To Love & To Hold

Chapter 8

"s**t," he whispered. He glanced at the clock: 6:47 AM. Trust Maxwell to arrive early. Carefully, Dominic extricated himself from Ericka's embrace, replacing his chest with her pillow. She murmured in protest but didn't wake.

He ran a hand through his sleep-mussed hair and pulled on a t-shirt. There was no time to shower or even brush his teeth. Maxwell wasn't known for his patience, especially when it came to his sister.

Dominic padded through the apartment, his mind racing. What would he say? How could he explain that yes, he'd kissed Ericka, then pushed her away, then found her in the hospital, and now they were... what? Together? It sounded ridiculous even to him.

He opened the door to find Maxwell, six feet of barely contained fraternal concern, his dark hair, the same shade as Ericka's, dishevelled from the drive. A duffel bag hung from his shoulder, suggesting he planned to stay.

"Where is she?" Maxwell demanded, pushing past Dominic into the apartment.

"Sleeping," Dominic replied, “We should keep it down, the doctors say she needs rest.”

Maxwell stopped in the middle of the living room, taking in the torn pieces of paper scattered across the coffee table, remnants of the contract Dominic had forgotten to clean up. His jaw tightened.

"What the hell is that?"

Dominic closed the door quietly. "It's... a long story."

"I've got time." Maxwell dropped his duffel bag on the floor and crossed his arms, his stance wide and unmistakably hostile. "Start talking. Because from what Marcus told me, my little sister was found unconscious on campus, dehydrated and exhausted, and something tells me you're involved."

"I am." There was no point in lying. Maxwell could always tell when Dominic was bullshitting him; they'd known each other too long. "But not in the way you think."

"Then explain it to me. Because right now, I'm about thirty seconds away from putting you through that wall."

Dominic held up his hands. "Can we at least sit down? And keep your voice down, she's been through enough."

Maxwell's eyes narrowed, but he dropped onto the armchair across from the couch. Dominic sat on the edge of the sofa cushion, elbows on his knees, trying to figure out where to start.

"You know about the lease agreement," he began.

"The one where you made my sister sign a contract saying she'd move out if either of you caught feelings?" Maxwell's voice dripped with derision. "Yeah, I know about it. Dumbest thing you've ever done, and you've done some dumb shit."

"I'm aware." Dominic scrubbed a hand over his face. "Look, I put that clause in because I was scared. I knew, even back then, that I had feelings for her. I thought if I made it official, made it a rule, I could keep myself in check."

"And how'd that work out for you?"

"About as well as you'd expect." Dominic gestured at the torn contract. "I kissed her two nights ago. Then I panicked and pushed her away. She thought I was rejecting her, thought she had to move out because of the contract. She was up all night, didn't eat, didn't drink anything..."

"And ended up in the hospital." Maxwell finished grimly. "Marcus filled me in on that part."

"I didn't know she was planning to leave. I didn't know any of it until I got to the hospital and she told me." Dominic's voice cracked. "I spent all morning looking for her, Max. I went to the library, to her class, back here. I was going out of my mind."

Maxwell was quiet for a long moment, studying Dominic with an unreadable expression. "And now? Where do things stand now?"

Dominic met his best friend's gaze steadily. "I love her. I told her that. She's... she's in my bed right now. Sleeping," he added quickly when Maxwell's expression darkened. "Just sleeping. But I'm not hiding anymore. I'm not pretending I don't feel what I feel."

"You love her."

"More than I've ever loved anyone."

Maxwell leaned forward, his voice dropping to something low and dangerous. "You've been my best friend for fifteen years, Dom. Fifteen years. But she's my baby sister. If you hurt her..."

"I won't."

"You already did. Two nights ago."

The words landed like a punch. Dominic nodded slowly. "You're right. I did. And I'll spend however long it takes making that up to her. But I'm not walking away. Not now, not ever."

The silence stretched between them, thick with tension. Then Maxwell exhaled heavily and slumped back in the chair.

"She's been in love with you since sophomore year, you know. Called me crying about it more than once, convinced you'd never see her as anything more than a roommate." He pinched the bridge of his nose. "I wanted to tell you so many times, but she made me swear not to."

"I wish you had."

"Would it have changed anything? You were so determined to keep things 'professional.'" Maxwell made air quotes around the word. "I figured you'd come around eventually, or she'd move on. Didn't expect it to blow up like this."

"Max..." Dominic hesitated. "Are we okay? You and me?"

Maxwell was quiet for a long moment. Then he stood, crossing the room to stand in front of Dominic. For a heart-stopping second, Dominic thought he was about to get punched.

Instead, Maxwell extended his hand.

"If you make her happy, really happy, then we're okay." His grip was firm when Dominic took it. "But if you ever pull anything like that contract again, best friend or not, I will end you."

"Fair enough."

A soft sound from the hallway made them both turn. Ericka stood in the doorway, wrapped in Dominic's oversized hoodie, her hair a tangled mess and her eyes still heavy with sleep.

"Max?" Her voice was hoarse with confusion. "What are you doing here?"

Maxwell's entire demeanour shifted, the protective brother replacing the intimidating interrogator. He crossed to her in three strides, pulling her into a gentle hug.

"Marcus called me. Said you were in the hospital." He pulled back, holding her at arm's length to examine her. "You look like hell, Eri."

"Thanks," she said dryly. "Love you too."

Maxwell reached out to ruffle Ericka's hair, a gesture that had annoyed her since childhood. "You had me worried sick, kid. Next time you decide to skip meals and pull an all-nighter, maybe give your big brother a heads up?"