Chapter Twenty-Two

"You gonna stick by me?"

"Maybe..."

**

It’s funny, isn’t it, that you can know someone for years, think you know every single thing about them, and they can still do things that just surprise the hell out of you. That’s how Dom is…

When I was younger, I never would have thought of Dom as a romantic guy. He’s got this tough, macho image and all the girls love him… But it’s not like he tries to get attention from girls, and it’s not even like he ever paid special attention to any one girl. What I realized when I turned sixteen was, when you have Dom’s attention, when he decides that he loves you…it’s like you’re the only thing he sees. He doesn’t usually show his feelings to the world, but he definitely lets you know how special you are to him.

I walked out of the bathroom that night in the club feeling more uncomfortable than I ever have in my entire life. I didn’t fit in at that place, not at all. There weren’t all that many people there, but I still felt like everyone was staring at me. I didn’t like that. And I definitely didn’t like it when some random guy grabbed my ass when I walked past him. “Dom’d better have a damn good reason for bringing me here,” I remember thinking to myself as I looked around the club, trying to find him.

I finally spotted him over in a corner by the DJ booth, still talking to Frankie. Neither one of them seemed to notice me when I walked up, but Dom reached out and grabbed my hand.

“Are we ready to go yet?” I asked Dom when Frankie finally walked away.

“What…you’re not having a good time?” Dom asked, smiling at me.

“Uhm…not exactly,” I muttered.

“Oh,” he said, sounding a little disappointed. “Well…maybe I can fix that,” he continued, pulling me towards the dance floor.

Just then, the music in the club changed. I cocked my head at Dom as Nat King Cole’s “The Very Thought of You” started playing. “What’s going on, Dom?” I asked as he pulled me close, wrapped his arms around my waist and started swaying back and forth to the music.

“Well,” he answered slowly, “the other day I heard you and Mia talking in the office at the garage. And you said you wanted to know what it would be like to dance with me…but you couldn’t imagine me going to prom or anywhere else where we might get a chance to dance…”

“So you planned this?”

“Not exactly,” Dom laughed. “I was thinking that I’d clean up a corner at the garage…maybe for Valentine’s Day or something. Lay out a nice dinner…candlelight, flowers, all of that… And I’d dance with you all night then, if you wanted…”

“Mmm,” I murmured, “sounds nice… So…what happened to change your mind?”

“You happened,” he replied, smiling at me. “You walked into the garage tonight, and I couldn’t wait till Valentine’s Day to dance with you. Frankie owes me a few favors, so I figured I’d cash one in tonight.”

“You’re just…wow,” was all I could say as I leaned against Dom, my head on his shoulder. “When the hell did you get so romantic?”