Track 14 – My past, your present…we just  need to understand each other

After Danny left, Jasmine gave up on working.  She took a shower, and crawled into her large bed ready for sleep.  Yet, her eyes remained wide open.  Her thoughts on her relationship with Tyler Anderson.

Tyler had made her smile.  Had made her think she could give up on Danny, and maybe live a happy life.  Tyler cared, he was easy to be around, and had accepted all her flaws.  Since her dream with Danny seemed impossible, she had thought being with Tyler would work.

Jasmine sat up and gave up on sleep.  Arranging her pillows behind her back, she reached for her diary on the bedside table.  Opening it, she touched the silver chain with a ring hanging on the end.  Tyler’s last gift.

The proposal that turned to dust when Anderson rolled into her house and told Tyler he didn’t want trash like Jasmine in their family.  Tyler had not defended her.  Instead, he’d said sorry and simply walked out of her house.

She kept the ring to remind herself not to be fooled again.  Love was easy, but it faded in the face of misconceptions, expectations and perceptions.

Closing her diary, she sighed.

Now there was Danny, insisting he wanted to protect her, cared about her.  Yet, he was neck deep in trouble.  The races might be clean as far as Danny was concerned, but Adrian was a thug.  If he was part of Danny’s life, she didn’t want the reminders of a hurtful love, or the idea that Danny might be involved in crime.

Putting her diary on the bedside table, Jasmine stretched out on her bed, burrowing her face under her pillows.  Min jumped up and settled near her head, purring loudly, trying to offer comfort.

Jasmine closed her eyes and might have fallen asleep.  When she opened her eyes again, it was to the steady sound of pounding.  For a moment, she wondered if her landlord was fixing the fence again.  He liked doing shit like that at odd times.  She’d learned to ignore it, but this sounded way too close.

Sitting up on her bed, she felt panic fill her when she realized the pounding was actually in her house.

Who was thinking of robbing her?

Oh damn it, why was Danny always right?

Jasmine got off the bed, looking around her bedroom for a weapon.  She came up short.  Her cell phone was by her computer in the living room.  She cursed under her breath and hurried to her closet, searching the corners for anything heavy.

Lucky there was a hockey stick from her high school days in the back.  Taking it up, she braced herself and quietly got out of her room.  Better to be sure, and then try to find an escape route.  The banging was deliberate.  Jasmine ran through her list of possessions and wondered what anyone would want her ordinary furniture, and clothes.  She owned no expensive jewelry and was paranoid about cash, so never kept it in her house, it was all in the bank.

Walking the short hallway to the living room, she paused at the end of the wall, breathed in and out for courage and peeped into the hallway leading to the front door.

A hot wave of relief flooded her at the sight of Danny and Jimmy kneeling at her front door with tools around them.  Stepping out in the open in surprise, she gripped the hockey stick at a loss for words.

“Hey Jazz, what’s with the hockey stick?” Jimmy waved at her.

Danny didn’t stop working, holding a power drill to her door.

“What are you doing to my door?” Jasmine asked.  “Who gave you permission to change locks?”

“Jazz, don’t come closer if you don’t want to fight,” Danny warned.  “Will you pass me that screw, Jimmy?”

“Jimmy do not give it to him,” Jasmine moved closer, still holding the hockey stick.

“Danny, she’s armed,” Jimmy said, his gaze on Jasmine.

“I know,” Danny said.  “Jazz, if you hit me with that, I’ll come back to haunt you.”

“You’re a pain the ass,” Jasmine said.

“So are you,” Danny said, taking the screw from Jimmy and getting on with his work.

Jasmine scowled at his back, and propped the hockey stick on the wall.

“Jimmy, you want a drink?  You shouldn’t have to deal with this mess,” Jasmine asked, going into the kitchen.

“Sure,” Jimmy grinned.

“Oh treat him like the saint,” Danny scoffed.  “I’m the one doing all the work.”

“No one asked you to,” Jasmine said, coming over to give Jimmy a bottle of juice.  She ignored Danny, went to take her phone from her desk and returned to her bedroom.

***

“She’s pissed,” Jimmy said, an hour later when they finished changing the lock.

“I know,” Danny said, watching the door lock automatically.  Shaking the keys at Jimmy, he grinned.  “But she’s safe enough.  I can deal with the anger.”

“I don’t envy you,” Jimmy said, turning the lock and opening the door.  “I’m heading home, see you tomorrow dude.”

“Thanks, man,” Danny said, with a short nod, letting the door close.  A satisfied look coming on his face at the sound of the automatic lock engaging.  Placing the keys on the a small table right at the door, Danny picked up the hockey stick leaning on the wall and made his way to Jasmine’s room.

***

To be continued….Thanks for reading ^_^

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