Permission to Love

Chapter Four

The sound of the front door slamming against the back wall causes Jackson to jump from his position on the couch. He quickly looks over at the door and his eyes widen when he sees his older brother doubled over in pain with what looks like a black eye and blood stained shirt. He quickly jumps up from his position on the couch and rushes over to James while keeping his voice low. “What the hell happened, man?” 

James groans and leans on Jackson for support as they make their way over to the couch. He tries to sit down and pain shoot through his body, he yelps and Jackson immediately places a hand across his mouth.

“Dude, I know it hurts but you’re gonna have to shut the fuck up. Momma’s sleepin and she don’t need this crap.” He takes another look at his brother’s bloody face and black eye and sighs before standing up. “I’ll go get you some ice and meds…stay put.”

Jackson turns and begins walking into their small kitchen just a few feet from the living room. James coming home beat up isn’t a very strange thing to see which is why Jackson knows exactly what to do and remains fairly calm. They live in a world where fighting for what you need is how you survive and the weak never win. James normally tries to stay out of fights, he is the type of person that will try using his brain before lifting a fist but Jackson is the exact opposite; he is a hot head who always seems to attract trouble. James is very protective of his younger brother and although they are less than two years apart, James still feels as if he has to take the punches for his brother and that’s exactly what he does 99% of the time, even when Jackson is the one in the wrong; which is also 99% of the time. Jackson grabs a towel and begins wrapping it around a few ice cubs before grabbing a bottle of pills from the top cupboard. He quietly walks back out into the front room and sets everything down on the coffee table in front of James. He sits down beside him on the couch and hands him the towel of ice before taking out two pills from the small tube. “Here, take these.” He orders softly while holding the pills out to his brother.

He slowly reaches for the pills as a painful expression returns to his face. He holds the towel to his swollen face and pops the two pills into his mouth. Jackson examines his wounds and looks back at his face with concern and a slight confusion. Jackson knows his brother winds up in fights occassionally but they are usually concerning him. “What happened, Jamie?”

James looks back over at his brother while leaning back on the couch with his legs sprawled out in front of him as he tries not to move for fear of pain. He speaks softly, trying not to agitate his swollen lips or the pain he feels on the left side of his jaw. “Love’s a battlefield, man.” He smirks at his brother and immediately gets a shooting pain from his shoulder all the way down to the end of his finger tips. He begins to groan loudly but Jackson quickly grabs a wash cloth he brought from the kitchen and stuffs it into his mouth.

James glares at his brother as the pain passes and takes the wash cloth from his mouth.

Jackson stares back at him with a clenched jaw as an expression of disappointment and irritation flash across his face. “You are such an idiot, James! We have to fight the gangs around here just to get from one end of the town to another and here you are; fighting for some stupid girl who lives in the Upper East side?! What the hell is you problem man!? You’re from the Bronx, you don’t stand a chance…just let her go already!” He talks with obvious anger but tries his best to keep his volume down.

“She’s not stupid and you won’t know the reason why I’m fighting so hard until you find it, little bro. I don’t blame you but I’m looking forward to the day when you finally understand why I am fighting so hard.” He speaks calmly as a tone of wisdom takes over his voice, causing Jackson to roll his eyes in irritation.

“Whatever, dude, you’re whipped.”

James rolls his eyes at his brother’s immature behavior and points to the back bedrooms. “Just shut up and go to bed, if momma catches you up this late she’ll have a cow.”

Jackson rolls his eyes and stands up from the couch before walking into the back bedroom he shared with James.

James moves slightly to try and get comfortable but feels a shooting pain through his whole body and immediately stops. He groans and sits back on the couch before closing his eyes as memories of the night run through his mind. He knew what was going to happen the minute Kathryn’s father nodded his head in the direction of the men holding James back. It had happened before when James was caught kissing Kathryn at her family’s Christmas Eve party. James and Kathryn had been meeting up for a few months when it happened and the whole sneaking around charade was starting to be too much for the both of them. They were angry with the expectations of society but the only way to release their anger was to take it out on each other. They had been screaming at each other outside for the past five minutes and Kathryn was sure everything that had happened the past few months and all the love they had made was minutes from being destroyed. Just when she was about to throw in the towel and let everything fall, James did something completely unexpected; he pulled her close to him and kissed her with more passion than he ever had before. Her eyes widened in surprise and she smiled before placing her hand on the back of his head and deepening the kiss with the same emotions coursing through her veins. When it comes to James and Kathryn, something always has to ruin a moment that’s too perfect for the universe to allow. Kathryn’s father walked out of the house just in time to see James’ lips locked with his daughters. He didn’t make too big a fuss that time, considering it was the first time he had seen James around his daughter but he still managed to get his point across the next night. That was the first time James came home with a bruised face and bloody shirt due to a few of Mr. Lexington’s goons. Although, that time wasn’t near as bad as the pain he is feeling now; the pain of knowing he not only has a few broken bones but also a broken heart.