Chapter 4 - Wine bottles and movies

Since my last shift at the pub, I hadn’t seen Dominic, and to be honest, I was relieved about it. Instead, I had been spending more time with his sister, Kat. I had been living with her for over a week now, and although we only got to spend a few hours together each day, we had been able to have some great conversations. Kat had a very busy lifestyle, but that was actually beneficial for me because it gave me more time to think about what I wanted to do with my life.

Lately, I had been struggling to figure out what I wanted to accomplish. I had considered applying for a few jobs at museums to be able to work in my field of study, but unfortunately, there weren’t many available positions, and the ones that were available were student-starting positions that paid much less than my current job at Crowns even if I didn’t include the tips. It was a bummer, for sure, but I had my mind settled on not letting my studies go to waste. I did spend a lot of money on them, and I was determined not to be someone who constantly went to school but never found a “grown-up” job—which I thought I needed since I was an adult now. Crowns had been my meal ticket when I was at university. It was time I tried to find something… more.

It was late afternoon Monday, and I had prepared a surf and turf dish that I hoped Kat would like. She returned from work earlier than expected, and I called her from the kitchen to tell her I was there.

Kat almost hovered off the ground, following the smell of our dinner, and I laughed when I saw how cheery she was.

“Well, you look like you had a good day.”

Kat sat on a bar stool and leaned over the kitchen island, grinning from ear to ear. “More like I had good news,” she said as she drummed her fingers over the marble countertop.

“Is that so?”

“Yes, but first… Wine!” Kat shouted with joy and shot up from her seat.

It startled me and left me wondering what on earth my roommate had heard to warrant such a display of happiness. I decided to lean into it and let her cheery mood become mine as well.

Something about Kat made me want to do everything I could to ensure she would always be this way—happy.

Kat returned with a wine bottle, and I pulled out two glasses from the cupboard. She quickly uncorked the wine and set it aside to breathe, but she just looked at the bottle and scowled. “Ah. Fuck it.” She poured the red liquid into the glasses and handed me mine.

“What are we drinking to?”

“To my brother, who is newly single.”

I lifted my drink and gave Kat a tight smile before swirling and drinking the wine. I didn’t know what to think, but Kat wasn’t finished with her toast. She raised her glass again and giggled.

“And to the next girlfriend. May that one be quick and painless.”

I silently drank and watched Kat laugh almost sadly, and when she lowered her wine glass to the counter, her cheery mood slowly vanished. I stretched my arm and rubbed her shoulder.

“What’s wrong?”

I usually didn’t bother asking those questions because, most of the time, I didn’t want to know the answer, but that wasn’t the case with Kat. She had crept inside my heart in the brief time I had gotten to know her. My new roommate had this joyfulness that brought her to life; I couldn’t picture her without that spark.

“It’s nothing. It frustrates me to try to figure Dom out. I blame it on our parents for setting a bad example. Our mother had boy toys all her life, and our father pretended he didn’t notice and drowned himself in his work instead of dealing with his failed marriage. Dom did his best to shelter us from our parents’s absence, but I think he took the bulk of it. I know Dom has baggage, but he wasn’t always like this. He was caring and loved deeply, but it all bled out when…” Kat shook and head and exhaled. “Well, let’s just say he wasn’t always the playboy we now know.”

“I’m sorry to hear that,” I answered.

I knew what strained baggage could do to a person. I was a walking and breathing example, and I didn’t know if I would ever be rid of it. Everyone coped differently; maybe that was how Dominic managed his—whatever the trigger was.

For me, I had one rule I tried to follow as best I could, and that was “no connections.” I could leave tomorrow morning and not feel a thing. I had also become an expert at ignoring things and minding my business—something more challenging now since Kat liked to share her life with me and expected me to do the same.

I tried to cheer Kat up. “Hopefully, the next one won’t be as bad as Priscilla.”

“Pft. You don’t know what women are ready to do to get Dominic’s attention. Men included. My brother leads a very lonely life, and I often wonder if this is the price to pay when you have wealth and status,” Kat replied sadly. “It’s the reason I didn’t follow in the family business. I saw what money did to people and how it twisted my mother into a shallow and insensitive person. I witnessed my father work tirelessly until it killed him. I didn’t want that for myself or anyone, but Dom… well, he has a mind of his own, and pride often gets the better of him.”

I didn’t know what to say to that. I had avoided personal questions all my life and didn’t feel equipped to support my new friend.

Kat devoured her food, and we talked and drank wine throughout dinner. She told me about her upbringing and how she and Dominic were close, then asked about my family. I deflected the question, preferring not to go into the details. I was trying to cheer her up, not bring her down. It worked, and we soon opened another bottle and continued talking.

After we finished our meal, we cleared our plates and placed them in the sink. We then settled onto the couch and started a movie marathon. Kat had complete control over the movie selection, and it was surprisingly enjoyable to spend time with her and observe her reactions to films she must have seen countless times. I found her to be a die-hard romantic, which was evident in her actions. It was adorable how she covered her eyes with her hands during kissing or love scenes but peeked through her fingers to observe what was happening on the screen.

Sometime during the third movie, Kat fell asleep with her head in my lap. I didn’t want to wake her up, so I remained still. I turned off the TV, and we stayed in the darkness of the living room. The silence was only interrupted by the sound of Kat’s soft breathing.

After a while, I dozed off due to the wine’s effect. I must have slept for a while because the next thing I knew, I was awakened by the sound of clattering dishes coming from the kitchen. I looked down and saw that Kat’s head was still resting on my lap, but her body was now covered with a blanket. I had a jacket draped over me, and it smelled of pine and spices, reminding me of Dominic. His scent had been haunting my dreams ever since I met him. But what was he doing here? The question lingered in my mind as I tried to make sense of what was happening.

I moved off the couch, taking precautions not to wake Kat up and trudged to the kitchen. My head still felt heavy from all the wine I had drunk, and when the sunlight hit me, I used a hand to shield my hurting eyes.

I thought I looked like a vampire, cowering before the sun.

Dominic had cleaned the counters and island and was now doing the dishes. The scene felt surreal because I couldn’t picture Dominic doing such trivial things.

I tightened my grip on his suit jacket and cleared my throat to let him know I was there. I waved awkwardly when he turned around and sat on a dining room chair. I didn’t know what to say, and I felt silly.

“I made some coffee since I know you like it,” Dominic said to cut the silence.

He flipped the dishrag over his shoulder, and I stared at him, taking in his appearance. Dominic hadn’t shaved and sported a two-day-old beard which enhanced the squareness of his jaw. He had undone his tie and unbuttoned the top of his white shirt. His honey-brown hair curled slightly around his ears and face, making him look more carefree than usual. His distinct blue eyes weren’t cold or severe and didn’t give off their regular tense and sexual vibe. They seemed lighter than before.

If I hadn’t met Dominic in the past, I would have thought the man before me was a completely different person.

“Are we always going to meet like this? You entering the house like you own it and drinking my coffee?” I asked with an arch in my brow.

“I do own this place,” he quickly answered. “As for the coffee, that’s debatable.”

Dominic brought my cup and returned to finish the dishes.

“You don’t have to do that, you know. We have a dishwasher.”

“It’s fine. I find it soothing. You’d think buying and selling properties or owning lands and nightclubs would be easy, but it’s far from it. Doing this and seeing immediate results calms me.” Dominic chuckled but quickly hid his smile.

I pretended I didn’t see it and blew over the steam from my cup.

“So, what are you doing here this early? Don’t you work?”

“Katherine wasn’t responding to my texts last night, so I decided to come by and see if she was all right. Based on the empty bottles of wine and the DVD cases lying on the ground, you two had an eventful night.”

I saw Dominic differently, and I thought he was sweet. I felt slightly embarrassed by the thought and chugged the content of my cup down regardless of the heat. I got up and put it in the dishwasher before heading for my room, but I stopped in the doorway and hesitated on what I wanted to say to him.

Dominic and I had a weird start, and I wanted things to go smoothly between us—for Kat’s sake. He was her brother, after all, and I wanted us to have a good friendship since I planned on living here for a while.

Perhaps, if I showed him some sympathy, his attitude toward me would improve from the complex but weirdly sexual tension he’d given me since we first met.

“Hey. Kat told me what happened last night. I’m sorry it didn’t work out between you and Priscilla.”

Dominic stopped wiping a plate and gently placed it on the countertop before slowly turning around to face me.

“Lying doesn’t suit you, Olivia.”

I looked at him and defensively crossed my arms over my chest.

What now? “Excuse me?”

“You don’t have to do that with me. I like you better when you’re bold and honest. I already have people kissing my ass all the time. I don’t need another one, even if that person is as gorgeous as you.”

Why you little… “There it is. An insult and a compliment. I was wondering where Dominic Moore went for a moment. I thought he was too nice to me all of a sudden.” I scoffed. That’s what I got for trying to be friendly. “Maybe you should have kept her. After all, I don’t know any normal women who’d be able to stand being with your moody ass all the time. I know I couldn’t. You’re everything that’s wrong with your… species,” I told him as I stomped to my room.

The last thing I heard before shutting the door, was Dominic laughing at me.