Chapter 1 #2
"I know everything’s different, Dec, but this is still home.
You’ll adapt in a few hours, you always do,” I say and pass my hand through his arm before walking to the stairs.
I look back at Declan. “Come on, let's get you downstairs,” I say, gesturing for him to accompany me. He stays silent until we’re at the bottom of the stairs. Declan whispers something inaudible.
“Regretting getting back?” I whisper-ask him.
“Regretting not getting back sooner,” he says, and it hits me too.
“It turned out how you wanted, right? You’re a promising new talent,” I say, trying to calm him and myself. This is what he wanted.
“Yes, everything is perfect,” Declan whispers and puts on his fake event smile. His words were grammatically correct, but the tone and feeling were off. He does not mean them. But I can’t afford to ask him that now, dinner time is almost here.
“Dom!” I exclaim as I see him, his piercing green eyes gentle as he looks at me. He’s near my mother, he walks my way, his black suit fitting him perfectly in every spot. Dominik might’ve noticed I was checking him out by the slight smirk on his face.
“There’s my Cherry,” Dominik states, hugging me lightly, like he’s afraid I’ll break. He’s probably concerned about the clothes. Or maybe I am. “Your mom is nice, as always”
“She is, isn’t she?” I say, and Dominik keeps one hand on my waistline. “You came,” I whisper, and his hand falls down to his side.
“You called,” Dominik replies. His words always soothe me. No matter what he says, he sounds calming; it feels like home. “Go back to your party, enjoy, I’ll be with Josh”
“Ok, I’ll be with you after I check the kitchen.”
“Need help?” Dominik asks, and I think about my answer and rethink it, “You know what? Yes, please,” I suggest, and Dominik walks alongside me to the kitchen. “So we need to heat everything up, it’s all a bit cold, I ended cooking earlier than I thought I would”
“Tell me where you need me, and I’ll be there,” for the next couple of minutes, Dominik and I get everything ready to be taken to the table.
“Thank you, you two. You didn’t need to,” my mom says and steals me from Dominik, leading me to the front porch. “Are you sure it’s Dominik? You’ll eventually have to see Declan with someone else,” my mom says, and my confidence boost weakens.
“He doesn’t want me, Mom,” I say, sitting down since it suddenly turns hard to breathe.
“And Dominik does? Is that it? You don’t like Declan?” my mom asks and cleans a tear that streams down my cheek; more are threatening to fall.
“I’ll always like Declan,” I say honestly, and my mom hugs me.
“I didn’t mean to make you cry, I’m sorry, honey,” Mom says taking a tissue from her bag and handing it to me.
“Just don’t make rash decisions, Love. I don’t want you to be worse than this.
Enjoy the night with your friends. It’s Christmas Eve, and the presents might surprise you,” she says, and I want to ask what she knows but she won’t tell me.
She’s very close to both Declan and me, but doesn’t disclose information to either of us about the other. She never did.
I dry my face and thank God for putting on waterproof makeup before walking back inside. Yes, I thought I might like Dominik. But no, I don’t know if I’m ok with seeing Declan with someone else. That might be the hint I needed to know I’m not over him.
“Are you ok, princess?” Marcus, the last of our friends, my brother’s best friend, asks.
“I’m great, anyone want to help me set up the food?” I question and start walking to the kitchen.
“I’ll go,” Declan says and appears from behind me, I jump startled. “What happened out there?” Declan asks me, of course, he didn’t want to help; he wanted information.
“Nothing you need to worry about,” I tell him, taking the first pot in my hands, but Declan stops me from walking by putting himself in front of the door. “You don’t know when to let go, do you?” I ask him, and it becomes accidentally more personal than I meant.
“Maybe I don’t want to,” Declan says, his eyes studying me.
I thank my foundation for covering my blushing, or so I hope.
Declan moves out of the way, yet as I walk past him.
I can still feel his midnight blue eyes burning me from the inside out.
Not over Declan. And maybe I don’t want to be.
But Declan and I? It doesn’t seem right anymore.
“Vance, come here now!” my mother screams for my father sobbing. We all stop what we were doing and run to the front porch. My father is the first to get there.
“Sammy and Maya were in an accident,” my father discloses. My heart aches and waits for more information before crushing.
“Are they ok?” I ask, and dad nods, but his eyes gleam. There’s no glow in my father’s eyes, ever. These are tears.
“Uncle Phil didn’t make it,” my mother announces, and Declan catches me as my legs weaken and I almost fall. Uncle Phil is Maya’s father.
“Does Maya know?” I ask my mother, she shakes her head still crying, and by her sob, that’s not all.
“What else?” Josh steals the words from my lips.
“Charline is severely injured,” she doesn’t have to say another word.
I walk to my father’s car, and before entering it, Declan hands me his coat.
Only then do I notice my teeth are chattering.
I thank him, getting inside the car. As I fasten my seatbelt and pray.
Pray for Charline and for Maya; she can not lose both her parents. Charline has to make it.
“It was an attack,” I hear my father whisper to my mother on the front seat. And I know once again our empire reaps one of us. Someone will pay hard for this. Cilinm is our city, it’s Kane’s city. An attack here means war, war means more blood spilt. And my father doesn’t play in service.