"Bro—you did all that flirting, all that smooth talking—and you didn't even ask her phone number—let alone her fucking name?! And people still call you the greatest playboy of all time. Un-believable. What a disgrace to this human race."

Tyler threw his hands up dramatically in his seat. At the bar, Liam's still talking to the bartender, deciding on the menu. Not far from them, the live music blasting through the speakers. Some people danced in the front, some chilling and drinking with their company.. Dominic on the other hand..

Stared to the band in the front, eyes blank, mind reeling. Still wondering how the hell all this could happen. At Tyler's complaint, he winced, narrowing his eyes while pointing a finger at his bro. Still hoping for any redemption as he defended, "Hey that was—" eventually speechless, he reluctantly dropped his finger as he realized he had no comeback. "Harsh."

Taking a deep breath, Dominic tried to explain to the whole table, stammering, "We were about to get there—but—nevermind. I was just—"

"—too busy gawking at her?" Liam interrupted, already back from the bar. Dominic seethed through his teeth as Tyler pinched the bridge of his nose like a disappointed parent.

"Dom—bro. How do you expect to text her? Send a pigeon? Write her name in the sky?"

Groaning, Hunt ran his hand through his hair. "Why're you guys such a pain in the ass?! Why is this becoming such a big deal?! Who said I'm going to text her?!"

Giving him a look of pure disbelief, Liam shrugged off his mounting irritation, advising, "We need a strategy for this—"

"Fuck! I came here just to have fun—not to plan some fuckup operation," Dominic furiously retorted.

Tyler threw his arm around Dominic's shoulder, shaking him like an older brother giving a life advice. "Nah, bro. Never thought you'd need this—but listen, I'll take any moment of glory to irritate you—so! Ok. Rule #1: Introduce yourself."

"Fuck you and your rules—"

"Rule #2: Ask her name." Tyler grinned wickedly as Dominic groaned, pushing his arm off, starting to get pissed off.

Liam snorted, nodding enthusiastically as the black haired boy sat back and continued, "And Rule #3: Don't be shy to ask for her number."

"Tryna be sarcastic, huh Cavill? Tryna be cute, huh?" Dominic nagged, rolling his eyes, clearly not amused by their antics.

Tyler smirked, "Just wanted to see your reaction—totally worth it, bro."

Watching the bickering in amusement, Wyatt laughed. However, the conversation struck a chord in him, causing him to innocently ask, "Hey! Speaking of the damned rules—Ty! How's Em?!"

Tyler's expression shifted instantly, his gesture tense. For a slight second, his eyes darted around, but he managed a quick bounce of his eyebrows as he fixed himself.

"G—good! Apparently she loves writing, so.. she's currently taking a break. She's taking writing courses,"

Wyatt laughed, "Not surprising with her delulu mind of hers."

But somehow, the air shifted when Wyatt realized what he'd just done. Again, he grimaced. Closing his eyes, he silently seethes through his teeth. Slowly.. he braced himself for turning his head..

To check on Dominic.

He's spinning his glass on the table, staring down at the swirling liquid. Sensing the silence among them, maybe he thought it's the best time to finally put on his hollow attention. His voice came out casual, but his eyes flickered with something deeper.

"Oh. She's taking a break?"

Colder.

"Yeah, just chilling at home." Tyler chuckled, but heaven knows the guilt is there.

Dom chuckled too, but there was a beat of silence that made Wyatt fidget in his seat. The flicker of pain in his eyes was brief—but unmistakable. No matter how much they tried to laugh it off.. as much as they buried the hatched.. as much as they hated to admit..

It still stung.

"Emilia Hunt."

Dominic said, his voice soft, almost like he was testing how the name rolled on his tongue. The night was quiet except for the soft rustling leaves. The couple lay side by side beside the pool, their heads tilted toward the night sky, where stars twinkled like tiny promises.

Like the ones he used to believe in.

Emily giggled. She turned to look at him, but Dominic was already gazing at her, eyes full of softness that made everything else in the world feel irrelevant. "It suits you," he murmured, still watching her, the stars reflected in his eyes.

Emily chuckled, shaking her head as she returned her gaze to the sky. "You're cute, Domdom,"

He smiled, a slow grin spreading across his face. He couldn't help it. She made him feel.. light. She felt.. different.

"How about we make this our thing?" he said, voice teasing but sincere.

"What? Staring at the stars in your lawn?" she turned her head, eyebrows raised.

"So. Every Friday, 9 o'clock sharp. It'll be our little ritual," Dominic encouraged as she laughed. "You can call it something weird—like you always did. We'll call it.." he paused, eyes twinkling as he gestured dramatically to the sky.. before he finally revealed—

"Nine-O."

She stared at him for a second before bursting into laughter. "Nine-O? Like Hawaii Five-O? Are you serious?"

He threw his hands up in defense, grinning from ear to ear. "Hey—it's better than those other names you come up with—what was it again? SMASH and WEBBS—?"

"Hey! Those were sacred! Take it back!" Emily gasped, playfully swatting him.

Dominic laughed, catching her hand mid-swing, still teasing. "Not gonna lie, though. This whole 'tradition' is just an excuse to get you to come over."

"Not gonna deny it, huh?"

Emily rolled her eyes, she tried to tickle him, and soon—they were tangled up in each other, until they fell into the pool! The cold water surrounded them, but they didn't care. They came up, splashing water at each other, laughing harder than ever. Until Dominic, soaking wet, pulled her close, her hair dripping, eyes sparkling. He reached out, his hand moving toward her head like he was about to ruffle her hair—but he stopped.

For a moment, everything stilled. The laughter faded, the world felt quieter, softer. He looked at her—really looked at her—and she met his gaze, the playful energy replaced by something else. Smiling softly.. he leaned in. The kiss was slow, sweet, filled with all the things they didn't get to say to each other.

Still, it meant nothing. When to him..

It meant everything.

"What did we miss?"

There they were—the girls. The air in the room shifted when they arrived. The bold girl arrived in a soft, flowy dress with pastel colors, her hair cascading in loose waves, exuding a delicate and feminine vibe. Instead, the quiet one, the unnamed girl, strode in with a Pink Floyd bodycon. While wearing flesh colored lips, it still showed how edgy this one is.

"Nothing. Just that Dominic right here~ is having a puberty after turning 23," Tyler teased.

Dominic shot him a furious look, seemingly fed up with any more constant nagging of his bros. He needed to salvage his ruined mood. He really need to.

"Okay, one more word from you—"

"Wow—someone elaborate. Now."

But before he could finish, the friend interrupted, eyes sparkling with interest as she slid into a seat next to Liam and immediately leaned forward, clearly not one to let juicy gossip pass by. With eyes wide in reluctant curiosity, the girl followed suit, quietly sliding to an empty seat beside Tyler.

Liam, mentally ticking off the vibe check in his head, eagerly jumped in. "Dominic? Forgetting to ask a girl's name?" he teased, smugly gesturing to the girl. "Never happened before~"

The friend raised her eyebrows in delight, her gaze flitting to the girl, who's been trying to hide the smile tugging at her lips. "Oh really~" she teased, giving her an encouraging nudge. But then she narrowed her eyes as if something struck her. "Wait.. D—Dominic—"

But then a sound of the legs of a chair screeched against the floor, catching everyone's attention. In a flash, Dominic was across the room, moving toward the stage where a mic stood. People turned, eyes following him curiously as he grabbed the mic.

"Hi," Dominic's voice rang out through the speakers, low and confident. "So—I invited two beautiful ladies here tonight, but especially.. the one with beautiful curls over there—"

And all eyes turned to her, whose face flushed as she looked around, unsure of how to react. The room was buzzing, murmurs of curiosity and amusement filling the space. At the table, the friend had an amused face, hands clapped in front of her as she rooted for her girlfriend.

"But stupidly," Dominic snickered, his smile broad but not quite reaching his eyes. He glanced toward her, something dark flickering behind his usual charm. "I forgot to ask about her name."

Meanwhile, Tyler and Liam exchanged wide-eyed glances as they're now on the edge of their seats. The usual cocky demeanor they had was all gone, and that's when the girl noticed something off.

"So, what's your name, love?"

Her smile faded as she noticed the boys' sudden serious gesture, and as she glanced back at Dominic.. he's already looking back at her in a way—somewhat like.. hiding something. A flicker of hesitation passed through her as she managed to say, "R—Renata.."

The name sent a jolt through him—but that's before a little smirk tweaked on the corner of his lips. Dominic's face softened as his eyes locked on hers. "Beautiful name," he murmured, drawing cheers from the audience.

But beneath the cheers, Tyler and Liam's eyes displayed dread. Liam's about to get up from his seat when Tyler subtly gestured to him to sit back down. Behind all the dim lights, they could make out a sinister smirk of his, gleaming in the dark.

You watched me succeed in reeling her in?

Now watch me make it all burn.

"So, Renata," he spoke again, his voice carrying an unsettling undercurrent as he took a step closer to the edge of the stage. His smirk twisted into something colder, sharper. Until he finally opened his mouth again to say—

"Wanna sleep with me?"

Thank you for reading! Don't forget to vote, comment, and add to your library!

Check out some additional content on social media:

Cecylia Costania @rcpcs

You can elevate your experience by also listening to songs I added to this story's playlist! I'll reveal the Playlist by the end of this story, so.. Stay Tuned!

The song that matches this Chapter's vibe:

It still stung.

https://youtu.be/PzqAXHFTgfw