Page 20 of Inspiring Dominic

It felt so perfect leaning against him, soaking in the beauty of Cuba. I was mesmerized by the way the thick, large trees swayed in the wind as they clung to the side of the cliff.

“I feel really close to you right now,” I professed.

“Because a couple that can shit together, stays together?”

“Eww!” I exclaimed, popping him on the arm. “Dom, I thought we agreed to never talk about taking turns running to the bathroom again.”

He laughed so hard it echoed through the rainforest. “I know, but you gotta admit, it’s not every day you bond over putting too many different foods in your body.”

I shook my head, joining him in laughter. “You’re right. It’s just not what you want to think about when you start dating somebody.”

“So you admit we’re dating?” he asked.

“Aren’t we?”

He smiled in that Chuck E Cheese kind of way. “We are, but if you want to do that whole official thing, I can ask.”

“I’ve never really been into labels.”

“Somehow, that doesn’t surprise me.” He draped an arm across my shoulder and kissed my cheek. “I haven’t seen a rainforest this up close in years.”

“When was the last time?”

“In Puerto Rico with my friends, Wes and Johan. We were there for a bachelor party, but them guys weren’t doing shit so we figured we’d break off from the group and hike in the rainforest.”

“That sounds fun! Do you take a lot of trips together?” I asked.

“Not too many, but enough.” He looked out into the rainforest. “Both of them recently got engaged. For Wes, it’s typical for him to propose to a woman he hasn’t known that long, but I found out at Granddad’s funeral that Johan had gotten back together with his ex.”

“That doesn’t sound so bad,” I stated. “Sometimes it works better the second time around.”

Dominic grunted. “For some, yeah. But for Johan and Evelyn, that’s a shitshow waiting to happen. They were married before, and she cheated on him several times. I watched the divorce destroy him, and it took a couple years before he was ready to date again. Sometimes, when people show you their true colors, you better recognize it the first time.”

“My mom says the same thing,” I told him.

“Granddad did, too,” he recounted. “Over the years, I’ve learned that it’s not always people that change, but more so, the mask they’ve been wearing falls off, revealing their true face. I’ve always been reliable to a fault, but some people aren’t loyal to you, they are only loyal to theirneedof you. Once their needs change, so does their loyalty.”

“Hmm, that’s true. I’ve trusted and been there for people who didn’t deserve it before.”

“Me too,” he admitted. “However, it’s a tough pill to swallow when one of your closest friends is told the truth, but chooses to believe the lies when cloaked under the disguise of the first and only woman he’s ever loved.”

“She did something else, too, didn’t she?” I asked, sensing he was holding back.

“It took me a while before I told Johan that I caught Evelyn at my place when they were visiting my hometown,” he revealed. “They dropped by Rosewood Heights as a stop on their road trip to celebrate their three-year anniversary. We’d all been out, and Johan always passes out when he gets drunk. They were staying in my guest bedroom at the time, and after we got him to bed, I was ready to call it a night, but Evelyn wanted to talk. I chatted with her for a little bit, then we finally went to bed. I caught her in my room an hour later.”

“What was she trying to do?” I asked.

He looked to me, almost like he didn’t want to answer before finally telling me, “I woke up to find her naked and sucking my dick.”

My eyes widened. “Oh wow!”

“My sentiments exactly. I hadn’t even known what to think, so I pushed her off me and then she started crying, talkin’ ’bout she thought I was Johan. Just lyin’. How you mistake my dick for your husband’s, the man you’ve been with for years?”

“Did you tell Johan?”

He nodded. “I told him the next day, and he admitted it wasn’t the first time she’d done something like that. I know there are some dudes who wouldn’t think twice about fucking their friend’s girlfriend or wife, but I’m not that type of man. I guess her pulling that shit with me was the last straw and he asked for a divorce.”

“And now, this is the woman that he’s marrying again?” I asked, just to be sure I was understanding correctly.

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