Page 102 of Love Among the Ruins
Dominic: Do I miss you? Impossible not to.
She was attracted to this man in a way she’d never felt attraction before. Excitement pulsed through her, and her heart threatened to burst through her ribcage. She held her breath and considered her next move.
Why would Dominic say such a thing? Why had she asked him such a thing in the first place?
Her insides turned gooey like marshmallow. She didn’t know what this was, this emotional connection between her and Dominic.
She’d been relaxed, and in a conversation with Stefanos, and therefore not paying proper attention. She’d been excited, and happy that Dominic had texted her. Maybe it was the notion of the distance between them, and her knowing that she wouldn’t have to face Dominic anytime soon, that had made her bold?
There was no other way to explain her forwardness.
After dinner with her mother she disappeared into her room and dissected her and Dominic’s texts as if they were cryptic crossword hints.
With a racing heart, and butterflies in her stomach, she lay on her bed and typed out her reply, without alluding to his message.
Eleni: Sorry for the delay
She waited breathlessly.
Dominic: Reason?
Eleni: I’m not a loner like you. I have a life and friends.
Dominic: Meaning?
Eleni: I was out with Stefanos, sitting on the beach, reflecting on life
Dominic: Conclusion?
She paused a moment, contemplating his questions and wondering what had gotten into him.
She couldn’t wrap her head around it. The fact that Dominic was texting her.
Like this.
Again.
She wanted honesty. To get to the bottom of it, because this was so unlike him. She worried that Alexander’s stay had profoundly affected his mental health.
Eleni: Are you drunk?
Dominic: Had a meeting with Hector, a proper one. At his house. Drinks were involved.
She gasped with worry.
Eleni: Did you embarrass yourself?
Dominic: I can handle my drink. Unlike some people
She grinned.
Eleni: That’s good to hear, because you seem pretty drunk to me
He didn’t reply immediately, and she missed the rapid fire of text messages. She hadn’t realized how much she’d missed him until now and this texting back and forth between them.
Dots appeared on her screen, then stopped, and a moment passed, stretching out longer, making her wonder what he was writing, or deleting; what it was he wanted to say, or hide.
She waited. And waited. And waited.
