Domik
As he dragged himself to wakefulness, Domik had the absurd thought that someone had removed his arm in the night. As his thoughts cleared, he realized he had been lying on it at a strange angle; the circulation having been cut off.
The light filtered through the gauzy curtains that covered the window, waking Domik. He kept still, listening in the early morning for any noises that didn’t belong.
A bird called. The wind moved the leaves on the low, scrubby bushes outside, and he released a breath. All was well. He relaxed back onto the pillow, one arm behind his head, the other curled around CJ.
He looked down at her, watching as she stirred next to him, moving her hand where it rested on his chest, one of her legs thrown across his. Her breasts pushed against him as she breathed deeply, nuzzling into his side with an unintelligible mumble, before relaxing with a little snore.
Domik smiled, not attempting to hold back as he watched her.
Who was here to see, anyway?
Her face was relaxed in sleep, her lips slightly parted, the plump lower lip a little more red than the upper. He didn’t need to wonder anymore what it would be like to kiss those lips.
He knew.
He had tasted pleasure beyond anything he had ever known, and now he held her in his arms. Trusting him to keep her safe.
It was a trust he would die before breaking.
He lifted his hand to smooth her hair, the short blond strands like silk under his fingers.
She opened her eyes at his touch, a small smile playing on her lips. “Morning,” she croaked, grimacing at the sound of her voice. He smiled, and her eyes widened. “I could get used to this.”
“Used to what?” he said, lifting an eyebrow.
“You. Smiling.” She laughed.
Domik’s chest tightened at her words. He gently pulled his arm free from underneath her, turning to sit on the side of the bed and bending to pick up the sweatpants from the floor.
“Dom?” Her uncertain voice had him stilling, one foot in the pants.
“Hmm?” He half turned toward her, not meeting her eyes.
“Are we… OK?” she asked, quietly. Then, in a rush, “I know we didn’t say what this was, but I know this was a one-time thing.” She laughed; the sound forced to Domik’s ears.
“Sure,” he said, standing and pulling on the pants with a quick jerk up and over his thighs.
What did you expect?
A small sigh and a rustle of sheets told him that CJ was getting up as well, the quiet snick of the bathroom door shutting behind her.
He sighed, dropping his head, and running his fingers through his hair, wanting to howl with frustration. As a child, he had studied with private tutors while children his own age played. As a teenager he had been at university, a gangling youth alongside adults.
No friends, and certainly no girlfriends.
Yes, he’d been advanced and had excelled academically, but socially, he had floundered.
It’s a miracle you made it this far with Clodagh without her thinking you’re the worst kind of weirdo.
He pulled on his boots, growling with frustration as he screwed his eyes up tight. He stood and thumped the wall with a growl, pulling the door open and stomping into the cool morning air.
The only way he had made friends had been if they wanted him for something, so he had learnt to make himself useful. It hadn’t taken him long to realize that his supposed friends had just been using him to do their homework. So when he grew to his current build as a teenager, he’d downplayed his intellect, preferring his own company.
And that’s the way he’d remained.
Until Clodagh had walked into his life.
