“If that’s what you want to call it.”
“I think that’s what anyone would,” I told him.
“It’s stating facts,” he said.
“That you think I’m just great.”
“I said good,” corrected Dom.
“Mmhmm.”
“If you are going to get a big head about it, I will take it back.”
“I don’t think that’s how compliments work.”
He shook his head, not responding to my goading. “Eat.”
Slowly, I took another bite. He was right; it didn’t taste bad. In fact, it tasted pretty wonderful after the day I had.
I sighed, feeling a bit more of the tension ease from my shoulders. “What if I can’t figure it out?”
“Figure out what?”
“The curse, hex. Whatever you want to call it. What if we’re stuck like this until the universe evens itself out or it fades?”
Dom paused as he chewed, nodding as he listened to me finally being honest.
“Because I don’t know what else to do,” I said.
“We’ll figure it out.”
You sure about that?I wanted to ask.
A few days ago, he had seemed more insistent that I fix it compared to now.
“I’m holding up your life, aren’t I? All because of my stupid mistake.”
He shook his head again, brows creasing.
I waited for him to bring up last summer again. That was how all these conversations went after all. We talked. Things felt okay. Then, it all came crashing down like a deck of cards we had so carefully built in an hour or two. The air filled with anger, and we hated each other again—for so many reasons.
“God, I say a lot of bad stuff to you, don’t I?” Dom mumbled before sighing. “Your friends. The ones you talk to all the time before and now on the phone. Could they help us?”
“No one can help us.”
“Why do I think you’re lying?”
“Probably because, among other things you think, I am a big, awful liar as well as the worst thing that ever happened to you.”
He didn’t say anything, just kept staring. The corner of his lip curled up, as if all the terrible things we’d said to each other were now the funniest of jokes.
“I can’t tell them, okay? Not yet,” I said.
“Why not? If they can help—”
“I don’t know if they can help or not. I have to see if I can figure this out by myself first, okay? Just give me time.”
“How much time?”
