He frowns but lets it go, nodding. “Alright. They do say those guys are arrogant. Probably true. Wouldn’t surprise me.”
I force a small smile, a shrug. “Maybe. Obelus was alright when we met.”
He goes still. The kind of stillness where your brain is suddenly sprinting and your body hasn’t caught up yet. His hand hovers over the steering wheel, then tightens.
“You’ve…methim?” His voice is careful. “Met as inmet?”
Shit.
I stare straight ahead. The traffic light washes the car in dull red and I feel it in my cheeks.
“I—yeah,” I say lightly, like it’s no big deal. “Met him.Through work.”
Dominik blinks, turns fully toward me at the light. “And this is the first time you’re mentioning it?”
“We met,through work. That's all I can say.” I answer, keeping my tone calm, doctor-mode smooth.
His eyebrows rise. “So he wasyour patient?”
“I like my license, so I'm going to pretend I didn't hear your question.” He nods, finally understanding what I'm trying to say,withoutsaying it.
He shoots me a sideways grin. “Should I be worried I’m competing with a rock star now?”
I bump my arm lightly into his. “No. You just have to keep my attention.”
That gets him. His expression softens, all stupid warmth and quiet pride, and he reaches for my hand across the console.
“Oh,don’t worrykochana, I candefinitelydo that.”
Crisis avertedfor now, but the truth lodges in my throat. Ican’thear Rafe’s voice, not tonight. Not when the echo ofGoodnight, Kasia isstill in my bones, still whispers through every silent moment. He hasn’t sent anything since, and I’ve fought the urge to reach out. Hearing him now would only complicate things.
Dominik breaks the silence after a while. “You could come back with us tonight,” he says softly. “Zosia would love that.”
“I needactualsleep,” I say, smiling faintly. “Not the kind wewouldn’tbe getting at your place." I deepen the hold, twining my fingers with his. “I’ve got charts to close and laundry to do, but I’d rather be with you both.”
He squeezes my hand, eyes soft in the dim light. “Maybe soon, all those things will be under the same roof.”
“Maybe,” I whisper.
When he pulls up in front of my place, he doesn’t move right away. The car idles. Zosia snores softly in the backseat. Then he turns to me, both hands cradling my face.
“I love you,” he says, voice rough. “You know that, right? This isn’t just fun when there’s a babysitter. It’s serious for me.”
“Don’t let Piotr get to you,” I say, smiling.
“It’s not about him,” he says, shaking his head. “It's about you. About us. Imeanit, Kasia.”
And then he kisses me, the kind of kiss that leaves no room for doubt. When I finally pull back, breathless, I realize he doesn’t have to say it again.I already know.
Chapter 21
Poltergeists Or Demons
My house feels cavernous the second I walk in, like the silence itself is waiting. After a whole day wrapped in noise, Zosia’s laughter, Piotr’s teasing, Aga’s music spilling from the kitchen, this silence feels too big,empty.
I flick on the TV just for the sound. Some talk show drones in the background while I change into sweats, toss laundry in, boot up my laptop. The glow of open charts fills the room, the rumble of the washing machine dull, ordinary. Then I hear it.
A few soft notes that cut straight through the noise, the same melody I thought I’d escaped. My head jerks up, it’sthat song, the one he covered. On screen, Szklane Serce the Polish band I grew up listening to on Mama and Tata's radio, the ones that made the original famous in Europe, sit in a TV studio, grinning under bright lights. I freeze. The captions scroll:Polish band’s song skyrockets after viral English cover. International collaboration in the works!
