CHAPTER 89: YOU’RE GONNA MAKE IT REAL HARD FOR ME TO CONTROL MYSELF

The car slowed in front of my house, and I pointed, suddenly embarrassed.

"That’s my place," I said, nodding toward the faded, cracked building.

He looked, then glanced at me. "Yeah?"

"It’s not as... you know. Fancy and big as yours," I added, trying to laugh it off.

Dominic turned off the engine and unbuckled his seatbelt. "Ash. I literally do not care."

I looked at him, but he wasn’t teasing. His voice was calm and serious.

"I don’t care about any of that, babe," he said. "You know that, right?"

I looked away, feeling heat crawl up my neck. "Yeah. I guess."

"Seriously. You could live in a treehouse and I’d still pull up."

A small smile tugged at my lips. "You’d pull up with snacks."

"Damn right I would."

We sat there for a second before he opened the door and I got out. The night air was cool.

As soon as i stepped out, I noticed the curtains shifting in windows in the unit across from ours.

"Great," I muttered. "The neighborhood spy network is already clocked in."

A middle-aged woman stepped out, holding a cigarette squinting at the car like it had personally offended her. A man walking his dog slowed down just to stare. One of the neighbor’s kids riding a bicycle with a friend, pointed.

"Nice car," he whispered to his friend.

A woman from two doors down gave me a little wave. "Evening, Ash!"

"Evening ma’am." She’d never spoken to me in her life.

Dominic circled the car and popped the back door open. He reached in and gently lifted Alia up.

"She’s heavier than she looks," he muttered, lifting her like it was nothing and slinging her as her head rested over his shoulder.

We walked towards the door. Heads turned.

The middle aged lady didn’t even try to hide the way she stared now, her eyes kept flicking from Alia to me to Dom’s car, as she blew out the cigar smoke.

As we started walking toward the house, I noticed it: a few people stepping out onto their porches. Not to say Hi. Just to look.

Two teenage girls from down the block were whispering and pointing at Dominic’s car.

"Is that a Mercedes?" one asked.

"Who’s that?" someone else called out in a low voice.

"That’s the boy with the sick mom," another voice replied, not bothering to lower their tone.

Dominic turned his head slightly. "Hmmm, what an odd thing to say."

I gave a tired laugh. "That’s not even the meanest thing anyone’s said to me."

Dom didn’t say anything at first. He just shifted Alia slightly in his arms and narrowed his eyes at the group watching us like we were a scene from a show.

Another voice said, "The tall guy is so hot. And handsome too."

Dominic caught that one too and smirked. "Too hot, huh?"

I groaned. "Please don’t let that go to your head."

"No promises."

I paused mid-step.

"I don’t get people," he muttered. "They just stare."

"People only see what they want," I said.

One of the older women from the apartment next to ours waved. I hadn’t spoken to her more than twice since we moved in.

"Evening, Ash," she called out. "Your car?"

I blinked. "Uh, no. It’s his."

She raised an eyebrow, clearly impressed. "Nice. He’s a handsome man."

I laughed and gave her a quick nod.

We reached the steps. I pulled out my keys, trying to ignore the dozen invisible eyes behind curtains and barely-cracked windows.

"Do they always stare like that?" Dom asked quietly.

"Only when something interesting happens. Otherwise, I’m never noticed."

I unlocked the door and pushed it open. It creaked, like it always did.

The apartment was clean, thank Goodness. I always made sure of that.

"Just put her on the couch," I said softly. "I’ll get a blanket."

Dom followed me in, carrying Alia down the narrow hallway to the living room and gently lowering her onto the couch.

I grabbed one of the folded blankets from the chair and covered her. She shifted slightly, then settled again.

"She’s safe," Dominic said without looking at me. "You’re safe too."

I swallowed hard.

For the first time all day, I actually felt it.

"Thanks," I whispered.

Dominic looked around the space..... how small it was, how not like his house. The lights flickered sometimes. The couch had a rip in the side we covered with a throw pillow.

"I just hate that they might look at me and that’s all they’ll see. The poor kid. The one with problems. The one who’s always caught in something."

"You know what I see?" he asked softly.

I glanced at him, unsure of what he was going to say.

He stepped forward, closing the gap between us. "I see someone who keeps surviving. Someone who still gives a cares about everyone. Someone who noticed a tattoo when no one else was paying attention. Someone who’s scared...but still doing the right thing."

His voice lowered. "They don’t get to define you, Ash. You do."

Something twisted in my throat again. I looked down.

"I don’t feel strong," I whispered.

He nodded. "That’s ’cause strong people don’t usually feel strong. They’re too busy holding everyone else up."

He stepped closer, hesitated for just a second, then rested my forehead lightly on his chest.

"I meant what I said earlier," he whispered, raising my head. "I’m not letting anything happen to you. Not while I’m breathing."

My chest ached. Not from fear this time. But from how badly I wanted to believe him.

He pulled back slightly. "Let’s just... be here tonight. No hospitals. No threats. Just quiet."

I nodded. "Yeah. Okay."

"Thanks again," I whispered.

Dom turned to me, his eyes was softer than usual. "You don’t have to keep thanking me for doing what I’d do anyway."

I nodded, suddenly too tired to speak.

He looked around. "You got food here?"

"Yeah. Sort of. Cereal. A few cans. The refrigerator is faulty."

He walked to the kitchen. "Then we’re ordering something."

"Okay."

"So we have two rooms," I said, kicking off my shoes by the doorway. "My mom and Alia sleep in one. I sleep in the other. Let’s drop Alia on the bed."

Dominic nodded. "Alright, lead the way."

I pushed open their room door. It was dim and quiet, the blankets were neatly folded on mom’s bed.

There were two beds there, one had pink sheets, a tangle of stuffed animals in the corner.

Dom walked over and gently laid Alia down on her bed. She shifted once, murmured something and chewed her mouth:

He stood there for a second, adjusting the blanket around her, tucking it under her chin.

"She’ll be okay," he said softly.

Yeah," I said. "She just... needs rest."

We stepped out and I led him to my room.

It wasn’t anything special, just a single bed pushed against the wall, a desk stacked with school books, and a few movie posters I’d been too lazy to take down.

Dominic looked around, hands in his pockets, eyebrows raised slightly.

"Nice," he said.

He paused when his eyes landed on one of the posters by my desk. "Wait, isn’t that Zendaya?"

I smirked. "Yeah. From Euphoria."

He stepped closer, squinting. "Oh, right. I’ve seen the movie. Or, like... half an episode."

"Let me guess," I said, flopping onto the bed. "You got distracted."

He glanced at me, grinning. "I was seventeen, Ash. There were drugs, glitter, people making out and Zendaya in crop tops. I barely made it past the pilot episode."

I laughed. "Sounds about right."

He flopped onto the edge of the bed and glanced at the clock. "Damn. It’s already 7?"

"Yeah." I sat up. "Time’s been acting weird lately."

"Right?" He tapped a few things on his screen. "Okay, I’m ordering pizza now. You’re eating even if I have to feed you myself."

I rolled my eyes. "I’d love that."

He looked up at me slowly. "You know me too well."

He hit order and tossed his phone on the bed. Then he sat beside me, letting out a soft groan as he leaned back on his hands.

"I missed practice today," he muttered, almost like he’d just remembered. "Coach’s gonna be pissed."

"You’ll make it tomorrow?"

"Yeah," he said. "Can’t skip too often. Otherwise, I won’t be allowed to play the game next weekend."

"You’ll come cheer me up, right?"

"Of course," I smiled.

He let himself fall back fully onto the mattress with a sigh. Stretched his arms behind his head, shirt riding up slightly. "Right now I’m emotionally exhausted. Physically drained. Sexually starved. Mind if I nap right here?"

The way he said it, the lazy stretch of his shirt up his stomach.....he was so beautiful, it hurt.

"Be my guest."

He peeked one eye open at me. "You sure? You’re not afraid of what I might do in my sleep?"

I raised an eyebrow. "Should I be?"

"I don’t know," he said, giving me that lazy grin. "I sleep-cuddle. And moan."

I snorted.

He rolled over to face me. "But seriously... I needed this."

"What, my room?"

He nodded slowly. "You. No drama. Just you being here, beside me."

The air shifted a little.

He was already looking at me with those eyes again.

And for a second, neither of us said anything.

Just... breathing in the same silence.

Then he ruined it....like he always does.

"You’re gonna make it real hard for me to control myself. You know... every time you do that nervous lip-bite thing, I always think about kissing you."

I swallowed. "You’re such a flirt."

"Only with you."