This is gonna hurt

[Leon Belenos]

It had been a few days since Leon had first met Jalen but now he was about to go on a date with her. They had texted quite a bit in the last little while and had finally agreed to meet at Kali's Kafe. Sure he was probably supposed to feel a little bit nervous at this point but nothing was going to take his confidence today. As he left the dormitory he reached into his olive coloured jacket and pulled out his cigarettes. He lit one up and put the pack back. A content smile was on his face as he started walking. He had dressed up just enough that he looked good but not quite enough that he didn't come off as casual. A plain white t-shirt was worn under a black pinstriped shirt that was hanging opened. He also was wearing his dark blue jeans to finish off the ensemble.

After a few minutes of walking Leon managed to make it to his destination. He stood outside for a few more minutes as he finished his smoke and then headed inside. He walked around the tables carefully, hoping to catch ansight of Jalen. He hated being the first one to a date because that meant he would be the one waiting awkwardly. He made a full round of the building before finding that she was nowhere to be seen. Finally satisfied with his search he picked a table and sat himself down. Almost instantly his hand went into his pocket and he pulled out his cell phone. There wasn't any messages so maybe she was just running late. He sighed and set his phone on the table. Looking up he saw a waitress passing by. "Excuse me! Can I get a cafe mocha please?" he asked politely; not wanting to make it hard on the poor girl, after all she looked like she was new to the job.

His drink arrived and there still wasn't any sign of Jalen. Leon sat for a few minutes and sipped at his drink. He slipped off his jacket and hung it over the back of his chair. Maybe he should text her and see if she remembered. He was reaching for his phone when he heard the door open again. Turning in his chair he saw the girl he had been waiting for. Leon smiled softy and flagged her down by waving; all the while his other hand hadn't left his phone. Once she was close enough to hear him he said cheerfully"Care to join me?" and motioned to the spot next to him.

Before Jalen even had a chance to say anything Leon took his hand off of his phone and got up to pull her chair out for her. "God you look good today." he said with a devilish smile. He always had the tendency to say what was on his mind so it came out naturally. He meant it to. Now he found himself face to face with her and at a loss for words. All because his brain had decided it only wanted to think about how good she looked. Hopefully she would say something soon and break the cycle in his head.

(Jalen & Cody whenever he wants to make an entrance)

[Jalen August]

Jalen and Leon had been texting off and on, sending witty quips and remarks to one another. Secretly, the blonde admired him, happy that there was someone around who could both keep up with her and take her mind off things. Their original idea for a date at Kali’s was settled on, which helped set the mood. The blonde had on her usual rocker gear, skinny jeans with black boots that rose to the calf. A loose fitting purple top was on her torso, a gaudy silver belt around her waist over the shirt. Her hair was down as she stepped into her car to drive downtown, heavy makeup on her eyes. If she would’ve known Leon was walking, she would have driven them to their date. He wasn’t going to be one of those super prideful guys, was he?

Walking into the shop, she spotted her date and smiled, waving back to him and approaching him, nearly walking into one of the waitresses. “Hi Leon, sorry I’m late, I hope I didn’t keep you waiting long, had to get the hair right you know,” she said with a smirk, taking the chair offered to her. He looked absolutely handsome, and was earning brownie points already. “Thank you, apparently I’m not the only one who got dressed up today,” Jalen said with a grin, her hands on the table before her.

He was staring at her now, and she blushed a little. Jalen liked to act like she was tough, but really she was a closet romantic. “What did you order?” She asked, looking at his drink. “It looks good,” she said, glancing back at him, a small smile on her face. He wasn’t the only one who was thinking about good looks. Their waitress came by, the same girl the blonde almost ran over upon seeing Leon. The other girl asked if she could get Jalen anything and she replied happily, “Whatever he’s having. And I’m sorry about almost tripping you before, I was a little,” she stole a glance at her date, “sidetracked.”

[Leon Belenos]

Leaning back in his chair once Jalen had sat down Leon smiled at her. "Don't worry about being late, I was nearly late too, I felt like walking so I could have a smoke and that almost cost me." He said with a smile. Nodding at her he smiled a little wider when she pointed out that he had also dressed up. "Of course I did, what kind of date would this be if I didn't try?" He asked her plainly. Already the banter was starting and his mind had come back as soon as she had spoken. Thankfully he was already used to handling himself in situations like this, every now and then he needed a push though.

He was almost ashamed to tell her what he was drinking, after all a cafe mocha wasn't exactly the epitome of being a man. Leon chuckled for a second and said "Cafe mocha... little secret about me is that I like all of those girly drinks. Don't be to ashamed to be on a date with me now." He said with a laugh. As soon as he heard her talk to the waitress he had the feeling he knew exactly what she had been distracted by, but that wasn't about to stop him from asking her to tell him. "So tell me Jalen... what exactly distracted you so much before?" He asked with a devious smile, she would be able to tell he was just playing based off of the look he was giving her.

After she had replied to his question Leon looked from his drink up to her eyes; they were deep and dark much like his own. "You know, I was half worried for a minute or two that you had forgotten all about today... you came right before I sent off a text. So what have you spent your time on today?" He asked curiously as he took a sip from his steaming drink. It wouldn't have been any good if he didn't have anything to say, after all this was only the first date, he wouldn't be coming on that strongly yet. He liked her a lot already, and that was based just off of her personality. Maybe this would be one that would last.

The waitress arrived with Jalen's drink and Leon took it from her hand and placed it in front of Jalen so she wouldn't have to stretch across the table. "Thank you, we might be here for awhile so don't worry about us to much alright?" He said with a soft smile and a wink as he glanced over at Jalen. He sipped from his drink and waited to see what Jalen would have to say to him. It was strange but he was already completely intoxicated when he was with her. It was almost like his last relationship, only better. Jalen hadn't been lying since the start. He had started the conversation rolling already, now only to see where it would go from here. Today was going to be a great day if it kept going like this.

[Jalen August]

“You walked?” Jalen asked, pushing her hair out of her face. “You should’ve told me, I could’ve given you a lift here,” she added, furrowing her eyebrows. Why didn’t boys ever think ahead? She smiled again though and her eyes brightened. “I’m glad you’re trying, otherwise this whole thing would be pretty one sided,” she said with a small laugh. She looked at his drink again, shrugging. “It looks delicious, I wouldn’t really consider it girly,” she said, glancing back at him, “and you don’t look the least bit girly, aside from your long hair and what not.” A broad smile crossed her face, her teeth showing just a little bit. She was having fun already.

Once their waitress had left, the blonde caught his eyes on her. “Seriously, I am not indulging that question,” she said, an equal amount of play in her eyes. He would have to do better than that, hell, she sort of expected that he would by now. “How did you find that English essay? I had been meaning to ask before, but I had to quickly write it last night since it was due today and all,” she said, making small talk. A few text messages between them and she had found out a bit about Leon. Like how they had English together. Jalen had offered to help him with the essay, but he didn’t need it. Some people just understood the makings of a good piece of writing.

Jalen frowned, “I wouldn’t forget about you Leon,” she said it seriously, but her lips quickly picked up into a smile. She was being flirtatious and nothing more. “I’ve mostly been writing today, was in the groove,” she said, leaving the subject matter a secret. Her heart was still getting over Cody, and that gave her muse an intense spike that she wasn’t going to let go to waste. Maybe the relationship had ended, but it didn’t have to be all bad. Besides, Leon was the perfect medicine to take in trying to forget a perfect man. “What about you? What were you doing before this?” Dating, it was nice.

Watching her drink be placed in front of her, the blonde became a little overzealous and took a sip when it was way too hot. “Ow ow ow...” she said, setting the mug down forcefully. “Oh my God that’s hot!” She said, laughing as her eyes started to tear up. As was stated earlier, she was great with first impressions, second ones, not so much. Waving her hand in front of her redden face, Jalen looked across the table at the boy and laughed again. “Okay, we’re forgetting that ever happened,” she said, trying to regain her composure. Jay sighed, letting her arms fall beside her.

“So,” she said, leaning forward on the table, “tell me something about yourself, the first thing that pops into your mind. Go.”

[Leon Belenos]

Well if she wouldn’t indulge him this time maybe he would just let her get away with avoiding the topic all together. “The essay was a breeze, I think it took me maybe half an hour from start to finish. By the way nice job avoiding my question there, it’s okay I already know the real reason.”Leon said with a smug smirk. Very obviously Jalen had been distracted by him, and that wasn’t a problem by any means. There wasn’t a lot to be said about it, he was pretty sure if their roles had been reversed he would have been the one nearly taking the waitress to the floor.

Jalen hadn’t been the only one who had been writing recently. Leon’s journal had slowly started filling up with more of his scribbles. “That’s great though! I’ve been doing some in my journal lately too, it’s been awhile since I’ve been this inspired...” he trailed off as he looked at Jalen, then he continued “Anyways, before this I was doing a little bit of work on my car, she’s one I need to fix up but she runs good, next up is the body.”He said with a smirk. He had a 1969 Dodge Charger that he was working on in between class and everything else he had on his plate. Another toy his parents had bought him, although it wasn’t in the best shape, they got a good deal on it.

Holding back his laughter had never been something Leon was any good at, so naturally when she managed to burn herself on the drink he let loose. “Hate to say it Jalen, but that ones going to be in my mental scrapbook for a long time to come. I have a great memory when it comes to stuff like that.” He said with a wide grin. Burning himself wasn’t something he managed to do very often anymore simply because of his naturally high body temperature. With a smirk he slowly slid the cup from between her hands and blew on it gently to cool it off for her. Passing it back with a smirk he said “Try that out, it might be a bit better although I’m not sure how much I helped.”

Now she was asking him to tell her something about himself that was the first thing he thought of. Leon paused for a moment beore looking up into her eyes and brushing the hair out of his face. “Well honestly, I’m a bit of a kleptomanic...I don’t ever purposely try to steal anything, but nine days out of ten I manage to find something that isn’t mine in my pocket at the end of the day.”He said with an embarassed smile. It would be nice if he at least had a little bit of control over it he might not be as sheepish about it.

Looking across the table again Leon said gently “You’re turn. First thing about yourself that comes to mind.” He was honestly excited to see what Jalen had to tell him about herself that he hadn’t learned yet. Today was a good day for a first date, and he only expected it would get better from here. Depending on the answer she gave he might try to move a little bit closer to her, but that was all dependent on what came next.

[Jalen August]

The smug look didn’t go unnoticed for Jalen, but she didn’t comment on it either. Leon obviously knew what was going on with her, and what she was thinking about - him, and she didn’t need to say anything – his ego was big enough to fill the restaurant. Her dark eyes glanced at his through the veil of her eyelashes, a small smug grin of her own on her face, but he continued speaking before she could comment. Maybe her ego didn’t need to be inflated either.

“What kind of car do you have?” she asked, not that she would have any idea what he was talking about, but that didn’t mean she wasn’t interested. Jalen grinned as he told the truth about not being able to let her fumbling go. “Fine,” she said reluctantly with a sigh, “but I’ll remember that the next time you make a jackass out of yourself. Just don’t write about it, okay?” She was smiling sweetly still, which meant she really wasn’t mad at him. If she was, he would know without a doubt.

Watching with interest as Leon tried to cool the drink down for her, her eyes lingered over his lips a bit longer than necessary. Jay caught the cup back from the boy, attempting at another sip, squinting her eyes in preparation for another blast of scalding hot liquid. This time she could actually taste it, and she smiled. “This is delicious,” she said, and proved it by taking another sip. She wasn’t sure why the drink had cooled down so much, maybe it had something to do with Leon’s powers, but she didn’t want to assume, and she really didn’t care. The drink was damn good and that’s all that mattered.

The blonde’s face turned to shock as Leon told her this piece of information. She leaned over the table a bit, getting closer to him, intrigued. “A klepto and a pyro? That sounds like a dangerous combination,” she said with a chuckle, her eyes dancing with mirth. She hadn’t expected him to be so straightforward, but she definitely appreciated it. “Ever get anything good?” She asked another question, without really realizing it was her turn in this game.

She put a thoughtful finger to her lips, and while this wasn’t something she normally did (not the thoughtful finger-to-lip), it was the first thing that came to mind. Without another word, Jalen let her drink sit on the table, her long elegant fingers reaching up to her scalp to pull hair up into a makeshift ponytail. She shifted in her seat a bit, showing off the bit of mangled flesh on the back of her neck. It wasn’t exposed for long, but long enough for Leon to see the earthworm like scar running from behind her right ear and into the back of her shirt, touching the top of her spine. Blonde hair fell over the pink creature and Jay's eyes were a little bit more serious.

“That’s something I’ve had ever since my powers started to appear,” she said, looking down at her cup. Jay wasn’t one for lying, it was the first thing that came to her mind, and the last thing she wanted people to see. Her personality and vibe from Leon told her it would be alright to show him; she trusted he wouldn’t run away. “Every time I overextend my powers, or get really angry, it flares up and sometimes opens up again, it’s totally gross,” she said, forcing laughter from her lips. Humour was something she often used to get out of serious situations.

“Wow, didn’t think I would be sharing that with you on our first date,” she said, trying to move past the topic. It wasn’t his fault she decided to show him something personal that maybe she was regretting now. What if he shied away?

[Leon Belenos]

Smiling proudly as he started speaking Leon said "I've got a 69 Charger... one of those totally bad ass rides if you do it up right. However I'm not quite there yet." He was a proud boy, and when he got to share about the work he did he would take the opportunity. It was often enough that he made an ass of himself so he was pretty sure the score between the two of them would be even very shortly. He looked back at her with a smile. "Don't worry, it seems like what goes around comes around. And it just so happens it's usually me who gets hit by the shit storm." He highly doubted it would happen today, but perhaps within the next few dates with her.

"It also happens to be my favorite, the perfect amount of chocolate in coffee." Leon said calmly; leaning back farther in his chair as he spoke. He started drinking from his own, only to get his whole upper lip covered in whipped cream from the cafe mocha. Sighing he quickly wiped it clean again. "So uh... what was that you were telling me about this not being a girly drink... cause I'm pretty sure I just proved you wrong." He said with a chuckle. Already he had managed to make himself look like an idiot, and it hadn't even taken a few dates. As he had said earlier, what goes around comes around.

Leon found himself becoming fairly red as he tried to think of the best thing he had ever stolen. There had been a few instances where he had gotten pieces of jewellery, or an iPod or something flashy like that but he wasn't sure if he wanted to share that much. Then his mind kicked into high gear. "Well I did already manage to steal a date with you, but you were kind of willing, the next best thing I've stolen would have to be a diamond necklace... I don't even know where it's from but I still have it." he said with a smirk. He wouldn't stop his flirting anytime soon unless something forced him.

Watching Jalen with his full attention he saw her reveal a huge scar on the back of her neck. His eyes widened as he saw just how big the scar was. "Holy crap... that's pretty freaking badass... I think it's actually pretty cool... it adds to who you are." He said with a smile. He had to admit that maybe she was as badass as she had first claimed to be, not that he would ever admit that to her. "I can't say I have any scars or anything like that, but I'm sure it's a reminder to you of what you've been through... that's part of why I keep a journal." He said lightly.

Then she started to push away from the subject, it was probably personal for her, but Leon didn't want her to feel uncomfortable about it. Leon quickly got up and moved around the table. He put his arm on her shoulder and traced his fingers up her neck; gently feeling the scar and tracing on her neck. He leaned close and took her hand with his free one "Jay, I know you might think differently but that scar makes you all the more beautiful. It's part of you, and I like it just as much as I like the rest of you." He certainly wasn't lying, and he was sure that his voice conveyed it. Sometimes the words he used were more than him trying to be charming.

[Cody Branson]

This wasn’t the first time in Kali’s, nor would it be the last. The cowboy had come here before he had met Jalen, flirted with the owner of the Kafé, and had walked back out with a smile. Today, right now, he was driving in his beat-up pickup, cowboy hat strangely absent for once, dressed in jeans and boots and a clean white shirt, heading towards the Kafé. One hand monitored the steering wheel while the other rested on his thigh, but from between his fingers poked out the color of Jalen’s iPod. She had left it at his house.

He wanted to give it back, but he was almost scared to face her again.

He pulled up into the parking lot of the café and got out, walking inside with the intent of buying coffee and maybe trying one of those mouthwatering cookies. He smiled at the woman there and ordered his regular, turning out to look out over the crowd while he waited. Everything was normal…until he spotted a familiar head of blonde curls, sitting next to a guy who had his arm around her, his free hand touching the scar on the back of her neck.

His hand curled in a fist as his vision went black.

He shouldn’t be feeling this way, like her hand was wrapped around his heart so tight that it would burst. She had broken up with him, remember? She had every right to be with whoever she wanted to be with…but it still hurt. He felt the tears coming to his eyes, felt the rock crushing his chest as he watched the two, and he knew that the best thing in his life had walked away from him…again. He looked away when the woman set his coffee down, and he took a sip before pushing off the counter and walking to her.

Once there, he set the iPod down on the table in front of her, letting her see part of him as he stood there, in perfect view of the boy she sat next to. “Long time no see, Jalen,” he said in a conversational tone, his eyes bleak and dulled to blue-grey. His body language told them that he was here merely to talk, not to break up their date. “How’s…how’s school going?”

[Jalen August]

As soon as Leon admitted to actually liking her scar, a reaction she had never received before, Jalen could feel a huge weight lift off her shoulders. She had never been accepted so fully before, and the boy seemed to understand where she was coming from perfectly. The blonde could be quite a physical person, so when he sat beside her instead of across from her, she didn’t mind, although she did shiver from his touching her scar. It was very sensitive, and she reached her hand behind her neck to brush the scar and relieve the goosebumps, but she brushed his hand instead, causing more shivers to course through her body.

Then he was holding her other hand and she was mesmerized. She couldn’t read minds, but she could tell he was being sincere, and not just flattering her for the sake of getting her into bed with him. And she might have leaned in to kiss him at that point, but it simply wasn’t meant to be.

Her iPod in its black case was suddenly on the table, and her dark eyes grew wide as her head shot up to meet a familiar pair of sad blue eyes, practically throwing away Leon’s hand. “Cody?” She said, frozen, unsure of what to do. To say the situation was awkward would just be pointing out the obvious, but how to react was a totally different story. She was on a date with a really awesome guy, and now her ex, whom she still loved, was standing before them. And he was totally ignoring Leon, and judging by the look on his face, he wasn’t happy with what he saw. Otherwise he wouldn’t have approached.

Cody was every bit as handsome as he had been a couple months ago, when she knowingly broke his heart and unknowingly shattered her own. Jalen glanced from the blonde to Leon, her face turning redder by the second, both for the obvious reason, and the fact she wasn’t over Cody. Seeing him had only reaffirmed that. “Uh... School...” She said, the silver tongued female suddenly had a mouth full of lead. “This is Leon, my...” For once, Jalen decided not to speak, looking at the brunette, totally stuck.

[Leon Belenos]

Leon couldn’t help but be just as intoxicated by Jalen as she seemed to be with him. Her skin was soft and smooth, and his touch was matching that perfectly. She trembled under his touch and he smiled softly. He truly was enjoying himself, and nothing would be able to ruin this moment for him. “You know I’m really fond of you right?” He said softly into her ear; his voice was barely even a whisper. He knew she would hear him though, after all she was a sonic manipulator. He looked at her intently waiting for a response, and then he saw it.

It wasn’t what Leon had expected but he could see the look that Jalen was giving him; he knew that it meant she wanted to kiss him. He started to lean closer to her but was very shortly stopped in his tracks when he heard a soft thud on the table beside them. In the next seconds he very quickly found himself no longer holding her hand, but his other hand was still on her shoulder. Who the hell was this Cody guy? Couldn’t he tell that they were on a date and it would have been great not to have been interrupted? Ah well, if he was a friend of Jalen’s Leon would be able to tolerate his intrusion for a little while at least.

Listening to the words exchanged between the two of them Leon could tell there was a lot of tension. Perhaps he’d be able to ease it a little bit. He waited for a chance to speak and as soon as Jalen got a little bit lost for words he stood up and extended his hand to Cody with a grin. “Good friend. We’ve just met a week ago, but it’s a pretty good friendship already; all because she has the same great taste in music as me.” Leon said, being quite warm and welcoming to Cody. He was still wishing they might have been interrupted maybe a few moments later, but he was sure he’d get a second chance.

Looking at the cowboy like character Leon couldn’t help but notice just how large he was. He definitely belonged in a western; the only thing he was missing was the hat. The guy could probably kick some major ass if he ever got into a scrap; even so he couldn’t help but wonder if he’d be able to win against Cody. Not that he would get the chance to try; he was after all a friend of Jalen. “So...Cody is it? What brings you here today?” He asked with a grin; doing his best to behave himself, no matter how much Cody had managed to irk him with his presence. If he set Leon up in any way he probably wouldn’t be able to resist using his razor sharp tongue.

[Cody Branson]

To say that she was surprised to see him was an understatement of the statement. He just stood there, watching her as she stood fast, almost like a horse out of the starting gate in a race, and fumbled for her words, when normally she had words to spare. He knew she wanted to say “boyfriend”, and there was a time when that word had been associated with him, but no longer was the case, and he carried the broken pieces of his heart around, everything reminding him of her.

Then the other boy had the nerve to put himself between Cody and Jalen and Cody’s vision went a bit red. “Jalen’s taste in music has always been less than spectacular,” Cody reluctantly agreed, grasping the offered hand and shaking gently. He didn’t squeeze to prove his manhood; he already knew he was the better of the two. He smelled smoke on the man’s clothes, which made his own nose tingle unpleasantly. “I’m Cody, Jalen’s previous boyfriend.” The words were said in a rough voice, showing the other man how much their relationship had affected him.

He still loved the blonde.

“I thought to get some coffee. Kali makes the best I’ve ever tasted…besides Jay’s, of course,” Cody answered with familiarity. “You should ask her to cook for you, she’s got a gift.” He looked away from the other boy towards those eyes that held his heart. “I was thinking of bringing your iPod back to the dorm today, but just my luck, you were here. It saved me a trip. Enjoy your date, Jalen, and I hope you’re happy.” The last word was said with choked pain as he took his coffee and brushed past the other boy, heading towards the door.

[Jalen August]

Honestly, Jalen couldn’t have been more relieved when Leon decided to take his arm off from her, but her eyes grew even wider as he happily introduced himself to Cody. The blonde kept her eyes on the two boys, very tempted to use her powers to whisper in Leon’s ear from where she sat, which would sound something like shut up, shut up, shut up but she was too stunned to do it, only think it. Her eyes bounced between the two, unsure of what Cody would say or do, after all, he had almost witnessed them kissing. Now she only wanted to sink into the furniture.

Then Cody was not only insulting Leon, but her. She wanted to burst into tears but her hard shell was starting to work its way around her heart again, trying not to feel for Cody. And then the blonde male decided it would be a wonderful idea to introduce himself as her last boyfriend, as if this wasn’t awkward enough. Obviously, he had come over here to make a point, what that was, she wasn’t sure yet. Maybe he just wanted to humiliate her. If that was his way of getting over her, he hadn’t been the man she thought he was.

Her dark eyes settled to a small hoop on a chain around his neck – the promise ring he had picked out just for her. The very ring which caused their breakup. She looked up to catch his eye, pained - he still loved her too. Jay listened to every word he had to say, the first she had heard from him in a long time. She had ignored all of his calls, though her heart yearned for him. For him and those nights under the stars, with the horses she once feared and now loved. Now it was only he she feared. He spoke of her cooking, her coffee, her iPod... “Maybe you should have kept it,” she mumbled, her eyes filling with tears finally, her scar flaring and causing an instant headache. Oh wait, he wouldn’t keep it, not with its ‘less than spectacular’ selection.

She had been happy, happy until he showed up. And then it suddenly hit her that she was with the wrong guy. Not that Leon wasn’t attractive and hilarious, he just wasn’t... Cody. The blonde watched him start to leave, and she instinctively touched Leon’s arm, biting into her bottom lip until it bled to keep from sobbing. At least the two had kept things civil.

[Leon Belenos]

A limp handshake; it must be a lot like other parts of the cowboy judging by the way he carried himself. Needless to say Leon could already tell that the other boy was probably a bit of a pussy. Then the words were spoken and he understood exactly why Cody was acting this way. Now he would be playing with fire for the next little while; thankfully he was used to it. A broken heart was a good enough reason to mope around, but that didn't mean you had to act like a complete douche to people you just met. Even if they are with your ex. However if the situation was reversed Cody would probably be laying on the floor bleeding right about now.

Having half a mind to kick his ass right now Leon had to fight to keep the grin on his face and remain civil. Now He could hear the hurt in Jalen's voice. "God... he has the amount of arrogance that a god would have if they were on earth." he thought to himself angrily as he listened to everything unfold. He looked fiercely into Cody's eyes; his own were ablaze, it was a miracle he hadn't started a fire yet he was so angry. The only thing stopping him was Jalen, and the fact that they were in public. If he could just reach across the table and smash Cody's face into it he would be happy to do so.

Now Cody was walking away and Leon felt a gentle touch on his arm. Jalen was near tears, and he wasn't going to let her be treated like that. He took a few steps away from the table and closer to the other boy and called out to him. "Hey Thunder! You know, I can see why you're her ex. You come in here and just start insulting everything about her. Where's your damn respect? She doesn't deserve to be treated like that, and you know what? You can come at me if you want, but you had better apologize to her. I swear that if you don't I will be coming after you for that apology. I don't really care if you swing a hammer at my face, I'm waiting right here." He was mad as hell at this point and honestly wasn't about to let Cody leave before he made things right.

Leon waited patiently just to see if the farm boy would have enough of a sack to turn around and acknowledge what he had done. He was fully expecting to be decked but at this point he would take it. Someone needed to be the bigger man. However he would fight back after the first punch had been thrown, regardless of how much it hurt.

[Cody Branson]

It was like that moment in one of those old western movies, where the hero was walking away from the bad guy and the bad guy had to say the wrong thing, which earned him a punch to the face and the bar or tavern into a feeding frenzy of pain, blood, and a whole lot of punching and kicking.

This was one of those moments.

Cody stopped when Leon called out to him, his body tense under the white shirt he wore. His fists curled at his sides as he tried to block out the hurtful words Leon said, but the sound of Jay’s muffled sobs reached him, and before anyone could move, Cody had the other boy pinned to the wall, his feet dangling inches from the floor, blue eyes darkened to the color of sapphire fire as he gazed up at the other boy. Muscles rippled in his arms and back and shoulders, muscles that had grown larger and stronger since the last time Jay had seen him, and the dark ink of a tribal bicep tattoo peeked out from under his sleeve on his left arm. Leon weighed like nothing compared to his six-three height and massive musculature.

“I would never insult Jalen,” he whispered fiercely, anger in every word. Now, Cody was a laidback kind of guy, but now it seemed his temper got the best of him. “She is the best thing that has ever happened to me. I respect her like a queen, like I am not worthy of the words she speaks to me or the way her eyes look at me, and I’m not worthy of all that after scaring her away.” His fist tightened in Leon’s shirt, raising the boy a couple more inches. “She deserves a lot better than a man who fell in love with her and scared her away because he wanted her in his life more than he wanted air to breathe or water to drink. So do not dare say that I have no respect for her, you twisted little punk. You’re itching for a fight, I can see it, but I’m going to be the better man and not hit you, because it would only scare Jalen further, and I made a promise never to do that again.”

He dropped Leon gracelessly, caring less about the boy as he turned to watch the tears fall on Jay’s cheeks. Guilt replaced the anger and he walked cautiously to her, lifting a hand to rub the tears away. “I am sorry for making you cry, Jay,” he murmured sweetly, wanting to crush her to his chest like all those times before. “I meant not to insult you, but to show the best parts of you to a man who could give you what I could not.” Daring for a moment, Cody leaned in and kissed her forehead. “I pray that you are happy in whatever you do, even if it does not include me.”

His hand fell away and he turned away from the woman he loved, walking once more to the door, braced for anything Leon had to say or do.

[Jalen August]

Jalen hadn’t touched Leon’s arm to egg him on, it wasn’t a fight she wanted. She was so tired of fighting, mostly with herself, but with Cody too. She had to fight against his desire to be with her again, to make things right. She didn’t see how that could be done. When the brunette left her side, she tried to catch his arm and hold it firmly, but her mind was swirly, and she missed him by just a few inches. ”Don’t do this” She whispered to her newfound friend. She hadn’t been right in saying Leon was dangerous.

She appreciated Leon’s sticking up for her, and might have had a smug grin on her face on any other occasion, but not this time. He really was a ball of fire. Some of the things he said weren’t true, and she glanced desperately between the two boys, who were only looking at each other at this point. She felt like she did deserve this somehow, for leaving him, the best part of her life. Jay wiped at the onslaught of tears, trying to make her vision clear so she could stop something serious from happen should it come to that. Her body froze as she stood, scar burning in the back of her neck. “Leon, lay off,” she said finally. There, she had stuck up for Cody. That, and she didn’t want a fight, and it seemed that the brunette might have been looking for one.

One look at her lover’s hands and face and she knew what was about to happen. Time seemed to freeze for a few moments, and then it all happened in a rush. It was like fire meeting ice, and Jalen’s jaw dropped as Cody pinned Leon up against the wall. If she wasn’t afraid of him before, she was definitely afraid now. He had changed so much in the past few months. A tattoo? Really? She rushed to the two boys, hearing everything that was said precisely. Cody wasn’t trying to insult her, huh? Certainly didn’t seem that way, but still, she believed him. She believed him with her whole heart.

And it was breaking with every word he spoke, and she placed both hands on one of his arms, feeling absolutely tiny next to him. “That’s enough,” she whispered, his words echoing into the depths of her soul. What had she done to him? To him she was: a queen, respectable, worthy, deserving, and the air he breathed. He had managed to capture her heart once more, and she had this unbearable pain deep within that kept festering and growing larger. The tears finally fell, more out of love thwarted and what she had done, than the potential battle that could ensue. He finally let Leon fall after the thorough speech which moved her beyond what words cold express. He took her breath away, always had and always would. She was a writer, and she was honoured that he had remembered that words, meant the most to her.

Stunned by his actions and words, she fell in love with him all over again, and it hurt. Jalen lifted a shaky hand to the larger one around her face, allowing him the grace of understanding. She understood completely, but deep down inside, she knew he was the only man for her. Her forehead tingled from his touch and many more tears fell, before watching him leave this time. Oh God, it hurt so much, how could she have done this to him? “I need you...” She whispered to his retreating figure, wiping at her eyes again.

She turned away too, going to Leon, who she felt bad for ignoring. Cody was leaving, and she felt like there was nothing she could do to fix what she had done. She was also the reason the brunette was on the floor, and she couldn’t just leave him in the state he was in. “Sorry,” she started off by saying, not sure if what Cody had done had made Leon more angry or not, “are you alright?” The girl was obviously distraught, but she was trying with everything she had to let Cody walk away, and the only way to do that, was to distract herself.