Page 85 of Between Love & Ruin

I know she needed that break and space, but a text would have sufficed. Now I have her trying to get my attention.

What she doesn’t realize is that she always has my attention, whether I am looking at her or not.

“Dom,” she says as she steps into our kitchen, where I am prepping our dinner. “Please talk to me.”

“What should I talk about?” I ask, internally hating myself for the way my words come out so clipped.

I think not talking to her is hurting me more than her.

“I know I should have let you know about my whereabouts,” she says, and I barely stop myself from nodding. “I just—I am not used to letting anyone know about where I am. It doesn’t come naturally to me. But I know you care, and I should have just let you know I will be late. I left as soon as Reyansh told me you called, worried about me. I am so sorry, but please talk to me.”

“Don’t apologize to me.”

My heart breaks at the gentleness and vulnerability in her voice. I know being taken care of and talking about her feelings doesn’t come easy to her at all.

I know it better than anyone.

I turn around to face her, and the way I would just go down on my knees by one look at her face is insane. God, it is so dangerous.

What’s more dangerous is how I don’t mind it one bit.

“I am not mad at you because you didn’t text me,” I tell her and pull her closer to me. My heart skips a beat the moment I touch her and pull her to me. Her scent finally makes my anxious mind calm down. “I am upset that you didn’t even think about it. I know you need your space, and you can always do what you want to do and stay at your friends’ as long as you want. You know I would never bind you to me—even if staying away from you is harder than anything else I have ever done. But I know something happened at the office. I know Myra upset you, and you can choose not to tell me if you don’t want to, but I was worried sick when you were not responding after that.”

She bites her lip and lowers her gaze. I lift her chin up by my fingers so that I am looking in her beautiful eyes.

“I was spiraling thinking something happened to you, that you were upset. You have no idea what shit went in my mind till I found out you were still at Aisha’s. I know telling someone where you are, what you are doing, or just talking about your feelings doesn’t come easy to you. But I just want you to know that nothing you do or say could ever bother me.”

She takes in a deep breath as I continue. I need her to understand that when I say I love her, I mean it in every sense of the word.

“Communicate with me. Tell me every jumbled word that comes into your mind. I don’t care if it’s messy or nice. Just never go hours without speaking to me. It makes me feel like I am losing you. And I don’t even want to imagine what that would feel like.”

“I’m so—”

“Don’t apologize. You did nothing wrong. Just never leave me, baby.”

“I love you,” she says instead, and my heart feels like it was set alive.

“I love you more, cara mia.” I kiss her forehead, and she closes her eyes.

A wicked thought comes into my mind to tease her more.

I pull away from her, going back to what I was doing before she came, and a frown comes over her beautiful face.

“So you’re not mad at me, right?”

“I am.”

She gasps, and I bite my lip to stop the smile threatening to escape.

“What do I do then?”

I pretend to think before facing her again.

“Go to our room and wait for me there like a good girl. Understood?”

Her eyes widen at my words before she opens her mouth to speak.

“Understood.”