To Love & To Hold

Chapter 9

"I didn't exactly plan it," she mumbled, leaning into his touch despite her protest. Her gaze drifted to Dominic, who stood awkwardly by the couch, hands shoved in his pockets. "Did you two...?"

"Have a chat?" Maxwell finished. "Yeah, we did."

Dominic watched the siblings, noting the familiar way they communicated, half-sentences, meaningful glances, the shorthand of people who'd grown up together. He'd always envied that, being an only child himself.

"And?" Ericka pressed, folding her arms across her chest. The sleeves of Dominic's hoodie fell past her fingertips, making her look smaller, more vulnerable.

Maxwell glanced back at Dominic, one eyebrow raised. "And we've reached an understanding."

"What kind of understanding?" Suspicion laced her tone.

"The kind where I don't murder your roommate for being an i***t," Maxwell said, his voice lighter than his words. "Though the jury's still out on that one."

Dominic cleared his throat. "I was just explaining to your brother about... us."

The word hung in the air between them, new and fragile. Ericka's cheeks flushed pink, and she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, that nervous gesture that always made Dominic's heart skip.

"And what exactly did you tell him?" she asked, eyes fixed on Dominic.

"The truth," he said simply. "That I love you. That I tore up that stupid contract. That this..." he gestured between them, "...is real. If you still want it to be."

Maxwell made a show of checking his watch. "I'm suddenly starving. Think I'll go grab some breakfast. For all of us," he added pointedly. "Since apparently no one in this apartment remembers to eat regularly."

"Max..." Ericka started.

"Back in thirty." He grabbed his wallet from the duffel bag. "Try not to pass out again while I'm gone, sis."

With that, he slipped out the door, leaving Dominic and Ericka alone in a silence that felt both awkward and electric.

"So," Ericka said after a moment, "you told my brother you love me."

Dominic crossed the room slowly, stopping just in front of her. "I told you first."

"I know." A small smile played at the corners of her mouth. "But saying it to Max... that makes it real."

"It was already real." He reached out, tentatively taking her hand. "Are you feeling better? You should probably sit down."

She rolled her eyes toward Dominic, her expression a mixture of shyness and determination. "I'm feeling better. Still a bit light-headed, but I'll live."

Dominic guided her to the couch, his hand resting lightly at the small of her back. Every touch between them felt different now, charged with meaning instead of carefully controlled. When she sat down, he joined her, close enough that their knees touched.

"I can't believe Max drove all the way here," Ericka said, tucking her feet underneath her. "He's always been overprotective, but this is excessive even for him."

"He was worried," Dominic replied, studying her face for any signs of lingering fatigue. The dark circles under her eyes had faded somewhat, but she was still too pale. "We all were."

Ericka pulled the sleeves of his hoodie over her hands, a habit she had when nervous. "Did you really tell him everything? About the contract and... what happened between us?"

"Most of it." Dominic reached for her hand, gently untangling it from the sleeve. "I left out some details. Like how beautiful you looked right before I kissed you. Or how terrified I was when I heard you were in the hospital."

Her fingers curled around his, warm and solid. "And he didn't punch you? That doesn't sound like my brother."

"I think he wanted to." Dominic smiled ruefully, rubbing his thumb across her knuckles. "But he settled for threatening me instead."

"Typical Max." She shifted closer, her knee pressing more firmly against his. "So what happens now? With us, I mean."

Dominic took a deep breath, steadying himself. The question echoed the one she'd asked before falling asleep in his bed, but this time she was fully awake, her eyes clear and focused on his face.

"Now," he said slowly, "we do all the things we've been pretending we didn't want to do. I take you on a proper date. I kiss you goodnight at your bedroom door. I tell you I love you when you're not half-asleep or recovering from dehydration."

A smile bloomed across Ericka's face, transforming her tired features. "I'd like that."

"But first," he continued, "you need to get better. Doctor's orders. Rest, fluids, regular meals."

She wrinkled her nose. "That sounds boring."

"I'll make it interesting." He leaned closer, his voice dropping to a whisper. "For every day you follow the doctor's orders, you get a reward."

"What kind of reward?" Her eyes flickered to his lips, then back up.

Dominic closed the distance between them, pressing his mouth to hers in a gentle kiss. Unlike their other kisses, this one was unhurried, a slow exploration rather than a desperate collision. When he finally pulled back, Ericka's eyes remained closed for a moment longer, a soft sigh escaping her lips.

"That kind of reward," he murmured against her mouth.

Her eyes fluttered open, slightly dazed. "Suddenly, doctor's orders don't sound so bad."

Dominic chuckled, pressing a kiss to her forehead before settling back against the couch cushions. He pulled her against his side, and she came willingly, tucking herself into the space beneath his arm as she'd always belonged there.

"I still can't believe this is happening," she admitted quietly, her fingers tracing patterns on his chest. "Part of me keeps waiting to wake up."

"It's real." He tightened his arm around her. "I promise it's real."

They sat in comfortable silence for a while, the morning light growing stronger through the windows. The apartment that had felt so empty yesterday now seemed to hum with warmth and possibility.

"Can I ask you something?" Ericka said eventually.

"Anything."

"Why that night? After three years, why did you finally kiss me then?"

Dominic considered the question. He'd been asking himself the same thing since it happened.

"We were watching that movie," he began slowly. "The one with the couple who kept missing their chance. And you made some comment about how stupid it was that they kept dancing around their feelings when it was so obvious they belonged together."

"I remember."