Page 73 of Devious Love
“Okay.” I smile, relief washing through me. At least we’ll have a little more time together.
As he drives, I pull my phone out of my purse and text my dad. It’s still early in Milan, and he probably won’t be up for another hour or so, but he swears my texts won’t disturb his sleep. He says he likes waking up to my messages.
Me:
Good morning Dad. How are you? How are your students treating you?
Me:
Where do you plan to go this weekend?
Me:
Miss you
Dominic pulls into the overlook and opens my door. He snags my jacket out of the back seat and guides me to the hood of the car. The view in front of us is breathtaking. The city is lit up, and the sky above is like a painting, orange, pink, and purple brushstrokes broken up only by wispy clouds.
“Oh my God, this is so beautiful.” I drop my head back. “I wish I had a sketchpad and pencils with me.”
“Take a picture. You can draw it later,” he suggests, nudging me gently. “And when you do, I want to see it.”
I pull my phone out of my purse and take a few pictures. Then, I open Instagram and post one to my Stories. It’s too beautiful not to share. Once I’m done, I slip my phone back into my purse and sidle up next to him. “Thank you so much for today.”
“No, thankyou. You made this trip unforgettable.”
“Unforgettably annoying?” I tease him. “Since you didn’t get to ride any of the fun rollercoasters.”
“You’re not annoying. And I didn’t mind. More than anything, I just wanted to hang out with you.”
We fall into silence, taking in the view, lost in our own thoughts.
Eventually, Dominic clears his throat. “Why game design?”
Surprised by the question, I stutter, “Uh, w-why not?”
He turns to me, propping his hip against the hood. “I always thought you wanted to be an actress, or maybe a singer. You lived and breathed drama club, and all you ever talked about was being in plays. You loved singing. Hell, after today, it’s clear you still do.” He tucks a strand of hair behind my ear, his fingertips lingering on my skin. “So, why game design?”
“You know how much I always loved video games, and that only grew when I moved to Phoenix. My dad’s collection of PlayStation 4 games is enormous, and I played almost all of them.” I can’t help but smile at the memory of the hours upon hours I worked to pass levels and defeat opponents. “Eventually, I realized I could combine my love for sketching with my love for games.”
“Yeah, I remember kicking your ass atMortal Kombat. You always chose Kitana.”
Head thrown back, I laugh. “You noticed a lot more about me than I realized.”
“It was hard not to. You were always around.” He wets his bottom lip. “Getting used to your absence was a lot harder than I expected, especially because I…” He drifts off, scratching the back of his neck and wincing.
My pulse picks up a little at the unease in his expression. “Especially because you what?”
“I was kind of an asshole to you before you left. I was an asshole to you a lot, I guess, but the last few weeks you lived with us, I was terrible.”
“You were.” My heart clenches at the thought. “And I had no idea why. Was it because I decided to leave?”
He ducks his head and gives it a small shake. “No.”
“Then why?” For years, I’ve wondered how he could be so cruel. Yes, he could be a shit, but he was never mean-spirited. He mostly treated me like an annoyance. Now that I’m this close to the truth, I won’t let it go.
“Remember the party Matt and I threw on your fourteenth birthday?”
I nod. How could I not? That was the day I knew for sure I couldn’t stay there.
