“Woah, my head feels so heavy,” Aaliyah walked down the staircase before looking at Katherine, who was talking to someone over her call.
It’s been a week since she woke up, and everything was going back to normal slowly. Everything except one thing, she hasn’t heard anything from Dominic.
Aaliyah talked to Bryce about it, and he told her Dominic was busy with gang stuff. He has been neglecting the gang for two months, and now he is trying to ensure he gets the Python gang to the same position and status as before.
Bryce told her Dominic had been working day in and out and barely gets the time to eat. Even though everyone was saying almost the same thing, Aaliyah found it really weird.
No matter how busy Dominic is, she forbids herself from believing he doesn’t get the time to give her a mere call and ask how she is doing. The Dominic she knows would cross the oceans to hear her voice. This was not normal.
“Aaliyah, what is wrong? Are you not feeling well?” Katherine immediately stood from her place, stuffing the phone in her pocket.
Before Aaliyah descended the stairs, Katherine was talking to Dominic, giving him regular updates on what Aaliyah was doing and if she took her medicine on time.
Meanwhile, Dominic, who heard a little of Aaliyah’s voice, looked at his phone before placing it on the loudspeaker.
“Leave,” Dominic said to his subordinates in the room.
He doesn’t know if it was deliberate, but since Katherine forgot to end the call, he was going to use this opportunity to hear more of his love’s voice.
“I don’t know. I feel like some penguins are dancing in my head. Is that even a thing? I don’t know how to describe it. Like having a hangover without drinking, like being tired without having s*x,” Aaliyah grinned at her last comment when Katherine rolled her eyes at her younger sister, and Dominic smiled at his girl.
He was happy she was this cheerful even after coming out of such a big misery. That this coma didn’t take away her childishness.
Dominic leaned back in his chair with a soft smile as he heard Aaliyah singing a song. Her voice wasn’t the best in the world, but it was the most soothing melody Dominic could hear.
Dimitri, who had to report Dominic about the people who were dealing with trafficking, was about to open the door, when through the glass window when he saw Dominic sitting there with a rare smile on his face that he saw after such a long time.
What was happening? Why was Dominic smiling like that? Dimitri noticed he was listening to something and wanted to hear what it was.
He gently opened the door and heard a girl singing. It didn’t take a genius to know whose voice it was, and Dimitri’s heart ached for his friend who was madly in love with this girl, but more than that, he felt worse for Aaliyah, who didn’t even know Dominic was deliberately staying away from her.
Dimitri has been the person on the receiving end of most of Aaliyah’s calls, and hearing the enthusiasm in her voice dimming after every time he would tell her Dominic can’t talk to her was heartbreaking.
He doesn’t know why Dominic is doing this when it is clearly painful for them.
No matter how tough Dominic acted on himself, even he knew that he wouldn’t be able to live without Aaliyah.
Katherine and everyone know it’s a matter of time before Dominic gives in and comes rushing back to Aaliyah, but the question was, how long would it take?
How long would these two keep hurting?
The situation with Sage was over, but the wounds he left were still fresh and hurting these people.
“Shut up, Aaliyah. I got it. I am taking you to the ice cream cafe, happy?” Katherine interrupted, and Dominic clenched his fists, knowing he won’t get to hear his love singing anymore.
Seeing Dominic ending the call, Dimitri finally entered the room before placing the file on the table.
“You look happy. Did something good happen?” Dimitri asked, and Dominic’s expression immediately turned serious.
“How is everything going?” Dominic asked, and Dimitri sighed.
“Would it hurt to just agree that you are missing Aaliyah? Will it affect your ego somehow or something? You are hiding it now. What will you do when you face Aaliyah tomorrow during Bryce and Katherine’s engagement ceremony?” Dimitri asked, and Dominic’s hand on the file froze.
How can he forget about it? Tomorrow is Bryce’s and Katherine’s wedding, and he can’t avoid seeing Aaliyah there. How will he react? How will he be able to keep his cool when Aaliyah would be standing in front of him, asking for his affection and attention?
He can maintain the cool facade in front of the world, but what about Aaliyah? He will be exposed in a minute. Dominic pinched the bridge of his nose before looking at the piled-up files.
“Is there a way I can go and come out of it unnoticed by Aaliyah?” Dominic asked Dimitri, and the latter looked at him before shaking his head.
“It’s a small function and not a wedding. I bet there is a way you can do that. Besides, what are you afraid of? What happened to the man who said he would handle it all? He will let Aaliyah know slowly that he wants to break up with her?” Dimitri scoffed before standing from his place.
“If it had been me in your place and my girlfriend had woken up after a two-month coma, I would’ve done everything in my power to stay with her 24/7, unlike you, who left her alone,” Dimitri paced in front of Dominic before stopping.
“Dominic, I know you are hurt because of what happened at that time and how you couldn’t save Aaliyah, but from a positive angle, at least be grateful that Aaliyah loved you enough to risk herself for you. And what are you repaying her with? A breakup? Talk about double standards in love,” Dimitri went out, not before slamming the door, and Dominic gritted his teeth.
Dimitri was right. None of it was wrong, and maybe that’s the reason Dominic wanted to stay away from Aaliyah. Aaliyah loved him so much and did more than what he deserved.
He doesn’t know if he will ever be able to repay that kind of love and affection that Aaliyah showed him.
Aaliyah never said ‘I love you’ to him, yet her love was of the purest kind, and Dominic, on the other hand, who always told her how much he loved and needed her, got her hurt in the end and couldn’t save her.
She trusted him to save her if things go bad, and he let her down terribly. No matter what anyone says, he knows how things went there. Dimitri wasn’t there to see what exactly exchanged in that basement, and thus, he doesn’t know what kind of helplessness Dominic went through in that meantime.
The journey from that basement to the hospital was next to hell for him. Never in his life had he felt so painful and helpless as he did that day. And then, for the two months, there hasn’t been a god he hasn’t prayed to so that Aaliyah could get better.
Dominic can’t risk her life by being in her life and bringing her into his mess in the future. He won’t be able to afford it if something happens to her again. He would die at the same moment.
“I love you, Aaliyah Gold. I love you so much that it hurts, and this is the only way I can keep you safe,” Dominic looked at the photo of them together in his room. It was taken right after Aaliyah woke up after their first night together on his birthday.
The glow on Aaliyah’s face was no joke, and she looked like an angel wrapped in his dark gray sheets, who was peeking at him and teasing him.
“You are safe this way,” Dominic kissed the girl in the photo before sighing and placing the photo back, taking a file to drown himself in the world of work again.
Meanwhile, Katherine held Aaliyah’s hand as she brought her to the ice cream parlor.
“Seriously Katherine, for the umpteenth time, I can walk on my own. What is your deal?” Aaliyah grumbled when she saw people looking at her and smiling.
They were smiling because they were happy to see her walking and smiling.
“I want an Oreo shake first,” Aaliyah looked at Katherine like a spoiled kid, and Katherine nodded at the counter lady, who smiled back.
As Katherine was ordering, Aaliyah sat in one of the cubicles.
“Hey,” Aaliyah heard, and she raised her brows when she saw none other than Alex strutting towards her.
She heard from Katherine that after Alex got better and walkable, he tried to visit Aaliyah in the hospital on multiple occasions but never could move past Dominic’s bodyguards, who didn’t allow anyone apart from family and Ashton.
“How are you doing?” Aaliyah’s hand instinctively reached for the knife in her pocket, and this action didn’t go unnoticed by Alex.
“I am not here to harm you, Aaliyah. Of course, I don’t expect you to believe me because of my reputation. However, I am trying to turn into a new leaf. I have left all the bad work and am trying to live diligently,” Alex paused.
“You gave me this second life, and I will be forever grateful to you for this. I know I am making you uncomfortable, and am sorry for that. I will take my leave. Hopefully, see you in school soon?” Alex smiled and left, and Aaliyah’s hand on her knife finally eased.
She looked at the guy crossing the street and helping a poor lady cross the road. Did Alex really turn into a new leaf? Aaliyah’s thoughts went to the nights, when he tried to hurt her multiple times.
“Here you go,” Aaliyah shook when Katherine placed her shake on the table.
Her senses and presence of mind weren’t as strong as before, and it irritated Aaliyah. Maybe it was because of what happened, and her brain was dealing with the trauma, but her reflexes weren’t so sharp, and the constant fear of getting attacked out of nowhere was always there.
Aaliyah didn’t tell her family about this because she didn’t want them worried, but it irritated her nonetheless.
“Thank you. Did you hear anything from Danny?” Aaliyah asked as she remembered that she had freed him too.
What happened to him? He got home safely that day, right? And what about his pregnant girlfriend?
“They are safe. From what I heard, Danny used to call every week and ask Dominic about your whereabouts. He might’ve called this weekend and heard that you are alright now. You can expect a visit from him soon,” Katherine said, and Aaliyah nodded.
“Aren’t you having one?” Aaliyah’s question made Katherine shake her head.
“Tomorrow is my engagement, Aaliyah. I don’t want to look too bloated,” Katherine said.
No matter how busy Dominic is, he would never miss his friend’s engagement. Tomorrow she will finally be able to see him. Aaliyah sipped her shake with a happy smile.