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As Justin re-did his tie, Emma looked on with amazement. She was still very much processing the scene that’d just unfolded before her, how her seemingly shy boyfriend was able to literally laugh in the face of danger and still succeed in saving the day. She felt herself beginning to see Justin as a completely new man, full of mystery, boldness and the right amount of edge. This concept turned her on. Her eyes stuck to Justin’s body as if he were some large rack of beef. After a few minutes of staring at her lover, she finally opened her mouth.
“Wow, so it went down like that, huh? I didn't know I had such a rebel of a man.”
“Yeah, well...you know.” Justin finished his tie and stared into Emma’s crystal blue eyes. “It looks like we both got history. We’ve both have seen our fair share of shit. I usually try to keep a low profile. I typically don’t like much attention on me, so many folks don't really know about my past like that. I’ve worked too hard to be living in the past, ya dig?”
“Yeah, but Justin, baby, I’m so proud of you. To be become the success that you are is pretty rad! I just wish you would have told me this earlier! How did you end up coming up? Like babe, I really want to know your story. I want to know you.” Emma embraced Justin’s right arm as she placed her head on his chest.
“Wow babe, you really know how to get to a man, huh?” Well, I literally grew up poor out of my mind. I grew up in little apartment crammed with 7 of my siblings. We were always pretty much on our own, and only two of my siblings are living; the other ones got caught up in the demons of the environment and ended up getting killed one way or another. And my two brothers that are alive are sitting in some jail cell somewhere; they were hardcore in the dope game.”
Emma found it hard to believe that this was the first time that Justin opened up to her about such a pivotal part of his life. She simply stared into his eyes as she continued to passionately embrace his arm, gently stroking it up and down with comfort.
“Wow babe, that’s crazy,” she said as she continued to gently rub on Justin. “It’s amazing though, that despite all of the stuff you’ve been though, you made it. It’s almost as if God chose you to be the one to break the cycle. You’re a survivor Justin, and I love you for that.”
Tears started to form in Justin’s eyes as he felt old emotions from his youth suddenly resurface.
“It’s just...” Justin sniffled. “Sometimes, I feel guilty, you know. To this day, I don’t really understand why me? Why was I the one to catch a few lucky breaks, yet the rest of my siblings couldn’t,” he wanted to know.
There was a momentary silence that took presence over everything, followed by Justin suddenly having a revelation of sorts.
“You’re right.” He turned and locked eyes with Emma. “God must have wanted me to be the example. And you know, He’s been so good to me. I feel like that’s why church has always been such a big part of my life. I’ve worked my ass off for years to get where I’m at, and dammit I deserve every last part of it! And I know I can be rough around the edges, and my love isn't for everybody; it’s raw, it’s unfiltered, but it’s genuine and it’s real, and I have every intention of giving it to you, all of it.”
Emma and Justin gazed into each other’s eyes and gave each other a gentle kiss on the lips. After, Emma, becoming elated by those words, embraced Justin tighter than she ever had before; it was as if she finally was beginning to fully appreciate what she had.
“I went through some pretty fucked up shit,” Justin continued. “I saw some of the most horrific things imaginable during my time running with the Bandit gang. A lot of those guys thrived off of pain, torture, and flat out savagery. They only had one mindset at all times and that was kill or be killed, no exceptions. But you know, it’s kind of silly in retrospect because all of that crap I went through was far more horrendous than finding love online. But the thing that scared me the most out of everything was the thought of losing you.”
Emma grabbed Justin by his right hand and led him down the church stairs. She was more than ready to get back to his place so that they could make some crazy liberating love together. She felt for the first time, an overwhelming sense of security and appreciation for her man.