Page 83 of Rat Park
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Dominic spent the next few days getting to witness the life Flor had built himself there. Flor took him around the college buildings and the hospital he frequented for class, so Dominic knew what to imagine when he talked about each place. He took Dominic around the city and to his favourite bars, the names of them familiar from Flor’s stories. He introduced Dominic to his friends, people who had featured prominently in their conversations.
Oddly, they all seemed eager to meet him, some of them even stumbling a little with their words when they talked. Dominic wasn’t particularly large, but he was tall and fit, face stern-looking when he was at parade rest, the tattoos on the backs of his hands and neck showing through his recently short-cropped hair a little intimidating, perhaps, especially compared to Flor’s big doe eyes and brown curls that bounced when he talked.
Dominic realised he might have been slightly ridiculous, imagining Flor’s life as party city instead of a hard-working course and a group of friends who were happy to finally meet Flor’s boyfriend. It wasn’t that Dominic thought he was particularly worthy of being a topic of conversation but, knowing Flor, he didn’t doubt he’d been mentioned once or twice.
This assumption was proven by one of Flor’s friends, a dark-skinned girl with a shaved head and wide, teasing smile.
“Thank God you two got together. This one,” she pointed her thumb at Flor, “has been moping around about you literally since we met. ‘He’s so hot, he’s so nice, did you know he has a sweet tooth isn’t that cute’?” she mimicked.
“All right, that’s enough out of you,” Flor said, blushing slightly but grinning up at Dominic. Dominic’s mouth twitched in a smile.
“Pretty sure my friends would say the same thing,” he admitted ruefully, made brave by Flor’s obvious affection.
Flor’s eyes widened slightly, as if foolish enough not to realise that his pining was absolutely mutual, before tipping his head up for a kiss, which Dominic gave him readily.
“Urgh, you two are too much,” Flor’s friend said.
Flor just grinned up at Dominic, and Dominic couldn’t help but kiss him again, smiling back.
That night, hidden away in the dim light surrounding the bed, Dominic rubbed his hands up and down Flor’s thighs lazily as Flor straddled him, naked but for a pair of tight briefs.
“Did you have fun?” Flor asked quietly in reverence to the gentle night outside.
“Yeah,” Dominic replied, squeezing Flor’s thighs slightly.
“I like having you here.” Flor leaned down for a slow kiss. “Do you talk to your friends about me?” he asked when they parted.
“Yeah.”
“What do you say?”
“What you’re doing out here. That you’re smart. Beautiful.”
“That I’m annoying, clingy—”
“No,” Dominic cut him off at once. “No.” He pulled Flor for another kiss, deeper, sweeping. “That you’re perfect,” he whispered into the space between their lips.
Flor snorted. “I’m not perfect.”
“You are to me,” Dominic confessed. The words simply came out, a flood of Flor. This was the deluge.
Maybe Flor was right. Maybe if someone else were telling the story, Flor wouldn’t be perfect. He could be pushy, talkative, nosy—but the light Flor cast in Dominic’s life rendered those things inconsequential.
“Why are you so nice to me?” Flor asked, as if he really didn’t know.
Dominic just kissed him again, hoping the press of his teeth and lips would reveal the truth.
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
Dominic had been lulled by the hot meal at the Romeros’, and the quiet was comfortable between him and Cat as they washed plates when she turned to him, a slightly serious look in her eyes.
“So, I’m planning to campaign for the position of Sherriff,” she said. Dominic had to blink for a moment to catch up with the words before clutching the tea towel he was using to dry his hands, beaming at Cat.
“That’s great!”
“Well, it’s a bit of a stretch—”
