Tandy exited the bathroom and entered the room after making sure that Kevin was not inside. Very sneakily, Tandy dumped all the shopping bags inside the room onto the bed, hoping that there was something extra-sexy to wear amongst the pile.

Finally, Tandy settled on two black panties but she just couldn’t decide which to wear without first admitting to herself why she was taking her time to choose so carefully.

It was easier to stomach the thought of seeing Tyrone when Tandy convinced herself that she was just trying to look as beautiful as any other day, but choosing panties made her confront the idea that she was hoping for just a bit more than an ‘innocent’ interaction between old lovers.

“Tyrone doesn’t like strings… he is more of a Hipster kind of guy… but last night Jessica wore a thong under the negligee so… maybe he has changed his tastes a bit… so I need Brazilian Laced Panty just to be safe…”

Finished with her careful selection of underwear, Tandy moved on to bras and then shoes and then hairpins and then earrings and then necklace, and then she removed everything and started again.

Ultimately, she chose to wear plain panties and everything else was a basic black color – a black T-shirt, black skinny jeans, black hairpin, and black sketchers.

“Are you dressing for something in particular?” Kevin asked, startling Tandy as he stood by the door.

“How long have you been there?”

Kevin shrugged “Just now… why?”

“Then I am not dressing for anything in particular… we forgot to visit that restaurant yesterday and I want to wear my favorite color when I see my favorite flowers.” Tandy created a plausible excuse with little effort.

“We’re late again…” Kevin pointed out a bit helpless at a woman’s preparation time.

Tandy shrugged “I don’t mind being fashionably late today… you don’t have to come if you don’t want to… I plan to donate more funds to the Outreach Center. The funds might take a couple more days to go through so we might have to stay a couple of days longer…”

“Fine with me…” Kevin replied, closing the door and walking into the kitchen to wait.

-------------------------

Couple Hours Later at Farewell Ceremony

Tandy and Kevin arrived at the party in a car he bought the previous day. Tandy wasn’t sure why Kevin felt the need to waste half a million on a new car when a cab was fine, but she gave up trying to understand his thought processes a long time ago.

“I don’t mind being flashy but it’s such a waste,” Tandy murmured, exiting the vehicle.

Kevin sighed in defeat and admitted “That Timmy kid wants me to show him a better car than the one he will bring… I just brought it to shut him up… Besides, I wanna show off to my soon-to-be wife and he also said something about needing my help to teach that ‘black-kid’ a lesson.”

“Hahahahhahaha…” Tandy burst out laughing at the ‘lesson’ part “I wouldn’t help him if I were you.”

“Why?” Kevin asked upset “You don’t believe I can beat a street kid with my black belt in Karate and my training in Krav Maga?”

Tandy sighed and rubbed Kevin’s shoulders in mock sympathy “Martial Arts are like mathematics in school… you just don’t use that shit in real life… computers do the work like bodyguards do the work… that ‘black-kid’ you’re talking about would beat Timmy’s ass, beat your ass, and then he would beat your ass again just because you’re standing next to me… do yourself a favor and don’t show any aggression whatsoever later. Don’t look at him in the eyes either… for some reason, on the street when you look at someone directly in the eyes, it’s an offense or something!”

“Psh!” Kevin looked at Tandy disbelieving “I don’t make trouble but if trouble comes my way… I’ll have the bodyguards handle it like a true gentleman…”

Tandy snickered, knowing that everything was a joke since Kevin would never pick trouble with anyone “Wise choice… send the smallest bodyguard first as a feint then send the big one after… the others might lose.”

With that said, Tandy and Kevin entered the Outreach Center together but were separated not long after when Tandy made an excuse to use the bathroom. Really, Tandy was searching for Jessica, hoping to get an introduction to Tyrone since she couldn’t work up the nerve to do it herself.

Tandy preferred a public setting since it would restrain Tyrone a bit from shouting all the profanities he could think of. After all, Tandy doubted that Tyrone would want the kids to see him in such a negative light.

“Hey… There you are!” Jessica shouted, grabbing Tandy’s arms “You were gone this morning so I was worried… there is someone I want you to meet… maybe, you can be my wing-girl and brag about me or something… you have money so use that to convince him to date me as well.”

Jessica enthusiastically pulled Tandy along, unaware that she was pulling a fire towards the fuse that was Tyrone.

“Hey, Ty!” Jessica waved and quickly walked over to Tyrone, pulling Tandy along with her “I wanted to introduce you to this girl I met yesterday…”

“Nice to meet you!” Tyrone said as Tandy felt the warm sensation of her hand within his once more.

There was a strange sensation running through her skin when they made contact and judging from Tyrone’s face, Tandy could tell that he felt it too. It felt like they were meant to be together, like he pulled her into himself, the same way she wanted to be pulled into him.

“Hello, Ty…” Tandy whispered, looking at the ground guiltily, trying not to cry or hug him or anything else that would seem out of place.

It was important to make a good first re-impression since their last meeting felt like a lifetime ago.

Tandy shifted nervously and raised her gaze just in time for Tyrone’s surprise to turn into a grimace and then genuine confusion.

------------------

Tyrone Johnson at Farewell Ceremony

“Nice to meet you… what’s your name again?” Tyrone asked, pretending to play the fool and maybe Tandy would disappear from his sight.

If there was anyone he never wanted to see again, it would be the woman in front of him. Where Tandy went, her psychopathic father, that dumps someone in the forest to die, was sure to follow.

“Ty…” Tandy stuttered disbelievingly “It’s me… Tandy, you know?”

“You know each other?” Jessica asked defensively, grabbing Tyrone’s hand and prying it free of Tandy’s “Best not to shake hands too long or people will think you know my Ty!”

“We do know each other… ri –ri right Ty?” Tandy asked, tears already leaking from the corner of her eyes.

Tandy was far too emotional to think straight at the moment and Tyrone’s ‘memory-loss’ just made her that much more guilty for not noticing earlier.

“I’m sorry… I was in a forest for a while and I hit my head before coming out… my memories are a bit fuzzy.” Tyrone answered guiltily causing Tandy and Jessica to flinch in pity but his next words startled them into silence “I can’t be expected to remember every whore in the hood who betrayed me right?”

Jessica’s eyes widened at Tyrone’s words, while Tandy’s lips twitched and she knew that she had been played… not just played but also embarrassed since Tyrone said the last statement in English, which almost everyone at the ceremony spoke.

“Uhmmm…” Jessica fidgeted around nervously, glancing between the nonchalant Tyrone and the offended Tandy “Maybe we should go for a walk, Ty… We don’t want to bother anyone here after all.”

Jessica smoothly walked past Tandy, took Tyrone’s hands, and headed for the door. Jessica felt both betrayed and threatened by Tandy’s sudden appearance in her and Tyrone’s lives.

Tyrone acquiesced and simply turned back to whisper “I hope I never see your face again. I have a happy life here so leave me out of your shit!”

Just as Tyrone and Jessica were about to exit, an arm was placed on Tyrone’s shoulder and he was pulled back a couple of steps by Kevin.

“Apologize to my fiancé!” Kevin demanded a look of rage in his eyes.

Tandy was a bit frightened by Kevin’s sudden change of character since she knew him to be more of a relaxed type that would let problems solve themselves.

Tandy hurried over, trying to stop the issue from escalating further but Tyrone’s next words offended her so much that she broke down crying, partially because it was so disrespectful and partially because she knew it was true.

“Oh, you’re with her?” Tyrone asked, pointing at Tandy who was rushing over “Were you before or after me? Hell… maybe you dated her while I was with her… maybe we fucked her at the same time without notice.”

Kevin’s eyes constricted, trying to think about where this stranger knew Tandy from, but he didn’t have time to dwell on those thoughts.

Kevin stared at Tyrone in the eyes and repeated his statement, but this time in a more commanding tone “Apologize!”

With Kevin’s words, Tyrone felt his mind go blank and his mouth started forming words unconsciously. There was a small pinch at the back of his mind that told him something was wrong, but the pinch was quickly alleviated as darkness covered the boundaries of his mind.

Just as Tyrone was about to apologize, he paused, surprising Kevin who felt a certain connection get severed.

Kevin took a deep breath and tried again “I said apolo-”

bang

Tyrone threw a fist that sent Kevin spiraling to the ground but before he could perform a combo, Tyrone felt a fist impact the back of his head, sending him to the ground similarly to Kevin.

Tyrone managed to spin his body at the lost second, blocking another fist from his unexpected attacker, and then he saw Jessica throwing her own fist, knocking the lights out of Timmy who had ambushed him.

bang

Tyrone fell to the floor and hopped back onto his feet in one swift motion, kicking out and stomping a dazed Kevin in the face and then grabbing a chair that he tossed at Timmy who was about to hit Jessica.

bang

Timmy fell to the ground as the chair flattened his face, giving Tyrone time to lift Jessica into a bridal carry and dart outside the door before any bodyguards could react.

Tyrone was not a fool, he knew that rich kids rarely traveled alone and he was not excited to find out how much ‘help’ they brought along.

Despite everything that happened, Jessica was just happy that Tyrone was currently holding her close to his heart, protecting her from everything around her.

Within a couple of seconds, Tyrone and Jessica were gone from the ceremony, everyone just looking around awkwardly, not sure about what to do until Tandy rose to her feet and comforted the still dazed Kevin.

Malisha watched as everything happened, even giggling briefly when Timmy got knocked out by a girl “Okay everyone, they are just children having some children-type fun… Let’s continue with the closing ceremony. Ty is a friend of mine so we’ll let the kids handle their own business.”

With Malisha’s subtle threat to leave Tyrone alone, everyone no longer cared for the matter. If anything, they were relieved that they didn’t have to send their own bodyguards around to search for the boy as a favor to Malisha.

------------------

Tyrone stopped carrying Jessica after two blocks of running “That should be far enough now!”

“Oh my gosh!” Jessica shouted angrily “What did you do? Will we be arrested or will they shut down the Outreach center?”

Tyrone shrugged at patted Jessica’s head as they walked “Don’t worry about it… That Tandy girl is crazy but she is cool sometimes so her boyfriend won’t do much of anything. Malisha also got my back so nobody else should get involved… they’ll just take it as a squabble between kids…”

“Oh thank God!” Jessica cheered “So how long do we wait before we head back? What do we do in the meantime for everything to calm down? Are we fugitives? Should we get disguises?”

Tyrone shrugged and asked “Is there anything you ever wanted to do? I mean stuff of your wildest dreams? Money is not a problem just tell me anything that can be found in Bacáu.”

“What… you suddenly have money to pay for that?” Jessica asked mockingly.

“As a matter of fact, I do…” Tyrone replied, flashing a wallet full of cash and credit cards “First rule of punching a rich kid… you never just punch a rich kid… you take their wallets too… Guys like them never notice that the shit is gone unless you spend more than 50k at one place.”

“I wonder where you learn these things?” Jessica inquired and then decided not to look a gifted horse in the mouth “So it’s like our first date or something?”

Tyrone sighed “It’s our first friendly outing yeah…”

Jessica shrugged “I’ll take it… let’s go to Sambagles… I heard they sell ice cream with gold flakes in them… then the casino, so we have money when the cards are canceled.”

Tyrone and Jessica wandered off into the bustling city of Bacáu, intent on enjoying their newfound riches for all the money it was worth.

----------------------

Tandy Bowen After Ceremony

Tandy sighed tiredly as she was forced to console Kevin during the brief ride from The Outreach Center to the Hotel.

“It’s cute how much you care about the bruise and not the fact that your ass was whooped.” Tandy laughed, moving from her seat to sit on Kevin’s lap.

Kevin slowly moved his hands to embrace Tandy’s hips but she evaded his action cleanly with a spin that landed her in the opposite seat.

Intimacy with Kevin was cool for Tandy but anything more than cuddles would bother her now that Tyrone was in the picture.

“I need physical comfort,” Kevin complained.

“You need rest.” Tandy mocked.

Sitting in her chair and thinking about everything, Tandy couldn’t figure out why Tyrone would hit Kevin. Tyrone was many things but he was not someone to throw the first punch without being provoked.

Despite his hurtful words and actions, Tandy was confident in Tyrone’s personality and knew that he wouldn’t fight unless absolutely necessary.

“Are you sure you didn’t do anything?” Tandy asked for the hundredth time.

Kevin clenched the ice bag against his jaw that much harder “You were there. Tell me what I could have possibly done to get punched like that? I am fucking suing that black rat for attempted murder!”

Tandy sighed “You should watch what you say…”

“You’re defending him?” Kevin asked unhappily “I honestly thought I could take a hit but that kid sure hits hard. You seemed familiar with him, the way he talked about you.”

“Nope!” Tandy replied, not letting anything slip “I think he was a former classmate… maybe one of those nameless ones in the background that I could never remember.”

Of course, Kevin wasn’t stupid enough to take Tandy’s words for the Law but he was also smart enough to not press the matter too much.

The car came to a stop and Tandy and Kevin were escorted back to their rooms by the bodyguards who were mostly concerned about keeping their jobs after failing to protect Kevin.

Kevin slipped onto the comfortable couch, turned on the television, and placed the ice bag on the other side of his jaw “That was some fucking punch!”

“He held back, or you’d be asleep until next week like your friend, Timmy.” Tandy joked, finding Kevin’s frowning face a bit cute “To be honest, I like you more with that bruise on your cheek. It makes you look manlier.”

Kevin just sighed in defeat “Anyways… I was never a warrior to begin with and this was never my fight so I am just letting it go.”

Tandy frowned a bit angry at Kevin’s cowardice “You’re letting it go?”

“I am the bigger person… wealth, social standing, resources… I beat that kid in every way… He is just a guy trying to survive so there is no need to make trouble where there is none.”

Tandy walked over to the couch, grabbed Kevin’s face, and stared into his eyes “I am glad that you are being the bigger person. Your ability to adapt is one of the things I love most about you, but a girl would also like to know that her boyfriend can throw a punch for her.”

Tandy gave Kevin a small pec on his lips and drifted backward when he leaned forward for more.

“No more?” Kevin asked depressed.

“If you had won the fight, I would have slept with you but you’re two percent less of a man to me right now.” Tandy joked though she was as serious as a heartbeat.

“Had I known that sex was the reward, I would have shown some of my karate moves.” Kevin bragged.

“If you showed the karate moves and still lost, I would have been too embarrassed to continue living with you so stick to the basics: punch left, duck right, punch right, duck left... jump and roll if you don’t hit anything,” Tandy explained, even going so far as to demonstrate the proper way to parry a punch.

Kevin smiled as an idea dawned on him “Women are just as great as men so maybe… next time… you should protect me instead of me protecting you… Think about it, I would be knocked out with a single punch but you can… punch left, duck right and punch right, duck left.”

“Nice try but I won’t fight for you.” Tandy scolded “Everyone should fight their own battles. I wish I learned that earlier, it would have made my life a whole lot less complicated.”

Kevin laid back on the couch, completely immersing his body in the soft leathery material “So what can I do to earn back my ‘respect points’ from you?”

Tandy was flipping through the contents of her phone, tracking the charges that were being racked up on Kevin’s credit cards. Tandy knew Tyrone’s tricks well enough since she was usually the one that selected the rich targets for Tyrone.

‘Theatre… Ferris Wheel… Ice Cream Shop… Gold Flakes Ice Cream… Jewellery Store… The Mall… Nice Clothing… New Underwear both men and women… and finally, A Dance Club.’

“Tandy?” Kevin called out again.

“Yes?” Tandy replied, walking into the room and coming out in a new dress.

“What can I do to redeem my respect from you?” Kevin asked.

Tandy shrugged and twisted her neck back and forth to think better “How about you make ten million dollars in the next five hours when I am out shopping…”

“That’s hard…but I think I can do it and then some.” Kevin bragged causing Tandy to give him a lingering kiss on the lips before she exited the door to go ‘shopping’.

Exiting the hotel, Tandy checked the new charges on the card and realized that Tyrone and Jessica were still at the club. The bottles of drinks they ordered were the finest money could buy.

“Two options of two wonderful guys… but Tyrone steals money and commits fraud… and Kevin doesn’t even realize that his wallet is missing and his money is being spent by someone else. Two good guys but two fucking idiots also…” Tandy cursed constantly as she hopped into a nearby cab and went to the location indicated on the card charges.