Clearing my throat, I started to let him go. “Sorry. I didn’t mean?—”
My sentence cut off as Dominic’s arms came up around me. As he crossed them over my back, a hand landing on each of my shoulders. The bite of his fingers was almost painful, like he was using me to keep himself upright. Like they were the only things keeping him standing.
Swallowing hard, I tightened my hold once more. Thanks to our similar heights, we were chest to chest. I tried not to think about the other parts of our body that were aligned. Now wasn’t the time.
Maybe in future though…
I shoved that thought away as Dominic exhaled and buried his face in my neck. “Fuck. I shouldn’t have come here. I shouldn’t be putting this on you.”
My hand found its way to his hair, tangling in the soft locks as I held him to me. “I’m glad you did, Dom. You can put whatever you want on me.”
He gave a tired chuckle, his breath tickling my neck. “You know it’s bad when I can’t even make the obvious joke.”
I couldn’t find my smile. Not that it mattered when Dominic couldn’t see my face. But the fact that it was too hard to find was…unsettling. As was the yawning pit in my stomach, the one that had opened the instant I’d seen Dominic’s face and realised something was very wrong.
Why was seeing Dominic this upset bothering me so much?
It’s because you’re a kind person, I told myself reassuringly.You’d react this way to anyone who felt like this.
Would I though? Sure, I might feel bad. I’d probably ask them if they wanted a hug or if there was anything I could do. But would I hold them in silence? Gently stroking their back while caressing their scalp?
I didn’t think so.
I had no idea how long we stood there. It could’ve been a year. Could’ve been a heartbeat. Really, it was irrelevant.
I didn’t know what was going on with the two of us, but I knew this: I’d comfort Dominic for as long as he needed it.
Eventually, he pulled back, swiping urgently at his eyes. “Sorry.”
“It’s fine.” I pretended not to feel the wetness he’d left on my neck. “Want to talk about it?”
“No,” he said gruffly, scuffing his shoe on the carpet. “Can I…can I stay here tonight?”
My heart leapt into my throat. “Here? In my room?”
A ghost of Dominic’s smirk returned. “Well, I could sleep on the porch roof, but that might be pushing its limits.”
It was on the tip of my tongue to remind him that he usually stayed with Max. That he’d never spent the night in my room. Even when we’d been up until three a.m. with him posing for me, he’d always left. Sometimes to go home, but normally just to go next door.
To Max.
The sight of his swollen eyes had me biting the reminder back. I didn’t understand why, but I wanted him here. Dominic was hurting, and I wanted to be the one to comfort him.
Me. He’d come to me. Not my twin.
That shouldn’t have meant anything, but it did.
“Sure.” I gestured to the bed. “You okay sharing?”
He nodded, still staring down at the carpet. “So long as you are.”
Ha. If only he knew how often I’d fantasised about this exact situation. Well, not him being upset, obviously, but him in my bed? That had definitely come up. “Course.”
I was already in my pyjama bottoms, but I grabbed another pair from my chest of drawers and tossed them in Dominic’s direction.
He twisted the material in his hands, glancing at the door. “Um…”
I followed his line of sight, hating when the connection clicked. He needed the bathroom but didn’t want Max to see him. The pit was back in my stomach now, but for a different reason. “Want me to make sure the coast is clear?”
