AllFreeNovel
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Similar to Runi.
I never saw him again, but he likely never searched for me either. Which is fine, because we’d had a mutual agreement: that he would give me a taste of my desires for the night. Nothing more, nothing less.
Skimming through the rest of the bot messages and requests for me to join someone’s OnlyFans, I throw my phone on the couch and feel my anxiety creeping up. I shouldn’t have had that third cup of coffee today, but I desperately needed it after only getting a few hours of sleep last night.
At four a.m., I’d finally given up and pulled open my laptop, googling fake dating rules and etiquette so I could bring something to the table today. And when Google had proved to be utterly useless, I’d tossed and turned in bed, trying not to think of every scenario in which this could go wrong. I’m going to screw this up somehow. I’m going to end up finding a way to disappoint my brother, and he’s the only person I haven’t utterly pissed off yet. Aaron is the closest I’ve had to unconditional love, but when it comes to his best friends, I’m not sure I’d stand a chance.
There is no way I’d put myself in a situation where he would walk away, because I’m not sure I’d survive a loss like that.
That’s a little too depressing right now.
Sitting on the couch, I groan in frustration and place my palms against my temples. I try to calm myself by focusing on my breaths, desperately hoping that the intrusive thoughts will eventually fade away. All I want is for my brain to quiet down and give me some peace.
The familiar chime sounds from the foyer, causing my heart to sink deep into the pit of my stomach.
Dominik strides in, clad in a navy pull-over hoodie and black jeans. His curly hair is tousled across his forehead, a few strands grazing over his eyes. He seems a bit nervous, or maybe he just woke up from a nap. He stands on the other end of the kitchen, blinking at me. Both of us are too scared to initiate a conversation.
“You want some coffee?” My voice comes out all wrong.
“I’ll never sleep if I do. Have you had dinner?”
Right, it’s dinnertime.
I need to figure out a way to soothe my frazzled nerves and take this slowly. No expectations.
“No, I haven’t. I was just going to have some coffee with a side of…nothing,” I mutter, looking around.
Dominik snickers, placing a white plastic bag on the kitchen counter. He starts pulling out tiny Chinese food take-out containers.
He brought food? That’s nice. A peace offering.
“I was hoping you’d say that. Lemon chicken and chow mein still your favorites?”
Not even bothering to hide my silly grin, I spin around and grab plates and utensils from the drawer.
“Of course. Aaron told you?”
“No. I remember from forever ago. You would always add this to our take-out order.”
Well, would you look at that? Turns out the guy was paying attention after all. He begins to place food on the plates, his eyes laser-focused on the task while I stare at him.
I hate how much I like looking at him and the effect it has on my body.
It’s almost criminal how he manages to make the simple act of scooping food onto a plate look so incredibly hot. Honestly, I don’t blame all those women for yearning after him and feeling upset when he wanted nothing to do with them. They probably thought they were special enough to change his mind after they put out. But men like Dominik don’t change their minds.
The delightful aroma of spices and sweet sauce fills the air, instantly making my mouth water. It occurs to me that I skipped lunch and only had a protein shake for breakfast. My anxiety always makes me forget to eat.
“Thank you, Dominik. You didn’t have to do all this.”
He shrugs. “It’s just a meal.”
“It’s nice.”
“It’s the least I can do.”
His eyes fall to my lips for a quick second before he blinks, refocusing and handing me a plate overflowing with food. Placing it onto the counter, I head to the fridge, collecting two bottles of water and returning to where Dom is seated, already digging into his meal.
I’m suddenly very much aware that it’s just the two of us here. Aaron is out late tonight, showing houses to a new client, and he warned me that I’m barely going to be seeing him until his client buys a house. Apparently, a lot of his new clients are celebrities, and they are very picky about the type of real estate they want to purchase here.
