Eyes widening in embarrassment, you frantically start panicking to say sorry—but to your surprise..

"I knew it! It must've been the snacks! And the drinks too—shit why a Kombucha?!" Dominic turns to you, flashing his wide.. very, attractive grin.

Oh damn that grin.. that could match Tyler's indeed.

...

Wait why—stop it Em!

Noticing his playful intention, you match his wide grin and chuckles in amusement, yelling, "Should've been a sugarcane! And the jelly stars?! Really? What is this? Are You Smarter than a Fifth Grader?!"

At your comebacks, Hunt lets out a loud scoff of disbelief as you reply with the same excitement, emitting a loud cackle. Shifting his head to the side, he shakes it in amusement before finally turning to face back to you with a smirk playing on his lips. For a moment, you both lock eyes, sharing a surprised yet enjoyable moment in your conversation.

Still smirking, Dom breaks it by moving his gaze to his cup and making a slow turning motion to stir it, apologizing in his low voice, "Sorry, I wasn't the one picking those out this time. I was busy with baseball, so—" but then as if realizing something crucial, he gives wide panic eyes to you to clarify, "trust me, I'm not a noob—"

"Your secret's safe with me."

You cut in, gazing at him with a sly smile. Exchanging knowing mischievous glances for a moment, you eventually burst into laughter as Dominic shouts,

"Oh God—"

"Hey! What's wrong with being a noob?! Noob is cool!"

Clearly holding in his amusement while still holding a cup on his right hand, he plunges his finger to you repeatedly in disbelief, speechless. You let out another giggle as you playfully ask, "Whaaat?"

"You're unbelievable."

Flashing you a charming grin, his blue eyes sparkling in the dim light—before turning his gaze back to the pool. You sit in a weirdly comfortable silence beside him, staring at the ripples.. until a question pops up on your mind.

"By the way.. how can you tell? Me not enjoying the time of my life, I mean—"

"Easy, you're sitting in the corner of the pool.. alone.. with a long face,"

Nodding your head in approval as you purse your lips, you praise, "Congrats, Sherlock, you just cracked your first case,"

Tilting his head as he shrugs a shoulder, he boasts, "Meh, first case is a little bit degrading."

You initially giggle, but as you remember his reputation, you turn to him, giving him a skeptical look. Sensing that you're scrutinizing him, Hunt looks back at you and finds your narrowed eyes. Initially matching you, he squints his eyes—until he understands the implication behind your look. Hunt gives you a jaded look as he retracts his head slightly and sighs,

"Come onnn, you know that's not what I meant."

Raising an eyebrow with a smug Detective Conan look, you bury your head behind your left shoulder, observing him from below, making him chuckle. Then you sit up straight again, chuckling to the skies as you question,

"Ok now—the big question of the night. Why haven't we really talked like this before?"

At your question, Dom scoffs and turns his head towards the house, his eyes searching for something—or more like.. someone. When he finds it, he cocks his head toward it, his blue eyes glued to you as he answers,

"See that guy over there? That's why."

He points at Tyler, who is currently laughing with his girlfriend and other people you don't know. A sense of unease washes over you as you squint your eyes, tilting your head slightly to the side. You inquire, "Tyler? Why?"

"Oh nothing, just him telling everyone that not only he will kill us," he sarcastically explains while making a stirring movement to his cup, then tilts his head and takes a sip before he adds, "but also.. your dad." Looking ashamed, you hide your face behind your hands as he critiques, "And also, a very special case for me with that one rule of yours, which we're all so tired of hearing about."

"I swear—he made that one!" you mumble in defense, still hiding your flustered face behind your hands. But then a realization dawns on you.. releasing your hands slowly away from your face.. you turn to his nonchalant expression to ask, "Please don't tell me this is still ongoing?"

At your question, a smirk paints his lips, that expression alone could already answer your question. Amusement flashes in his eyes as he observes your flustered face. Not wanting to leave you hanging any longer, he bounces his eyebrows, to say a single word. A single word.. that puts the blood on your veins boil.

"Guess."

Stunned in irritation, you suppress a yell and splash the waters with your clenched knuckles. "I swear to God, Tyler Cavill—oh, I'm so gonna kill him,"

Looking unbothered by your wrath of Poseidon—long as the water doesn't get into his drink—Dom gives you a half shrug and smirk as he takes a sip. But then, cutting the silence, he makes an intriguing offer.

"Instead of killing him, why don't we make ourselves acquaintances properly?"

"You mean like.. start over?"

Intrigued by his suggestion, you tilt your head, letting go of the earlier annoyance as he successfully piqued your curiosity. At your question, Hunt places his red cup on the pool's edge.. positioning it slightly behind.. and then extends his right hand confidently towards you. Giving you a lopsided smile, the moonlight right behind him shines, illuminating his jawlines perfectly. In a low.. very attractive voice, he softly says,

"Dominic. Dominic Hunt."

Pause.

That. voice. Hell, I know what his voice sounded like, but I never thought—the circumstances were different! When it's combined with—this? Whooft, God. bless! The night is cold, but surely.. mine aren't.

And his name.. when you say it like that.. God help me. And his dark golden hair.. those blue eyes.. it's almost the same as the color of the sky tonight.. and his slight smirk..

Oh hell.

Lightly shaking your head to dispel your thirsty thoughts, you finally accept his hand and playfully shake it, saying,

"Emilia. Emilia Winters."

Giving you a charming wide grin, he observes your face intently, causing a slight blush to creep onto your cheeks. Instead of letting go, he keeps your hands hanging just above the rippling waters—the both of you intentionally, unintentionally, hold hands. The cool sensation of the water in between your feet warms as you move your feet back and forth like a kid. A few seconds pass, and you both stare at each other sheepishly, at least, in your case.

Unexpectedly, a gentle breeze sweeps through the skies, causing a star-shaped leaf to delicately land on your head, eliciting a slight jump from you. Noticing the leaf, he lets out the most attractive chuckle you've ever heard in your life. Sheepishly, you quickly release your hand from his hold to remove it—but he beats you to it. Reaching for the leaf, he gently untangles it from your hair.. before tenderly.. tucks the strands of your hair behind your ear.

Starstruck, you gaze at him with awe, witnessing his charming smirk as he delicately tucks the strands of your hair behind your ear. Gulping and slightly coughing to ease your rapid heartbeat, you mumble, "You're pretty smooth, Dominic.." still managing to play along, containing your blush as best as you could. However, he reveals a lopsided grin.. only to say,

"What can I say? I like you."

...

What did I get myself into?

Inside, Cavill walks to the kitchen for a refill, pouring down one glass after another of his beloved kombucha. He drinks, losing himself in the rhythm of the party music. Catching his girlfriend's sultry look, he nods to her flirtatiously—that's when his gaze shifts to the window—to find two familiar figures by the pool, holding hands.

His eyes widen in disbelief, and a surge of rage consumes him. Unconsciously—more like instinctively—Cavill slams the red cup on the counter, causing the kombucha to spill, and stomps hurriedly towards the glass door, hand aiming to push it open! However, he abruptly bumped into a slightly drunk Liam.

"Bro! Let's play a game—" he yells as he attempts to initiate a hug, but Tyler struggles to push him aside with urgency instead. Confused, Liam follows Tyler's intense glare towards the window.. to see Dominic gently tucking your hair behind your ear. Overwhelmed with excitement, possibly also fueled by the booze, Wyatt spontaneously roars,

"Yooo! Guess who finally got the girl?!"

Tyler alertly snaps his head to Liam. Meanwhile, the vibe of the room is a different story—everyone follows suit, roaring in excitement. Feeling like there's a pair of piercing eyes staring into his soul, Liam slowly turns his head to the side.. to find Tyler's eyes, furiously aflame with rage. Retracting from the confrontation, he takes a step back, hastily stammering, "Uh.. I need to find Eve—Eve? Eve! Where are you, Eve!" Liam rotates his head left and right in a panic before swiftly running away.

Outside, from this pool area, you can clearly sense the commotion as several people now discreetly steal glances at the both of you. In hesitation, you ask, "Are.. are they cheering at us?"

Dominic switches his attention to you again with a chuckle. Tilting his head, he observes your face for a while, before he stands up. Then, he extends a hand for you to lean on him and says,

"Wanna go back inside?"

You give him a sheepish smile and nod, accepting his hand as you stand beside him. As you're about to release his hand, he adjusts it so that you're holding hands. You see him look down as he leads you inside, but you can catch his nonstop grin—and you follow him with a never-ending sheepish smile.

"Ok—I gotta hurry! They say he's arriving—" your dad implies before pausing to check on his watch, "soon! Fuck, why doesn't anyone tell me? Does my staff hate me that much?!"

Mr. Winters rushes around like a crazy mosquito, getting ready in a hurry. Judging by the time, you can say he's pretty late for the office. You and your mom are already seated at the table, three plates of eggs and bacon in front of you. Your mom watches in confusion before exclaiming, "Baby, what's wrong? Calm down—!"

"Emilia. Janet."

With a tone of finality, your dad abruptly halts behind the two of you. You and your mom exchange perplexed and anxious looks as he takes a quick crouch down between you.. and grabs you and your mom's shoulders breathlessly. With wide eyes and raised eyebrows, you recoil from his face.. before carefully asking, "Dad.. is.. something wrong..?" Uneasy silence hangs in the air.. tension mounting as you wait for your dad to speak. Everyone freezes for a moment, exchanging surprised glances.. until your dad finally speaks—

"BRUCE WILLIS IS COMING TO MY OFFICE!"

"Holy shit! What?!" in unison, you and your mom scream in full delight, making your dad jolt in his feet, caught off guard.

"Girls! Language! Ok I mean—now everything makes sense, right?! My profession, where I live, my degree—" your dad recoils and quickly turns to the window in an elated expression. Both hands rested on his waist, he roars like Mufasa giving his legendary speech, "No—my whole life makes sense now!"

Despite your mom's rolling eyes, you can see the grin she's been suppressing. To your surprise, your dad runs back to the both of you, connecting his head between your heads to shake them and roars,

"YIPPEE KI YAY MOTHERFUCKERS!"

The rooms fell silent for a second. But then, as if cutting through the deafening silence with a knife, you finally question in trauma,

"Mom, why did you marry him?"

Between your sticked heads, you can feel your dad's side glare at you—as your mom yells from the other side, "Hush! Emilia Winters!"

"What?" you exclaim. Your eyes' both like magnets drawn to the center. Even though, subconsciously, you sneakily.. telepathically, making sure you're thinking the same thing.. Until both of you burst into massive laughter!

John releases your heads—in irritation, he bounces you and your mom's head together and gives you both a disgusted look—before he tickles the both of you. All of you break into chuckles when in haste, John kisses Janet on the mouth, making you roll your eyes. Then he gives you a kiss on the forehead, saying,

"Sorry I can't take you to school, Emily—wait, get that little brat to take you! You usually go together—what's he been doing?!"

At your dad's complaint, you shoot him a bored and irritated look as he rushes out through the main door without giving you a chance to reply. He doesn't notice, but Janet catches on, giving you a suspicious look. "Hmm, speaking of," she begins.

Hearing her nasty tone, you sigh as you already know what she's about to bring up. Bringing your head down, you stretch your neck—really not in the mood to hear his name. Still, the question drops like a bomb.

"You haven't been hanging out with Tyler?"

Cringing at his name, you sass, "Nothing worth the mention, just his egoistic, narcissistic self getting a new bully blonde dumbo bimbo girlfriend and all that," injecting a whole amount of saltiness into your words.

Your mom raises an eyebrow, sensing that there might be more beneath the surface. For the first time in forever, the topic of Cavill junior has become a touchy subject for you.

"Let me tell you one thing. Boys—they have phases. Come on, let me take you instead."

With your nonchalant nod, she takes the remaining plate from the table and places it in front of Tumba. His tail wags rapidly in joy as he eagerly starts enjoying the unexpected treat. "Looks like this one's for you, Tumba," she adds with a chuckle, trying to lighten the mood. Patting Tumba's head, you can't help but smile contentedly. Leaving a happy Tumba, who is already digging into the food, you and your mom prepare to head out.

However, a sweet memory surges through your mind.. causing you to break into a sheepish smile. Catching your expression, your mom's face lights up as she enthusiastically asks,

"Allrigghttt, Emily~ I know that look. Who is he?"

"Dominic. Hunt~ You're on fire, brooo~"

The bell rings, signaling the end of the class. Students start packing their bags, eager to leave for the day. Wyatt, eyes wide with excitement, nods repeatedly, expressing his overwhelming pride for his friend. "So is this the time when my bet finally be fulfilled?" he says, teasing Cavill from the corner of his eyes.

Sitting at his desk, Cavill pretends to be busy with his phone. Not even a glance at his grinning bro, appearing very sour. Also ignoring Wyatt, Dominic watches Tyler closely in a tilted head. On second thought.. Tyler hasn't spoken to him all day unless the conversation has to involve the three of them. From the back, he raises an eyebrow suspiciously, well—not like this is the first time either though.

"Cavill, if you could spare a minute of your time?"

Cutting the strange tension, Mr. Hall suddenly calls from his desk, breaking Tyler's contemplative silence. Sitting up straight and looking around, he realizes that almost everyone has already left the class—until finally, placing his eyes on the center of the room, he responds, "Of course, Mr. Hall." Giving nods to Wyatt and Dom—who have been conversing—he grabs his bag and walks to the teacher's desk.

"So, have you made a decision?"

Caught off guard, Tyler cringes. "I.. sorry Mr. Hall. Honestly, it slipped my mind. I haven't talked it out with—"

"Tyler.. I have to send the names by next Friday—"

"Yes! I know sir—ok, I told my parents already and they said yes—"

"So that's a yes, then—"

"Monday!" Tyler eagerly proposes, wide-eyed. "I promise I'll give you the answer on Monday."

After a moment of contemplation, the teacher sighs and gives Tyler a patient nod. "Ok Cavill, I'm expecting good news on Monday, my boy," he says as he places a reassuring hand on Tyler's arm before adding, "you don't waste a good opportunity like this."

"Thank you—sorry for.. the inconvenience, sir." Tyler apologizes appreciatively, giving Mr. Hall a stiff smile. As he turns around, he notices Wyatt and Hunt grabbing their bags, ready to approach him. However, his mind is somewhere else—unsure of how to convey this news..

to you.

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Cecylia Costania @rcpcs.writes

You can elevate your experience by also listening to songs I added to this story's playlist! Full Playlist on bio💖

The song that matches this Chapter's vibe:

"Dominic. Dominic Hunt."

https://youtu.be/zRLrtJEaWAs