Everything Changes

The 'talk' (Chapter 9)

A/N: y'all voted for it, and you got it. A chapter in Tom's POV! This is going to be his 'talk' with Jules about Tay and Julian's relationship. Also everybody loves Tom and Jules relationship, so I'll leave you to bask in the feels of that picture of them after the Super Bowl :)

In the locker room after practice, me and Julian were the only two left besides coach.
"Hey, Edelman. Can I talk to you?" I ask, putting on a Nike shirt after a well deserved shower because practice was a killer.
"Sure man. What's up?" He asks nonchalantly.
"What's the current status of your and Taylor's relationship?" I question, sitting down on the cold metal bench.
"Well, we're just friends." I could tell he was lying. You don't just run off to New York City with someone that you're not considering having some type of relationship with.
"Something tells me that's not the whole truth, 11."
"But it is?" He says in a quizzical tone.
"Well Edelman, I'm just going to tell you this- Tay is a very sweet girl who's been through hell and back with that last idiot she was with. He did some unrepairable damage to her," I start. He nods, telling me to continue.
"She always tries to see the best in people, which is a quality most of us lack. But she's built up this wall that works as her protector. That's why she's so sassy and sarcastic on the surface, but if you can tare down that wall, everything changes about her. She'll love you to the moon and back. She'll bend over backwards to get you whatever you need." I say, catching my breath.
"But, if you were to do something to hurt her in anyway, I don't know if she'll have enough materials to rebuild that wall that she worked so hard on."
"Wow, I-" Julian says.
"Yeah, I know."
"I knew that something had happened to Tay that changed her, but I didn't wanna ask her about it." He says, awkwardly messing with his dry, cracked hands that could really use a lotion treatment. God, I sound like such a girl.
"It's a load of bullshit. But so help me God, Julian Edelman, if you do anything to hurt her, you'll be a dead man. Got it?" I say, my voice more low now.
He nods, an unreadable expression on his face.
"Good. Great practice today." I stand up with my gym bag slung on my shoulder, then exit the locker room, leaving Julian to drown in his thoughts.