Chapter Six
Dominic
It was time for me to move on. I couldn’t keep doing this to myself, constantly hoping for something that would never happen. My feelings for Brooke were one-sided; she’d all but confirmed that once and for all yesterday. As much as it hurt, maybe it was what I needed to get out and start dating again. If Brooke and I had a shot in hell at still being friends, it had to happen. The only problem was I didn’t have a clue where to start. It had been over a year and a half since I’d even been on a date.
After my run-in with Brooke, I’d expected Josh to pay me a visit, but so far no one had said anything. At the very least, I expected him to threaten me for making her cry. She’d tried hard not to let me see how upset she was, but I knew. After she left, it took me hours to leave my room, and when I did, I wasn’t pleasant to be around. Drew and I had spent Sunday night watching Game of Thrones and binging on pizza, which meant an inevitable trip to the gym today. At least it would help me keep my mind off Brooke and figuring out what the hell I was going to say the next time I saw her.
I gathered up my stuff quickly. I was running late for class again. I thought the library might be a better place for me to study, but instead I’d stared out the window for the past two hours like an asshole. As I turned to leave, I ran into someone, knocking their books out of their hands and almost taking them down in the process. Not them, her.
A very pretty her.
I gripped her shoulders to keep her from going down.
“I’m so sorry.” I leaned down to pick up the girl’s books. “I wasn’t watching where I was going and—”
She placed a hand on my wrist, and I glanced up into the bluest pair of eyes I’d ever seen. They were a deep ice cobalt color I could get lost in for days.
“It’s okay.” She smiled softly.
I handed her the books back and stood up, holding out my hand to help her up off the ground. Her hand lingered as she came up to her feet. “I’m Dominic, but my friends call me Dom.”
“Talia.” She tugged her books in closer to her chest. “Where are you off to in such a rush?”
I fought back a smile. “Organic chemistry, but I can be a few minutes late.”
For the first time in too long, I wanted to talk to a girl who wasn’t Brooke. She was gorgeous with those blue cat-like eyes, full pink lips, and high cheekbones. Talia could definitely model if she wanted to. I was mesmerized. God, I hoped there was more to her than a pretty face. Otherwise I was going to be right back in the same boat I was ten seconds ago.
“I’d like that.” She smiled and continued moving toward the library exit.
I followed behind her and shamelessly checked out her ass like any red-blooded guy would. It was phenomenal, just like the rest of her.
Our steps synced as I caught up with her. “Where were you running off to when I practically bowled you over?”
“I was looking for a spot to study, but I decided I wanted a coffee first. The rest is history.”
I grinned, thankful for the opening. “I’d love to buy you a coffee.”
She laughed, a melodic sound that mimicked bells. I’d known this girl all of five minutes, and I was enamored. “That wasn’t what I—”
I winked at her. “I know, but if it gives me a chance to talk to you, then I’ll take it. As much as I love organic chemistry I haven’t missed a class all semester, so I don’t think missing one now will matter much.”
A slight stretch of the truth, but she didn’t need to know that.
“I wish I felt that way about my poly sci classes. Most of them, I feel like time drags on. It could be that I have some of the world’s oldest politicians as professors.” She flashed me a quick smile. “I love the subject but hate the teachers.”
Talia paused as I opened the door to the student union for her, a slightly mystified look crossing her face before stepping inside ahead of me. I let it pass without mentioning it, but it made me wonder if she knew many guys who had manners. We were in Texas after all. At least some of the guys she knew should be opening doors for her.
It took us a few minutes to get our drinks and get settled. We ended up on the couch Brooke and I were sitting on a few days earlier, and I hesitated before sitting down. Talia cocked her head to the side.
“Everything okay?”
I shook my head to clear my thoughts. “Yeah, I just remembered something. It’s not important, though.”
She crossed her legs as she settled into the comfortable couch. My gaze traveled up her long limbs, and I had to drag my eyes away so she didn’t think I was a manwhore. By the little smirk on her lips, I’d been caught.
“So organic chemistry, huh? What’s your major?”
“I’m a double major. If it were up to my mom, I’d be a doctor. If it were my choice, I’d be an artist. Luckily, I’m smart enough to know I can’t make a living on sketching forever, but our compromise was the double major.”
She smiled and trailed her fingernails over her lips. “Definitely not what I was expecting.”
I laughed. “What were you expecting?”
Her eye trailed over my arms, and to my surprise, she reached over and squeezed my bicep. Her head tilted to the side. “Maybe something sports related?”
“I don’t know whether to be insulted or take that as a compliment.” I took a sip of my coffee and watched her eyes light up in laughter.
“It’s definitely a compliment.” She bit down on her bottom lip, and I suppressed a groan.
I glanced away so I didn’t embarrass myself by trying to kiss her or try to get her to go back to my apartment fifteen seconds after meeting her. Maybe some guys would, but I wasn’t that kind of guy. As I looked up, I saw Brooke staring at me from across the union. She looked…hurt. But for the life of me, I couldn’t understand why. She was the one who intentionally tried to humiliate me. Our eyes met for a brief second and I quickly refocused my attention back on Talia.
Her eyebrow was raised in question. “A friend of yours?”
I took a drink of my coffee, trying to buy a second before I had to answer her. “My best friend actually. We had a fight yesterday, but I’m not ready to talk to her yet.” Time for a subject change. I really didn’t want to be talking about Brooke with anyone, let alone this woman. “You asked about my major. Now it’s my turn. I’m going to go out on a limb here and say it’s poly sci.”
She chuckled softly. “You cheated. Chemistry can go a couple of different ways. Political science really only has one option.”
Talia looked up, and I glanced over my shoulder to see what she was looking at. Brooke stood there, looking unsure if she should interrupt or not. I didn’t want to see that perplexed expression on her face, and I sure as hell didn’t need her here because I didn’t want to start comparing the two women. God, why was this so difficult.
“Hi.” Brooke hesitated, biting down on her bottom lip. “I was wondering if we could talk for a second.”
I looked back at Talia. “Can you give me one second? I’ll be right back.”
She smiled at me reassuringly. “I’ll be here enjoying my coffee.”
I followed Brooke away from Talia until we were out of hearing distance. “Make it quick, Brooke. I’m in the middle of something here.”
She bit down on her lip again. “Are you dating her? You’ve never mentioned anyone. I thought you’d tell me if you were—oh God, the kitchen—did we—”
I crossed my arms over my chest. “It’s none of your business, but we just met today.”
She looked relieved for one brief second, then she was back to biting that damned lip.
“What do you want, Brooke?”
“I’m sorry,” she whispered. Her eyes filled with tears and her breath caught in her throat.
My palms itched to reach out and comfort her, but I couldn’t do it. Not this time.
“I wanted to tell you that I—it doesn’t matter what I wanted—not anymore. I’m sorry, Dom. I didn’t know.”
“You’re sorry? Yeah, you said that already.” A tear slid down her cheek, and as much as I wanted to reach out and brush it away, I didn’t. “I need some time, Brooke. I’ll call you when I’m ready.”
She swallowed hard and studied me for a few seconds before walking away. It was like she wanted to say something but couldn’t bring herself to do it. I closed my eyes so I didn’t have to watch. It killed me to know I was causing her to hurt. Keeping Brooke from being upset was something I went out of my way to prevent most of the time. I took a second to gather myself before I returned to the woman who did want to get to know me. If there was something there, I wanted to explore it. And for the first time since I met Brooke Caldwell, I wanted another woman.
***
I was studying, or at least attempting to study, when Quinn came into my room. She flopped down on my bed and groaned. I tried to ignore her, but the longer I ignored her, the louder she got. Finally, I tilted my head in irritation.
“What did you do?” she demanded.
I glared at her. “What are you talking about?”
She rolled to her side and propped her head up on her hand. “Brooke’s been moping around for a week now. I don’t think I’ve ever seen her cry this much.”
I winced. “She’s been crying?”
She sucked in her bottom lip before continuing. “Caroline won’t tell me what’s going on. She was fine after her date with Austin, but something happened a few days after. She’s not talking, though. So, if she’s not over here and she’s crying that means you two had a fight.”
“Great deduction skill, Quinn.” I stared out the window. “This is all your fault with your stupid idea of making her jealous. Brooke was perfectly happy going out with Austin until we started screwing with her head.”
Quinn gave me a dirty look. “You were a willing participant.”
“You’re right. About everything. We did have a fight, but I don’t want to talk about it. Not with you, and certainly not with her. It’s going to take a lot for us to get back to normal—if we even can.”
She sat up quickly, nearly knocking over my lamp in the process. “What the hell are you talking about, Dom?”
I rubbed my hand down my face. “Let’s just say Brooke knows how I feel.”
“How did she find out?”
I wanted to laugh at her shocked expression. “I don’t know. She said she didn’t until our fight, but I don’t think I believe her. It’s not like I was obvious all the time, but how could she not know? I just—I don’t want to talk about it anymore,” I snapped.
Her eyes flashed with concern. “Are you okay? Seriously, Dom, I never meant for this to happen when we were pretending at the bar the other night.”
“I know you didn’t. It’s my own fault. I never should’ve pushed. I was so pissed off that Austin had asked her out. Then the jerk decided to bring her to the bar because he knew I’d be there or it would get back to me.” My hands fisted and I had to consciously relax them before I started swinging. “I really hate him, Quinn. She deserves so much better.”
Her lip tipped up in a sad smile. “I know, sweetie.”
“I should probably get back to studying.” I glared down at the book on my desk. I wasn’t about to start studying again, but she didn’t need to know that. It was just a waste of time because it wasn’t like I’d remember anything I was reading. “I’ll go over to Josh’s in a little while so I’m not being a brooding recluse. Will that make you feel better?”
She reached over and squeezed my hand. “We’ll figure it out. Don’t give up hope yet.”
I gave a humorless laugh. “I love you, Quinn, but that ship sailed a long time ago.”
It took her a few more seconds of studying me before she actually stood up to leave. She leaned down and hugged me before pulling back. I could tell she wanted to say more, but to my relief she didn’t. The door closed quietly after her.
My hands shook as I reached into my desk and pulled out the sketch I’d been working on. The face I’d been avoiding for a week now stared back at me. How pathetic was it that I couldn’t talk to Brooke, but she was the only thing I could draw, paint, or sketch. I’d tried all the different mediums and everything ended the same way—with Brooke’s bright green eyes as the focus.