To Love & To Hold

Chapter 6

She nodded, a watery smile spreading across her face. "Take me home, Dominic."

They made their way upstairs slowly, Ericka leaning on him more heavily as the exertion caught up with her. Inside the apartment, everything looked the same as it had that morning, the yellow sticky note still on the fridge, his abandoned coffee mug on the counter, the indent on the couch cushion where they'd sat together last night.

But everything felt different.

Dominic guided Ericka to the couch, wrapping her in the soft throw blanket she always claimed during their movie nights. "Stay here. I'm going to make you something to eat."

"I'm not hungry."

"Doctor's orders." He was already moving toward the kitchen. "Toast and eggs okay? Something light?"

"Fine," she grumbled, but he caught the small smile she tried to hide.

As he cracked eggs into a pan, Dominic found himself humming, something he hadn't done in years. The simple domesticity of the moment struck him. How many times had they done this? Made meals for each other, shared this space, orbited around each other like planets caught in the same gravitational pull?

All those wasted years of pretending, of holding back, of hiding behind a stupid contract.

He plated the food and carried it to the living room, settling beside her on the couch. Ericka ate slowly, and he noticed she was watching him between bites.

"What?" he asked.

"Nothing. Just..." She set her fork down. "This feels surreal. Yesterday I was your roommate. Today you're feeding me eggs and calling yourself my boyfriend to the hospital staff."

Dominic felt heat creep up his neck. "You heard that?"

"I was mostly asleep, but that part came through pretty clearly." She tilted her head, studying him. "Did you mean it?"

"Every word." He took the plate from her hands and set it on the coffee table, then turned to face her fully. "I meant what I said at the hospital, too. All of it. I love you, Ericka. I've been in love with you for longer than I can remember, and I'm done pretending otherwise."

Ericka reached up and traced her fingers along his jaw, her touch feather-light. "Say it again."

"I love you."

"Again."

He caught her hand, pressing a kiss to her palm. "I love you. I'll say it as many times as you need to hear it."

"I love you. I'll say it as many times as you need to hear it."

A soft blush crept up Ericka's cheeks, and she ducked her head against his shoulder. "I've imagined you saying those words so many times," she whispered. "But I never thought I'd actually hear them."

Dominic pulled her closer, breathing in the faint scent of hospital antiseptic mingled with her vanilla shampoo. The solid weight of her against him felt right in a way he couldn't articulate. Three years of holding back, of maintaining careful distance, and now she was here in his arms where she belonged.

"I should get that contract," he murmured into her hair.

Ericka leaned back, eyebrows raised. "Now?"

"Yes, now." Dominic reluctantly disentangled himself from her and stood. "Stay here. I'll be right back."

He walked to his bedroom, where he kept important documents in a filing cabinet beside his desk. The lease agreement was in a folder labelled "Apartment," crisp and official-looking with both their signatures at the bottom. That ridiculous clause about moving out if anything romantic developed between them seemed so foreign now, like it had been written by a different person entirely.

Back in the living room, Dominic held up the contract. "This thing nearly cost me everything that matters."

Ericka shifted on the couch, pulling the blanket tighter around her shoulders. "We both signed it," she reminded him. "I agreed to the terms."

"Well, I'm officially terminating this agreement." He tore the contract in half, then in quarters, satisfaction flowing through him with each rip. "And proposing a new one."

Ericka's eyes widened. "What kind of agreement?"

Dominic knelt in front of her, taking her hands in his. "One where I get to kiss you whenever I want. Where we don't have to pretend we're just friends anymore. Where I can tell you I love you every morning and every night."

Tears welled in Ericka's eyes, making them shine in the late afternoon light. "I think I can agree to those terms."

"Good." He leaned forward and kissed her again, gently at first, then with growing hunger as she responded, her fingers threading through his hair.

When they finally broke apart, both breathing heavily, Ericka rested her forehead against his. "What about the rest of the lease? The part about rent and utilities?"

Dominic laughed, the sound rumbling from deep in his chest. "Always the practical one. We can figure that out later." He brushed his thumb across her cheek. "Right now, you need to rest. Doctor's orders."

She started to protest, but a yawn cut her off. Dominic smiled, standing and scooping her up in one fluid motion.

"What are you doing?" she squealed, arms automatically wrapping around his neck.

“Putting you to bed.”

"I can walk, you know," she protested, but her arms tightened around his neck, contradicting her words.

"I know. But I've wanted an excuse to do this for about two years now." He carried her down the hallway, past the bathroom they'd shared for three years, past the linen closet where she always stacked the towels wrong, and paused outside her bedroom door.

Ericka looked up at him, a question in her eyes.

Dominic hesitated. "I can put you in your room, or..." He swallowed hard. "You could rest in mine. Just sleep," he added quickly. "Nothing else. I just... I don't want to let you out of my sight right now."

The vulnerability in his voice surprised even him. But the thought of her behind a closed door, even just down the hall, made his chest tight with anxiety. What if she needed something? What if her blood pressure dropped again? What if he woke up tomorrow and discovered this had all been a dream?