Nina Levine - Storm

“Not really, but he’s not always like that.  I have my issues with him, and yes I do think he was an asshole to me years ago, but what he said to you just then... that was J messing with you.”

Not looking convinced, she muttered, “Yeah, well I’m withholding judgement for now.  I still call asshole.”

We finished cleaning up the mess I had made and then I helped her clean up the kitchen from her smoothie making adventure.  “I don’t know how you can drink these things,” I said.

“That’s exactly what biker boy said.”

“Yeah, I doubt J even knew what it was.”

“So, now that he is here, are we still going shopping today or are you pulling out? Plus, I still need you to fill me in on what he told you last night,” she said.

I considered what she had said before answering, “I don’t see why we can’t still go shopping.”  Why should we let J stop us from doing what we had planned?

She looked sceptical.  “You really think he’s going to let you out of his sight?”

“Well, if he doesn’t, it just means he is coming shopping too.  I highly doubt he will want to do that.”

“Ha!  Good luck with that, sugar,” she said, putting the emphasis on sugar, and I knew she was being sarcastic about J.  “I’m going to go and get ready just in case we are allowed out,” she said as she pulled a face and left the kitchen.

I made the coffee that I had originally come in here to make and sat at the table, enjoying the quiet while I drank it.  My thoughts wandered to what J had said to me last night.  I was still confused about it, and although I really wanted to know what he meant by it, there was no way I would ever bring it up with him.  My heart was still fragile where J was concerned.  Before I left Brisbane, we had been rebuilding our friendship and I had been sure we would end up back together again, after I managed to free myself of Nix.  But then Nix had turned on me, and J had been the one to find me beaten and bloody.  Something had snapped in him that day, and it had not been the same between us.  A week later he had come to me and told me there was nothing left between us and that I should leave Brisbane to get away from Nix; to start a new life.  He had sent me away; he didn’t love or want me anymore.

Startling me from my thoughts, J came back into the kitchen, freshly showered.  I took in his jeans and the fitted black t-shirt he wore that defined his muscles.  And then his scent filled the room; sandalwood.  God, I loved that smell; it was the one he had always worn, for as long as I had known him.  It hit my nostrils and then it hit my heart; memories came flooding back of the good times we had shared.  It’s funny how a smell can bring so much back to you.

I stood and at the same time he moved into my space.  Too close.  His presence, his smell, his breath; it was all messing with me and I couldn’t think straight.  Our eyes locked for a few silent seconds, and then I stepped backwards to escape whatever was happening between us.

“I’m sorry for being an asshole to your friend before,” he apologised, and shocked the shit out of me.

“Since when do you apologise for things you’ve said?” I was intrigued.  This was a new side to J.

He shrugged.  “Since now.  Since I’m trying to get you to stop being angry at me.  I know you’re still mad at me for what I did, but babe, that was two years ago and we need to move forward if you’re gonna come back home.  Be a lot easier to do that if you weren’t mad at me.”

“Umm, who said I was coming back to Brisbane?” I cocked my head, interested in his answer.

He smiled.  “You will be coming back with me.  That’s a given.  Just a matter of time till you agree.”

“You’re still as cocky and bossy as you always were, aren’t you?” I speculated, trying hard not to let him annoy me.

Before he could reply, Serena waltzed back in and said to J, “So, biker boy, Madison and I have shopping planned for today.  Will you be coming with us or will you allow us to go out on our own?”

J smirked, and then looking from Serena to me, he said, “I like your friend, even if she does have a smart mouth on her.”  Then he focused his gaze on Serena.  “And, no, there won’t be any shopping today,” he said, firmly.

This only served to anger Serena.  “Maybe not for you.  We’ll be going though.”

He lent down and got in her face, all lightness gone from his eyes.  Nobody said no to J.  “No, you won’t be, sweetheart.”

Shock flashed across her face.  Serena wasn’t used to men like J; men that said no to her.  And she certainly wasn’t used to being spoken to in a menacing tone like the one J had just taken with her.  She quickly looked to me for backup.

“J, I think we will be okay going shopping.  I highly doubt that Nix will be out looking for us in a shopping mall,” I tried to reason with him.

He turned his head in my direction.  Oh, shit.  The look flashing in his eyes was not one I wanted to mess with.  “Did you not fucking take in what I told you about Nix last night?  Do you need to see those photos again or perhaps I should show them to Serena so she can fully appreciate what we’re dealing with here,” he fumed, reaching for his phone.

I held up my hand.  “Stop!  No, we don’t need to see those photos.  We won’t go shopping.”  I gave in, but I wasn’t happy about it.

He appeared like he was going to say something but then he changed his mind and nodded once before turning and stalking out of the room.

“What the fuck, Madison?” Serena rounded on me.  Now I had her mad at me; I couldn’t win.

I held up both my palms to silence her.  “Not now, honey!”  I paused for a moment to think, but nothing came.  “Fuck it, I need a smoke!” I decided, and left in search of one.

Five minutes later, I was outside, smoke in one hand, phone in the other.  I needed Blake.

He answered on the first ring.  “How’s it going over there, baby girl?”

“Well, J’s telling us what we can and can’t do, Serena’s mad at both of us, and I’m hiding outside having a smoke.  What does that tell you?”

“Do you want me to come over?” he asked.

This was why Blake was a superstar in my eyes.  He was busy running his restaurant, but willing to drop everything for me.  “No, don’t do that.  I just needed to hear your voice; it always makes me feel better.”

“Have you decided what you’re going to do?”

I sighed, and blew out a long breath of cigarette smoke.  “I don’t want to go back, but I probably will just so I can make sure Crystal, my friend’s daughter, is okay.”

“Yeah, I get that.  I would do the same thing.”

There was a loud bang inside the house.  “Shit, Blake, I’ve got to go.  I’ll call you later, okay?”  I said, putting my smoke out and getting ready to go and see what that noise was.

“Yeah, babe.  Later,” he said, and hung up.

Heading back inside, I yelled out, “What happened?”

I found them both in the laundry.  Turned out the noise I had heard was the dryer falling off the wall.  “Bloody hell, how did that happen?” I asked.

Serena looked sheepish.  “I may have slammed the dryer door really hard, and as a result, the dryer may have fallen down.”

J was inspecting the wall.  God, I hoped he could fix this because our landlord would not be happy.  He looked up at me.  “I can fix this.  But it’ll mean a trip for all of us to the hardware store.”

Serena rolled her eyes.  “How did I know you were gonna say that,” she muttered.

“Sure, just let me get dressed,” I said, and left them to bicker while I went to find some clothes.

Something told me that this was going to be one long ass day.

Madison

God, the trip to the hardware store was a torturous experience.  Serena constantly took shots at J, who in turn, argued back.  By the end of it, I was ready to stab myself in the eyes and cut my ears off; anything not to have to see or hear either of them.

I was thankful, however, that J managed to pick up all the supplies he would need to fix the mess in our laundry.  He and I argued over the bill.  In the end, he won and paid the bill.  Men!

We were now home, and J was busy being Mr. Handyman, while Serena and I were lounging in front of the television.  I had just filled her in on everything J had told me last night.

“Shit, what are you going to do?” she asked.

“I don’t know,” I sighed.

“Okay, so you want to check on Crystal.  Yes?”  Serena loved helping me solve my dramas.

I nodded.  “Yes.”

“So, you go home for a visit.  You check on your girl, you hang out with your family for a bit, you stay until they sort this Nix mess out.  Then you come back here and live happily ever after,” she smiled, happy with her own advice.

I groaned out of frustration.  “You make it sound so easy when it is as far from easy as anything could be.  This shit with Nix could take a long time.  I might kill my family if I have to stay that long.  And what am I going to do about J?”

“Yeah, biker boy poses a problem,” she mused.

“I love how, after everything I just said, all you heard was the bit about J.”

“Oh no, honey, I heard it all. But the only problem in all of that was him.”

I raised my eyebrows.  “Why?”

She smiled her wicked little smile.  “I’d say that’s pretty obvious.  You’re both still hot for each other so I am worried about where that would lead.”

I buried my face in my hands.  “Shit, I’m screwed aren’t I?” I said, and then looking up, I continued, “I don’t understand my feelings.  He broke my fucking heart and yet, here I am, wanting him all over again.  What is wrong with me?”

“You could just fuck him and get that out of your system,” she suggested.

I considered it for a moment.  She’s right.  I could totally fuck J.  It’s what I did these days anyway; fuck and run.  But would I... could I walk away, and be happy with just a bit of sex?  Fuck it, this was the new me, the stronger me.  The me who didn’t let a guy stomp on my heart anymore.  Of course, I could do it.  I smiled at Serena.  “Thanks, babe.  I might just do that.”

* * *

J finished up in the laundry a few hours later.  I was impressed with his work, as was Serena.  She even appeared to warm to him a little, offering him a drink when he was finished.

“Thanks, sweetheart,” he said, when she made her offer, “And the next time you want to take your anger out on something, I’d suggest you choose a different target.”

She glared at him before stomping off to get his drink.  I rolled my eyes.  “You like pissing her off, don’t you?” I said.

He chuckled, eyes twinkling, “She’s too easy to play with, babe.”

Before we could continue this conversation, his phone rang and he went outside to take the call.  I traipsed into the kitchen in search of Serena.

“I might just throw this at him, instead of giving it to him,” she muttered.

I laughed.  “You do know he’s just playing with you, don’t you?”

“Yeah, well I don’t want to play with him.  He rubs me the wrong way,” she complained.

“Fair enough, honey.  Do you want me to take him his drink?”

“Yes!” she exclaimed, shoving it at me.

I took it from her and headed outside to find him.  He was still on his call when I got to him.  He looked up and caught my gaze.  There was no smile, but there was certainly some heat there.  I watched as his eyes moved, slowly, hungrily, over my body while he continued his conversation.  When they made their way back to mine, I was wet with desire.  My stomach had butterflies and my core was clenching.  I wanted him.  He ended his call, put his phone in his pocket, and walked to where I was.

“That mine?” he asked, nodding at the drink.

“Yes,” I breathed out, handing it to him.  I was bewildered from the way he had undressed me with his eyes, and was having trouble thinking straight.

He drank some of his drink, but kept his eyes on mine the whole time.  I didn’t know where this was heading, but I was beginning to feel completely exposed to him, like he was reading my thoughts and desires.

Needing to put some space between us, I went to leave but he reached out and grabbed my wrist.  “You feel it too, don’t you?” he said, his voice low and hoarse.

I avoided his eyes, and instead focused on my wrist that he was holding.  He let me go and put his finger under my chin, tilting my head up to look at him.  I just wanted to squeeze my eyes shut; I didn’t want to look at him, and I really didn’t want to look inside myself for the answer to his question.