In Love With Him

Chapter 21

Dominic's POV

The sun was starting to dip below the fence line, casting golden streaks across the backyard. The water glistened as it rippled, the sounds of splashing and laughter still echoing around the pool. But all I could focus on was her.

Kennedy.

She floated in the deep end, her eyes closed, face tilted toward the sky. Her black bikini clung to her in a way that made it impossible to look away. Water trickled down her collarbone and disappeared beneath the surface.

God help me, I was in trouble.

I had no business looking at her like that. No business remembering the way her body pressed against mine when I carried her into the pool. The way she gasped, that split-second when her hands grabbed at me to hold on—

I sat at the edge of the pool, legs dangling in the water, trying to act normal. Trying to will away the thoughts and the heat crawling under my skin.

Max and his friends had moved on from water balloons to some kind of cannonball competition. Marty and Finn were on the lawn chairs again, laughing, their bright colors a contrast to Kennedy's moody black. She was different. Quiet, but sharp. Reserved, but honest. Beautiful, but somehow didn’t see it.

She drifted closer, opening her eyes when she reached the edge. Her gaze met mine.

"You going to sit there all night, or are you going to challenge Max to a cannonball contest?" she asked, teasing.

I smirked. "Don’t tempt me. I’ll destroy him."

"Confidence is a disease, you know."

"So is sarcasm."

She smiled, and that damn flutter started in my chest again. I hated how much she was getting under my skin—but I also didn’t. I didn't know what to do with that.

I stood and offered her my hand. She hesitated, then took it. Her palm was soft, warm even in the water. I helped her out, and for a moment we just stood there, her inches from me, the tension between us nearly palpable.

And then we were interrupted. Again.

"Pizza's here!" Max shouted from the patio.

Kennedy stepped back first. She walked away, hips swaying, towel slung over her shoulder like a challenge.

Jesus.

I followed her in slowly, not trusting myself to be too close just yet. But one thing was clear:

Things were about to get complicated.

---

Kennedy’s POV

I couldn’t believe October crept up so fast. The school had already started putting up banners and flyers for the Halloween dance. Orange and black streamers were hanging in the halls, and there was a signup sheet outside the main office for the costume contest.

I sat at the lunch table with Marty and Finn, half-listening to them debate costume ideas while I pushed the cold peas on my tray around with a plastic fork.

“I’m thinking something slutty this year,” Marty said casually, popping a grape into her mouth. “Maybe a vampire. Or a sexy witch.”

Finn snorted. “I’m going full rainbow chaos. Bright, loud, and impossible to miss. I want to blind people.”

I chuckled softly, but my mind was somewhere else—drifting between costume possibilities. Harley Quinn? No, too cliché. Catwoman? Maybe.

Just then, something small and doughy smacked me in the back of the head. I blinked in confusion, reaching up to find the remains of a bread roll tangled in my hair. Behind me, a burst of obnoxious laughter pierced the air. I didn’t even have to look to know who it was.

Amber.

I let out a breath and stood up calmly, carrying my tray to the trash. I just wanted to get through the day without losing it. But of course, Amber wasn’t done. She stepped in front of the doors, blocking my path.

“Well if it isn’t the virgin freak,” she sneered, crossing her arms.

I kept my head down and tried to walk past her, but she stopped me.

“You know,” Amber said louder, drawing attention from the nearby tables, “you should dress up as the Virgin Mary for Halloween. Since, you know... you two have something in common.”

My entire body tensed.

My jaw clenched. I opened my mouth, but nothing came out. Instead, I shook my head and tried to walk past her.

Big mistake.

Amber stuck her foot out. I tripped. Hard. My knees hit the tile with a loud smack and the entire cafeteria erupted in laughter.

I swallowed the lump in my throat and started to get up—

But Amber pushed me down again.

And that was it.

Something in me snapped.

I shot to my feet with a speed I didn’t even know I had. Before Amber could react, my fist flew. It connected with her nose in a sickening crunch.

Amber screamed, stumbling back and clutching her face. Blood poured between her fingers.

“She broke my nose!” she screeched. “That psycho b***h broke my nose!”

The cafeteria gasped in unison. Students backed away as teachers rushed in.

One grabbed Amber and started escorting her toward the nurse’s office. The other—a tall, tired-looking man I barely recognized from gym duty—grabbed my arm and told me I was going straight to the principal’s office.

I didn’t resist.

I didn’t say a word.

I was numb.

The principal’s office was quiet. Too quiet. The old clock on the wall ticked slowly, like it was trying to torture me.

Mr. Powers, a stout man with graying hair and a tired expression, sat across from me, arms crossed.

“So,” he said flatly. “Want to tell me what happened?”

I licked my lips and nodded. “She threw food at me. She made fun of me. Tripped me. Pushed me down—twice.”

“She says,” he cut in with a sigh, “you snapped out of nowhere and attacked her. She claims you’ve had a vendetta against her since last year.”

I scoffed under my breath. “Of course she did.”

Mr. Powers leaned back in his chair. “Regardless of who started it, Miss Smith, this is a serious offense. You can’t go around punching other students in the face.”

I bit my lip and stared at the floor.

“I’m sending you home for the rest of the day,” he continued. “But starting tomorrow, you’ll serve a week of after-school detention.”

My head shot up. “What?”

He nodded. “Five days. 3 PM to 4 PM. Room 106. And... we called your father.”

And that’s when the world started to tilt.

My stomach dropped. My throat tightened. I felt the onset of a panic attack curl in my chest like smoke. I could barely breathe.

I asked to step outside. I needed air.

I stood on the front steps of the school, arms crossed, heart pounding. My brain raced with thoughts of how mad my dad would be. He always got calls about Max—but me? Never. I was the good kid. Straight A’s. No trouble.

Until now.

I was so wrapped up in my spiraling panic I didn’t even hear the car pull up at first.

A low vroom snapped me out of it.

I turned and blinked as a familiar black Camaro slid up to the curb. The window rolled down slowly.

Dominic.

Of course.

He gave me a smug grin, one arm hanging casually over the wheel. “Heard a little problem child needed picking up.”

I groaned, covering my face. “Kill me. Please.”

“I’d offer, but then who’d do my laundry?” he teased.

I glared at him half-heartedly, debating whether I should just walk home and spare myself the humiliation.

But he gave me that look—the kind that said he wasn’t taking no for an answer.

So I sighed and climbed in, slamming the door shut behind me.

The ride was silent. Tense. My cheeks burned with leftover embarrassment and my fists were clenched in my lap.

And yet... part of me was oddly relieved.

Because Dominic was here.

Not my dad. Not a lecture.

Just Dominic.

And I didn’t know what scared me more—how mortified I was... or how good that felt.

The silence in the car was thick. My eyes were locked on my trembling hands resting in my lap. I could feel Dominic glance at me, the air between us charged with tension neither of us wanted to acknowledge out loud.

Finally, he broke it.

“So… what happened?”

I shook my head, my voice small. “Amber.” I swallowed hard. “She… she pushed me. And I—I snapped. I blacked out and hit her.”

Dominic let out a soft chuckle, but there was something almost proud behind it. “Judging by the way your dad sounded on the phone,” he said with a smirk, “you didn’t just hit her. You broke her nose.”

I stiffened. My breath caught in my chest. “Wait—was… was my dad mad?”

Dominic’s grin widened just a little. “Define mad.”

And that was all it took.

Panic slammed into me like a freight train.

My chest tightened, my pulse roared in my ears, and the air suddenly felt too thin, like the entire car was closing in around me. My vision blurred. My hands began to shake violently. I couldn’t breathe. I could barely hear Dominic calling my name through the static flooding my head.

The car jerked slightly to the right as Dominic pulled over to the side of the road.

“Hey. Kennedy.”

I felt his hand on my face. Warm. Firm. Steady. His thumb gently pressed into my cheek as he tilted my head toward him.

“Look at me,” he said, his voice calm but commanding. “Look at me, princess.”

I forced my eyes open. Met his.

He was close—too close—but I didn’t care.

“I need you to breathe,” he said, his voice soft now. “Come on. In through your nose, out through your mouth. Like this.”

He exaggerated a deep inhale through his nose, then slowly exhaled through his mouth. I tried to follow, but my lungs refused to cooperate.

He whispered again. “Slow. You’re okay. You’re safe. Just breathe.”

I gasped, managing short, broken breaths. His thumb stroked slow circles across my cheek, grounding me. His other hand moved to my knee, steady and still—keeping me tethered.

“That’s it, princess,” he murmured. “Just breathe. I’ve got you.”

Slowly, the world stopped spinning. The air didn’t feel so thin anymore. My heartbeat started to calm. I stared at him, still shaken but starting to feel… okay.

Embarrassment burned in my cheeks as I realized how close we were, how wrecked I must’ve looked. I dropped my gaze, unable to meet his eyes.

He smiled gently. “You okay?”

I didn’t trust my voice, so I just nodded.

His hand lingered a second longer before he pulled back.

“By the way,” he added, settling back into his seat and putting the car into drive, “I was kidding. Your dad didn’t sound mad. If anything, he sounded shocked.”

Relief hit me like a wave. My chest deflated and I nodded again, eyes still on my hands.

Neither of us said anything for the rest of the ride.

But the entire time, I could still feel the warmth of his hand on my face… the way he said princess.

And the way, just for a second, it felt like I could actually breathe again—with him.