“How am I supposed to believe that’s true when she just told me you two practicedthatwithout your coaches around? Did you suggest that to get your hands on her?”
“Brandon!” I exclaimed.
“It wasn’t anything like that,” Dom said. He pushed his chair back as he stood up. It let out a screech on the floor, which was marginally less painful on my ears than the argument it was interrupting. Dom stood toe-to-toe with Brandon. When they were so close together, it was clear just how much more muscle Dom had. With the additional couple of inches he had on Brandon, I was surprised that Brandon didn't step back. “We practiced a professionally choreographed skate. That’s it. You need to trust your girlfriend and stop accusing us of fooling around behind your back. We have a job to do, and we take it damn seriously. I won't let you fuck up everything Hazel and I have spent the last eight years working towards. I was around years before you and I'm going to be here long after you're gone.”
"I am her boyfriend," Brandon said indignantly.
"And I'm her partner." Dom's voice was icy. "I outrank you."
I felt like I wasn't getting enough oxygen. I tentatively took a step closer to them. “Brandon, you need to calm down and listen.”
For a split second I thought I got through to him. But it passed so quickly that I wondered if I had only seen what I wanted to see. Brandon raised a fist. I was vaguely aware that the shrill scream was mine as he swung at Dom.
Somehow, Dom moved out of the way of the worst of it. Brandon’s fist grazed across Dom’s cheekbone, close to his ear. Brandon pulled back to throw a second punch, but Dom was too fast. The reflexes I’d trusted to keep me safe in dozens of dangerous situations over the years were keeping him safe this time. He grabbed Brandon’s wrist before it could get near him and pulled it down. I could hear the bouncer behind us yelling at them to break it up and to step aside, as well as the heavy footfalls. A moment later, the bouncer was there and physically separated the two.
Dom put a hand to his cheekbone and took a few steps back, cursing under his breath. I couldn’t make out the words, but the tone said enough. Brandon was still hurling insults as the massive bouncer steered him away from the tables. The insults were mostly aimed at Dom, but the occasional one that included me. The muscled man kept him from re-approaching and tried to steer him towards the door.
Brandon pulled his arm out of the bigger man's grasp. “I’m going,” he snapped. He looked at me and said, “Hazel?”
Everyone we had come with us was talking at once, but I wasn’t processing what they said. All I could do was look at the man in front of me and wonder how it had come to this. He was staring at me, waiting for me to follow him on the way out, but I couldn’t. Instead of speaking, I shook my head.
He cursed again. “Are you fucking serious? You’re choosing him?”
The venom in his voice made me sick. I knew he didn’t like Dom. I knew he had trust issues. But I didn’t think it would come to this. I thought we would work past it and he would realize that he was being ridiculous. “We’re done.” The words came out easily. There was no question that it was the right decision.
He stormed out then, not bothering to look back. I watched him go until he was out the door. I felt six pairs of eyes on me, if not more, as I turned back to my group, but I couldn’t focus on anybody other than Dom. He was still standing near the wall, his hand in his hair now. I walked over to him and gently touched his arm. “Dom?”
He glanced down at me. There was a red mark on his face that would probably develop into a terrible bruise before the night was through. “Hazel, I –”
“Shh,” I said. There was a lump in my throat, and I suddenly felt sick. "I’m so sorry. I didn’t think he… I tried to explain…" It was just as difficult to find the words to apologize to Dom as it had been to talk to Brandon earlier. This time, I wasn't struggling because I feared his reaction. As I looked up at Dom, all I could feel was guilt.
Rather than speaking, he pulled me into a tight hug. My face pressed against his shirt and I inhaled his familiar scent. I wrapped my arms around his waist, giving him a squeeze. “I’m sorry,” I repeated. My words were muffled because I spoke directly into his chest, but I didn't want to be the one to break the hug.
Dom pushed me away ever so gently, just enough that my face wasn’t pressed against him. “Don’t blame yourself,” he said firmly. “It’s not your fault.” His eyes bore into mine. They left no doubt about his sincerity. His voice softened before he asked, “Did he ever hit you?”
I shook my head. “I knew he wasn’t happy, but I thought he’d get over it. Worst-case scenario, I thought he’d break up with meif he couldn’t handle it.” I hadn’t wanted to think it would get to that level, so maybe I hadn’t been looking out for everything. “I should have listened to you when you were worried.”
“I thought he would be upset, not this,” Dom said. He was whispering, so I doubted anyone else could hear. “But you’re okay and I’m okay. He showed his true colours tonight. And even though you keep apologizing, I want you to know I’d take a punch for you any day.”
I pulled him close again, squeezing as hard as I could. When I pulled away, I gestured for him to lean down so I could tell him something. “You’re the best partner I could ever hope for.”
“You too,” he said.
We turned back to where everyone was sitting. The bouncer was still there, watching Dom and me, and Dom excused himself to talk to him. Somebody had pulled up a chair in the chaos, and I sat in it, suddenly exhausted. They were all looking at me and I felt like I had to say something, but I couldn't find the words. The argument had been right over them. They’d heard me break up with Brandon. Finally, Kendra reached over and grabbed my hand. “Hazel? Are you okay?”
“I feel just as shitty as you’d expect,” I said. “But before anybody else asks, no, I didn’t think he was capable of that, and he never hit me.”
“What do you want to do now?” Kendra asked. “Go home, come to our place, stay out for a bit? Whatever you want.”
“I…” What did I want? The prospect of going home to an empty apartment with nothing but my thoughts sounded terrible, and I didn’t want to impose on my friends. That left one option. “Let’s just stay out for a bit. One drink, then I’ll go home.”
Alexis got up to get a drink for me and came back a few minutes later. I reached into my bag to pull out some money, but she said, “Don’t be silly. This one’s on me.”
“Thank you,” I said. I drank half of the glass in one go. My hands were shaking. I wondered how long they had been doing that.
A minute later, Dom came back and sat down next to me. His hands were steady, but he kept them wrapped around his beer. He looked around and said, “If anybody wants to head out now, I’d get it.”
Wyatt glanced at the others, then said, “We’ll leave when you do.”
