Chapter Twenty-Five
Dominic
I had done the right thing by going to get Candice. I was surprised that she hadn’t asked me yet about the breakup, but I was glad. There was plenty of time to talk. Just being together again was all that was important. I looked at her now. The comforter had slid off ever so slightly, so just her bare shoulders were peeking out. She looked calm and serene as she lay there. Her lips moved ever so slightly, and I wondered if she was dreaming. Her soft skin seemed even softer now that her hair was back to its original color, and I reached out and slowly moved a strand away from her face. How could I have been so stupid to have left her for so long? How had I lived so long without her before now? She was, by leaps and bounds, the most beautiful woman I had ever seen. I could understand why Derek was so upset about losing her. I was sure that he didn’t love her, but I could imagine how hard it would be to have someone like Candice walk away from you. I leaned over and kissed her, but she remained steadfastly asleep.
I slowly got out bed, threw some clothes on, and made my way downstairs. The receptionist from the night before was there, looking as tired and bored as she had before. She barely looked at me when I walked up to her.
“Good morning,” I said brightly, and she looked up at me annoyed. Clearly, it was too early to be in such a good mood.
“Did you have a nice sleep?” she asked. It sounded like she was reading from cue cards. The voice of someone who had said the same thing over and over again to people that she never saw again.
“Wonderful. Uh, is there anywhere that I can get some coffee or something to eat?”
“Yep, we have a little café around the corner. They don’t sell much, but you should be able to find something edible, at least.”
“Perfect, thank you,” I said and made my way toward where she had pointed.
She was right; the café was small, but the smell of coffee was inviting.
“What can I get for you today?” the woman behind the counter said. Unlike the receptionist, she was happy and smiley. Perhaps she’d already sampled some of her own delicious-smelling coffee.
I smiled back. “I’ll have two, actually, make it three, coffees, please. And a few of your best-selling muffins.”
“Coming right up,” she said. I watched as she expertly made the coffee from a fancy machine that seemed misplaced in this small café. She must’ve seen me watching because she turned around and grinned at me. “I know,” she said. “The machine doesn’t seem to belong here, does it? But trust me, if there’s one thing I’ve learned from experience, it’s that everyone just wants a good cup of coffee in the morning. And why should this place be any different? We might not be a fancy hotel or anything, but we make damn fine coffee, and that’s what keeps people coming back.”
“It’s unexpected, that’s for sure,” I said. “But I’m not complaining. It smells delicious. And my girlfriend is going to thank me for this. She’s still fast asleep.” I wasn’t sure if Candice was really my girlfriend, but it felt nice saying the words out loud.
“She’s one lucky girl to have a man like you do something like that for her. Well, you’re in luck because our baker arrived early this morning and dropped off some fresh chocolate chip muffins.”
I grinned. “Is this heaven?”
I took the bag of muffins, and the three coffees, and made my way back around the corner. I placed a cup of coffee down on the counter and looked at the receptionist.
“For you,” I said.
She frowned. “For me? Why?”
I shrugged. “Why not?” I said and walked away before she had the chance to say anything. Before I turned the corner, I quickly looked back and saw that she was smiling at the cup. The first smile I had seen from her since I had arrived. Perhaps all she needed was someone to just be kind to her. Being with Candice was turning me into a much nicer person.
As I walked back inside, I saw that Candice was awake. She smiled when she saw me.
“I thought you had run off,” she said.
“I probably should’ve left you a note, but you were fast asleep when I left. I went to get breakfast,” I said.
I handed her a coffee and dropped the muffins onto the bed, and then I climbed in beside her. The smell of the coffee and the sight of Candice was intoxicating. I was more than happy to wake up like this every day of my life.
“Where did you get this from? This stuff is amazing,” she said.
“Apparently the muffins are fresh and delicious too. Who knew that such an incredible café would exist at a place like this? Oh, and guess what: I managed to get a smile out of the bored receptionist.”
“I’m not surprised one bit,” she said. “Who could resist a man like you?”
“This is nice, Candice. I like waking up with you.”
“Yeah, I’ve really missed you,” she said.
“Listen, I wanted to tell you how sorry I am. About breaking up with you. I feel so shitty about it.”
“It’s okay,” she said and reached out to squeeze my hand.
I shook my head. “No. It’s not okay. It’s not okay at all. I have nobody to blame but myself. But the coach was going on and on about how I needed to concentrate on football and telling me how I was not going to get into the NFL if I continued on this way. He pulled me aside so many times. Not to blow my own horn or anything, but I’ve always been one of his favorites, so this all took me by surprise. I knew he was talking about you. It seems crazy now, looking back, but I didn’t know what else to do. And I knew I was causing trouble between you and your father. And the whole Derek thing. The more I thought about it, the more I realized I was just screwing things up for the two of us. So I backed off, as hard as that decision was. But hell, I’ve missed you.”
“Want to know something crazy? That day that you broke up with me, well, I was about to break up with you too.”
“Really? How come?” That was news to me. I wonder how I would’ve felt if she was the one that had broken up with me and not the other way around.
“Same reasons, I guess. Well, not Coach Bane, of course. But everything else. My father freaked out when he discovered I was seeing you again. I knew he would, but I didn’t know he would take it as badly as he did. He threatened to take me out of school completely. Said he would disinherit me if I stayed with you. Can you believe it? I stormed out of the house when he told me that.”
“Oh shit. Seriously? Would he really do that?”
She nodded. “Yeah. I think so. And it’s not like I can afford to go here without him. I didn’t know what to do, either. I knew we had maybe jumped into things too quickly and I wanted to tell you that it would be better if we just backed off from one another for a while.”
“But I beat you to it,” I said.
“You sure did. And even though I was going to break up with you, I was still so mad that you had broken up with me. I found the whole thing so difficult. I avoided you the whole time. I was so scared that I was going to see you. I walked around campus constantly looking over my shoulder. It helped that you stopped going to Professor Jackson’s class.”
I sighed. “Yeah. I only did that to avoid you. And it helped that you dyed your hair. I might have seen you without realizing it. I saw you once, though. You were sitting with that Lily girl at the café. You were smiling.”
“Yeah, she’s cool. I’m not sure what I would’ve done without her during this time.”
“I’m glad. She seems nice. Candice, your father was the one that put these ideas into the coach’s head.”
She frowned. “What do you mean?”
“I saw him talking to the coach. They were having a very heated discussion. It can only be about me. I have worked so hard. I know that nothing has stopped me from doing everything possible to do well in football. Even when I was seeing you, I was still working my ass off out on the field. And yet, despite that, Coach Bane kept telling me that I was slipping up. Now I know why. Your father found out about us, and now he’s looking to sabotage things for me. Just like he did all those years ago. I know he’s your father, Candice, so I don’t want to badmouth him too much.”
“Screw that!” she said passionately. “He might be my father, but he sure isn't acting like it. I’ve followed his orders my whole life. I have been such a good daughter to him, making sure that I don’t do anything wrong that might tarnish his reputation. Well, I’ve had enough. You know, after everything that’s happened, my father is still trying to push me onto Derek. He tried to get us to spend spring break with Derek’s family. It’s shocking really. Who does that? Don’t I mean more to him than that? It’s like the only thing he cares about is his work and what the world thinks about him. Who cares what I think about him. I honestly don’t know how my mother puts up with him. She deserves more than that.”
“I care for you, Candy. And I swear to God, this time I’m not giving up on you. I’m not giving up on us. You know, when I was downstairs, I told the lady that I was getting coffee for my girlfriend. Do you have any idea how good it was to say those words out loud? I had a broad smile on my face when I did it.”
Candice grinned. “Does that mean I’m your girlfriend?”
“Would you like to be?”
“I don’t know. You might have to ask me and find out.”
I chuckled. It felt like being a teenager all over again. “Candice, will you be my girlfriend and make me the happiest man alive?”
She took a sip of her coffee, deliberately taking her time and pretending to think it through. Then she looked at me and laughed.
“Of course I will. Do you remember someone saying to us when we were eleven that we would one day be boyfriend and girlfriend? I don’t remember who it was now, but the memory suddenly popped into my head.”
I laughed. “I remember! It was Axel. Wasn’t it? Or maybe Silas?”
“It might’ve been Silas. I think I made a face and said that I would never go out with you.”
“Never say never!”
“Can’t we just stay here forever? It’s much easier being here, away from everyone. I’m sorry about everything, by the way. My family is not the easiest. And there’s also Derek to contend with. You’re going to wish you had never found me again.”
I shook my head. “Are you crazy? You’re worth it. Now, should we see what all the fuss is about with these chocolate chip muffins? I don’t know about you, but I’m starving!”
“Same here,” she said and reached for the bag. She pulled a muffin out and took a bite, and I laughed at her reaction. Her eyes closed and she let out a small moan. I couldn’t help but feel slightly aroused by the sight of her eating.