"Yeah," he said. "At first... maybe it was about Liam. Okay? I’m not gonna lie and say I wasn’t desperate to figure out what happened that night."
He rubbed his palms together.
"You were there. You were the last person he talked to. I thought... maybe you were hiding sothing, or... I don’t know. I was ssed up about it. I wanted answers. You were the only one up there with Liam that night, and everyone needed soone to bla. I didn’t want it to be you... but I didn’t stop it either."
"I guess I thought... if I stayed away, it’d all go away faster. But it didn’t. And the more I saw you, the more I started thinking... what if we were all wrong?"
He looked at again.
"No one believed you. But you never stopped trying. That’s not easy, Ash. That’s not weak. That’s guts."
I sat there, stunned. I hadn’t expected... that.
"But it’s not just that anymore," he said. "I swear to you, it’s not."
I opened my mouth, but he raised a hand.
"Please, let finish," he said.
He leaned closer, dropping his voice.
"I don’t know when it changed," he admitted. "Maybe it was when I saw you in the station that day. You looked like you’d been hit by a truck, but you still kept walking. Or maybe it was when you refused to let people treat you like a villain when the whole school wanted to believe you were."
He tilted his head, studying .
"But I’ve watched you. Even when you’re falling apart, you’re still showing up for people."
He dropped his eyes for a second, like he was embarrassed to admit the next part.
"And... I like being around you," he said. "I don’t know why. You just... make feel normal for five seconds. You make laugh. You talk back to like I’m not so golden boy with a trust fund and a fancy house. You’re... real."
My breath hitched.
Dominic reached out, lightly touching my knee.
"I don’t want anything from you except the truth," he said. "And maybe... a chance to know you outside all this ss."
My throat felt too tight to speak.
He gave a crooked half-smile.
"And for the record?" he added. "If I wanted to use you, I wouldn’t have let you snot all over my shirt just now."
A startled laugh slipped out of .
Dominic grinned. "See? There it is. That face. I like that face."
I rolled my eyes, wiping the heel of my palm under my nose. "God, you’re so annoying."
"I know," he said. "But I’m your annoying now."
I stared at him for a mont longer. Then I nodded slowly.
"Thanks for believing in ," I said. "Thank you."
He pulled into another hug, "Anything for you Rivera."
His fingers grazed the back of my neck, sending a shiver down my spine.
"Anything," he repeated. "And I an... anything."
I tried to pull back, but he held there.
"You have no idea what you do to ," he murmured.
My throat went dry.
"Dominic..." I whispered.
He pulled back just enough to et my eyes.
"Say thank you again," he smirked. "I like how it sounds coming from you."
Dominic rubbed his palms together, searching for the right words.
But before he could say anything else, my phone buzzed in my pocket.
I blinked, startled by the vibration, and pulled it out.
A new ssage lit up the screen:
Mr. Sun (Boss):
Hey kid. You okay? Haven’t seen you in a while. You missed few shifts.
Overnight gig tonight if you want it. Good pay. Cash.
Pull up at this address if you’re coming. Let know.
He’d dropped a Google Maps pin below the ssage, the little red marker blinking over a random building near the waterfront.
I stared at the text, my brain already trying to calculate how many hours I could handle working, how much money I might make, how much closer that would get to the next hospital bill paynt.
Dominic tilted his head toward my phone. "Who’s that?"
"Huhhh...My boss," I mumbled. "Mr. Sun. He’s...uh...checking up on ."
Dominic raised an brow. "The diner guy?"
I nodded slowly. "Yeah. He’s... he’s checking if I’m coming back. There’s an overnight shift. Decent pay."
Dominic’s brow creased. "Tonight? Ash, you’re exhausted."
"Yeah," I said, thumb hovering over the reply button. "I do so kitchen shifts...sotis delivery. Whatever pays. It’s good money," I said.
"You’re hanging on by a thread," he said. "And you want to go work an overnight shift?"
"I don’t really have a choice." I shrugged, trying to play it off. "Money doesn’t exactly grow on trees."
"Ash..."
"I can’t just not show up," I murmured. "I owe him shifts. And... I need the cash. The hospital’s been asking about the bills again. And I’ve gotta eat. And Alia needs stuff. And..."
"I know. I know that. But... can’t you skip one gig? Just one?"
He reached out and gently plucked my phone from my hand, setting it on the coffee table. "You deserve one night where you’re not drowning."
I sighed. "I wish I could."
"How much does he pay you for one of these gigs?" he.
"Like... a hundred to two hundred bucks for the night. Sotis more with tips," I said. "Depends on the crowd."
"That’s not enough for you to destroy yourself over," Dominic shot back.
I glanced away. "It’s not just anymore. It’s my mom. Alia. Rent. Groceries. Hospital bills."
Dom held my gaze. "I’ll help you."
I flinched. "No."
"Ash—"
"I’m not taking your money, Dom," I snapped, a little harsher than I ant to.
His jaw tightened, but he didn’t back off. "I’m not offering charity. I’m saying... let help. Until your mom’s better. Until you can breathe again."
I pressed the heels of my hands into my eyes. "This isn’t your problem."
"It kind of is," he shot back quietly. "I’m making it my problem."
I let out a shaky breath.
Finally, I reached for my phone again. "I’m sorry Don, I can’t take your money... I have to keep going."
He stared at for a mont.
Then he leaned forward. "I’m driving you."
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