Breaking Free

Soon the two of them found themselves at a local burger joint - it was nice and not a fast food place, which Jasmine was thankful for. She had attempted to eat American junk food before and had gotten ill from it. The two of them took a seat at one of the booths toward the window, and for a moment, Mina just stared out into the street. They were on one of the busier streets of St. Louis and the headlights of oncoming traffic blinded her. Still, Jasmine could not help but admire the bright stars in the sky and the moon, which was just barely peaking out from a cloud.
"What are you going to order?" Jasmine asked as she was bought a cup of tea. She eyed the menu, "I do not know what many of these items are. I will have whatever you are."
 
"Well, do you like kinda spicy things" He turned to thank the waitress for his coke and looked back at her. "I was going to get that jalepeno crunch burger. If you want something good, just the regular double steak burger with everything on it's pretty good. Lettuce, catchup, tomato, whatever you want." He smiled. "That might be better to start with than what I'm having."
 
“Spicy?” Jasmine giggled softly, looking up at him trhough her bangs, which had come from behind her ear slightly. Underneath the niqab, Mina had a head of wild, soft black curls that never really seemed to remain where she first placed them. She had to admit that being free of the headscarf though was rather nice. She didn't have to worry about the judging gazes of others or if the garment was covering her properly.

“I come from Oman,” she told him with a bright smile, “you Americans do not know spicy!”

Naturally, the young woman ordered what Mr. O'Connor had, along with a side of french fries. She grinned at him as she sipped on her drink, the soda leaving her belly bubbly... at least, she thought it was the soda. “So where did you say we are going? A fight... club? What is that?”
 
He laughed. "Aye, probably not. I actually quite enjoy Indian food, honestly. Curries an' tha like." He shrugged. "An' aye. A fight club. It's a big warehouse with a boxin' ring in tha middle. I used ta go all tha time when I was younger. A teenager an' all that. I used ta fight as much as I could. Funnily enough, I ne'er broke me nose there." He laughed and touched his crooked nose, shaking his head.

He had to admit, she was beautiful without the headscarf, in 'normal' clothes. He preferred it...though, he was also male and didn't always think with the head on top of his shoulders.
 
It did not take the two of them very long to finish up their meals. Jasmine was rather content with her food and didn't find it awfully spicy – not compared to the many spices dishes that she was used to having back in Oman. Spices were a main staple in the cooking there, mainly because a lot of the food was old and rotting at the time of cooking, and spices masked that taste.
The two of them also enjoyed a chocolate brownie (Jasmine had picked it off the menu with childlike excitement) before her companion dropped a few bills on the table and they made their way back to the car.
She had to admit, she was a little fearful of going to this fight club. Jasmine had never been one to enjoy violence was unsure of this experience. She had enjoyed a glass of wine at the restaurant though and felt a little better, more relaxed, now. She imagined that was Mr. O'Connor's intention when he had ordered it for her.
 
When they were done, he offered his arm and walked out with her. "Well, is there anythin' you'd like ta do? See a movie? Walk around tha city? Tha park's nice, too...spent a lot o' time there growin' up...anythin' ye wanna do, Mina. We went where I wanted ta eat, now it's your choice." He looked around once they were outside and took a nice deep breath, smiling. It was good to be out again, and it was such a beautiful night.
 
Jasmine supposed that the fight club would not open until the sun went down so she opted to go for a nice stroll through one of the nearby parks. The night air was a little chilly and Jasmine curled close into Mr. O'Connor's side, absorbing the heat of him. He was much warmer than she and she smiled slightly as she nuzzled her nose into his jacket. They admired the park as they walked around it, sitting down on one of the benches.
"Thank you for taking me out," she murmured, looking up at him with stars in her eyes, "it is truly wonderful to get out and experience these things, not to mention without my niqab on. I feel normal..."
 
He pulled her close as they sat on the bench and he smiled at her. "I'm glad I could help you. And I'm glad you feel normal." He looked around. "I feel normal today too. I haven't felt normal in a while."

He sat back and looked out at the river, just enjoying the view and the company. "You know, we don't have to go to that fight club if you don't want to, but...I mean, aside from what goes on in the ring, it's fairly tame...there's alcohol, people cheering, but there's a booth in tha back that's not so bad."
 
Jasmine just shrugged her shoulders meekly and stared up into the stars. "I would not mind going. I have to be honest, I have no idea what to expect... but I am willing to go if you want."
It was only shortly after that the two of them make their way into the seediest part of the city. Jasmine remained close to Mr. O'Connor's side as they descended down into the basement of an old warehouse. She could hear the cheering and the shouting almost immediately, the stench of alcohol and sweat heavy in the air. Jasmine's eyes widened as they stepped down into the basement finally, the ring and the group of people around it becoming visible. Two people were already in the ring, visible only under the dim lighting and underneath all the smoke in the room. Mina's heart began to beat rapidly in her chest and she clung to Mr. O'Connor's sleeve. Maybe she'd need a beer, too...
 
Tig walked her up to the bar, ordered two beers, and walked off to a corner booth somewhat away from the action but still within sight of it. He smiled at her and pulled her into the seat next to her. "Not so bad, aye?" He asked, wrapping his arm around her and pulling her close. "Ye'll get used ta tha noise here in a bit." He said with a nod. He took a drink of his beer and looked towards the ring. It wasn't a bad fight going on in his opinion.
 
Jasmine was certainly not used to this kind of atmosphere and she tensed up as they slipped into a booth. The place was loud with music and cheering, and she shrunk a little bit into herself. She took the beer that Mr. O'Connor had ordered her and though it seemed to burn all the way down her throat, she took a large gulf of it. Before she knew it she had finished half, and she blushed pink as she placed the glass back down onto the table.
She allowed her eyes to travel to the ring, and she winced when the men punched each other violently. They were wearing mouth guards but little else. The thought of being hit like that made her wince. She looked back to her male companion, "did you used to fight like that?"
 
"When I used to fight, we didn't have the mouth guards...just the tape on our knuckles." He held his hands out so she could see the scars. He shrugged. "I was jes' lucky enough ta avoid losin' any teeth. Actually, lost one once, but got to tha dentist before it became a problem. It's fine now. Tha point is ta be better than tha other man...hit him before he hits yeh..." He shrugged. "I miss it, honestly..."
 
The young woman could not help but reach forward and slowly run her fingers across his knuckles. She could tell that the scars were old but would last for a lifetime. She smiled slightly when he explained that he missed it... though Jasmine really could not understand why. Back at home, fighting was common and her father had always bet very high on the men in the ring. It had seemed very violent, angry back home...
She supposed it was different here though if Mr. O'Connor was doing it. He didn't seem like the type to actually want to kill someone, which was often the outcome in Oman...

For the next hour or so, the alcohol was flowing and Jasmine was elated when she was ordered a sweet tasted fruity drink. She ended up having three of those and her mind was a little hazy when she was finished the third. She giggled softly and touched his foot with hers underneath the table, "this is wonderful..."
 
He turned his attention away from the fight at hand and on to her. He grinned. "Aye? What? Tha fightin' or tha drinks ye've had?" He laughed, having had a couple beers himself. He pulled her closer and smiled down at her. After a brief thought, he pulled her right into his lap. "I'm guessin' it's tha drinks yer enjoyin'." His accent apparently got thicker as he drank.
 
Yasmine erupted into a fit of giggles when Mr. O'Connor brought her into his lap. She was surprised that she was not uncomfortable in his arms but figured that it had something to do with the alcohol in her system. She nuzzled her nose into his neck and sighed deeply, smelling the beer on his breath and enjoying his thickening accent. "Yes, the drinks are great!" she grinned.
For the long while they sat like that together, Yasmine's fingers slowly running up and down his side, occasionally taking a drink. The rest of the club faded into the background, the sounds of cheering and grunting unknown to the young couple. "Mmm, thank you for taking me here, Mr. O'Connor," she smiled.
 
"Ya know, if Tighearnan is too hard for ye, ye c'n call me Tig." He smiled. "But don't spread that around, aye? Nae so good fer tha reputation...An' I know it doesn't sound like it's got a G in it, but it's in how it's spelled. T-i-g-h-e-a-r-n-a-n." He shrugged. "It's Gaelic, so..." He smiled at her. "I tend ta ramble a bit when I drink, so feel free ta stop me anytime, aye?" He rubbed his nose against hers. "But, I'm glad yer enjoyin' yerself."
 
Jasmine giggled softly at his words and then told him, warm breath spreading across his face down to their close proximity, "but I like calling you Mr. O'Connor. It sounds like you are very important!" She snickered slightly at that again; no doubt a result of the alcohol, too. She was certainly a different woman with some beer in her veins but then again, she certainly was not complaining. After being hidden underneath a niqab for so long, she enjoyed breaking out of her shell a bit.
She buried her face into Tig's neck as she snuggled into his lap. He was warm and smelled so wonderful, muscular arm wrapped around her back and holding her in place. To anyone in that room, they were just a young couple, intent on one another.
"Mmmm," she mumbled slightly, "this is nice."
 
"Well, I am very important." He said with a shrug. "But tonight, I'm trying to not be important. And if someone recognizes me the jig's up and I have tae be all business again...which means ye'd have ta get outta my lap. And I really don't want that right now." He said, running a hand gently up and down her side.
 
His hand and touch sent tingles up Jasmine's spine but they were pleasant and gladly received. She had never been this close to a man before but really liked the close proximity and warm touches. She curled into him a bit and pouted at his words... she supposed that he did have to be careful in public, he was a high profile businessman and he even said himself that he needed to watch it.
"Fine," she laughed softly, "Tig." His name sounded odd, so foreign in her Middle Eastern accent, and she laughed lightly.
After awhile the two of them had a few more drinks and Jasmine found her lips gravitating towards his neck. She pressed her nose into the side of it and kissed his skin sweetly, a gentle and soft peck, nothing overly sexual, though her body seemed to say otherwise.