It’s light, disarming. Half the room laughs before Dominik’s brain catches up to his temper. For a second I think he’s actually going to swing.
Piotr’s hand lands on his shoulder first. “Nowicki,” he says, voice firm. “Not in frontof the kids.”
Dominik glares at him, then at Rafe, and finally turns away. The room exhales, noise creeping back in like nothing happened. Rafe doesn’t move. He just reaches for my hand and laces his fingers through mine, strong and sure, like he’s planting a flag. The message is unmistakable.His.
I squeeze back, grounding both of us. For a second, he looks at me and mouths,You okay?I nod, and the smallest smile breaks through, just enough to show that dimple that always turns me into a puddle at his feet.
He leans in and whispers something meant only for me. "So that's thefriendyou warned me about?" I nod "Think he'll slash my tires for that?" I nudge him and let the laugh break the tension, just like he knew it would.
I realize, I might bebeyondjust falling for him as I let my eyes trace along the curve of his lips, sloping down to his immaculate jawline, stopping at the taunt lines of his neck as he swallows. I can't stop thinking about the way he saidsomething you love, over and over. Am I really something,someone, he loves or was it all for the audience? I try to push it down, but the thought keeps creeping along my spine, reaching into my chest and setting off fireworks in my heart.
The party evens out after that, settling into something resembling normal. Music, food, laughter, familiar rhythms returning. For a while, there’s even joy again. Zosia builds her dolls a tiny recreation of all of us in her dollhouse and announces that Auntie Kasia's friend is officially her favorite person.
Then the door opens, and everything changes, no one is more shocked than Dominik when he looks up and sees Lena walk in. She’s late, of course, drunk, her blonde hair wild, dress short and smile too wide. But Zosia doesn’t care, all her heart sees is her Mama. She squeals and runs to her like the world just got brighter. For a second, just watching her reaction, it almost does.
“Hey, baby,” Lena coos, bending down to kiss her cheek. Then she looks up, sees Dominik sitting with Piotr, and the smile changes shape. “Miss me?”
Before anyone can react, she slides onto his lap, looping her arm around his neck. He doesn’t stop her. Doesn’t move at all, he just looks at me over her shoulder. When she kisses him, too aggressively for a kid's party, more fit for a club or a bedroom, he lets her. The room goes silent.
Zosia’s clapping, thrilled all she sees is her parents, as they are meant to be. The right one kissing him this time, not Auntie. Everyone else finds a way to look anywhere but there. Something twists hard in my chest, not love, not even jealousy. Just the sting of watching someone you once cared for go back into the fire. I turn away, head for the kitchen before my face gives me away. I stand by the counter, staringat the stack of plates, trying to breathe through the noise in my head. Then I feel him behind me. Rafe doesn’t say anything at first, he just sets a hand against my back.
“You okay?” he asks.
I shake my head. “No, but I will be. It's just disappointing... he knows better. He shouldn't let her use him to try and make me jealous. He doesn't love her, it's just a sad situation.”
He nods. “Yeah. No one in there was a fan, except their daughter. Poor kid."
When I turn, his eyes find mine, full of something I've never noticed, more than love or lust. Some kind of unspoken devotion. Before I can think, he kisses me. The noise of the party fades, nothing else matters. Not Lena, not Dominik, not the eyes just outside the doorway. Just this, just us.
Chapter 48
Kind Eyes
Rafe
By the time Piotr calls me back to the table, the vodka’s already half gone. The men are laughing, loud, red-cheeked, sleeves rolled, eyes bright with that easy camaraderie that makes you forget what language you started in.
“Kasia’s watching Zosia,” Piotr says, slinging an arm around my shoulders as he hands me a shot. “Now come, time to earn your Polish citizenship.”
I laugh. “You’re trying to kill me, aren’t you?”
He grins, wide and proud. “Only a little.”
The glass hits my palm, cold and clear. Around the table, Tata, Piotr, Dominik, a few uncles, a cousin, and the local priest, becauseof coursethere’s a priest, are arguing about cards. I down the vodka, all fire and sugar. It goes down smooth.
Across the room, Kasia’s on the floor with Zosia, helping her arrange tiny dolls inside the dollhouse. Her chestnut hair falling over her shoulder as she kneels beside her. Zosia’s narrating something about a doll party, who kissed who and Kasia humors her, smiling, patient.
Lena hasn’t moved from Dominik’s lap. She’s laughing loudly, drinking fast, her dress slipping a little further with every hour. It’s making everyone uncomfortable, especially Piotr’s wife, Aga, who keeps pretending to need things from the kitchen in between scowls. Then Lena’s eyes narrow.
“Oh my god,” she says, her voice creeping into that excited register I’ve gotten used to, bordering on a squeal. “You’rehim.”
The table quiets. She points at me with a precision only the truly drunk possess. “You’rethe veil guys.The goth guys with abs. Obah? Obie? Obelus!” Her voice goes sugary. “I knew I recognizedthose sexy eyes.”
I shift slightly, trying not to make a scene. “Even musicians have to eat, apparently.”
She laughs, leans forward, reaching for my arm like she’s about to pet me. I move just enough that her fingers catch air instead. Across the table, Dominik watches it all, an almost-smile tugging at his mouth. Not one shred of jealousy. Not even anger. Just satisfaction, like he’s watching a show he wrote himself, one he hopes might upset Kasia. He's hoping I make a mistake he can use.Keep dreaming.
Lena pulls out the chair beside me, sits down, and tops off my glass before I can protest. “You must tell me,” she purrs, “how a man like you ends up here, drinking with old Poles in flannel. Even the local priest! Hello, Father!” She waves. He nods, embarrassed, clearly wishing the cards were all that was on the table right now.
