CHAPTER NINE
KIM
I woke to the sound of mumbling. Where was I? It was dark, and the darkness swirled around me, making me feel nauseous. Oh God, I was drunk. Traces of memories came back to me in a confusing blur. This was not my bed. It didn't smell like me. Nor was it Dominick's bed. There was no scent of grapefruit and shampoo. This was a stranger's bed.
I groaned as I pulled myself up into a sitting position, then paused to listen to the voices. Victor. It sounded like Victor. Who was the other voice though? Dominick? It only took me a few more minutes to realize it was him. Why was he at Victor's apartment?
Haphazardly, I stumbled out of bed, tripping over a shoe. Thankfully, I caught myself before I had a chance to nose plant into the wall. My hand landed on the doorknob, and I tugged it open, stumbling around the corner to a sight that instantly sobered me.
For a few seconds, I wasn't sure if what I was seeing was a naughty wet dream, or if it was real. Dominick was sitting on Victor's sofa, and Victor was leaning over him . . . kissing him. I rounded the side of the sofa like a bull in a china shop, grabbing Victor by the arm to pull him away from Dominick and nearly falling again in the process.
“You slut! What are you doing with my boyfriend?” I yelled incoherently before losing my balance. If it wasn't for Dominick being quick to catch me, I would have landed on the coffee table. As soon as I found my feet again, I let my rage loose on Victor. “You're gay? You're gay! Of course, you're gay. It makes so much fucking sense now. Oh my God.”
“Kim, calm down.” Dominick grabbed me by the arms, holding me in place so that I didn't claw Victor's eyes out. In that moment, it seemed like the most logical course of action. That motherfucker was kissing my boyfriend. What the fuck?!
“I'm not gonna calm down,” I slurred. “That asshole. I thought he was my friend, and he's out here kissing you. You're not gay, are you?” I turned on him.
“No, I'm not gay.” He was calm as always, which only pissed me off more.
“Why were you two kissing then?”
“I'll explain in the car. We should go.”
“You're damn right we should go.” I wiggled out of his grasp, then grabbed his hand possessively, turning to Victor with a huff. “We're leaving.” I dragged Dominick towards the door, nearly stumbling again after stepping on his foot.
“I'll see you at school on Monday, Kim,” Victor called back to us, and I could hear the smile in his voice. Pretentious boyfriend stealing prat. Was I going to have some choice words for him when I sobered up.
Dominick guided me to the car, boxing me in with his arms to make sure I wouldn't fall over. Once he got me situated in the passenger's seat, I crossed my arms over my chest and sulked down into the leather. How long had I been asleep? Judging by how drunk I felt, it couldn't have been very long. Long enough for Victor and Dominick to make out on the sofa though, apparently. This would not go unpunished. Oh God, did I still even have a boyfriend? I was so confused.
“You's got a lot of splaining to do, Mister,” I grumbled as Dominick climbed into the driver's side.
He grunted. “You're one to talk.”
Angrily, I threw my hands up, knocking the back of my knuckles against the dashboard. “I'm not the one kissing someone else. Owww. God damn it!” I groaned, sucking on my knuckles.
“I wasn't kissing him. He was kissing me,” Dominick replied calmly.
“Same difference. He told me you were gay, but I didn't believe him cause of all the . . . you know . . . things we've done together.”
“I'm not gay.”
“Then why were you kissing him?!”
“Calm down, would you?”
“I will not calm down.” I stomped my feet, throwing a tantrum.
“You're going to break my car.”
“You can afford to buy another one! You'd be pissed too if you walked out and saw something like that.”
“You're only upset because you're drunk. Victor told me that you don't love me anymore. You can stop acting now.” His jaw tensed.
“What?” I paused, my mouth agape. “That motherfucker! Turn this car around.”
“Why?”
“Turn this car around. I'm gonna kick his ass. How dare he say shit like that to you? I knew he wanted to break us up, but I didn't think he'd resort to such low dirty . . . Turn this car around!”
“Calm down. I'm not turning the car around. You're drunk. We're going home.”
“Ugh!” I screamed. “I'm going to kick his ass on Monday. I can't believe he'd say something like that to you. It's not true.”
“It's not?” He looked at me with surprise.
“Of course it's not. I love you. I'm in love with you. You're the only one for me.”
“Then why haven't you been around? It seems like ever since I bought you the car, you can't stand to be around me anymore. I thought you were trying to break up with me.”
I sighed, sinking further into the seat, the fight quickly leaving me as I realized how hurt he sounded. “I wasn't trying to break up with you.”
“I don't understand.”
“I was worried about you falling behind in your work again, so I've been staying away.”
“There's no need for you to worry, I'm doing just fine with my work.”
“You're not behind anymore?” I gave him a hopeful look.
“No. I haven't been behind for a while.”
“Yay!” I threw my hands up, hitting the roof of the car and hurting myself again. “Goddamn it!”
“Would you please stop flailing around,” he chastised me.
“Sorry.” I drew my hands to my chest as if that would keep me from moving.
“I know you're not happy being with me, Kim. That's fine. I just want you to be honest.”
“I am being honest. No one wants us together. Your life was perfect before I came along. You always got your work done on time. Then I came into your life, and you started falling behind.
“You know at that party we went to, the one for Behind Her Green Eyes? Your publicist pulled me aside and told me we should break up because I'm not good for your career. I thought that if I stayed away, you'd get back on track. And he was right. Once I started staying away, you did get back on track. I'm a problem for you. I'm just trying to make it better.”
Oh no. I'm getting emotional again. My heart was breaking at the idea of losing Dominick. All this time, I thought I was doing what was right for us, but I had just been hurting him. Would I ever stop screwing things up?
“My life was empty before you, and it will be empty after you,” he told me. “Victor offered to fill that void, since he had convinced me that you don't love me anymore. I'm not gay, but I was just feeling too numb to move. That's what happened.”
“I still can't believe he told you I don't love you. It's the complete opposite. Everything I've done has been out of love for you.”
“It hasn't felt like it. And I can't believe that Ray would say something like that to you. I guess this all stems from him then.”
“Not just him. Before that. Melinda said something similar. And they're not wrong. You do slack off when I'm around you all the time.”
“I slack off because I'd rather spend my time with you, because I love you. That doesn't make it your fault. It makes it my fault for not being more disciplined.”
“Still. It feels like it's my fault. When I came into your life, it turned upside down.”
“When you came into my life, it got better.”
The sobbing came out then. I wasn't sure if it was because of the alcohol coursing through me or raw happiness. Within seconds, I was a blubbering mess of I love yous and apologies. Dominick did his best to keep his annoyance at bay, though I could tell he wasn't in the best of moods with me.
“We'll discuss all this again tomorrow when you're sober,” he told me as we pulled up in front of the condo.
“There's nothing else to discuss. You're mine. He can't have you.” I clutched onto his side as he led me up to the front door and inside.
“You should take a shower and go to sleep. You smell like a bar.”
“I'm going to sleep with you tonight.”
“I'll ready the vomit bucket on your side of the bed.”
“I'm too drunk to shower,” I groaned.
“Then we'll shower together. You're not getting in my bed smelling like that.”
I felt like a doll. Dominick took me into the bathroom and undressed me, then himself. As soon as the clothes were removed, all I could think about were perverted things, but he fended off my grabby hands, giving me a warning look every time I'd get too touchy-feely.
“You need to prove to me you're not gay,” I teased.
“I think I've proven that enough times.”
“Not since I saw you kiss another dude.”
“I didn't kiss him,” he grumbled.
“Still. I need proof.” I grabbed his flaccid cock, and he quickly slid my hand off of it.
“Ohhh, it feels like a tube snake. So slippery.”
Dominick couldn't help but laugh, “You're so drunk.”
“I want to touch it again.”
“No. Stop it.” He slapped at my hand as I went to grope him again, but he was grinning the whole time, and that made me happy. It felt like things might be alright between us.
Once the shower was over, he toweled me off, and we crawled into bed together. I curled up against his chest and purred softly, though sleep didn't come easy. For some reason, my body reacted to the nap at Victor's apartment as if I had gotten a full night's rest. Most of the night was spent laying there, listening to Dominick snore. Eventually, sleep did come, but it wasn't until nearly six o'clock in the morning. When I awoke the next day, Dominick was gone, and all I had keeping me company was the worst hangover of my life.
In truth, I didn't remember most of the night. One moment, I was hanging out in Victor's dining room. The next, I was in Dominick's bed. It was like my brain had erased everything between. How did I get home?
I rolled out of bed to start what parts of the hangover curing process I could. Eating wasn't an option. This was going to be a day of worshiping the porcelain Goddess, I was sure. Though my hair was still a bit damp, I took another shower, hopping it would wash away the rest of my alcohol stink. Then I crawled back into Dominick's bed and prayed for sleep to come, spending the rest of the day between dreaming and waking and puking. It wasn't until almost five in the afternoon that I emerged from the room like a bear from its cave, my hair going every which way, my eyes with bags under them. I rounded the corner of Dominick's office, peering in at him. By some miracle, he looked up at me without me even having to knock.
“Well aren't you a sight for sore eyes.” He smirked.
“I'm never drinking again,” I groaned.
“I've heard that one before. I guess we'll be ordering pizza tonight?”
“Sounds lovely. I think I could hold it down.”
“Pizza it is then.”
He placed the order and then came out of his office to eat with me when the pizza arrived. We hung out on the loveseat for the remainder of the night watching television. I felt bad for keeping him from working, but I couldn't really go anywhere in my condition.
“Where's my car?” I asked.
“It's at Victor's apartment. We can go pick it up later.”
“I'm sorry you had to come get me.”
“I wouldn't have wanted you driving like that.”
“I know, and I'm sorry I drank so much.”
“Well, hopefully you learned your lesson.”
“Yup. I'm never drinking again.”
“You're a bad liar.” Dominick squeezed me gently and kissed me on top of the head.
“I miss this,” I sighed contently.
“Me too. We should do it more often.”
“It takes you away from your work though.” I frowned.
“I would rather be taken away from my work than taken away from you. I can get other publishing contracts. I can't replace you.”
“What's that all about?” I arched an eyebrow at him.
“What?”
“This talk about losing your publishing contract.”
“Do you not remember anything we spoke about last night?”
Suddenly, I felt ashamed. “I don't remember anything about last night.”
“That might be for the best. You told me what Ray said to you at the party.”
“Oh.”
“You said that's why you haven't been hanging around the house as much, because you're worried that I'll fall behind again. You seriously don't remember any of that?” He gave me a skeptical look.
“Nope.”
“Do you at least remember that you love me?” Dominick asked hesitantly.
“I could never forget that.” I leaned against him. “I love you more than the world. That's why I only want what's best for you.”
“What's best for me is you. All the rest is just a bonus.”
I swooned at his words, knowing he meant them. While I wasn't exactly sure what had happened last night, I suppose it wasn't all bad. Apparently, my staying away had been doing more harm than good for our relationship. I understood that now, though I still felt guilty that he was willing to sacrifice so much for me. Was I really worth it? If I wanted to be, then I'd have to work extra hard to be a better girlfriend. Perhaps we could find a balance between spending time together and him still doing what he needed to do to ensure the stability of his career. We could think about it later. For now, I just wanted my hangover to go away, and to enjoy the company of the man I loved.
Dominick dropped me off in front of Victor's house to pick up my car at ten. I called beforehand, and Victor greeted me in the apartment complex parking lot with my keys in hand and a smile. He tried to approach the Maserati to talk to Dominick, which I thought was a bad idea. Before he got within five feet of the driver's window, Dominick was pulling away with a scowl, showing the same distaste for Victor as he always had.
“I don't think he's ever going to like you,” I commented as I watched the Maserati turn onto the main road. In all honesty, I was kind of surprised that Dominick had just left me there. It was out of character.
“Of course he likes me. He's just playing hard to get.” He smirked.
“What's that supposed to mean?” I quirked an eyebrow at him.
“I take it you don't remember last night.”
Again, embarrassment flushed through me. It sounded like I had missed something important.
“Do you remember?” I asked shyly.
“I remember everything.”
“Oh. Well, the last thing I remember is taking shots with you at the dining room table.”
“That's probably for the best.”
“That's what Dominick said.” We stood in awkward silence for a few minutes before I spoke gain, “Well, I guess I better be going. School tomorrow, and all.”
“Yup. See you at school tomorrow.” He waved casually at me, before heading back inside.
On the drive home, I wondered what had happened that was making them both act so strangely, but I was afraid to find out. No doubt, I had done something embarrassing and stupid, ruining the night for all, as if having to get picked up by Dominick wasn't bad enough. All that mattered was that neither of them were mad at me. Some things are better left unknown.