In Love With Him

Chapter 22

Dominic’s POV

By the time we pulled up to the house, the tension in the car had thinned—but only a little. I cut the engine, glancing over at Kennedy as she unbuckled her seatbelt. Her shoulders were still stiff, and even though her breathing had leveled out, the panic from earlier still clung to her like a second skin.

I felt a pang of guilt. I forgot she even got panic attacks. She mentioned them once in passing, but I’d never seen one up close—not until today.

Watching her like that—struggling to breathe, completely overwhelmed—it hit something in me I wasn’t ready for. Vulnerability like that? It wasn’t weakness. On her, it was... raw. Real. And somehow beautiful. Even in the chaos, she was beautiful.

And the way she responded to my touch… the way she looked at me like I was the only person in the world who could help her…

Yeah, I was screwed.

We stepped inside. I hung my keys on the hook and glanced back at her. She still looked on edge, standing there like she didn’t know what to do with herself.

“You hungry?” I asked casually, trying to break the tension. “I can make you a sandwich or something.”

She hesitated, then gave a small nod and the softest smile. That smile sent a jolt through my chest.

I returned it with a grin of my own, exaggerating a deep bow. “My lady,” I said, stepping over to pull out a chair for her.

Kennedy gave me this look—one brow raised, half amused, half what the hell is wrong with you—but she smirked as she sat down anyway.

I gently pushed her chair in and turned toward the kitchen, already planning my performance.

I danced around the kitchen like a damn medieval court jester, grabbing bread, turkey, cheese, mayo—throwing in little flourishes and commentary in the worst accent I could muster. “For you, fair maiden, a feast fit for a queen, handcrafted by thine humble servant…”

Behind me, I heard her try to stifle a laugh. “You’re such a dork,” she mumbled, but her voice was lighter now.

I grinned over my shoulder. “Yeah, but it made you smile, princess.”

She looked down, but I saw the corner of her mouth twitch again.

I finished her sandwich and placed it in front of her with a flourish. “Your royal meal, m’lady.”

She took a bite and her eyes lit up with surprise. “Okay… that’s actually really good.”

I leaned against the counter, arms crossed, and gave her my best cocky smirk. “I’m a man of many talents, turkey sandwich being one of them.”

Kennedy rolled her eyes but kept chewing, clearly trying not to smile again.

And just like that, the weight in the room lifted.

Whatever happened at school was still there, under the surface—but at least for now, it wasn’t drowning her. And I’d like to think I had something to do with that.

---

Kennedy’s POV

After I finished the last bite of my sandwich, I set the plate down and wiped my hands on a napkin. The soft hum of the fridge filled the quiet space around me. When I looked up, I saw Dominic leaning against the counter, arms crossed, watching me with that relaxed, unreadable expression of his.

“I gotta finish some assignments for the day,” he said, his voice smooth and casual. “But if you need anything… I’ll be in my room. Door’s open.”

The way he said that… I couldn’t tell if he meant it as just a friendly offer or if there was something else behind it. Something heavier. The pause, the tone, the flicker in his eyes—it lingered.

I hesitated, nodded once. “Okay.”

He gave me a small smile, then turned and disappeared up the stairs. I waited until I couldn’t hear his footsteps anymore before letting out a slow, shaky breath. The house felt too quiet now. The kind of quiet that made your thoughts louder.

I looked around the living room. Everything felt… off. Like I was walking through a replica of my house instead of the real thing. Maybe it was being home on a school day. Or maybe it was the leftover adrenaline from the panic attack. Or maybe it was just… him.

I sighed and grabbed the remote, flipping on the TV for background noise at first, until I landed on the Euphoria banner. Marty and Finn had been begging me to watch it for weeks. They said I’d love it. That it was raw and chaotic and beautiful and dark—and that I’d probably cry and relate and want to scream all at the same time.

I figured, why not.

I clicked play.

It didn’t take long to get hooked. The opening was intense—heavy, even—but in a weird way, it made me feel less alone. These characters were a disaster. A beautiful, glitter-stained, spiraling mess of a disaster. But they felt real. It was a lot, but it also kind of felt like breathing for the first time after holding it too long.

I sank into the couch, hugging a pillow to my chest, eyes locked on the screen. Everything else faded for a while.

Until—

“You’re watching Euphoria without me?”

I jumped, nearly launching the pillow across the room.

“Jesus, Max,” I gasped, clutching my chest. “Don’t sneak up on people like that!”

He stood in the doorway, grinning like a little gremlin, a juice pouch in one hand and his backpack still on. “Marty and Finn are gonna riot when they find out you finally started it without them.”

I smirked and hit pause. “I’ll rewatch it with them. Chill. It’s… a lot, but actually really good.”

Max dropped his bag with a dramatic thud and flopped into the armchair beside me. He squinted at the paused screen and made a face.

“Your on the episode with the carnival. Bold.”

I rolled my eyes, laughing a little.

And for the first time all day, the heaviness lifted. Even if just for a minute… it felt like maybe things would be okay.

I narrowed my eyes at the screen, but something Max had said finally clicked. I turned toward him, brow raised. “Wait… you know this show?”

He blinked at me like I was the crazy one. “Uh, yeah?”

I gawked. “Max, this show is extremely inappropriate. There’s drugs, s*x, violence—I'd rather you watch Game of Thrones, and that says a lot.”

Max groaned dramatically, flopping backward against the couch cushions. “Kenny, for once could you not act like a mom and act like a big sister?”

His words made me pause. I didn't say anything right away. The weight of them settled quietly in my chest. I wasn’t trying to be a mom, I just… cared. But maybe I was overdoing it.

I let out a breath and rolled my eyes. “Fine.”

Max lit up instantly, the way only a thirteen-year-old boy could. He grinned wide and scooted closer, settling beside me like we used to when he was little. He nestled against my side, juice pouch still in hand, his bare feet pulling up onto the couch. I didn’t say anything. I just let him.

Then we both jumped when a voice came from behind the couch.

“You guys watching Euphoria?”

I twisted around to see Dominic standing there, a smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth. My stomach did a weird little somersault. I wasn’t expecting him to come back down so soon.

“You know this show?” I asked, genuinely surprised.

He strolled around the couch and nodded casually. “Yeah. I dated a girl once who was obsessed with Zendaya. I wasn’t into it at first… until I saw Sydney Sweeney. Then I got very into it.”

Max barked a laugh. “Hell yeah.”

They high-five, the most obnoxious boy moment I’d seen all week.

I made a face and muttered, “Pigs.”

Dominic heard me—of course he did—but instead of firing back with a snarky comment, he just smirked as he walked around and sat down next to me on the couch. My heart hiccupped. Again.

He threw his arm up behind the couch, the way guys do when they’re trying to play it cool, except his forearm was now right behind my neck. Close enough to feel the warmth of his skin. The side of his body brushed against mine lightly, sending a rush of awareness through me.

He leaned just slightly and looked at the screen. “Oh, the carnival episode? Nice.”

I tried to focus on the episode. I really did.

But it was hard with Max still tucked against one side of me, and Dominic’s arm draped behind me on the other, the scent of his cologne—clean and woodsy and him—tickling my senses. His thigh barely touched mine, but it was enough to make me hyperaware of every inch of space between us—or lack thereof.

We all watched the screen in silence. Occasionally Max made a comment or laughed too loudly. Dominic chimed in with a sarcastic remark here or there, especially when a character did something dumb. I could feel the rumble of his chuckles against my side.

And somehow, for a moment, everything felt normal.

No panic attacks.

No tripping in the cafeteria.

No Amber.

Just me… Max… and Dominic.

And the growing awareness that I wasn’t sure how much longer I could pretend I didn’t want more than just couch-side banter with him.