“Good night?” I asked as I sat beside him at the kitchen table.
“Better than yours,” he grunted, not looking up from his phone.
Well, I tried. Could probably try again, but I wasn’t that good of a person.
As I slowly ate my bowl of the high-fibre, low-taste cereal I’d found at the back of the cupboard, I thought back to what I’d said to Dominic last night.
I didn’t want to go out with Maya again. I thought it was obvious I wasn’t going to feel the same way towards her as she did me, and the last thing I wanted to do was lead her on.
Then again, if I didn’t go out with her, Dominic would no doubt make comments about it. Many of them.
A headache started to build at my temples. When the fuck had my life become so complicated?
Oh, that’s right. About when Dominic ordered me to my knees and I went willingly.
When I’d eaten as much of the cereal as I could stomach, I shoved the bowl to one side. With Max glued to his phone, I decided I might as well check mine. Maybe Craig or Josh had messaged about the gaming night we’d discussed.
When I powered it on, there was a single message waiting for me.
DOMINIC
Don’t take her out again. Please.
Part of me was tempted to reply telling him to mind his own fucking business. That I was going to continue to date her just out of spite. But I couldn’t move past that final entreaty. A word so rarely heard from Dominic.
Please.
My fingers were numb as I typed out a single word. One I refused to think about for too long. About what it meant. What it might mean for the future.
I just typed it and sealed my fate.
RYAN
Okay.
I trailedafter Max to the bus stop. There was no point trying to keep up with him. We both knew he didn’t want to make small talk. Besides, usually Dominic was at his side. It was odd to see Max walking alone.
Not that he was alone for long. On the next street after ours, he paused at Amy’s house. Didn’t even go to the door, just texted her and waited for her to appear.
I rolled my eyes. A gentleman he wasn’t. We didn’t have the best male role model at home, but even I knew it was polite to actually knock on your girlfriend’s door.
Amy didn’t seem to care, throwing herself into Max’s arms with a squeal. My nose crinkled as I passed them. Did they really have to kiss so…audibly?
Thanks to their PDA, I beat them to the bus stop. Dominic wasn’t there yet. Not that I was looking for him. Not because I wanted to see him, anyway. It was just odd that he wasn’t waiting for us.
Not for us.
For Max.
Obviously.
Max and Amy finally caught up, speaking in whispers and giggles. I couldn’t help but watch them from the corner of my eye. I couldn’t deny that I was jealous. Not because I wanted Amy, but because it seemed so easy for Max.
Why couldn’t it be that easy for me? I couldn’t even make a move to kiss Maya, let alone start a relationship.
You managed to skip several steps by giving Dominic head.
That didn’t count. I hadn’t done that because I wanted to be with him. Fuck no. I’d done it to prove a point.To show him he couldn’t make me break.
