Chapter 11
CHAPTER ELEVEN
SERENA
I t’s Monday morning, and the rush is almost over at Brewed Awakening. I haven’t seen nor heard from Dominick. An uneasy feeling squirms in my stomach as I wonder if he’s mad at me for not answering him last night. The rational part of my brain tries to tell me it’s not that unusual for him to miss a morning coffee run, but the insecure, needy, new-to-dating part of my brain won’t shut the fuck up.
“Where’s Officer Orgasm today?” Marie sidles up next to me, giving me a nudge with her shoulder.
“I don’t know. We didn’t get a chance to talk last night. I was busy hanging out with Kai. He probably had to get to work early or something.” I pop my shoulders in a casual shrug and hope my tone comes across indifferent and not as anxious as I feel on the inside.
Marie does that thing where she quirks her brow and tilts her head to the side. The look on her face tells me she absolutely does not buy what I’m selling.
“For real. Kai and I hung out and watched some movies. By the time I saw the missed texts from Dom, it was late. I’m sure I’ll talk to him later. He’s not obligated to come see me every morning at work.” Thankfully, my voice doesn’t sound nearly as uncertain as I feel on the inside.
“Uh-huh…well…just be mindful of how you spend your time with Kai. You have a boyfriend now, and when you’re in a relationship, sometimes you have to choose how you spend your time more…wisely.” Her voice hesitates on the last word, like she’s trying not to hurt my feelings.
“What are you talking about? Kai and I are friends. We hang out. Dom knows this.” I immediately get defensive.
“Riiight…but you and Kai are close. Like…really, really close. So close, someone who doesn’t know your relationship might assume you were dating. I’m just saying, you might want to be mindful of that now that Dom is in the picture, so he doesn’t get the wrong idea about you two.”
Immediately, my mind goes to the moment last night when Kai’s body was pressed up against mine, his warm palm cupping my breast, his erection solid and firm against my ass. My cheeks immediately heat at the memory, and Marie doesn’t miss it. She purses her lips and nods her head like I just confirmed everything she said. She returns to restocking the pastry case, leaving me alone to stew in my guilt.
After work I decide to call Dom and leave him a message to smooth things over. “Hey, it’s me. I missed you this morning. Sorry I didn’t see your texts until late last night. If you want to come over tonight and spend the night, I’d really like that. Um…call me back,” I finish lamely and hang up. I hope I haven’t already messed things up with Dom. He’s the best thing that’s happened to me since the accident and I’m determined to make it work.
I’m walking to class, near the building that houses my psychology class, when my phone vibrates in my pocket. Glancing down, I see it’s Dom, and I take a small detour to an empty bench at the entrance to the arboretum next door.
“Hey! I’m heading to class so I can’t chat for long, but I’m glad you called!” My voice is breathless and excited when I answer, giddiness filling me up at finally being able to speak to Dom to make sure we are okay. His response comes after a few beats, causing my giddiness to turn into nervousness.
“Oh, I’m sorry Kitten. Am I interrupting again?” His voice is stern, his tone flat and dry.
“Um, no…I can talk. I have a few minutes before I need to be in class. I missed you this morning,” I stammer, suddenly feeling like a child being scolded.
“I missed you last night,” is his terse response. I wait for him to elaborate, but he doesn’t.
“I know. I’m sorry. I invited Kai over to hang out and watch some movies since it had been a while since we got to chill. I thought you’d be busy with your friends…so I didn’t think you’d be planning on coming over.” I sit on the bench, the cool metal—chilled from the brisk fall air—sending a shiver through me as it seeps through my thin leggings.
“You didn’t think to call and ask me if I was planning on coming over? Or mind if another man spent time with my girlfriend?” My stomach bottoms out at his harsh words.
“I-I’m sorry. I didn’t think?—”
“You didn’t think. That’s obvious.” Dom cuts me off before I can finish my thought. “Look, Serena, I know you’re new to this whole relationship thing, but it’s not a good look to spend time alone with another guy when you have a boyfriend. I’ve seen the way he looks at you, and I don’t want you to keep giving him false hope when there is none.” My mouth falls open at his accusation.
“No, Dom, you have it all wrong. Kai and I are friends. He doesn’t think of me that way.” My protest feels false as I say it, thinking about Kai’s reaction to touching me last night.
“Doesn’t he?” Dom clips.
“No, he doesn’t. If he did, I’m sure he would have said something by now. He’s…like my brother.” I make a face as the denial falls from my lips, hoping he believes me and doesn’t hear how much I don’t believe my own words. I bite my lower lip so hard it hurts.
“ Brother or not, I don’t think you should be spending time alone with him. I’m not the type of boyfriend that lets another man cuckold me. If you want this relationship to work, Serena, you need to respect my boundaries.” My heart stutters over his use of the word boyfriend. That’s the second time he said it. He also called me his girlfriend. Is that how he sees us? We hadn’t had any talks about official labels but apparently this is how he sees us. How did I not realize that? We do spend almost all of our free time together. That should’ve been obvious to me.
“Dom, I…I’m sorry. I guess I didn’t realize how serious you were about me. About us. You’re right. I haven’t done the relationship thing in a long time.”
The campus clock tower starts to chime, signaling I’m late for class.
“Shit, Dom, I gotta get to class. Will you come over tonight? Please?” I lace my words with as much pleading as I can.
He lets out a sigh, sounding weary and resigned. “Sure, Kitten, I’ll come over tonight.” I let out a relieved sigh.
“Good. Um, I’ll see you later, then?”
“Yeah, you’ll see me later. This conversation isn’t over. Now get that fine ass to class before you’re late.”
When I finally make it to class the seats next to Kai are taken, leaving only a few seats in the front row open. He gives me an apologetic shrug, but I’m honestly relieved to have an excuse to put some space between us. After my conversation with Dom and Marie’s words of warning, I’m full of doubts about how much time I should be spending with my best friend.