AllFreeNovel
Share Us
His lips clustered in the corner of his mouth. “Well, I know he kind of jumped in to help out when you had that fall.”
My stomach twisted at the thought of lying to my friends. About so many, many things. “Yeah, and then he threw me a surprise Hanukkah party,” I paused, “that I couldn’t even enjoy because I was concussed.” We were both chuckling. “He took me to an open house with him. It washisidea to go skiing yesterday.” It was all clicking into place. He was using me to distract himself, and I couldn’t find it in me to be angry about it, because I understood it. I understood him.
“Well, maybe you have the magic touch, Mace. You must’ve got him out of that slump and being around you might be making him feel better.”
Like Penny, I tried and failed to hide the smile that Carter’s words put on my face. “I think he knew that I didn’t want to be alone, either. I pretend to be okay with it, but secretly, I wanted someone to spend the holidays with too. Even if it was him.”
Carter was smiling at me now. That kind of smile that made you rethink what you’d just said, like he caught you saying or doing something you shouldn’t. “Look, I don’t know what you’ve said or done to bring him back to life around the holidays, but keep doing it, if you can.”
I smiled back. “I can.”
Chapter 18
Iknockedonthedoor and tugged awkwardly at my sweatshirt as I waited for it to open.
I may have gone a little off the rails when it came to following Penny’s advice. She suggested I bring Dom some food, offer him company, and leave if he didn’t want it. I didn’t bring any food at all, and what I did show up with is quite a bit more than an offer to keep him company. I reminded myself I’ll be okay with it if he says no. I’ll understand and I won’t be offended, and it won’t matter much if I’m out a few dollars. Or maybe a few hundred dollars.
It’s fine. I’ll be fine.
I sucked in a swift, nervous breath as the door to his apartment opened in front of me and Dom appeared. I only now realize that I had expected him to be a disheveled mess, or maybe drunk. Thankfully, he appeared before me with clear eyes, if not tired and a little sad.
Those clear eyes narrowed slightly as he cocked his head. “Mace?”
“Hi,” I said breathlessly. I took a deep inhale before continuing. “I wanted to stop by and make sure you’re okay. It seems like Christmas might be a tough time for you and I–” He rolled his eyes, startling me. “I’m sorry about yesterday. About the night before that, too.” I cleared my throat. “Look, I don’t want to inflate your ego more than it already is, but I like you, okay?”
His mouth tilted up just slightly, and I was the one now rolling my eyes.
“I want to be your friend, Dom, and I thought sex would complicate that. Believe it or not, I don’t want to lose the friendship we’re just beginning to build.” I felt my cheeks heating up.
He sighed. “I understand, Mace. You don’t need to explain yourself to me.” He dropped his head slightly, casting his gaze to our feet. “I just… I don’t have the capacity to talk about this right now.” He glanced up at me. “Can I just call you later?”
My throat burned with disappointment, but I fought through it. He accused me of shoving him away before. Shoving away anyone I started to grow afraid of losing. I began to think he may be doing the same thing. Shoving me away because I may activate feelings in him, on this day, that he doesn’t want to address. But he hadn’t given up on me, he pushed me until I could confront parts of myself I was ignoring, and I’d do the same for him.
I think that’s the kind of people we are. Both of us.
“I know why,” I said.
He only blinked at me.
“I mean, I don’t, actually,” I continued. Truly, I didn’t. I know he lost someone, someone he wasn’t romantically involved with, and that was it. But I wouldn’t push him for details right now. “I just know that Christmas is hard for you. That you’ve been alone for the last few years.” I smiled at him. “And you might be stubborn, but I’m more so. So I’m here.” I softened my features and met his eyes, ensuring he felt my words as much as he heard them. “For you. I’m here for you.”
He leaned back, as if he felt the blow of those words in his chest, and inhaled swiftly. He wasn’t smiling, in fact, his face was almost entirely devoid of emotion. But I saw it there, that kernel in his eyes. He heard them, he felt them, heneededthem.
And yet, he shook his head. “Mace–”
“Nobody should be alone on days that are important to them, Dominic.” My tone turned rough as I repeated the words he said to me before.
“Christmas isn’t important to me.”
“It’s your birthday.”
His brows raised, before settling back above those ember eyes that had just begun to crackle. His jaw tensed. “I’m not in a birthday mood.”
I smiled at him then, knowing I’d gotten him on the hook. I began to unzip my sweatshirt, slowly, as if reeling him in. Once I had it all the way down, I peeled the layer off, revealing the t-shirt I was wearing underneath.
“What about a Disneyland mood?”
He absorbed the writing across my t-shirt before what I’d said had hit him. Once it did, he lifted his eyes from my chest to my face, and he laughed. He laughed. Loud. It was the most musical sound I’d ever heard, and his face lit up brighter than the morning sun.
