***
The days were steadily growing colder, and the unusually cold fall was bringing heavy fog and brisk winds in its wake. My gaze was focused on the darkness rolling past as Dom’s red monstrosity rumbled along.
He insisted on picking me up all the time, ignoring my protests and the fact that I had been walking across campus at night for over three years.
I caught him shooting me furtive looks out of the corner of my eye.
He wasn’t pushing me, but I could feel a slight tension rolling off him. I’d been withdrawing into myself, trying to sort out the mess in my head, the warring emotions, and of course, he’d noticed.
At this point, I felt like he’d notice if I so much as used a different mascara. When it came to me, he saweverything— unfortunately.
He pulled into the parking lot of my apartment building, shutting the truck off. Without its loud engine, the quiet of the night settled over us, cloaking us in tension.
The dash was still illuminated, casting a ghostly glow onto our faces.
“Maybe…” I hesitated but forced the words to come out. “Maybe you should just go to your dorm tonight. I think it would be better.”
“Better?” He echoed, his voice calm and collected. Suspicion coiled in my stomach. I’d expected him to react a lot more … volatile. Not physically, but emotionally.
“Yes.” I emphasized. “Better.”
“You think so?” His gaze was burning into the side of my face.
“Of course I fucking think so, or I wouldn’t have said it,” I snapped, my head whipping to the side to glower at him.
He pursed his lips. “Yeah, see, I don’t think youactuallymean it.”
“And I think you’reactuallyan asshole. Who the fuck are you to tell me what I’m supposed to want?”
“Not what I said. I said, Ithinkyou don’t actually mean that.” Dom said, holding one finger up, his gaze boring into me. “You’re running again. Trying to push me away.”
I scoffed, righteous outrage burning through me. “You’re so fucking full of yourself.”
“True, but that’s not the question.” He shrugged, then raised a maddening eyebrow at me. “The question is, why do you want to run?Again.”
If anyone was getting fucking answers, it would be me. I snapped. “How long have you known?”
“Ah.” He blew out a breath, nodding slowly. “Long enough to know it’s eating you alive. Long enough to want to help.”
At least he wasn’t giving me any fucking bullshit excuses or was trying to act like he didn’t know what I was talking about.
“I don’tneedhelp.”
He raised his eyebrows, lips pursed, a look of tired resignation crossing his face. Like when you watched your friend text back their fucked-up situationship after blocking and unblocking them fifteen times prior to that.
How dare he.
“Right.” He sighed.
“I’m serious, Dom. Don’t fucking get involved.”
“You act like I’m trying torescueyou. Like I’m trying to play some white knight bullshit. I’m not, just as much as you’re no fucking damsel in distress.” He broke off, scrubbing a hand over his face, his fingers looking for the chain he was used to wearing.
The one still sitting on my nightstand.
“If anything, you’re the queen, and I’m the army you command. I will not move unless you order me to, unless you’re getting attacked. All I want is to stand by your side. But you won’t fucking let me.” His jaw ticked as he averted his gaze, staring straight ahead.
The weight of his words hit me like a physical blow. I sucked in a sharp breath, my chest feeling too tight to properly draw breath. Time and time again, he kept telling me he was all in.
