Intervals, Part 3

The renovations for the hotel proceed, Kate still insisting on calling Nick regularly to give him updates. He still insists on ignoring them and telling her to do whatever she wants. He and Tommy continue to act like sex fiends, continuing to fuck as often and wherever they can fit each other in. They see a little less of Bailey; she manages to come see them a few times, but she's busy at work, and dating her new girlfriend, Sarah the Brain Doctor, as they jokingly call her. Nick knows that's a situation that will need to resolve itself someday, but he and Tommy agree to let it go at its own speed. Still, they both miss her, and she regularly texts them both just to chat. The staff at their hotel has gotten used to them, and Tommy notices they're now treating them the way she's seen Nick treated before, as respected guests. She learns to throw money around the same way Nick does, and without them ever discussing it, one morning she wakes up to find credit and bank cards in her name; she makes the mistake of checking her balance and almost chokes when she sees it comes up with six figures. That morning, they have their first fight, if it can be called that. She tells Nick he doesn't need to buy her; he tells her as far as he can tell, she's bought him by being the cutest and most loving woman he's ever met. She points out she's a guy in girl's clothes; he points out he's a mass murderer, and that he doesn't care what's in her pants. They finally agree that Nick is going to dump money on her because he doesn't care about money, and she's going to continue making love to him any time they can find the time. Then they end up fucking, and the argument's over.

Tommy has been watching Nick closely for almost three months now; she's figured out that the therapists he talks about are probably more right than he knows about his having PTSD. He's always patient and kind with her, never pushing her, and he treats Bailey the same way. But other people, strangers, he has serious trouble interacting with beyond his odd rich-guy manner. He scares people; those who can see past his scars still pick up on the way he looks at them, as if he's deciding what the best way to kill them is. She catches him scanning, as Kate calls it, often when he's sitting still without anything to distract him. She also finds out about his nightmares, and slowly he begins to open up to her about other things he's never told anyone. There's still things he's hiding from her, but she feels like those are things she doesn't need to know to be in love with him.

And it is love, of that, she's sure. She's never felt safe and loved before, never felt whole and complete like she does with him. Tommy even stops feeling self-conscious about being fully naked around him, and one glorious morning they end up spending the whole day alternating between the bed and the shower, and she feels so pretty and so feminine there's a surreal moment when she is curled up with him, half-asleep, the taste of him on her lips, her sleepy mind actually forgetting for a few seconds that she isn't what she always refers to as "a real girl."

They go out more and more, seeing the sights around the city, taking in concerts and festivals and movies and galleries. They discover more mutual interests, and explore other things either or both haven't tried before. The one fly in the ointment is missing Bailey, but there's really nothing they can do about that. There aren't a lot of other people to hang out with; neither of them are native to the city, so they don't really have any friends. They talk about maybe seeking out some other lifestyle couples to hang out with, but neither is really feeling the need to be social and they end up just buying a Playstation instead. Tommy gets the biggest kick out of beating Nick at shooter games.

It's a lazy Thursday evening and they're both in their usual half-naked fuck-blissed state, laying together on the couch, which has seen things no other sofa has ever known. When the phone rings, Nick groans, and reaches over, almost dropping the handset when he picks it up. Tommy pauses the game; Nick clears his throat and says "Hello."