Page 62 of Daring to Love You
“She would also say when people show you who they are, believe them. That’s not to say folks can’t change for the better, but what I saw in Marisela, I didn’t like.
“Needless to say, our fathers didn’t take the news of our breakup well. My dad even threatened to disown me if I backed out of the agreement, but I didn’t care. I couldn’t marry her, and there was nothing he could say that would change my mind.”
“What did Marisela say when you broke up with her?”
Lynix sighed and laid his head back against the sofa. “At first, she was in denial, saying we were just going through a rough patch. When she realized I was serious, she was livid, calling me every degrading name you can imagine. Her behavior toward me validated my decision to move on from her.”
Still holding Dorian close, Lynix pinched the bridge of his nose with his free hand, trying to think of a way to tell her the rest. Apparently, he was taking too long to continue, because she sat forward. When she did, he lifted his head to look at her. The compassion in her beautiful eyes almost did him in. She continued to amaze him—showing him what type of person she was—sweet, sensitive, loving.
Deciding to pursue her might end up being the best decision of his life.
“At the gala, when you made the comment about Marisela not being willing to accept no for an answer, you were dead on. I was shocked by your words.”
“Really? I only said that because I didn’t know what else to say. I could tell something was wrong because you looked as if you were going to explode or kill her. I couldn’t let her get away with making you feel like that. Besides, she looks like the type to expect to get whatever she wants.”
Lynix nodded. “You read her correctly. When I broke up with her, she wouldn’t take no for an answer. She even went as far as drugging me… and then attempted to rape me.”
Chapter Twenty-Eight
“Oh, sweet Jesus,” Dorian whispered, the words falling from her lips before she covered her mouth with her hands. “H—how?” Was all she could get out, and it didn’t seem appropriate to ask for details about something so heinous.
No wonder he’d had a reaction when coming face-to-face with Marisela. Dorian didn’t even know the details, but she couldn’t imagine what seeing her again must’ve been like for him.
“I know what you’re thinking,” he said, his body tense and a small bead of sweat broke out on his forehead.
Then he stood, leaving her on the sofa, and she watched him pace the room.
“You’re wondering how someone her size got the jump on me.”
“You said she drugged you.”
Noting he was getting more agitated as he walked back and forth, Dorian stood and slowly approached him. He stopped when she neared, watched her, and then his shoulders relaxed.
“Is it easier for you to talk about it while you’re moving? Or would it be better for us to sit down?”
He released a long breath and ran his hand over his low haircut. “There is nothing about this story that’s easy to talk about, Dee. I haven’t spoken of the incident in years, and besides me and Marisela, only my brother Omari and my old college roommate, Jake, know what happened.”
“Your parents…” she started, but he shook his head.
“No, they don’t know. It was one of the most humiliating times in my life. I wished no one knew, and the only reason I’m discussing it now is because I don’t want any secrets between us.”
Dorian’s heart squeezed at his admission, only making her fall for him even more. “I don’t want that either, but I also don’t like to see you hurting,” she said. She moved closer, trying to gauge whether it was a good idea to hug him. If he didn’t need one, she sure did.
As if sensing her dilemma, he opened his arms to her, and she walked into them. They stood holding each other for what seemed like forever but was only a minute or two before he slowly released her.
“Let’s have a seat,” she said, pointing to the sofa.
“I’ll give you the short version of what happened,” he said, leaning forward with his legs spread apart and his elbows on his muscular thighs. “Weeks after breaking things off with Marisela, I attended a party with some buddies, and I ran into her.
“Before that, she’d been calling and stopping by—basically not handling the breakup well, and I did everything to ignore her. I didn’t accept any of her calls and whenever she dropped by my room, I’d have my roommate tell her I wasn’t there.
“Eventually, she backed off, and I figured she had finally moved on. When I saw her at the party, she said as much. Told me it was my loss and I’d given up on a good thing. Then she suggested we toast to being rid of each other. We did, and onedrink led to three, which was my limit, but I started feeling lightheaded after that last one.
“I was a big guy even back then and could hold my liquor, but my head was spinning, and I basically felt like shit. I figured maybe I was dehydrated, so I drank a few bottles of water that seemed to help. Still, I knew something was wrong.
“I couldn’t find my friends, so I went outside for some air hoping it would help.”
“Did it?” Dorian asked, gently rubbing his back, hoping to provide some comfort.
