CHAPTER EIGHT
DOMINICK
It was a quiet evening, as so many had been. They seemed to run into each other, the days and weeks, mornings and afternoons of solitude. I was alone again, but perhaps that was for the best. Perhaps it was only a matter of time before it happened. The push and pull of my relationship with Kim was grueling.
Maybe the car had been a bad idea. Since getting it for her, I had become the flavor of last week. Who knew what she was doing right now . . . with him. Replacing me, I supposed. It was bound to happen sooner or later. Our lives were so far removed from each other. I couldn't blame her for not wanting to sit around the condo and entertain herself while I worked. What fun was there in that.
Oh well. I was used to being abandoned. My heart would break, was breaking. It should be something I was used to by now, but you never really get used to being kicked to the curb.
Perhaps a lasting love was never in the cards for me. Just work. Work and work and more work. Living vicariously through the fantasies I created. I had spent so many years locked inside my own mind, it's amazing I hadn't gone crazy yet.
The phone rang, drawing me away from my depressing thoughts. It was Kim. I glanced at it nonchalantly, expecting that she was calling to tell me she would be home late, or maybe not at all. Perhaps this was the end, the night that she found herself in bed with him and forever barred from mine. It doesn't matter anymore, I told myself, though I knew it was a lie.
“Hello,” I answered, trying my best to sound annoyed. If she was going to replace me, the least I could do was act like I didn't care.
“Mister Parker.”
The voice on the other end of the line threw me off. It was the boy, the one she was fond of.
“Where's Kim?” I asked, my tone taking an unintentionally angry turn.
“She's here with me. She drank a little too much and passed out. You might want to come pick her up.”
“I'll be there in a little while. What's your address?”
For as upset as I was at Kim, I was grateful that Victor had been responsible enough to call me instead of allowing her to drive home. He wasn't a bad guy, to be honest. He wasn't the worst guy she could have gotten caught up with, that was for sure. I still couldn't force myself to like him though, not when he was obviously trying to steal my girlfriend.
After jotting down the address, I grabbed the keys to my car and headed for the door. Hopefully, she wouldn't throw up in the Maserati. That thought made me go back inside for a plastic bag before finally taking off to pick her up.
Dealing with drunk people was never fun. There was no point in being mad at her though. She likely wouldn't be sober enough to understand what I was saying if I lectured her. My breath was better saved for the morning. Nothing is more annoying and agitating than getting a lecture when you're hung over.
Victor's apartment was only a few miles down the road. It was one of the better apartment complexes in the area, with fresh paint on the outside of the building, gated access, and a security patrol. More than a college kid could afford.
I parked the car out front and knocked on the apartment door. Victor opened on the second knock, smiling at me pleasantly. All I could do was glare at him. This kid . . . I didn't know him very well, but I hated him. What a burdensome inconvenience he was.
“Come in, Mister Parker.” He stepped away from the door.
From the entrance, I could see all the way across the living room and into the dining room. Kim was nowhere to be found.
“Where is she?” I asked, trying to temper the anger in my tone.
“I took her to my bedroom to lie down.”
The implication in his voice caused a stabbing in my heart. This was definitely the end, and I was going to need to handle it with as much poise as I could muster.
“She's fine,” he assured me, apparently seeing the darkness in my expression. “I'd like to talk to you for a few minutes, if that's alright.”
“I have nothing to say to you,” I growled, pushing past him to go into the bedroom.
When I got to the doorway, I paused. Kim was lying there on a perfectly made bed, fully clothed, snoring loudly. A trickle of drool glistened on her cheek, and her hair was an absolute mess. It wasn't one of her best moments.
“See. I told you she's alright,” Victor whispered softly behind me. “We didn't do anything, if that's what you're afraid of, but that's also what I'd like to speak to you about.”
I sighed. He was playing the caring nice guy, the guy who was about to tell me what was really going on between them so that he could save Kim from it. Fine. I'd rather be shattered now than have to wait and wonder. Kim had a hard time talking about things like this. If I left it up to her, it might be six more months before she confessed to me what was really going on between them.
“Alright.” I gave Kim's sleeping body a pained look before following Victor to the living room and taking a seat on the sofa. To my surprise, he sat beside me instead of in the recliner that would have put space between us. The closeness made me uncomfortable, but I decided to bear it. I wouldn't be here much longer anyway.
“Would you like something to drink?” he offered.
“Not particularly. I would just like to get this over with and take Kim home.”
“She doesn't handle her liquor well.” He smirked.
“No, she doesn't.”
“I'm glad. I was counting on it.”
His words took me aback, and I found myself arching an eyebrow in his direction. “Why?”
“Because I've been wanting to talk to you, and this was the only way I could think of getting your attention without you running away.”
“You picked a bad way to get my attention. A phone call would have sufficed.”
“No. I'm afraid not.” When Victor shook his head, strands of blonde hair fell in front of his face, obscuring his eyes.
“I don't have all night. Say what you need to say so I can leave.”
“There's a lot to say. I was hoping you'd be more patient.”
“It's not one of my virtues in situations like this.”
“I guess I better get to talking then.”
“Yes.”
“Well,” he took a deep breath. “To make a long story short, I don't think the two of you should be together.”
“You and everyone else.”
“She doesn't love you anymore, you know.”
If words ever hurt me more, I couldn't remember a time. Even when Tammy told me that Marcus had proposed to her, and she had accepted, it didn't hurt this badly. Probably, because I never had Tammy. Kim belonged to me. We were together. A couple. Yes, this was far worse, like my heart was being ripped from my chest, and every artery and vein went with it, filling my entire body with nothing but pain. As it surged through me, I struggled to keep from trembling. This is what I had feared all along, and it explained everything, why she'd been pushing me away, the distance between us. This was truly the end.
I was speechless. What more was there to say? He had just confirmed what I already thought. There was no point in discussing it any further. I didn't want to know why or how she had fallen out of love with me. None of that mattered. I just wanted to retrieve the husk of the girl I loved, go home, and wallow in my misery.
“It's probably for the best,” Victor continued. “She wasn't worthy of you anyway. She's a silly selfish little girl that fell in love with the idea of dating an older wealthy man. There are so many of them out there. I think it's a phase that girls go through, really.”
“I don't want to talk about this,” I said, though he didn't listen.
“She's too immature for you. She doesn't really understand the importance of your work and the way the world operates. She's not smart enough to even hope to be able to understand it.
“You deserve someone better, someone on the same social scale, someone with the same sophisticated tastes,” his tone took a peculiar turn. “You know, I've read every one of your books. When Kim told me about you, I took an interest. I'm a fan of literature, not particularly romance, but I do enjoy erotica. The story of your past piqued my curiosity, and when I read your books, it felt like I was getting to know you on a deeper level.
“Then when I met you that one day at college, I became a bit obsessed. You seemed like such an interesting person. I researched every article I could find on you. You're rather amazing, if you don't mind me saying so. I realized we have a lot in common. Just by listening to Kim talk about you, I knew we had a lot in common, more than you have with her.
“It didn't take long before I fell in love with you.” He turned to look at me. “Dominick, I know it's hard to believe, since we really don't know each other personally, but I am in love with you. The only reason I've gotten so close to Kim is because I wanted to get close to you.”
Now I just felt awkward. Was this kid out of his mind? What kind of psychopath does something like that?
“So, you used her?” I asked, feeling a strange rush of relief roll through me.
“No.” Victor shook his head. “She's still my friend.”
I sighed, trying to hide my grin, though it came out anyway. “All this time, I've hated you because I thought you were trying to steal her from me.”
“That was never my intention. I'm not stupid. I know Kim likes me, but I have no interest in her. My interest lies entirely with you, but you'd never give me the time of day. I couldn't just waltz in and be her friend when you knew there was something else there, even if it wasn't from my end of things. This was the only way I could get your attention. Come off as a threat to lure you in.”
“You're rather devious.” I quirked an eyebrow at him.
“We do what we have to do to get what we want.” He smiled coyly at me.
“Well, you're not getting what you want. You may love me, but I love Kim.”
“But you're forgetting that Kim doesn't love you. Even if you take me out of the equation, it doesn't erase that fact.”
His words stabbed through me again. He was right. Even if Victor wasn't a threat, Kim and I were still torn apart. There was a strange throbbing in my heart counting down to a numbness I'd known before. I was alone again. My life had no meaning. Soon, it would return to how it used to be. Wake up. Work. Sleep. Wake up. Work. Sleep. Move on occasion so that I'd have different walls to stare at. Writing would keep me sane. Memories. Fantasies.
“Have you ever been with another man?” Victor asked, stirring me from my thoughts.
“I don't swing that way,” I grumbled.
“How can you know if you've never tried?”
He was looking at me earnestly. I could see him in my peripheral vision, and it annoyed me. One of his hands moved to rest on my knee, and I quickly brushed it off.
“You know, I didn't know that I liked boys either until I kissed one. I thought I was straight. But there's just something different about kissing someone and knowing they understand what you feel. Girls don't get us. They really don't. Just like we don't get them.” Victor was sitting on the edge of the sofa now, staring at me.
I refused to look at him. This was a game that I wasn't interested in playing, but I couldn't force myself to move either. My mind and heart were still processing his words, trying to cope with the realization that it was over. Even seeing Kim would be enough to push me over the edge. I needed to compose myself first. There was no way I was going to lose it in front of an audience.
“I love you, Dominick,” he continued. “I know that things are over for you and Kim, but we could be together. You don't have to be alone anymore. Let me show you.”
He leaned in, and I quickly leaned away.
“Do you want to get punched?” I threatened, which quickly made him recoil, though he didn't look afraid.
“That wouldn't be very good for your career.”
“It wouldn't be very good for your face either.”
“It's just a kiss. Not the end of the world. If you don't like it, I'll never bother you again.”
I gave him a suspicious look.
“You don't want to be alone again, do you?” he asked. “I know you don't want that. I could fill the void. I have my own place, so I wouldn't be bothering you all the time, and my parents are rich, so you know I'm not after your money. You may not know me well now, but you could grow to love me eventually. Just one kiss. What would it hurt?”
No more than I already hurt, I was sure. Everything inside of me felt numb. I wasn't ready to face Kim yet, but I didn't want to deal with this brat either. It was a battle of which was worse. If this depraved act could spare me a few moments, then I supposed I could allow it. I knew I wasn't gay, and I damn sure didn't plan to reciprocate, but I just . . .
With a sigh, I leaned back against the sofa and closed my eyes, internally cringed at the thought of the lips that were slowly approaching mine.