Chapter 2 - Dominic

I took off my skinny jeans and my white t-shirt. I changed into my favorite blue dress to wear at home. It was so cozy. I looked lovely in it and, besides that, it was too comfortable. I combed my dark brown hair and made a one-sided braid from it. I wiped off my makeup and stared at myself in the mirror. Even without makeup, I was a beautiful girl: round face, full sensual lips, straight nose, and big blue eyes with long eyelashes. My hair was long and of a chocolate color, but I noticed that it started to become darker. I even thought about dying it into strawberry blond, but eventually, I decided against it. I loved my natural look, and I was proud of it. 

I never had a chance to see my dad in person or photos since he left mom as soon as she gave birth to me. I have no idea whether or not I took anything from him. The only thing he left us was a bank account with roughly 20,000 bucks. Mom never touched that money because she was saving it up for our future. It wasn't easy. Raising two children without any help was challenging, but she managed to do it. Matthew and I always had what we needed. That's probably why her being very easygoing didn't bother me. It was her way of coping with her struggles. My mom was a strong and independent woman, and I honestly admired her for that.

My brother was three years older than I was. It was safe to say that we were very close. He loved me and cared about me, but sometimes it was very irritating. He always needed to protect me, and sometimes, because of that, some people were afraid even to talk to me. Matthew was one of the most handsome boys in our school. Add there the fact that he was friends with Dominic Watson - it was a winning combination. He was one of the most popular ones. That friendship was a surprise for everyone, but they always were like brothers. They were standing up for each other, covering for each other and fighting their enemies shoulder to shoulder. Considering how Dominic tended to act while he was in high school - they had a lot of enemies or people envious of their popularity. Dominic dragged my brother in many shitty situations, and they still were loyal to each other, no matter what.

I used to spend a lot of time with both of them when we were children. I tailed them all the time, and I tried to make them play with me. Dom was constantly annoyed because of my presence. The age gap between us was five years, so I wasn't surprised that he was bored with me. Even so, he knew how important I was for Matthew, so he always tried to act nicely with me. With time, not only Matthew was standing up for me and protecting me, but Dominic as well. That was exactly the breaking point. That was when I fell in love with my brother's best friend. I created an image of him in my head, gave him qualities he never actually had, and also convinced myself that he had some feelings for me. Delusional as fuck.

When I realized that I had feelings for Dom, I was 11 years old. He was already 16 and gorgeous even then. Many girls were ready to do everything to be with him. And he was happy to take them on their offers. When I was 13, I cried a lot because of my feelings for him. I was jealous. I was desperate in my desire to be with him. I was convinced that as soon as he knows about my feelings, he would want to be with me. I thought that my brother was a nuisance that was making it impossible to happen. It sounded like a cruel joke, but I believed in it.

When Dominic was 18, Matthew went to visit our grandparents in Washington. I was so hopeful. I thought that Dom and I would have had a chance to start a relationship and that he would have asked me to be his girlfriend. Oh God, how could I have even believed in that? I waited for him in one evening. I decided to take my destiny in my own hands and to tell him, honestly, about my feelings. I did that...

"Mia, are you going to join us for dinner?" I caught Dom's eyes in the reflection of the mirror. He was standing in the doorframe of my room. Casual and sure of himself like he has always been.

"You could have knocked." I said through clenched teeth and turned around. I saw his eyes roaming over my body and lingering on the length of my dress, which was a lot higher than my knees.

"Why should I bother?" He answered me with a lopsided grin. I rolled my eyes and went to the exit, and he stepped aside.

"Because I could have been naked."

"And what if it was exactly what I was hoping for?" I stopped, turned around, and stared at him. He closed the door to my room and stayed rooted to the spot.

"A hilarious joke, Dom. I am a "baby girl and will always be this way for you". I remember."

"It was a long time ago." I saw a grin forming on his lips. I arched my brow and shook my head.

"Indeed. Now I have someone who appreciates me, and he doesn't think that I am an annoying child." With that, I turned around and went straight to the kitchen. I had the chance to notice that his smile faded away immediately. Good, one point to my favor.

"What do you mean?" Dominic caught up with me when I was almost inside the kitchen. I didn't even bother to look at him. Yeah, the days when I was melting on the spot because he talked to me were long gone.

"Nothing that would concern you."

"You're mistaken. Everything about you concerns me." His voice was so demanding. I chuckled and turned my head to him.

"Dom, what hadn't you heard? I told you that I have a boyfriend."

I saw him narrowing his eyes, and his lips pursed into a thin line. I knew that a comeback was coming, and I was even curious to hear what he was going to tell me. That being said, my mom's voice brought me back to reality. I smiled at his stunned face and walked inside the kitchen.

"So kids, as I didn't have much time, I prepared a salad and fried sausages with potatoes. Nothing fancy, but I hope you will like it." Mom placed plates for Dominic and me as we sat at the table.

"I always loved your food. Dad is good with almost everything, but he isn't the best cook, obviously." Dom laughed curtly, and my mom smiled.

"Yeah, I know. While you were in college, there were days in which Allan would come over for dinner. One day I joined him for breakfast and, dear God, he was able to ruin even the simplest omelet." Dom's dad has been raising him on his own for quite some time since his wife died when Dominic was 12 years old. Sometimes, I would even imagine all of us as a big family if only our parents decided to date each other. However, it was just my dream. It wasn't going to happen because mom and Mr. Watson were just friends.

I started eating without interrupting their conversation. It suited me a lot better just to eat and retreat to my room immediately after. I wanted to call Jeff. I promised to call him back as soon as I got back home. Unfortunately, Dominic happened, and everything else slipped from my mind.

"Mia." I jumped on my seat. I was so lost in thoughts. I blinked and turned my head towards Dominic. He was observing me. "I asked you twice already, but you kept staring at the distance and chewing on your food."

"Oh, Dominic, let her be. My daughter is finally in love, so she often daydreams about her boyfriend. I got used to it, and Jeff is a very nice, considerate, and sweet guy. He spends a lot of time at our place and..."

"Why do you even let him in? Atkins is an asshole."