24
Ryan
“I can’t believe we’re doing this,” I whispered, unable to stop the excitement bubbling up in my voice.
Dominic grinned from his seat beside me, his knee pressed against mine. “Believe it, baby. Couple of hours from now, we’ll be front row for Caffeine Daydreams.”
Dominic had surprised me with a ticket for the festival a few weeks back. I’d expected Max to protest, especially given how he’d reacted when Mum had brought it up all those months ago, but he hadn’t said a word. Didn’t even seem surprised when I opened it.
That had confused me more than Dominic inviting me on their trip. With how much time the two of us spent together, I wasn’t surprised that Dom wanted me tagging along on their weekend. I was surprised by Max’s lack of reaction though. They’d been planning this for years. Why was he suddenly okay with me going?
And what had Dom said to make him okay with it?
My eyes fell on the couple snuggled opposite us. Amy had been gifted a ticket the same day as I had, almost like the two of them had planned it.
See, if Max knew what we were to each other, it’d make more sense. Instead of being a solo trip, it was now a couples one.
But Max didn’t know Dominic and I were a couple, so why was he okay with it?
I pushed that nagging thought away, determined not to let anything spoil this trip. I pressed my knee closer to Dom’s, wishing I could take his hand in mine instead. “Not sure we’ll get to the front, but that’s okay. We’re both tall, so it should be fine.”
“You want the front, I’ll get you to the front, Shadow.” He winked, chucking a grape in his mouth. “Leave it with me.”
Max asked Dominic a question about the latest Saints game. Not giving a shit about football, I tuned them out and focused on eating my blueberry muffin. Dom had turned up with it for me, just like always.
I’d never be able to eat one again without thinking of him. I kind of loved that.
Like you love him, you mean?
I swallowed hard, the cake seeming to expand in my throat. Those were words Dom and I hadn’t said to each other yet. Didn’t stop me thinking them. Feeling them.
Sometimes they almost slipped out, hanging in the air between us as we lay in bed together. The moment never felt quite right though.
Maybe this weekend would be the right moment.
For that, and something else. Something Dominic and I had been working towards for weeks now. A step we hadn’t taken thanks to my brother sleeping on the other side of a thin wall.
That wouldn’t be the case tonight. Dom had booked us into a different B & B, claiming there was no space in the one Max and Amy had chosen. A convenient lie to give us both the one thing we were craving.
A single night alone.
Before everything changed.
It was July. Exams were done, and our results weren’t due until August. Until then, we were in limbo, unsure exactly where we’d be come October.
One thing I was sure of was the course I was going to take. After many conversations with Dom, and yet more nude art sessions, I knew I couldn’t ignore my true calling.
I wanted to be an artist.
It was scary, not knowing if I’d ever find the financial security I craved. But the thought of giving it up was scarier still. Like Dom said, we were fighters. We didn’t quit.
So that was what I was going to do. Fight for my dreams, and never quit the pursuit.
As for Dominic? I had no idea where he was going to be.
Like she was reading my mind, Amy glanced up from her phone. “Dominic, where are you going in October?”
If I hadn’t been pressed against him, I wouldn’t have noticed how tense he suddenly became. “Well I won’t be at uni, if that’s what you mean.”
