Becoming a Woman

Chapter 31

Tommy put his gallon water bottle to his lips and released a content breath. Dior sat on the bench beside him, sipping a bottle of water herself. A lot had changed for Tommy within the last four months. In order for him to cope with the loss of his son, Tommy first buried himself in work. He turned to his wife many times but each time he was left in his own corner grieving alone.

Soon after, work wasn't enough to ease his aching heart. He found himself drinking and smoking more but he quickly did away with that when he got written up for coming to work late and disoriented. That was when Dior suggested that he redirected all that pent up energy.

They ended up talking about her needing to lose weight for health reasons and from there, they agreed to be gym partners. So far, Dior went from being 332 pounds to 256 pounds within these months. And Tommy was shaping up quite nice himself.

The two of them had gotten closer than close. Tommy went from avoiding Dior because he knew he was attracted to her; to looking forward to spending every free moment he had with her. Dior had become Tommy's peace.

Tommy had almost forgotten what it felt like to have a woman cater to him and uplift him. Dior went out of her way to make Tommy had home cooked meals throughout the week. She'd cook for him three times throughout the week and take it to work for him to pick it up.

On some nights, when Dior's baby daddy was out running the streets doing him, Tommy would come over and have dinner with her family. Dior's sons were weary of Tommy at first but quickly began to love him when they saw how fond their mother and sister were of him.

For the first time in a long time, Tommy felt like he had a support system—a family even. He'd have bonding moments with Dior's sons, playing catch with them in the yard. And those moments filled Tommy with both joy and sadness. It reminded him of all the moments he'd never get to have with his own son.

Tommy snapped back to reality when Dior exhaled a heavy sigh. She finished off her gallon of water. Tommy saw that her face looked flushed. He knelt in front of her causing her to lean up and move her face back. They had never been so close, and it was making it even harder for her to breathe.

Tommy held Dior's sweaty hand. "You okay? Wanna wrap this up for today?" Tommy asked with concern written across his face.

Dior hesitated. "I don't wanna..." she let out another hard breath. "Mess up your workout."

Tommy wiped Dior's forehead. "I wouldn't be able to finish knowing you don't feel well. What's wrong? Do you feel short of breath?"

Dior nodded her head. "A little. My asthma has been messing with me since we've been working out longer. But I refuse to let that stop me," she informed with determination.

"Your health comes first. Let's call it day," Tommy said, seeing that she was about to protest, he quickly added. "I'm kinda tired anyway."

Dior playfully rolled her eyes. "Yeah okay. You'll say anything to make me feel better."

Tommy paused as he gave it thought. "Nah, I wouldn't say anything. I would never lie to you."

They had a brief stare down. Dior wasn't sure how to respond to that—or if she should at all. The more time they spent together, the harder it was for Dior to keep her feelings for him at bay. And Tommy undeniably had begun to feel the same.

"I—I just meant that I wouldn't... you know, just tell you what you wanna hear," Tommy elaborated.

Dior smiled. "I appreciate you, Tom Tom."

Tommy blushed. "And I appreciate you. More than you'll ever know."

Dior took this opportunity to create some space between them. She did a small stretch then stood up causing Tommy to back up. No matter what she was feeling for Tommy, she refused to give in to her feelings knowing that he still had a wife. Tommy was sure to keep things respectable between him and Dior, no matter the terms he was on with his wife.