The crowd was exploding, but my eyes went straight to the edge of the stands. Dom was watching me, his grin lighting up his whole face, like he knew all along that I’d make it happen.
Like he believed I could makeanythinghappen.
***
The early morning sunlight illuminated the quiet campus as it rolled past. I was pounding pavement, my pace brutal as I breathed in the chilly air, and the slap of my shoes was the only thing keeping rhythm with my pulse.
The cold air stung in my lungs, but I kept running. Not for fitness or endorphins, but to process my feelings, to process all the things that had happened within the last couple of days.
It was never supposed to get this far. Dom was supposed to crash and burn against my walls. But here we were, neck-deep in this beautiful mess. And I wasn’t even sorry about it anymore.
My legs started to burn, but I welcomed the feeling.
Itgroundedme.
I used to think needing someone was like handing them a knife and hoping they wouldn’t use it. But Dom — he just handed me proof of everything.
No hesitation.
Like starting a war on my behalf was something he didn’t have to think about. Like this kind of loyalty didn’t cost him a fucking thing.
He didn’t ask me to be grateful. He didn’t ask me to be careful.
He just said,“This is yours. Do what you need to do.”
Dominic Kincaid would go to war for me. Not because he was reckless, but because he was mine.
My breath came out in sharp pants as I pressed my lips together, my jaw tight. There was no one around to see how close I was to breaking again — only this time it wasn’t from fear.
Dom didn’t just see me. He believed in me.
Unconditionally.
I’ve always had trouble genuinely letting people in, trusting them. All the people I’d surrounded myself with had turned out to be backstabbers.
Even my parents never really believed in me. To them, I was just a pretty face with unrealistic dreams, playing athlete until I inevitably gave up and settled down. No matter how hard I worked, it was never enough to convince them I was serious.
Trusting no one had become my new normal. But he showed up for me — again and again. No hesitation. Never wavering.
That was what love looked like, wasn’t it? Not flowers or promises. Butthis. Showing up for one another.
I was certain he’d crossed some lines to obtain this final piece of evidence. Maybe even broke the law. This was so much more than just evidence, though.
It had gotten so cold, my hot breath escaping in little clouds of steam. The tip of my nose felt like it might freeze off, and yet sweat was running down my back.
Dom had handed me a crown like an offering.All for me. And for the first time, I wasn’t afraid of what that meant. I was ready to burn it all down … and I wasn’t doing it alone.
God help whoever tries to fucking take that away from me.
I was cutting across the quad, rounded the edge, and fate — predictably cruel — threw me right into Jasmine.
Sorority treasurer. Former best friend. Now a parasite clinging to the crumbling throne.
We were on a collision course, but Jasmine flinched first, making the corner of my mouth tick upwards in satisfaction.
“Still going for runs?” Jasmine sneered. “Trying to outrun your reputation?”
I pulled my earbuds out, one brow arched and a mocking, patronizing smile on my lips.
