The First Rule

Chapter 14a: Start Anew

Eyes widening in embarrassment, you frantically start panicking to say sorry—but to your surprise..

"I knew it! It must've been the snacks! And the drinks too—s**t why a Kombucha?!" Dominic turns to you, flashing his wide.. very, attractive grin.

Oh damn that grin.. that could match Tyler’s indeed.

…

Wait why—stop it Em!

Noticing his playful intention, you match his wide grin and chuckles in amusement, yelling, "Should've been a sugarcane! And the jelly stars?! Really? What is this? Are You Smarter than a Fifth Grader?!"

At your comebacks, Hunt lets out a loud scoff of disbelief as you reply with the same excitement, emitting a loud cackle. Shifting his head to the side, he shakes it in amusement before finally turning to face back to you with a smirk playing on his lips. For a moment, you both lock eyes, sharing a surprised yet enjoyable moment in your conversation.

Still smirking, Dom breaks it by moving his gaze to his cup and making a slow turning motion to stir it, apologizing in his low voice, "Sorry, I wasn't the one picking those out this time. I was busy with baseball, so—" but then as if realizing something crucial, he gives wide panic eyes to you to clarify, "trust me, I'm not a noob—"

"Your secret's safe with me."

You cut in, gazing at him with a sly smile. Exchanging knowing mischievous glances for a moment, you eventually burst into laughter as Dominic shouts,

"Oh God—"

"Hey! What's wrong with being a noob?! Noob is cool!"

Clearly holding in his amusement while still holding a cup on his right hand, he plunges his finger to you repeatedly in disbelief, speechless. You let out another giggle as you playfully ask, "Whaaat?"

"You're unbelievable."

Flashing you a charming grin, his blue eyes sparkling in the dim light—before turning his gaze back to the pool. You sit in a weirdly comfortable silence beside him, staring at the ripples.. until a question pops up on your mind.

"By the way.. how can you tell? Me not enjoying the time of my life, I mean—"

"Easy, you're sitting in the corner of the pool.. alone.. with a long face,"

Nodding your head in approval as you purse your lips, you praise, "Congrats, Sherlock, you just cracked your first case,"

Tilting his head as he shrugs a shoulder, he boasts, "Meh, first case is a little bit degrading."

You initially giggle, but as you remember his reputation, you turn to him, giving him a skeptical look. Sensing that you're scrutinizing him, Hunt looks back at you and finds your narrowed eyes. Initially matching you, he squints his eyes—until he understands the implication behind your look. Hunt gives you a jaded look as he retracts his head slightly and sighs,

"Come onnn, you know that's not what I meant."

Raising an eyebrow with a smug Detective Conan look, you bury your head behind your left shoulder, observing him from below, making him chuckle. Then you sit up straight again, chuckling to the skies as you question,

"Ok now—the big question of the night. Why haven't we really talked like this before?"

At your question, Dom scoffs and turns his head towards the house, his eyes searching for something—or more like.. someone. When he finds it, he c***s his head toward it, his blue eyes glued to you as he answers,

"See that guy over there? That's why."

He points at Tyler, who is currently laughing with his girlfriend and other people you don't know. A sense of unease washes over you as you squint your eyes, tilting your head slightly to the side. You inquire, "Tyler? Why?"

"Oh nothing, just him telling everyone that not only he will kill us," he sarcastically explains while making a stirring movement to his cup, then tilts his head and takes a sip before he adds, "but also.. your dad." Looking ashamed, you hide your face behind your hands as he critiques, "And also, a very special case for me with that one rule of yours, which we're all so tired of hearing about."

"I swear—he made that one!" you mumble in defense, still hiding your flustered face behind your hands. But then a realization dawns on you.. releasing your hands slowly away from your face.. you turn to his nonchalant expression to ask, "Please don't tell me this is still ongoing?"

At your question, a smirk paints his lips, that expression alone could already answer your question. Amusement flashes in his eyes as he observes your flustered face. Not wanting to leave you hanging any longer, he bounces his eyebrows, to say a single word. A single word.. that puts the blood on your veins boil.

"Guess."

Stunned in irritation, you suppress a yell and splash the waters with your clenched knuckles. "I swear to God, Tyler Cavill—oh, I'm so gonna kill him,"

Looking unbothered by your wrath of Poseidon—long as the water doesn't get into his drink—Dom gives you a half shrug and smirk as he takes a sip. But then, cutting the silence, he makes an intriguing offer.

"Instead of killing him, why don't we make ourselves acquaintances properly?"

"You mean like.. start over?"

Intrigued by his suggestion, you tilt your head, letting go of the earlier annoyance as he successfully piqued your curiosity. At your question, Hunt places his red cup on the pool's edge.. positioning it slightly behind.. and then extends his right hand confidently towards you. Giving you a lopsided smile, the moonlight right behind him shines, illuminating his jawlines perfectly. In a low.. very attractive voice, he softly says,

"Dominic. Dominic Hunt."

Pause.

That. voice. Hell, I know what his voice sounded like, but I never thought—the circumstances were different! When it's combined with—this? Whooft, God. bless! The night is cold, but surely.. mine aren't.

And his name.. when you say it like that.. God help me. And his dark golden hair.. those blue eyes.. it's almost the same as the color of the sky tonight.. and his slight smirk..

Oh hell.

Lightly shaking your head to dispel your thirsty thoughts, you finally accept his hand and playfully shake it, saying,

"Emilia. Emilia Winters."

Giving you a charming wide grin, he observes your face intently, causing a slight blush to creep onto your cheeks. Instead of letting go, he keeps your hands hanging just above the rippling waters—the both of you intentionally, unintentionally, hold hands. The cool sensation of the water in between your feet warms as you move your feet back and forth like a kid. A few seconds pass, and you both stare at each other sheepishly, at least, in your case.

Unexpectedly, a gentle breeze sweeps through the skies, causing a star-shaped leaf to delicately land on your head, eliciting a slight jump from you. Noticing the leaf, he lets out the most attractive chuckle you've ever heard in your life. Sheepishly, you quickly release your hand from his hold to remove it—but he beats you to it. Reaching for the leaf, he gently untangles it from your hair.. before tenderly.. tucks the strands of your hair behind your ear.

Starstruck, you gaze at him with awe, witnessing his charming smirk as he delicately tucks the strands of your hair behind your ear. Gulping and slightly coughing to ease your rapid heartbeat, you mumble, "You're pretty smooth, Dominic.." still managing to play along, containing your blush as best as you could. However, he reveals a lopsided grin.. only to say,

"What can I say? I like you."

…

What did I get myself into?