5
1167 Words
Chapter 5
We should do a housewarming,” Dominic says, and I shake my head immediately. My new apartment should be done in a few weeks and the very last thing I want is to invite anyone. That place is going to be my own little sanctuary. I’ll be damned if I so much as let anyone come over for dinner.
“Hell no,” I snap.
Dominic shoots me a pleading look but I shake my head and lean back on the sofa.
“Think of all the parties we could have,” he says, and I roll my eyes. I outgrew partying years ago. The mere idea of a party at my new apartment sounds like my own version of Hell. No thanks.
Dominic and I both look up in surprise when Alyssa walks into the living room. Her eyes light up when she sees Dominic and the way she looks at him makes me feel invisible.
“There you are,” she murmurs as she drops onto the sofa right next to him. His arm finds its way around her shoulder and the two of them settle into a relaxed and far too intimate hug. Dominic presses a kiss to the top of her head that sends a brief flash of rage coursing through my body. I look away, dismayed. Why the f**k does my heart feel so funny?
“Thought we were gonna go check out that new bar in Covent Garden?” Alyssa says, sounding whiney and cute. She’s never like that with me. I can’t really expect her to since we’re usually together in professional environments, but I’m oddly jealous of Dominic and Alyssa’s closeness. Dominic pulls her a little closer and smiles down at her.
“Sorry, I lost track of time, Lyss. I was just chatting with Dan about his new apartment. Don’t you think we should throw a big ass house party?”
Her face scrunches up in disgust, her feelings mirroring mine exactly, and I smile to myself.
“Ugh, no. Can you imagine going through all that effort to decorate your house and then when it’s finally done you have a bunch of people over that might just mess it all up? No, thank you.”
I laugh and nod at her, and she looks at me in surprise. It’s like she only just realised I’m here at all. She smiles at me tightly and pushes away from Dominic just a little. I breathe a little easier as soon as she does.
It seems like Alyssa and Dominic have gotten even closer in the time I was in the States for my MBA. They’ve been best friends all their lives, much like our dads were. I guess it was inevitable with them being the same age and being pushed together by our dads all the time. I always thought their friendship was cute, but now… now I find myself wishing they weren’t quite this close. Did their friendship turn into something more while I was away? The way Alyssa looks at Dominic makes me wonder if she might have feelings for him.
“When will your apartment be ready?” she asks.
“Soon. Two more weeks or so.”
I hired an interior designer to help me decorate it while my Mum has taken charge of the kitchen. She’s got some state of the art design in mind or something. I’m not too fussed about it, to be honest. If it makes her happy she can do whatever the hell she wants.
Dominic gets up and returns with a bottle of wine and three glasses. It’s still weird for me to see Alyssa and Dominic drink, even though I logically know they’re eighteen now. I take a sip of my wine absentmindedly while Alyssa and Dominic settle back into their cuddled up position.
“How about we watch a movie instead?” he asks, his voice soft. My little brother is so gentle with Alyssa that I barely recognise him. He’s been giving Mum grief with the way he’s been drinking, partying and pissing away money. When he’s with Alyssa I don’t see the troublemaker that we usually have to deal with at all.
She nods at him and smiles, her eyes twinkling. Dominic shifts a little bit to get her closer and I tense, my attention wavering as they pick a movie.
What’s even going on? Why am I so affected by their closeness? I don’t think I have feelings for Alyssa per se, but I’m honest enough to admit to myself that I’m attracted to her. It’s not even just her beauty, it’s her mind too. She’s so f*****g clever and hardworking. Her family is almost as rich as mine yet she never lost that kindness and humility that I love about her. She’s everything I could ever want in a woman, but until I got back from my MBA I didn’t even see her as a woman.
I know I won’t ever stand a chance with her, though. If she thought Grayson at Star Enterprises was old, then I must be ancient to her. Besides, I could never date an employee. Add to that that she’s my little brother’s best friend and the odds are stacked against me even more. I thought I’d be okay with that and that my attraction would wane, but it hasn’t. In the months that she and I have worked together it’s only gotten stronger. I’m now at a point where I can’t stomach the idea of her harbouring feelings for my little brother. I’m a f*****g mess. How did I ever let it get this far?
“Come on,” she murmurs, her voice soft. “Please.”
Dominic sighs exaggeratedly and puts on the chick flick she asked for. I feel like a total third wheel. It’s like they’re on a cute little date or something, and it just pisses me off. It annoys me that Dominic gets to see a version of Alyssa that she won’t ever show me.
I grab my phone absentmindedly and scroll through my texts, pausing on one from Giselle, a model I’ve slept with a few times. Maybe all I need is to get laid. Maybe I’m obsessing over Alyssa the way I am because I haven’t been with a woman in so long. Giselle is always down for a no-strings-attached night.
I glance at Alyssa and Daniel, all cuddled up, and clench my jaw. I need to nip whatever this is in the bud.
I sigh and text Giselle. This has gotta be the first time I’m not actually looking forward to spending a night with her. It’s a good thing she knows the score and never has any expectations beyond s*x. I definitely can’t be bothered with any of that.
Giselle texts back almost immediately and I glance at Alyssa again. She smiles up at Dominic, and my mind is made up. This can’t go any further.
- Writer
