Jade
SUMMER ON LBI was supposed to manifest feelings of paradise…long walks along the shoreline, parties with friends, lying under a seasonally planted King Palm, or basking, not burning, in orange, lemon and tangerine hues. Then real life sets in and snaps you out of your fantasy when you’re slammed in the head with a longboard because some drunk novice thought he owned the surf.
Maybe I needed to get knocked in the head to finally wake up? To make myself realize playing it safe in life wasn’t worth everything I was missing out on…Yet, I was having trouble focusing on me at the moment, because the worst part of my day wasn’t walking away with a minor concussion and the traditional headache that followed. The pain from the blow to my head would be annoying, but I’d live.
Unfortunately, the blow to my privacy every time Blaze decided to inform that man she was sleeping with of her whereabouts, was far more painful. I couldn’t believe her. This woman, who has been my best friend forever, who I thought I knew as well as I knew myself, was now bending over backward for that Neanderthal of a man, Reece Montgomery.
Not only did he make an annoying appearance back at the house earlier today when he undoubtedly knew he wasn’t invited, but he’s here with Damien, causing my head to throb from his constant verbal assaults on my personal life. He doesn’t have to do or say anything. His breathing alone annoyed the shit out of me.
His presence caused me to go into a tailspin, but couple that with the fact that his son was fawning all over me as if I’d had a near-death experience, was completely laughable, especially when he couldn’t care less where I was or what I was doing, when he fucked another girl in our bed.
“Jade, Blaze called and said you were hurt?” His hand framed my face, as his thumb slithered across my skin.
I tilted away from his attention, and silently chastised Blaze for the call.
“Sorry,” Blaze cringed.
“Well, as long as you're okay, that’s all that matters,” Damien said.
“Of course, she’s okay. You must be, especially since that inconsiderate man you're sleeping with isn’t here to support you. You must be perfectly fine, with him missing at a time like this, where he should be here, caring for you.” Reece raised his voice and surveyed the walls, the ceiling, and the room like the stage actor he was.
“Jade has been through enough for one day. Could you please let it lie?” Blaze tried as she might to thwart the encounter and the fight that was about to ensue between Reece and me.
To her dismay, she failed, but I wouldn’t.
“Listen to me, you piece of shit. I asked Tommy to stay behind and make sure if Viv called or came home from her trip early, he could inform her of the mishap out on the water, and let her know I was fine and not to worry. Now, I suggest you back off with your snide and unwanted observations.”
“Dad, let’s go. Blaze is right; Jade’s been through enough today. Your personal remarks aren’t helping.”
“You see, Damien, that’s where you're wrong. You can't read Jade the way I can. You couldn't when you dated her, and that’s precisely why you lost her. I, on the other hand, can read her. She needs our help. She’s involved with a man who’s not in her league. An insignificant matter of infatuation, but one that is standing in the way of your happiness with Jade and vice versa. One I intend to rectify before Jade is hurt any further.”
“Listen, old man, I came here with you to make sure Jade wasn't hurt. Now that we know it’s a concussion and the girls are with her, we need to go,” Damien snarled as he walked away from his father; his impatience and anger grew with each passing minute.
Of course, it didn’t stop Reece from continuing his banter.
“Damien, please tell me where you think you're going? Back to my house? To that waste of time you're bedding down?”
I was sore, and although there was very little left emotionally between Damien and me, it was time to shut Reece up, not in the hopes of protecting his son, but to protect my wavering mental health. I was about to confront him when fate stepped in.
Arguments unleashed themselves, insults were strewn across the ER waiting area in every direction from all parties involved—all except me. No one could hear me; no one would listen. I needed to escape the madness and leave them to their own devices.
The real truth was I wanted to leave to see Tommy. He was all I thought about the entire time I was being poked and prodded. I decided while my menagerie of friends were fighting amongst themselves, I’d get the ball rolling and sign the papers to leave.
As I turned, to my surprise, he was here. Tommy came to rescue me a second time that day, but disappointment very quickly set in when I saw the hurt on his face, as he stared at me and everyone around me. He turned to speak with some guy I’d never seen before, a doctor I think. Both men nodded and exited the other side of the waiting room through doors that led into the main area of the hospital. I was far too weak to go after him on my own, so I enlisted the help of my brother’s friend, who was an innocent bystander watching this shit show along with me.
He directed me toward the doors to leave. On our way out, I finally caught the attention of Blaze and blew her a kiss. She winked and gestured she’d call me tomorrow. With a brief nod, I concurred.
My brother’s old friend quickly whisked me off to my home and made sure I was settled before leaving.
Although, I knew Tommy was back at the hospital, not seeing his car in the driveway when we pulled up had my stomach falling, as an eerie numbness enveloped my body and my mind.
Who was that guy Tommy was with? Was he a friend? Tommy looked heartbroken. Why didn’t he come over? Why did he leave with that guy without a word? Maybe he wasn’t going to rent the house after all.
Getting ahold of my emotions and the questions my mind was forging, felt like an impossible task. I needed answers from Tommy, but he wasn’t there. He had to come home eventually, and if I was still awake, I’d face him then, but until that time came I came to the conclusion that stewing over my thoughts under a hot shower would be far better than sitting and brooding.
My shower went from practical…I was clean, to futile…I was soaked…drowning in thoughts…thoughts of him. That was it, I needed to dry off, throw on some sweats and tell him how I felt, there and then—before I chickened out.
Wait! What if he wasn’t home, yet? This was silly. He had to back by now.
Then again, it was early evening and like me, I’m sure he hadn't eaten. I took a deep breath in, got up my nerve, swiped my keys from the counter, and headed next door. Once down the stairs in the alley, I saw Tommy’s car was back in its normal parking spot. Relief washed over me, as I scaled his stairs quickly and knocked at his door.
I knocked several times, but no answer. His car was there. He had to be home. I then did what any irrational girl on a rational mission would do…I let myself in.
Slowly, I slid the screen shut behind me, careful not to allow it to jam. I called out to Tommy again, but still, there was nothing. Walking in further, I noticed the pictures and sketches Tommy had of his proposed renovations splattered across the massive island Jimmy had made to order years ago. Like second nature, I smoothed my hand over the aged and brittle surface of the driftwood, trying to reconnect with my past.
Remembering a moment Jimmy and I shared, what seemed like a lifetime ago…
“Babygirl, just don’t stand there doing nothing. Help me get the boxes in from the deck before the storm hits.” Jimmy struggled, lifting three boxes at once as he slammed into the screen door, taking it off its tracks and him off his balance.
All I could do was giggle.
“Nice, Jade… Are you going to help me or not?”
I rolled my eyes as I sat down on the floor, picking up his surfing magazines that were released from their cardboard confines as the boxes dropped open during his little mishap.
“I’m helping; I’m helping. You wouldn’t need my help if you just took one box at a time, Jimmy.”
“Unlike you, Jade, I don't have time to chase away the sun while I follow the moon.”
“Huh?”
Frustrated with my confusion, he plopped down to where I was kneeling, dumped the one box he remained holding to the side of him and ran his fingers through his long curly locks.
Grabbing my wrist and pulling me over, next to where he was seated, he wrapped his arms around me, kissed my forehead, and explained his definition of me chasing away the sun while following the moon.
“Jade, I love you more than…surfing.” His broad smile appeared as he tried to keep from laughing.
Shaking my head, I couldn’t keep from laughing either.
Smiling, my thoughts returned to the present…the laughter and voices faded like ghosts into the background. Jimmy was right… that statement—the definition of me never really hit home until this moment.
My eyes welled up and a familiar edginess came over me. I decided after the walk down memory lane, now was probably not a good time for me to talk with Tommy. I was about to leave when I heard a thud in the room above my head. Looking at the ceiling I waited for more.
Nothing.
I turned to go, then hesitated before turning back and heading up the stairs to the room where the noise came from. As I reached the second-floor landing, the hiss of steam became clearer. The sound I heard was more than likely him closing the old hollow door to the bathroom. Another item on the endless list of things neglected since the house was left to be sold.
Jade, stop stalling. Do what you came here to do.
The closer I inched my way to the door, the more apparent my apprehension became; I was at war with my attraction for this man, but I couldn’t turn away. I kept seeing Tommy’s face at the hospital. His hurt, his avoidance of me, probably due to the people around me. None of them were here now. I could do this. I could make this about him and me with no interruptions.
I took a deep breath, entered the bathroom, and softly padded across the cool tile until the shower door with Tommy behind it was close enough to touch. His blurred image barely moved. His arms outstretched against the inner walls as the water fell over his head and down his neck and back…confined in thoughts he hoped would wash away.
The thumping in my ears grew increasingly loud, reminding me, pushing me toward something I never expected to happen…to feel for someone so deeply who I barely knew, yet seemed like I’d known forever. With trembling breaths, I weakly knock on the door’s tin frame, startling the body behind it out of his trance. Multiple jiggling and jumbling occurred inside. A menacing crack echoed as it stiffly opened part way for him to peer out with my fist in mid-knock.
Retreating slightly, Tommy couldn't believe what he was seeing. It was written all over his face.
“Jade, wha-what are you doing here?”
I tried to think of something profound, something that would make sense.
Jade, the truth would be nice. Tell him the truth.
If only I knew the truth—I knew why I was standing here, but with everything I told myself now going out the window, I wasn’t sure how to explain my change of heart. Maybe I just needed to stop this, walk out and lock myself in my home…not answer the door should he follow me. I didn't want this to exist, but I couldn't stop how I felt every time I was near him. He was a magnet and I was the used scrap metal being pulled in—automatically attaching myself to him.
“Jade, is something wrong? Are you sick? Do you need me to call someone?” True to form, he was kind and always willing to help.
He continued speaking, but for some reason, I couldn’t understand what he was saying. The water pounded the walls; my thoughts were racing with questions. Maybe I didn't think this through? Again, did I turn and run and explain later the concussion caused my confusion, or did I do something for me and only for me for once in my damn fucked up life? It wasn’t something to make Viv proud of me, or to keep my parents satisfied, it wasn’t for Blaze or Reece or Kim or even Damien, but for me.
My throat tightened, dried up, and swelled. It was almost impossible to speak. Swallowing was a chore, words to give him seemed unattainable, but then, out of nowhere what gutted me spilled out along with my tears.
“I don't know,” I barely squeaked through a whisper, not looking his way.
“Jade?”
His voice called to me. Swiftly, my eyes looked up as my tears rolled down with my simple world crashing around me. The world where I didn't need nor want a man in my life. Now, three years after Damien, three years after Jimmy’s death, Tommy barely walked into a small part of that world…the beach house my brother called home. Where old memories and new emotions were unleashed. Ones I wanted to deny, ones I didn't want to feel. I could be on my own, an already successful businesswoman enjoying the sandy universe around me without the complication of a relationship. Yet, this man by his presence, his gestures…his unexplainable ability to do nothing, and still draw me to him was making me rethink everything I wanted or thought I wanted.
“I don't know, Tommy. I don't know why. Does there always have to be a fucking reason? A typical answer? Does there? I had to see you…that’s all!” I paused to steady myself, which was virtually impossible. “Shit… that’s not all. I know I’m not making sense… and no, it’s not this damn concussion.” I stopped.
“Hand me that towel next to you.” He directed from behind the blurred door.
Looking around to the left and right of me, I found the large beach towel he was referring to and gave it to him. After a second or two, the water stopped and a bit of fumbling with the door and the towel occurred before he appeared in front of me. His dark locks randomly falling on his face. His chest still covered in droplets of water that trailed down to where the towel settled low on his hips covering the intimate parts of him he modestly kept hidden.
Our bodies close, yet not touching until he touched me. His hands cradled my face, his thumbs skimmed my cheeks, his eyes studying me, pondering and examining me as he tried to read what was inside without asking, without pushing. Holding his questions back, his powerful jawline visibly tightened, making my heart race. Together, our breaths were a measurable force between us, a force present from the beginning whether we recognized it or not, engulfing the room with an energy, a passion that neither one of us could deny.
After what seemed like a long calculated breath, Tommy spoke softly and held out his hand.
“Come with me.”