Page 29 of Down Knot Out
“You kept this.” Surprise and a deeper emotion fills his voice that sets my pulse fluttering.
The figurine was a gift from him in middle school. It had been one of the few times we snuckoff to a local craft fair. An artist had been crafting the figurines with a torch and rods of colored glass.
I’d been in love with dragons even back then. When I was allowed a single suitcase to pack my things and leave, it was the only trinket I took with me. I knew everything else would be thrown out, just like my mother and me.
Even with everything that happened afterward with Dominic and my other friends, I’d never had the heart to toss out the little dragon.
My palms feel sweaty, and I wipe them on my sweater. “Of course I kept it.”
He places the figurine back in its place and continues exploring my shelves. In addition to a handful of figurines, it also holds a jar of multi-sided dice I’ve never used and a small wooden box that holds a pair of my mother’s earrings.
I see the moment he realizes how empty the shelves are compared to the collection I once had. How few treasures I’ve gathered since realizing how temporary everything in life can be.
His smile fades, and sadness settles between us. “Chloe…”
I know what he’s thinking. He’s calculating the years, remembering the boxes and boxes of trinkets I used to keep in my room. The crystals lined up on every windowsill, the figurines that covered everysurface, the wind chimes and dream catchers hanging from the ceiling. All gone now.
“It’s fine,” I say, the words sharp with defensiveness. “What I have now is just that much more special.”
Dominic’s expression shifts, a muscle in his jaw tightening. I wonder if he’s remembering the day I called him, voice shaking, with nowhere to go and everything I owned stuffed into a single suitcase.
He’d been the first person I thought to call. Not that it mattered. He hadn’t answered, and the next time we spoke, my fall from grace was already the fodder of school gossip.
When he turns to me, the guilt he feels for not doing more is evident on his face. He hadn’t stood beside me. He was my best friend, and he turned his back on me just like the others. And he knows it.
My fingers find my collar, picking at it in a nervous habit I can’t seem to break. A familiar ache opens in my chest, the one that appears whenever I think about what happened back then, about everything I lost in a single afternoon. Not just my possessions or my home, but my sense of security. My Alpha who was supposed to love me unconditionally.
I had needed him so much, needed his armsaround me, needed his reassurance that even if everything else changed, we wouldn’t.
A needy whine escapes me, and Dominic takes a half-step forward before he stops himself and clears his throat. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have brought it up.”
I shake my head, forcing my hand down to my side. “You didn’t. Not really.” Drawing a deep breath, I try to lighten the mood. “Besides, all of that is in the past. We’re not the same people anymore.”
My stomach growls with a welcome interruption to the heavy silence.
“Food,” I blurt out, latching on to the distraction like a lifeline. “We should order food.”
My voice rises, turning the statement into a question as I step back toward the kitchen, needing a moment to compose myself. I yank open the drawer with my collection of delivery menus, dog-eared and coffee-stained from use, and return to find Dominic still standing by my bookshelf, his fingers tracing the spine of one of my novels.
“I have options,” I announce, fanning the menus out in my hands. “Chinese, Thai, Italian, American, fusions of all varieties…”
Dominic turns, one eyebrow raised. “You knowwe can look these up on a delivery app, right? We live in the modern world, Chloe.”
“I like the physical menus. Delivery apps have too many options with all those restaurants from three cities over promising delivery in under an hour.” I shuffle the menus. “This way, I just have local places. Limited choices. It’s easier.”
His expression softens, the teasing replaced by understanding. “Makes sense.”
“It does?” The words slip out before I can stop them.
“Of course it does. You always liked to research before going out, too, so you wouldn’t be overwhelmed by all the options.” He steps closer, taking the menus from my hands, his fingers brushing mine in the exchange. “Living on the island, meal delivery is impossible. When I want something besides Holden’s cooking—which is amazing, so don’t ever tell him otherwise—I have to take a boat to get it.”
Dominic flips through the menus and holds up a white one with red lettering. “How about Chinese? Holden hasn’t mastered that one.”
Relief sweeps through me at not having to be the one to choose. “Sounds good.”
Dominic reads the menu and pauses on an item. “Mu shu pork, right? With extra pancakes?”
My breath catches. “You remember my order?”
