Page 70 of 4th Degree

My head whips to the side to stare at him. “How on earth did you?—”

“I’ve learned you only get stressed about two things,” he interrupts, still not looking at me. “Money, and being thrown out of your routine. And since I haven’t even offered to buy your pretzel yet, I’m going to assume it’s the latter.”

I can only gape at him.

He turns his head to look at me and grin. “I’m right, aren’t I?”

Finally, my mouth snaps shut as I glare at him instead. “And they call me the know-it-all,” I grumble. But even though he chuckles, he still waits expectantly for my answer.

I sigh. “It’s the being here with you. When we’re at the gym, I know what we are and how you fit into my day-to-day. I have times and places in my life for everything I do. This is new to me, and I’m trying to make sense of it. I’m just a little off-balance right now, that’s all.”

Dominic nods in understanding. “Well, what would you normally be doing while you wait for Joey to play?”

“Homework,” I answer with a shrug.

“Do you want to do homework?” he asks. “If this time is important to you and I’m a distraction, I won’t be offended if you ask me to leave. I wanted to spend time with you, but not if it makes you uncomfortable or makes things harder for you.”

“I don’t want you to leave,” I blurt out. Just as quickly as I said yes to this date. Only, the fact that my gut has reacted this way to Dominic twice now is oddly comforting. I feel some of the tension deflate from my shoulders.

Dominic notices. And he seems to relax just as much.

“Okay, you’re right,” I admit on an exhale. “I need to chill out. My brain is on overdrive.”

“I like your brain,” he says. And it’s so immediate, so genuine, that I soften even more.

Deciding to cut my overthinking short for the night, I turn to Dominic and ask curiously, “Did you play sports in high school?”

He nods. “I played football in the beginning. Then picked up wrestling one off-season and never went back. It was pretty much a snowball into jiu-jitsu and MMA after that.”

I hum thoughtfully. “You really did make it your whole life, didn’t you?”

Another nod, but this one’s stiffer. I want to ask him about it, ask him if he regrets it in any way, but he cuts me off.

“What about you? Did you play any sports?”

I shake my head. “Dad was sick by then. I couldn’t stay after school for practice because I had to pick up Joey and take care of him at night.”

As if hearing his name, Joey chooses that moment to turn in his seat on the bench and start looking for me.

A smile comes to my face automatically. I love that he does that. I love that he can assume I’m going to be at his games. Any time I’m struggling—with work or school, with Mom, with anything—these are the moments I try to remember. The moments I see all my hard work pay off for my family’s well-being.

When he finally spots me, a big grin appears on his face. And my heart warms another few degrees. But then I see his gaze track to my right, and his expression becomes a look of confusion. Which is when I realize just how close Dominic and I are sitting.

Before I need to mime some kind of explanation to my brother, there are loud shouts of dismay from all around us. My attention snaps back to the court just in time to see the opposing team’s breakaway and score.

“Would you rather be in a zombie apocalypse or a robot apocalypse?”

My head jerks toward Dominic. “What?”

To my surprise, he seems to be blushing.

“I was trying to think of the most ridiculous question to ask that would put you at ease,” he admits.

My lip twitches with amusement. “And a zombie apocalypse is what you came up with?”

He sits up a bit straighter and clears his throat. “I was watching 28 Days Later last night. It stuck with me.”

I huff a laugh as I face forward again. “Probably robot apocalypse,” I answer, trying to get comfortable in my seat. “Omniscient beings scare me a little less than cannibals.” When I hear Dominic’s chuckle beside me, the tension releases from my muscles once again. It empowers me to ask a question of my own.

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