sunshine_173 (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
sunshine_173) wrote2010-11-10 07:59 pm
sunshine_173) wrote2010-11-10 07:59 pm
Entry tags:
Crimson & Clover: Chapter 1
Title: Crimson & Clover
Author:![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
sunshine_173
Rating: PG
Pairing: BellDom/Original characters
Summary: When Dominic, a young college student from NYC, visits his sister in a small town in Southern Italy, he comes across Matthew, an Italian born, English raised wine maker and connoisseur. After their brief encounter, Dominic finds himself taken by this enigmatic and seductive man. During the two months of summer, he experiences more than he could've imagined.
Feedback: Is completely welcome. It makes me all sorts of happy. Feel free to critique, but be nice, yeah ^^
Disclaimer: I don't own Muse, Matt or Dom. If I did, unspeakable acts would be committed.
Warning: Nothing really going on here.
Note: Now, I'm not from Italy, I've never been to Italy (though I wish that I lived there), and I only know as much about Benevento as Wikipedia and Google Maps tells me, so I'm running off of small facts and utter creativity while I write about it. If there is anything that I got wrong, let me know, 'cause I would love to learn, and I'll fix it. Epic love and thanks tolalalive23 for being a massive help and plot doctor and overall lovely woman ♥. Also, millionstar is a beautiful lady.
Endless blue stretched to the horizon, seeming so pure and so close as it was reflected in a twin pair of clear, light grey eyes. A thin stream of puffy white streaked across the sky, and the mid-afternoon sun beamed down, warming the blonde’s upturned face. Dominic sighed, a small smile gracing his lips, and inhaled. A melting pot of incense greeted him, and he could detect the different flavors of the air; the sweetness of roses lining the walls of a pale tan villa, the crisp, spicy scent of two small mint plants sitting in pots at the entrance of the door, the smell of rain and grass and warm bread.
He exhaled, opening his eyes, and watched his sister go about her business in the kitchen through a large, open window. She was placing a small vase of red flowers on the window sill when Michael appeared behind her and hugged her from behind, kissing her cheek. Dominic turned away, not wanting to intrude on the private moment between the two.
He turned his gaze to the east, behind the small villa, where rocky hills covered in evergreen rolled gently down to a valley with a small lake at the bottom. The ride to Emma and Michael’s home had taken a little over an hour, and the moment that he’d arrived he was stunned into speechlessness by the overwhelming beauty of the surroundings. His sister gave him a tour of the modest villa, the architecture simple and fitting, while Michael carried his luggage to the guest bedroom on the second floor. When he was brought to his room for the next two months, he had gasped at the wall-sized window that overlooked the small valley and lake, lush foliage-covered mountains in the distance. The walls of the room were dark cream, a small map of the region hanging behind the iron wrought frame of the bed. The bed was small but looked welcoming, with a rich cocoa colored comforter and wine red sheets and pillows.
After the tour, he freshened up while his sister made some tea, relishing in the feeling of water trailing down his body after sitting for so long. He’d let his hair air dry and dressed in a simple white t-shirt and black jeans.
Dominic was now leaning against his sister’s car, tipping his head back and basking in the warmth of the sun. Legs crossed, he propped his elbows on the hood of the car on either side of his body. He smiled to himself, relaxing in the feel of the soft breeze, the ends of his hair gently fluttering against his face. He continued to breathe in the scent of everything around him, and for the first time in awhile he felt at peace. With the glow of the sun warming him from the outside in, the cool breeze making him feel like he was drifting away, and the comfort of the scenery, all thoughts of work or school drifted away, and Dominic couldn’t find it in himself to care.
He thought back to three weeks ago, when he was sitting at his desk and staring at the ticket confirmation, feelings of excitement and dread at war inside him. Initially, he hadn’t wanted to go on a trip. Well, it wasn’t that he didn't want to, he just felt like it would be wasting time. Years of engraving responsibilities and habits into his brain had made it much more appealing to stay in the States and save as much money as he could. Working two jobs wasn’t always the easiest task, but it paid the bills and bought him the necessities.
Having been on his own since he was seventeen, he’d learned how to take care of himself in order to achieve what he wanted, and to survive in general. The rare times he took trips, he never went farther than a state or two. So travelling over four thousand miles across the ocean and to a country he hadn’t been to in years was an absolute mind opener, especially since he was planning to spend the entire summer there doing absolutely nothing. He didn’t mind though, for once. He chose to ignore everything but the land surrounding him, the sights, the smells, the sounds, and the small bout of excitement that bubbled up inside of him when he saw his sister kissing Michael goodbye.
Emma walked towards her brother, smiling, shading her eyes with her hand. “Hey there, handsome. You ready to get your tour on?”
Dominic laughed, shaking his head at her. “You’re something else, you know that?” She grinned widely at him, opening the car door and slipping inside. Dominic mirrored her, sinking into the cool leather seats and reaching for the seatbelt. “So what do we have on our list of things to do?”
She turned the key in the ignition. “Well, I was thinking we could run an errand real fast, there’s some groceries we need back at the house. There’s this lovely little market in town that we can go to, I know you’ll love it. After that, we could stop by a café and grab a snack or something since it’s not quite dinner yet. When’d you last eat?”
“No idea.”
“That’s what I thought. Okay, so yeah, we can stop by a café. Ooh! I know the perfect place, actually. It’s this little corner café that has the best gelato…Anyway, we can get something to eat and…” She dragged out the last syllable, pursing her lips the side in thought. Pulling out of the long driveway, she turned onto a small road winding downhill. “We could go shopping?”
Dominic snorted, chuckling. “Well, that definitely hasn’t changed about you.”
She glanced at him sideways, pretending shock. “What in the world is that supposed to mean?”
He smiled at her innocently, batting his eyelashes.
“Lord, Dom, you’re so weird.”
They both burst out laughing, Emma struggling to keep her attention on the road. “I don’t mind shopping, it’s cool.” He reached over and attempted to ruffle her hair, her left hand leaving the wheel and batting him away.
“There are a lot of little shops where we’re going so I’m sure you’ll find something to amuse yourself with.”
“I’m positive I will, Em. Stop being such a big sister.” He poked her in the shoulder, and she threw him an exasperated look.
“Child.”
“Old woman.”
“Hey! Watch yourself, mister.” She giggled and stuck her tongue out at him.
“Look who’s the child now.” He laughed as she rolled her eyes. “Man, look at that.” He pointed out the window at a small body of water at the bottom of a cliff in the distance, surrounded by dense trees and various plants.
“Beautiful, isn’t it?” Emma smiled softly at the sight of her brother’s wide eyes.
He nodded dumbly in response as he continued to stare out of the window, watching the landscape blur passed him.
ᵜᵜᵜᵜᵜᵜᵜᵜᵜᵜᵜᵜᵜᵜᵜᵜ
It had taken a little over half an hour to get to the main part of town, the time filled with pleasant conversation between the two siblings. Emma parked on the side of the road, giddily stepping out of her small, red Fiat Panda, ignoring Dominic’s playful jabs at the size of her car.
“You ain’t changin’ my love for Sasha, Dom. This baby has held through since I moved here.”
Dominic grinned at her, his stride lengthening in order to catch up with his sister’s quick steps. “It’s tiny! It’s like the Smurf of cars.”
“It is a she, Dommie. And did you just compare her to a blue midget?” Emma laughed, furrowing her eyebrows as she tried to see the relation.
“The politically correct term is ‘little person.’” He smiled at her huff, glancing around at racks full of colorful assortments of vegetables lining the street of Via Fontanelle. Emma giggled and rolled her eyes at his remark, holding a green bell pepper in her hand and checking it for any bruises. “Are you looking for anything specific?”
She bit her lip, looking skywards, and tapped her foot twice. “Er…Well, we’re out of tomatoes and lettuce. And apples. There’s an herb stall down there,” she pointed at the corner of the street, “where oregano and basil will be. Parsley, too. Well actually, I might just end up buying the entire stall…” She sighed with a gentle smile on her face, saying the last bit mostly to herself. “Michael is going through his ‘I can cook anything I see’ phase right now.” She looked back to Dominic and shook her head slightly. “That man is somethin’ else.”
Dominic laughed, turning around and heading for the fruit. A woman behind a short stand smiled kindly at him, stepping forward when he stopped in front of her. He nodded in greeting before he realized what was in front of him. “Oooh! They have strawberries, Em!” He turned around, pointing gleefully and much like a young child in a candy store. Emma laughed, a sudden gust of cool wind ruffling her short blonde hair. She reached up to block her eyes from the sun as she walked towards her brother.
“Why don’t you go ahead and put a dozen or so in a bag, yeah?” She grinned at his enthusiasm, and went back to purchase the chosen food.
“So, sister of mine, tell me how you’ve been?” Dominic sidled up next to her as she stared at a variety of unknown vegetables, sucking on the end of a strawberry and hummed tunelessly. “And I don’t want the expected ‘I’m great, bro’. Tell me something I don’t know.”
She snorted. “Well, bro, nothing’s really been going on. I mean, like, same old, same old. Mike’s fixing up the nursery and…I don’t know. We’re just living, you know?”
“No, I don’t. I haven’t seen you since you got married, and nothing’s happened?”
“Basically?”
“C’mon, Em. Are you having problems?” He tossed the end of the strawberry into a small trash bin next to a stall. “You guys seem so happy.”
She turned to him, her large, grey eyes wide. “No! Oh, god no. No, nothing is wrong with us at all. We’re just nervous, y’know? It’s our first child together, and I know we both want to start a family, but it’s nerve-wracking. I feel like one wrong action, and Ethan will turn out…I dunno, I guess I’m just worrying too much.”
“How do you think he’ll turn out? Like mom?” Dominic’s mentioning of their mother making her wince slightly.
“Not exactly. Mom didn’t have a good childhood, and that was just reflected in her parenting. She loves us, it’s obvious, but she just doesn’t know how to express it. I’m not really scared of Ethan turning out like her, but of me. I hate having to worry about not letting him know I care or…I don’t know. Am I making sense at all?”
“Eh, to anyone else, probably not. But I know you so well that I understand you.” He gently bumped his shoulder into hers as they walked to the herb stall. “Personally, I don’t think you have anything to worry about. You are a completely different person from her. You’re more stubborn, and you’re more passionate. Shit, I could go on for hours on all of your differences, good and bad, but the point is, you’re going to be a fabulous mother. Remember those times you had babysit Tom?” He smiled at the memory of their childhood friend, Tom Kirk, who was 4 years younger than them.
She giggled, running a hand through her hair and shifting the few bags in her hand. "That was completely simple. Tom never made a fuss. He was the easiest child to take care of ever. Seriously, it was insane. He was part of the reason I even wanted to have a kid. I figured, ‘well, if he’s this easy, they all are.’”
Dominic barked out a laugh. “Easy. Eight years old and easy. Man, that’s awesome.”
Emma laughed loudly. “Well, that's Tom, period. Now, enough of me. How are you? Oh! How’s Diane?” She didn’t catch Dominic’s sudden grimace as she waved at a passing couple.
They walked a few paces until the silence between them made Emma concerned. She took a couple quick steps and turned, stopping in front of her brother and facing him. He wouldn’t meet her eye, trying to step around her, but she moved with him. He went about this manner for a moment or so, and Emma sighed exasperatedly and grabbed him by the shoulders, tilting her head far back to look the taller twin in the eyes.
“Dominic, what happened?” She asked, worry tinting her voice.
He tried to shrug, his downturned mouth causing him to look like a lost puppy as he stared at an unfixed point to the side of her head. “I dunno. I came home from class a few months ago and all her stuff was gone. There wasn’t a note or anything. She didn’t call. I asked Morgan if they knew anything but they were just as clueless. I haven’t heard from her since.”
“Oh, Dom…” She leaned forward and threw her arms around him, the bags lightly falling against his hip. She laid her head against his chest and tightened the hug, Dominic’s cheek coming to rest against the top of her head. “I’m so sorry, honey. I can’t believe it, you guys were perfect.”
“Yeah…but all good things come to an end, in one way or another. I don’t know, I think I wasn’t being good to her.” He pressed a kiss to her forehead and pulled away, wrapping an arm around her petite shoulders. They began to slowly stroll down the street, forgetting the herbs and heading back to the car.
She tilted her head back and tried to look at him. “What do you mean you weren’t being good to her? Dominic, what was goin’ on?”
“Oh, no! I wasn’t being abusive. You know me better than that, I hope. Nah, I just…I think I might have fallen out of love with her?” Talking about his girlfriend of four years was taking Dominic back in time, back to when he’d come home to a deserted apartment, and felt not heartbreak, but a subtle wave of relief. “I don’t think that, actually. I still love her, I always will. She’s too wonderful not to. I just didn’t feel right anymore. I’d lie in bed at night while she slept, and just think, ‘Is this what I really want? Is this meant to be?’ I dunno, it was just weird. And now that we’re apart and I’ve had time to think about it, it’s not what I wanted. I didn’t feel right with her at any level higher than a good friend.”
Emma searched her purse for her keys, smiling victoriously when she pulled them out. Unlocking the doors, she sat the bags on the backseat. She shut the door and turned around, leaning against it and placing a hand gently on her stomach. “It’s normal to question your relationship. I’m not going to deny that I haven’t with Michael. But I overcame those doubts and accepted that I love him unconditionally, and will for as long as he’ll have me. Maybe you and Diane were meant to just be friends, and she just hadn’t realized that. Or maybe she did, and couldn’t accept it. Don’t beat yourself up, though.”
Dominic opened the passenger door and slid inside, his sister walking around the front to the driver’s side. “I’m not beating myself up, Emmy. I promise you that. Now where’s that gelato you promised me?” He wiggled his eyebrows until she smiled, rolling her eyes.
Giggling, she turned the car on and pulled out of the parking spot. “Whatever you say, Master Dom.”
Author:
sunshine_173 Rating: PG
Pairing: BellDom/Original characters
Summary: When Dominic, a young college student from NYC, visits his sister in a small town in Southern Italy, he comes across Matthew, an Italian born, English raised wine maker and connoisseur. After their brief encounter, Dominic finds himself taken by this enigmatic and seductive man. During the two months of summer, he experiences more than he could've imagined.
Feedback: Is completely welcome. It makes me all sorts of happy. Feel free to critique, but be nice, yeah ^^
Disclaimer: I don't own Muse, Matt or Dom. If I did, unspeakable acts would be committed.
Warning: Nothing really going on here.
Note: Now, I'm not from Italy, I've never been to Italy (though I wish that I lived there), and I only know as much about Benevento as Wikipedia and Google Maps tells me, so I'm running off of small facts and utter creativity while I write about it. If there is anything that I got wrong, let me know, 'cause I would love to learn, and I'll fix it. Epic love and thanks to
lalalive23 for being a massive help and plot doctor and overall lovely woman ♥. Also, millionstar is a beautiful lady.Endless blue stretched to the horizon, seeming so pure and so close as it was reflected in a twin pair of clear, light grey eyes. A thin stream of puffy white streaked across the sky, and the mid-afternoon sun beamed down, warming the blonde’s upturned face. Dominic sighed, a small smile gracing his lips, and inhaled. A melting pot of incense greeted him, and he could detect the different flavors of the air; the sweetness of roses lining the walls of a pale tan villa, the crisp, spicy scent of two small mint plants sitting in pots at the entrance of the door, the smell of rain and grass and warm bread.
He exhaled, opening his eyes, and watched his sister go about her business in the kitchen through a large, open window. She was placing a small vase of red flowers on the window sill when Michael appeared behind her and hugged her from behind, kissing her cheek. Dominic turned away, not wanting to intrude on the private moment between the two.
He turned his gaze to the east, behind the small villa, where rocky hills covered in evergreen rolled gently down to a valley with a small lake at the bottom. The ride to Emma and Michael’s home had taken a little over an hour, and the moment that he’d arrived he was stunned into speechlessness by the overwhelming beauty of the surroundings. His sister gave him a tour of the modest villa, the architecture simple and fitting, while Michael carried his luggage to the guest bedroom on the second floor. When he was brought to his room for the next two months, he had gasped at the wall-sized window that overlooked the small valley and lake, lush foliage-covered mountains in the distance. The walls of the room were dark cream, a small map of the region hanging behind the iron wrought frame of the bed. The bed was small but looked welcoming, with a rich cocoa colored comforter and wine red sheets and pillows.
After the tour, he freshened up while his sister made some tea, relishing in the feeling of water trailing down his body after sitting for so long. He’d let his hair air dry and dressed in a simple white t-shirt and black jeans.
Dominic was now leaning against his sister’s car, tipping his head back and basking in the warmth of the sun. Legs crossed, he propped his elbows on the hood of the car on either side of his body. He smiled to himself, relaxing in the feel of the soft breeze, the ends of his hair gently fluttering against his face. He continued to breathe in the scent of everything around him, and for the first time in awhile he felt at peace. With the glow of the sun warming him from the outside in, the cool breeze making him feel like he was drifting away, and the comfort of the scenery, all thoughts of work or school drifted away, and Dominic couldn’t find it in himself to care.
He thought back to three weeks ago, when he was sitting at his desk and staring at the ticket confirmation, feelings of excitement and dread at war inside him. Initially, he hadn’t wanted to go on a trip. Well, it wasn’t that he didn't want to, he just felt like it would be wasting time. Years of engraving responsibilities and habits into his brain had made it much more appealing to stay in the States and save as much money as he could. Working two jobs wasn’t always the easiest task, but it paid the bills and bought him the necessities.
Having been on his own since he was seventeen, he’d learned how to take care of himself in order to achieve what he wanted, and to survive in general. The rare times he took trips, he never went farther than a state or two. So travelling over four thousand miles across the ocean and to a country he hadn’t been to in years was an absolute mind opener, especially since he was planning to spend the entire summer there doing absolutely nothing. He didn’t mind though, for once. He chose to ignore everything but the land surrounding him, the sights, the smells, the sounds, and the small bout of excitement that bubbled up inside of him when he saw his sister kissing Michael goodbye.
Emma walked towards her brother, smiling, shading her eyes with her hand. “Hey there, handsome. You ready to get your tour on?”
Dominic laughed, shaking his head at her. “You’re something else, you know that?” She grinned widely at him, opening the car door and slipping inside. Dominic mirrored her, sinking into the cool leather seats and reaching for the seatbelt. “So what do we have on our list of things to do?”
She turned the key in the ignition. “Well, I was thinking we could run an errand real fast, there’s some groceries we need back at the house. There’s this lovely little market in town that we can go to, I know you’ll love it. After that, we could stop by a café and grab a snack or something since it’s not quite dinner yet. When’d you last eat?”
“No idea.”
“That’s what I thought. Okay, so yeah, we can stop by a café. Ooh! I know the perfect place, actually. It’s this little corner café that has the best gelato…Anyway, we can get something to eat and…” She dragged out the last syllable, pursing her lips the side in thought. Pulling out of the long driveway, she turned onto a small road winding downhill. “We could go shopping?”
Dominic snorted, chuckling. “Well, that definitely hasn’t changed about you.”
She glanced at him sideways, pretending shock. “What in the world is that supposed to mean?”
He smiled at her innocently, batting his eyelashes.
“Lord, Dom, you’re so weird.”
They both burst out laughing, Emma struggling to keep her attention on the road. “I don’t mind shopping, it’s cool.” He reached over and attempted to ruffle her hair, her left hand leaving the wheel and batting him away.
“There are a lot of little shops where we’re going so I’m sure you’ll find something to amuse yourself with.”
“I’m positive I will, Em. Stop being such a big sister.” He poked her in the shoulder, and she threw him an exasperated look.
“Child.”
“Old woman.”
“Hey! Watch yourself, mister.” She giggled and stuck her tongue out at him.
“Look who’s the child now.” He laughed as she rolled her eyes. “Man, look at that.” He pointed out the window at a small body of water at the bottom of a cliff in the distance, surrounded by dense trees and various plants.
“Beautiful, isn’t it?” Emma smiled softly at the sight of her brother’s wide eyes.
He nodded dumbly in response as he continued to stare out of the window, watching the landscape blur passed him.
ᵜᵜᵜᵜᵜᵜᵜᵜᵜᵜᵜᵜᵜᵜᵜᵜ
It had taken a little over half an hour to get to the main part of town, the time filled with pleasant conversation between the two siblings. Emma parked on the side of the road, giddily stepping out of her small, red Fiat Panda, ignoring Dominic’s playful jabs at the size of her car.
“You ain’t changin’ my love for Sasha, Dom. This baby has held through since I moved here.”
Dominic grinned at her, his stride lengthening in order to catch up with his sister’s quick steps. “It’s tiny! It’s like the Smurf of cars.”
“It is a she, Dommie. And did you just compare her to a blue midget?” Emma laughed, furrowing her eyebrows as she tried to see the relation.
“The politically correct term is ‘little person.’” He smiled at her huff, glancing around at racks full of colorful assortments of vegetables lining the street of Via Fontanelle. Emma giggled and rolled her eyes at his remark, holding a green bell pepper in her hand and checking it for any bruises. “Are you looking for anything specific?”
She bit her lip, looking skywards, and tapped her foot twice. “Er…Well, we’re out of tomatoes and lettuce. And apples. There’s an herb stall down there,” she pointed at the corner of the street, “where oregano and basil will be. Parsley, too. Well actually, I might just end up buying the entire stall…” She sighed with a gentle smile on her face, saying the last bit mostly to herself. “Michael is going through his ‘I can cook anything I see’ phase right now.” She looked back to Dominic and shook her head slightly. “That man is somethin’ else.”
Dominic laughed, turning around and heading for the fruit. A woman behind a short stand smiled kindly at him, stepping forward when he stopped in front of her. He nodded in greeting before he realized what was in front of him. “Oooh! They have strawberries, Em!” He turned around, pointing gleefully and much like a young child in a candy store. Emma laughed, a sudden gust of cool wind ruffling her short blonde hair. She reached up to block her eyes from the sun as she walked towards her brother.
“Why don’t you go ahead and put a dozen or so in a bag, yeah?” She grinned at his enthusiasm, and went back to purchase the chosen food.
“So, sister of mine, tell me how you’ve been?” Dominic sidled up next to her as she stared at a variety of unknown vegetables, sucking on the end of a strawberry and hummed tunelessly. “And I don’t want the expected ‘I’m great, bro’. Tell me something I don’t know.”
She snorted. “Well, bro, nothing’s really been going on. I mean, like, same old, same old. Mike’s fixing up the nursery and…I don’t know. We’re just living, you know?”
“No, I don’t. I haven’t seen you since you got married, and nothing’s happened?”
“Basically?”
“C’mon, Em. Are you having problems?” He tossed the end of the strawberry into a small trash bin next to a stall. “You guys seem so happy.”
She turned to him, her large, grey eyes wide. “No! Oh, god no. No, nothing is wrong with us at all. We’re just nervous, y’know? It’s our first child together, and I know we both want to start a family, but it’s nerve-wracking. I feel like one wrong action, and Ethan will turn out…I dunno, I guess I’m just worrying too much.”
“How do you think he’ll turn out? Like mom?” Dominic’s mentioning of their mother making her wince slightly.
“Not exactly. Mom didn’t have a good childhood, and that was just reflected in her parenting. She loves us, it’s obvious, but she just doesn’t know how to express it. I’m not really scared of Ethan turning out like her, but of me. I hate having to worry about not letting him know I care or…I don’t know. Am I making sense at all?”
“Eh, to anyone else, probably not. But I know you so well that I understand you.” He gently bumped his shoulder into hers as they walked to the herb stall. “Personally, I don’t think you have anything to worry about. You are a completely different person from her. You’re more stubborn, and you’re more passionate. Shit, I could go on for hours on all of your differences, good and bad, but the point is, you’re going to be a fabulous mother. Remember those times you had babysit Tom?” He smiled at the memory of their childhood friend, Tom Kirk, who was 4 years younger than them.
She giggled, running a hand through her hair and shifting the few bags in her hand. "That was completely simple. Tom never made a fuss. He was the easiest child to take care of ever. Seriously, it was insane. He was part of the reason I even wanted to have a kid. I figured, ‘well, if he’s this easy, they all are.’”
Dominic barked out a laugh. “Easy. Eight years old and easy. Man, that’s awesome.”
Emma laughed loudly. “Well, that's Tom, period. Now, enough of me. How are you? Oh! How’s Diane?” She didn’t catch Dominic’s sudden grimace as she waved at a passing couple.
They walked a few paces until the silence between them made Emma concerned. She took a couple quick steps and turned, stopping in front of her brother and facing him. He wouldn’t meet her eye, trying to step around her, but she moved with him. He went about this manner for a moment or so, and Emma sighed exasperatedly and grabbed him by the shoulders, tilting her head far back to look the taller twin in the eyes.
“Dominic, what happened?” She asked, worry tinting her voice.
He tried to shrug, his downturned mouth causing him to look like a lost puppy as he stared at an unfixed point to the side of her head. “I dunno. I came home from class a few months ago and all her stuff was gone. There wasn’t a note or anything. She didn’t call. I asked Morgan if they knew anything but they were just as clueless. I haven’t heard from her since.”
“Oh, Dom…” She leaned forward and threw her arms around him, the bags lightly falling against his hip. She laid her head against his chest and tightened the hug, Dominic’s cheek coming to rest against the top of her head. “I’m so sorry, honey. I can’t believe it, you guys were perfect.”
“Yeah…but all good things come to an end, in one way or another. I don’t know, I think I wasn’t being good to her.” He pressed a kiss to her forehead and pulled away, wrapping an arm around her petite shoulders. They began to slowly stroll down the street, forgetting the herbs and heading back to the car.
She tilted her head back and tried to look at him. “What do you mean you weren’t being good to her? Dominic, what was goin’ on?”
“Oh, no! I wasn’t being abusive. You know me better than that, I hope. Nah, I just…I think I might have fallen out of love with her?” Talking about his girlfriend of four years was taking Dominic back in time, back to when he’d come home to a deserted apartment, and felt not heartbreak, but a subtle wave of relief. “I don’t think that, actually. I still love her, I always will. She’s too wonderful not to. I just didn’t feel right anymore. I’d lie in bed at night while she slept, and just think, ‘Is this what I really want? Is this meant to be?’ I dunno, it was just weird. And now that we’re apart and I’ve had time to think about it, it’s not what I wanted. I didn’t feel right with her at any level higher than a good friend.”
Emma searched her purse for her keys, smiling victoriously when she pulled them out. Unlocking the doors, she sat the bags on the backseat. She shut the door and turned around, leaning against it and placing a hand gently on her stomach. “It’s normal to question your relationship. I’m not going to deny that I haven’t with Michael. But I overcame those doubts and accepted that I love him unconditionally, and will for as long as he’ll have me. Maybe you and Diane were meant to just be friends, and she just hadn’t realized that. Or maybe she did, and couldn’t accept it. Don’t beat yourself up, though.”
Dominic opened the passenger door and slid inside, his sister walking around the front to the driver’s side. “I’m not beating myself up, Emmy. I promise you that. Now where’s that gelato you promised me?” He wiggled his eyebrows until she smiled, rolling her eyes.
Giggling, she turned the car on and pulled out of the parking spot. “Whatever you say, Master Dom.”