy, military hero and Sparta finalist Tommy Conlon…

We hope to see a return to form for Tommy Conlon after his tap-out to brother Brendan Conlon at the Sparta finals last June…

Military hero? Katrina frowned slightly, Tommy had told her a few things about his time in the Marines but judging by the tone of this article there was a lot more to the story. That aside, she wondered when Tommy had planned to tell her that it had been Brendan who'd fought against him at the Sparta finals, she'd started to guess that after the argument between the two when they'd been over for dinner but all the same she'd have preferred to hear it from him.

"Everything alright mam?" asked Laura, noticing Katrina's frown.

"Oh yeah, those highlights are coming out real nice, I was just reading this article."

"About the MMA?" asked Laura, peeking over her shoulder, "My boyfriend just loves that kind of stuff."

"Really?"

"Yeah, I got him tickets to go see Sparta last June with the guys, he was so excited that that Brendan guy won in the end."

"That's so sweet of you, so him and Tommy are really brothers?" Katrina pried.

"Oh yeah, that Tommy guy was a real hero- deserted his unit in Afghanistan but then saved a bunch of guys out in the desert, ripped the door off of a tank they said."

"Ripped the door off a tank?" Katrina asked, mouth agape.

"Yeah, it was all over the news when the guys he saved recognized him from his fights and got on TV to thank him." Laura smiled, obviously happy to be imparting such thrilling knowledge and got back to her straightening.

Katrina sat back in her chair, re-reading the article a few more times and sure enough there was a reference to the "tank incident" as the writer called it. In her minds eye she could see Tommy, in his uniform out in the desert, muscles straining and bulging as the wrestled with the tank to free those inside. She shook her head slightly, that was impossible, no one was strong enough to do that, were they?

Well if anyone is, Tommy is, she thought. She remembered that time he'd given her a boost to get the tin of coffee of a top shelf, he'd picked her up as though she were a doll.

This will be an interesting conversation for tonight…

Katrina let herself into her flat a little after seven, her eyes itched with tiredness, back and legs ached but her hair was looking fantastic. Sonja had been right about the salon doing a good job. She threw her keys and handbag onto the table before kicking off her flats and switching on the main light. She started for a moment to see Tommy sprawled out across her couch, clearly fast asleep. His gym bag was next to the door. Katrina smiled slightly to herself, tiptoeing across the floor as not to wake him. It was no good; Tommy hadn't spent all that time in the Marines to be a heavy sleeper.

"Hey." He croaked, not opening his eyes.

"Hey yourself." Katrina replied, flopping on the arm of the couch with a sigh.

"Long day?" Tommy asked, opening his eyes blearily and sitting up, Katrina notice that he had a freshly minted black eye.

"Yeah, long, but still fun." Tommy smiled, somewhat lopsidedly at that. "Do you want some ice?" Katrina asked.

"Ice?" he replied, nonplussed.

"For your face?"

Tommy raised a hand to his eye, as though noticing it for the first time, he winced.

"Yeah, thanks."

By the time Katrina had retrieved an icepack from the freezer Tommy was up and pacing, as he always did when indoors for too long.

Katrina stepped into his path, bringing him up short.

"Sit down." He listened to her, flopping back on the couch. She iced the newly forming bruise spreading itself across his cheekbone, by tomorrow his eye could might well swell shut.

"What happened?" Katrina asked, continuing in her ministrations.

"Was just a sparrin' match." Said Tommy, voice still gravelly from sleep.

"Did you win?"

"Nah, big Niko knocked me out."

"Ah well… next time then."

Tommy nodded in silence.

"How was your day?" he asked at length.

Katrina shrugged, "long, conditioning class- rehearsal, notes and I got my hair done…." She flipped it, L'Oreal style before glancing up.

Tommy looked at her for a second and Katrina realized what he was really asking. "Nothing happened- nothing okay?"

"Okay." His brow furrowed, "Are y'sure you don't want me to come down there, just to talk to this guy?"

Katrina shook her head, "definitely not. I barely see him now, it was just a one off, I promise."

Tommy seemed to consider this nodding to himself. "Aight. I'll stay away then." He smiled slightly, "your hair looks real pretty by the way."

Suddenly Tommy stood, pulling her with him and wrapped his arms tightly around her waist hands spanning across her back. He kissed her, none too gently, as though he'd been waiting all day for this moment.

They broke apart, gasping for air before Katrina reached down and grasped the hem of Tommy's t-shirt pulling it off over his head. He shivered slightly as her cold hands trailed up and down his chest.

She caught sight of his cocky half smile before he was all over her again hands running up and down her back as he eased the skirt off her hips and started playing with the waistband of her tights. As heavenly as this was Katrina knew that there were things at hand to discuss. She pushed him back; it took some doing, the full force of her hands against his chest not registering for several moments.

"What is it Katy?" Tommy asked.

She sighed, not really wanting to do this but knowing it was unavoidable.

"Tommy when were you going to tell me about what happened when you were overseas?"

"What?" Tommy's eyes darkened.

"You ripped the door off a tank Tommy, you didn't think that was important to mention? That and the fact that Brendan was the guy who beat you in Sparta last year and broke your shoulder- here I was thinking Brendan was a physics teacher."

Tommy slumped back down on the couch, his knee immediately began to bounce with pent-up energy and he stood up again. He sighed, running his hands through his hair distractedly.

"I wanted to tell you… its just…" he broke of again and Katrina knew better than to rush him. She waited.

"I didn't know how." He shrugged, "everything after Manny died, it's just a blur Katy, I hardly even remember getting in the river to save those guys."

"But you did do it." She said.

"Yeah. And then took off stateside."

They sat there in silence for a long moment before Katrina asked, "do you want to talk about it?"

Tommy looked up at her, forearms on his knees, classically defensive, shutting her out.

"Wouldn't know what to say." He mumbled at length. "I didn't know Bren was goin' to be at Sparta until the day we both showed up. Another fighter dropped out… I was just, I dunno, didn't expect that, after all these years."

She kissed his cheek, roughened as it was by a five o'clock shadow and he put an arm around her. The silence between them stretched, full of unanswered questions and half-truths.

"You still comin' to watch me fight?" Tommy asked her. Katrina smiled slightly, he sounded so young and unsure when he asked her like that.

"Of course." And kissed him again.

Afterwards, after what felt like a long, long time they lay together in the quiet, Katrina listening to the sound of Tommy's heart, strangely loud at close quarters. She traced random patterns over his skin, let her fingers find the tattoos, now so familiar to her and trace over them. He was asleep, or she though he was, chest rising and falling steadily, eyes moving behind pale lids. She shivered suddenly, it wasn't warm that was for sure and spring was slow to come in Pittsburgh.

Tommy opened his eyes, "cold?"

Katina nodded.

"Let's go to bed." Tommy stood, totally unselfconscious and held out a hand. Katrina stood and crossed her arms over her chest out of habit. Tommy looked down at her for a moment, expression softening. He raised his hands to her arms and gently pulled them down to her sides, his hands found her hips and he pulled her close for kiss.

"You ain't got nothin' to hide Katy."

She smiled against his lips, hands finding his biceps and then sliding around his neck.

Tommy pulled away from her for a moment, not meeting her eyes, being about eye level with his shoulders, Katrina could see the pulse in his neck pick up, thrumming urgently under the skin.

"What is it?" she asked, her thumb tracing his jugular, his skin broke out in goose bumps under her fingers.

He didn't answer for a moment, taking a deep breath then he looked up.

Tommy cleared his throat nervously, ducking his head again.

"What Tommy?" Katrina raised his chin.

"Nothin'… just nothin'" He said, voice very low.

Katy saw a dull flush colour his cheeks, she smiled, "Okay then."