dingy referees’ changing room. He smelled of deodorant and pinkness flushed
his cheeks after running around for ninety minutes. Taking my jaw in his left
hand he examined the marks on my face and hissed in sympathy. “I heard,” he
said in explanation. His eyes narrowed and he spoke through gritted teeth.
“Bastard. I hope you called the cops. How did he find out?”
I
wriggled free of his grasp and hoisted my towel. “No, I haven’t called the
cops.” I shook my head. “Aunty Margaret showed up and pleaded his cause. And
no, it wasn’t about us, it was over something else.”
“You’re
kidding!” The words exploded from Teina’s lips; more statement than
exclamation. “What the hell justifies bashing a woman?”
“Just
leave it.” I turned away and headed towards the bedroom, my wet curls sending
icy drips down my spine. I pushed the door closed but Teina followed anyway,
slumping on the bed, his olive fingers standing out against the white
comforter.
“Talk to
the cops,” he insisted and I pursed my lips into a rigid line. “There were
witnesses.”
“No.”
He
exhaled and ran his hands through his black hair, biceps bulging against the
fabric of the short navy sleeves. I tried to dress beneath the damp towel, my
underwear sticking to my skin. As I turned away to fasten my bra, the fluffy
fabric dived south and displayed my nakedness. I fought the urge to stamp and
scream in frustration, hauling the tired bra over my breasts as fast as I
could.
“Stop.”
Teina’s lips grazed my shoulder and he straightened the straps, his fingers
sensuous against my back as he fastened the clasp. His hands warmed the points
of my shoulders and he turned me, nestling my face against his chest.
“Ouch,”
I groaned as the bruise brushed against the hard muscle. He lifted my face with
a finger under my chin and sighed. “No, I’m not calling the cops,” I asserted
and he raised an eyebrow. “I dealt with it; he won’t touch me again.”
“And it
wasn’t because of me?” The question hung between us like a match near a petrol
bomb.
“No.” I
smirked, the action tightening the skin under my eye. “That would be worth both
cheeks.” The wide grin burst the cut in my mouth and wiped the smile from my
face. I hissed and put my hand up to my mouth.
“Is that
the bloody logo backwards?” Teina sounded amazed as he peered at the cut
beneath my eye and I nodded.
“Yeah.
Terry’s secret weapon.”
He
looked away, his eyes narrowed and his mind wrestling with an internal thought
which seemed to eat him from the inside out. “How’d he do it?” He studied the
mark as I kept my fingers pressed against the cut to stem the blood which
pooled its metallic taste in my mouth.
“He has
a ring on his finger but he wears it with the pattern on the inside. Lifetime
club members get them after they’ve played so many games.”
Teina
nodded slowly, his brain working. “Right.” He noticed me staring and snapped
his attention back to me. “You need ice on that.” He snatched my robe off the
back of the bedroom door and wrapped me up, shoving my reluctant body ahead of
him to the kitchen. Delving in the freezer produced a bag of frozen peas which
he split into two separate bags, leaving one and pressing the other to my face.
“Swap them over when that one defrosts,” he ordered, nosing in the fridge. “You
hungry?”
I shook
my head and pulled a face. “No. But help yourself. There’s stuff for sandwiches
or some left over mince. I can make you dinner if you like?”
“Na,
just keep the ice on your face. It’ll bring the swelling down.”
“Ok.” I
admired his neat bum as he bent with his head in the fridge. The tight trousers
accentuated the gentle curves and I closed my painful eye and squinted to get a
better view. Teina glanced back at me and then stood up, reaching for the
frozen peas in my hand and hoisting it higher to cover my eye.
“You’re
gonna have a black eye,” he predicted,
his cheeks after running around for ninety minutes. Taking my jaw in his left
hand he examined the marks on my face and hissed in sympathy. “I heard,” he
said in explanation. His eyes narrowed and he spoke through gritted teeth.
“Bastard. I hope you called the cops. How did he find out?”
I
wriggled free of his grasp and hoisted my towel. “No, I haven’t called the
cops.” I shook my head. “Aunty Margaret showed up and pleaded his cause. And
no, it wasn’t about us, it was over something else.”
“You’re
kidding!” The words exploded from Teina’s lips; more statement than
exclamation. “What the hell justifies bashing a woman?”
“Just
leave it.” I turned away and headed towards the bedroom, my wet curls sending
icy drips down my spine. I pushed the door closed but Teina followed anyway,
slumping on the bed, his olive fingers standing out against the white
comforter.
“Talk to
the cops,” he insisted and I pursed my lips into a rigid line. “There were
witnesses.”
“No.”
He
exhaled and ran his hands through his black hair, biceps bulging against the
fabric of the short navy sleeves. I tried to dress beneath the damp towel, my
underwear sticking to my skin. As I turned away to fasten my bra, the fluffy
fabric dived south and displayed my nakedness. I fought the urge to stamp and
scream in frustration, hauling the tired bra over my breasts as fast as I
could.
“Stop.”
Teina’s lips grazed my shoulder and he straightened the straps, his fingers
sensuous against my back as he fastened the clasp. His hands warmed the points
of my shoulders and he turned me, nestling my face against his chest.
“Ouch,”
I groaned as the bruise brushed against the hard muscle. He lifted my face with
a finger under my chin and sighed. “No, I’m not calling the cops,” I asserted
and he raised an eyebrow. “I dealt with it; he won’t touch me again.”
“And it
wasn’t because of me?” The question hung between us like a match near a petrol
bomb.
“No.” I
smirked, the action tightening the skin under my eye. “That would be worth both
cheeks.” The wide grin burst the cut in my mouth and wiped the smile from my
face. I hissed and put my hand up to my mouth.
“Is that
the bloody logo backwards?” Teina sounded amazed as he peered at the cut
beneath my eye and I nodded.
“Yeah.
Terry’s secret weapon.”
He
looked away, his eyes narrowed and his mind wrestling with an internal thought
which seemed to eat him from the inside out. “How’d he do it?” He studied the
mark as I kept my fingers pressed against the cut to stem the blood which
pooled its metallic taste in my mouth.
“He has
a ring on his finger but he wears it with the pattern on the inside. Lifetime
club members get them after they’ve played so many games.”
Teina
nodded slowly, his brain working. “Right.” He noticed me staring and snapped
his attention back to me. “You need ice on that.” He snatched my robe off the
back of the bedroom door and wrapped me up, shoving my reluctant body ahead of
him to the kitchen. Delving in the freezer produced a bag of frozen peas which
he split into two separate bags, leaving one and pressing the other to my face.
“Swap them over when that one defrosts,” he ordered, nosing in the fridge. “You
hungry?”
I shook
my head and pulled a face. “No. But help yourself. There’s stuff for sandwiches
or some left over mince. I can make you dinner if you like?”
“Na,
just keep the ice on your face. It’ll bring the swelling down.”
“Ok.” I
admired his neat bum as he bent with his head in the fridge. The tight trousers
accentuated the gentle curves and I closed my painful eye and squinted to get a
better view. Teina glanced back at me and then stood up, reaching for the
frozen peas in my hand and hoisting it higher to cover my eye.
“You’re
gonna have a black eye,” he predicted,
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