Silver Buttons

The Future

The following week, Terry frequented Jessi's shop, bringing her lunch and having her go upstairs to her apartment for a break. More and more clients flooded through her doors, hiring a few helping hands was the best thing she had done. As Terry and Jessi sat up in her apartment one afternoon, Terry gave Jessi some news.

"I'm going to be flying in some Senesis from a Tojang from Korea this weekend, I'd like you to join me when I meet them," he smiled at her.

"That sounds great. What should I wear?" She tilted her head, smiling.

He rose, kneeling in front of her, "How about that wonderful long black dress you made yourself the other day? The one with the ruffles in the fabric against your hip and that little snake charm sewn in?"

She smiled, shyly, running her fingers along the collar of his gi, "I can wear that," she whispered.

Terry excused himself after lunch, kissing Jessi long and hard before heading back to the dojo. She hated watching him walk back there, how she longed to be part of more classes with him. Jessi enjoyed the private lessons, she was excelling, having been to just a handful of the Wednesday classes.

The day wore on, and unexpected guest wandered through the doors. Daniel LaRusso.

"Hi, how can I help you?" Jessi asked with a strained smile, noticing the unkept and unshaven, rough look of LaRusso.

"Uh yeah, yeah I guess you could say that, um..." LaRusso ran his hand through his hair, "Look I uh- I remember you at that auction, and I knew that I knew you, I couldn't place you then it hit me. You run this place. I don't know if you know who Terry Silver really is, if you're involved at all with him my only advice is to step away and hope to God you're safe. You don't want to be involved with what's going on."

Jessi sneered, a scowl forming, not an expression she made often, "I don't know who the hell you think you are, but I didn't ask for your advice, and I sure as hell don't need it. Get out of my shop."

Daniel scoffed, "Look... whatever happens next, don't say I didn't warn you, he is a bad guy."

Jessi marched right into Daniel's face, "You and your threats can go right out that fucking door. Maybe you'll realize you should have stayed away. You'd still have your wife."

Daniel resisted the urge to respond, let alone push her, making the smart decision he turned and left. Jessi looked up at the large clock. 4pm, she flipped the sign to close, letting the ladies in the back go home early. She locked everything up, put her gi on, grabbed a small bag with fresh clothes and marched over to the dojo. Terry was in the middle of the under 18 class, he took instant notice of her demeanor as she walked towards the back area where she took her anger out on a dummy.

Jessi heard class being brought to an end. The last hour she put the hurting on a dummy and a large punching bag. Terry wandered back, "Hey, hey, Jess, what's the matter?" He slowly took her arm, pulling her from the bag.

She panted, wiped the sweat from her forehead, "Daniel LaRusso came to my shop. Telling me that you're this awful guy and I need to stay away and that I need to make sure I'm safe if I stay. Terry," she said with a large sigh, "I am so sick of people saying you're this awful person. I know you've done some messed up things and I don't care, Terry I don't care, I'm here for you, all of you."

Terry pulled her into his suffocating embrace. This is all he ever wanted, someone to love him unconditionally. Jessi loved him unconditionally, they hadn't said it yet, but he loves her, wholly. She clung to him, calming herself, crying silently into his chest.

"Jessi, I love you," Terry whispered to her. She peeled away, looking up to him, wiping her face she smiled, "I love you too, Terry."

"Jessi, don't listen to that insufferable moron, I will always keep you safe, no matter what happens. I promise you, I will always be here for you," he kissed her gently, wiping her face with the pads of his thumb.

He rested his forehead against hers, "Do you mind if I put some cameras up in your shop? I want to make sure I can have eyes on you in case LaRusso or anyone else muscles their way in there." She nodded, telling him that was more than ok.

This just means Terry could sit wherever he pleased and watch his little seamstress work and toil away on his iPad. LaRusso upsetting her was the last straw, he didn't imagine Danny boy would stoop so low as to harass his girl.

Seeing her upset boiled his blood, "Do you want to stay with me the rest of this week, sweetheart?"

She looked up at him, searching his face, "Um... yeah, yeah that would be nice I think."

He smiled, happy that she saw it his way. Terry truly loves her, he was going to care for her and keep her safe under any circumstances. He walked with her back to her apartment, heading up the back way, she never felt afraid of staying there until now, she didn't trust LaRusso's cousin or coworker or whoever the hell he was.

"I just don't understand why he thought what he did was ok," Jessi huffed, "I think Amanda took the kids and left Daniel. I told him if he would stop and stay away then maybe he would still have a wife."

Terry laughed, he stopped grabbing underwear and socks from a drawer for her, "That's the best thing I've heard all week," he continued to laugh as he put the undergarments in a duffel bag.

She chuckled, "Well, I let my anger get the better of me. I don't typically get as upset as I did."

Terry wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her to him, her back flush against his front, "There's nothing wrong with getting upset and angry. You always handle yourself beautifully," he whispered into her ear.

She leaned into him, "I can't wait to see where the rest of this goes. What does the future look like for Cobra Kai, for us?"

Pushing her hair to the side he growled in her ear, "We're going to have fun, doll. Cobra Kai is going to thrive and as for you and I," he nipped at her neck, "The future is looking bright, you're mine, and I refuse to let anyone get in the way of that."