Chapter 31
Ajori
The clinking of silverware reverberated through the air as I sat at the dining table, surrounded by Lainey, Kyrin and my father.
There was no hunger in me, only a simmering irritation, a feeling of violation, and a fierce anger bubbling just below the surface.
It wasn't merely about that petty stunt Domino had pulled; it was the fact that I had watched, listened, and let it get to me.
“Ajori…”
Kyrin’s voice came soft and careful, like he didn’t want to push too hard but couldn’t ignore it either.
“You okay?”
Lainey glanced up from her plate, her brows knitting together in a way that suggested she was about to chime in too. “I was just about to ask the same thing,” she said, her tone both concerned and inquisitive.
I shifted my focus between the two of them, mustering up a semblance of a smile even though it felt forced.
“Yeah, sport. I’m fine,” I lied, my voice betraying me with a tightness I hadn’t intended.
Kyrin exchanged a skeptical glance with Lainey, and she didn’t hold back her disbelief.
“Mmm,” Lainey hummed, rhythmically tapping her fork against her plate like a metronome. “You’ve got that ‘I’m fine but really I wanna fight somebody’ look.”
“I do not.”
“You absolutely do!” she insisted, turning her head toward Kyrin. “Don’t she got that look?”
Kyrin squinted at me for a moment before nodding slowly. “Yeah… a little bit.”
I exhaled sharply, then dropped my fork onto the plate with a dull clang. “Can y’all not do this right now?”
Lainey’s smirk widened, almost mischievous. “Oh, so you are mad.”
“I didn’t say that,” I retorted defensively.
“You didn’t have to.”
Dragging a hand down my face, I felt exhausted by the conversation already. “I’m just… tired,” I muttered, the words sounding hollow even to my own ears.
“Uh-huh,” Lainey said, unconvinced. “Tired doesn’t make you chew invisible food.”
Kyrin let out a soft chuckle at her remark, and despite my annoyance, I almost cracked a smile. But then the memory of the night before flashed across my mind like a jarring film reel, pulling me back to reality. And just like that, my appetite was gone for real.
From across the table, my father lowered his newspaper and scrutinized my untouched plate with a furrowed brow. “Mija, is the food not to your liking?”
Before I could even gather my thoughts to answer, he snapped his fingers at one of the chefs lingering by the doorway.
“Lucía, ?qué hiciste esta vez? That’s my daughter—don’t be playing with her taste buds!” His voice carried a mix of authority and protectiveness.
Lucía’s eyes widened, panic overtaking her features.
“No, no,” I interjected quickly, raising my hand in a placating gesture. “The food is good! I promise! I’m just… not that hungry.”
“You sure?”
I firmly nodded. “Positive.”
Right on cue, Domino swaggered in smelling expensive, and his smile radiated a charming nonchalance as if he hadn’t just been slinging dick outside my damn window less than eight hour ago like a damn peep show subscription.
“Morning, everyone,” he greeted, his tone a bit too carefree for my taste. “Bout time,” my father chuckled, relief and humor mingling in his voice. “I thought I was gonna have to send Salazar looking for you.”
Domino arched an eyebrow, stretching his arms and yawning—still performing—and said casually, “Overslept. Long night.”
After he said that, his gaze flicked in my direction, a bold and teasing glint in his eyes. I met it with a practiced eye-roll, then I stood abruptly, grabbed my plate, and pushed my chair back with a sharp scrape against the floor, causing a few heads to turn.
“I’m going outside. I need some fresh air."
My father glanced between the two of us. “Something in the air I should know about?”
“Nope!” I chirped sweetly, turning on my heel and walking away, not sparing him a backward glance.
I could feel Domino's eyes boring into my back all the way to the patio.
Outside, the patio greeted me with its serene atmosphere. A light breeze rustled through the tall hedges, and birds chirped somewhere off in the distance.
Too damn peaceful for how mad I was.
I set my plate down on the table, the world around me falling silent… until I heard the door creak open behind me.
“I said I needed fresh air!” I snapped without turning around.
“Didn’t know I was the pollution,” Domino responded, stepping out with an infuriating calmness.
I peered over my shoulder and shot him a sidelong glance. “You’re definitely clouding up my space.”
A chuckle escaped him as he moved closer. “You mad at me?”
“Nope!” I replied, jamming a piece of bacon in my mouth with more force than necessary. “Why would I be mad at you? Because you let some girl scream outside my damn window, interfering with my beauty sleep?”
He shrugged, the indifference in his posture outright maddening. “I didn’t know you were watching,” he admitted, a hint of mischief in his voice.
“You did know! You looked right at me!”
“So what if I did? That supposed to mean something?” His response was effortless, as if it didn’t matter one bit.
I stood abruptly, my plate forgotten. “Nah. Just didn’t expect the King’s little weapon to act like a damn middle school boy trying to get attention.”
Domino licked his lips slowly, jaw flexing in a way that sent a shiver down my spine.
“Watch your mouth.”
“Or what? You’ll fuck me like you did her?” I shot back, my voice rising to a nearly challenging level.
The silence was heavy.
Domino’s nostrils flared, and for a moment, he remained silent. His eyes locked onto mine as if weighing whether to kiss me or kill me.
Finally, he lowered his voice, making it low and fierce. “You keep barking like that, somebody’s gon’ bite.”
I stepped forward. “Then bite, Domino… or shut the hell up.”
I sat back down, trying to refocus on my food, but still too mad to eat. My nerves were jittery, and my petty was boiling over.
"Can you go? I need to make a phone call.”
He paused mid-stride, turning just enough to cast a penetrating glance over his shoulder. “To who? Your mean-ass boyfriend?”
“Yeah. He misses me and wants to see a lil’ somethin’,” I taunted, taking a leisurely sip of juice, just to drive the knife in deeper, savoring each second of his visible discomfort.
Domino turned all the way around, jaw flexing like he was chewing on a bullet. “You really trying to play with me, huh?”
“Who's playing?” I shrugged, maintaining my composure. “You got your little PornHub performance last night, so I figured I’d remind myself… and you… that I got options too.”
He advanced toward me slowly, his voice cold but eerily calm. “You don’t got to remind me of nothing. But I’m gon’ remind you of something. Don’t do nothing to piss me off, Ajori.”
“And if I do? What? You gon’ kill my imaginary man?”
“Nah,” he replied, a sly grin spreading across his face as he took another step closer, his tongue flicking out to wet his lips. "But I might fuck you so good you'll forget he existed."
The air crackled.
I blinked slowly, processing his bold words. “Tsk. You sure talk a big game for someone who only shows off to the window,” I shot back, crossing my arms defiantly.
He chuckled, a sound that was both bitter and filled with heat. “You might wanna be careful, Ajori. That smart-ass mouth of yours is gonna write a check yo' body might not be ready to cash.”
“Oh, I’m ready. But are you? Or you only got dick for bitches who moan loud for attention?”
Domino clenched his fists. “Stop fuckin’ playin’ with me, Ajori.”
I took a cautious step forward, narrowing the gap between us, as if closing the distance could bridge the confusion hanging in the air.
“I’m not. But you’re not about to stand here acting like we’re cool one minute and then flip the script the next. I’m not some game you can switch on and off whenever it suits your mood.”
His jaw tightened visibly, the muscles working beneath his skin revealing his agitation, yet I pressed on, unwilling to back down.
“It’s either you want me… or you don’t. But you better figure out what you want, because I’m not gon’ sit around while you flirt with me in the daytime and go fuck other women by night.”
His voice came out strained, barely restrained anger spilling over as he declared, “You’re not mine.”
“And yet... you’re acting like I am.”
Domino stared at me for a second longer. But then, with a frustration-fueled turn, he stormed back toward the house.
“Real mature!” I shouted after him.
Once he was gone, I let out a heavy sigh, then dropped back down onto the chair with a thud and jabbed a fork into a piece of pineapple.
“Hmph!” I huffed under my breath, shaking my head. “I haven’t even gotten the dick, and it got me out here losing sleep, skipping breakfast, and arguing like I’m a wife in love! Let me get a grip before I start naming our imaginary kids.”