After practice, Dan and Val were still debating which song to choose for the main act at the festival, while you and Dominic slouched side by side at the bar. After finishing the vocal distribution, Dominic was about to close his laptop when you noticed something on the screen.

"Wait, hold up—what's that—"

Dominic froze, his eyes widening slightly before he muttered, "Shit—" and quickly closed the laptop.

"Wait—are you writing a song?!"

A sheepish look crossed his face as he let out a conflicted sigh. "It's nothing.. I've been stuck on it for a while. Haven't even decided on a title."

You tilted your head, eyes sparkling and you shouted eagerly, "Let me help, then!"

His eyes widened in alarm as he quickly stuffed his laptop into his backpack, panicked, "No. Nonono. Drop it."

"You're no fun!" you complained, already standing up from your seat in exaggerated disappointment.

Letting out an awkward lopsided grin, he said, "Sit. down, Meryl."

"You'll let me hear it when it's done?" you blinked rapidly with your doe eyes, resting your chin on your hands as you leaned toward him upon the bar table, elicited an amused roar of laughter from him. Then, unexpectedly.. he ruffled your hair, catching you off guard—

"Guess we'll wait and see, love."

—while giving that charming grin of his. You instinctively leaned back slowly.. feeling the rush of warmth surging through you. You hadn't expected him to.. do that—but it felt nice, though. It felt.. comforting. To think about it, you realized how you'd never had anyone do that to you before—not even Ray—

When Dominic set his glass down and stood up, saying,

"Come on, wanna see something cool?"

When you arrived at his place, you hated that Talia.. was right—once again. There were indeed a lot of cars in the garage. You wandered around, an awe expression on your face, while Dominic leaned back against one of his cars—the red GT—holding a glass with a big grin on his face.

"Okay woman of taste, which one more to your liking?" he asked, amused.

"Oh uh.. I just see pink classic cars and I'll love them," you teased, not moving your fascination from his unique cars. Dominic laughed, but you're not finished, "But I love when they have cute shapes—like.. more rounded or.. very pointed—"

"The '60s and the '70s then," he interjected with a flare of a pro.

You were a bit confused but nodded anyway. "Y—yeah, probably." You continued walking around, looking at his cars. "Can.. can I touch them?"

Dominic laughed again, "Yes you may,"

Somehow, you ended up in front of a car that looked.. older than the rest. Even though it seemed rarely used and a bit messy, with only one wheel intact, something about this white car stood out to you. Till finally, you declared, "I like this one!"

He was looking at another car when he turned to you, and his demeanor changed instantly. He looked startled, as if he were hiding something. "Ah yeah, that one—don't touch that—"

You immediately retracted your finger, relieved you hadn't touched it. "I'm sorry I didn't mean to—!"

"It's my mom's."

He walked toward you slowly, his face shifting to a melancholic expression as he added, "Don't worry, just didn't want you to catch the dust," a slight smile on his lips reassuring you. As he approached, he offered you his drink with a serious expression. A smirk flickered on his face, hinting at something deeper yet not revealing the turmoil in his mind.

"Isn't it strange how someone.. can switch so fast?" Dominic exhaled, thoughtfully gazing at the cars. Twirling the whiskey in his glass, he contemplated before continuing, "All the happy memories.. well—the bad too, is so easy to replace—"

"Like everything you went through together meant nothing.." you finished his thought. You were curious about the sentiment behind his mom's car, but you didn't want to pry. Still, you really felt those words. You feel him.

He turned to you directly, nodding. "The only way to make yourself feel sane," he began, and when he caught your gaze, he added, "is by believing they wronged you in the worst way possible. And acknowledge your faults too."

You stared at him, intrigued, encouraging him to continue, "What if the only way to get yourself to move forward—no matter how much of a pedestal you put them on, is to knock them off yourself?"

And when he did, the words hit you like a brick. You processed what he said, a small part of you wondered what he had been through.. and you let out a soft sigh, "You explain things, you try to get closure—but in the end, none of it matters because there's just things you can't control."

He raised his eyebrows and took another sip. "Exactly. And all you can do—all you have to do—is set your own boundaries. Protect yourself." He implored, "​It's not 'I'm not what happened to me, I'm what I choose to become.' It's what happened to me so I'm what I choose to become."

You nodded. "And ending something with someone is like finishing a chapter in a book," you sighed, voice barely a whisper. "You decided to end that relationship, and it feels like you're finally closing another book in your life.. just have to start a new one, open a blank page and write a new story—but when they come back—" you paused, raking a hand through your loose curls. "They say they regret everything, and suddenly.. your head's a mess all over again."

Turning to face you, Dominic's eyes were calm—almost blank—but understanding. "No epilogue. Just stop. Save yourself. People don't change, Ren," he shrugged, his tone more serious now. "When people say they've changed, they rarely mean it. They'll always go back to who they were—and it might even be worse. Especially when they feel like they've already secured their spot in your life."

"Should've just ended it right then and there, huh?" you asked quietly.

"Yeah," Dominic replied, nodding. "Should've ended it right then and there. Call me God complex—I don't give a fuck. Maybe we should have that kind of mindset in the first place to win in life—and no begging. But—if it's like what you did—it's fine, though."

You laughed and nudged him with your arm, and he laughed too. But then you looked at him seriously, asking, "Ok what's your story?"

"What—"

"Your story. What made you.. the playboy monk?"

Hunt scoffed, "The playboy—I am not."

"I don't know but I feel like you.. feel me. So you gotta.. experienced things..?"

He fell silent, and you closed your eyes, regretting your nosiness despite having promised yourself not to pry. "Shit I'm too nosy—I'm sorry—"

"Nonono—I just—well, a lot of things happened, but there's this.. thing. Just kept haunting me, hanging," he paused, then tilted his head, sighing, "Long story short—there's this girl, but she's my bro's bestfriend. Everybody knows they're more than that but—well, me being me."

You fell quiet, awkwardly looking away, but he continued while gesturing with his body exaggeratedly, "Yeah I took a shot, I gotta be her backburner—and yadayadayada they realized they're actually in love and—voila."

He forced a smile, tilting his head as he took a drink. Knitting your forehead, you watched him with concern. He still looked hurt. "And it feels like I'm the one bridging them apart—yeah."

Pursing your lips, you looked down, contemplating—till you shrugged a shoulder and sighed, "You know, you shouldn't apologize for falling first. Falling is inevitable, whether in life, or in.. love—but you know what? It's the part right after the falling that excites me." You took a sip, grimacing slightly at the liquor before continuing,

"The part where you learn to defy gravity."

His eyes widened, finally turning to you fully. Giving him a slight smile, you comforted, "We learn everything out of the circumstances, Dom. Just let go, and.. be grateful we've been given the chance to learn it faster. So—like you said~ Closure from a man is bullshit. But one given by the universe? That must count for something, right?"

He just stared at you, making you suddenly feel like you had said something wrong. Panicking, you rambled, "But—then again~ I'm just a talking sad emo with band shirts and baggy pants—"

"I like it."

Stopping you from another of your rambling, he smiled. But this time, you could see the seriousness in his eyes as he added, "I wasn't about to let you know about this but—it's kinda.. cute. Dorky cute—the birkenstocks are ugly as fuck, though,"

You burst out of disbelief, fake pouting.

But then his eyes softened as he said, "But that's not what I wanted to say."

You just stared at him, clutching the almost empty glass for dear life as you fought the urge to cry. Then, he raised his hands and plopped them on your head. Before you knew it, he was petting your head like you were a cat. A purr is all you gotta say, but before you could embarrass yourself, he finally opened his mouth and, in a low voice, whispered,

"Thanks."

The sound of your heart beating banging against your eardrums. Starstruck, you just gawked at him.

Oddly enough, he also avoided your gaze, looking a bit shy after saying that. He reluctantly lowered his hand, tucking it into his pockets and looked away.

But soon, messages began ringing through on your phone. You tried to ignore them, but they kept coming. Irritated, you finally gave in and checked your phone. Your eyes widened, and you turned the screen to him. Eyes darted right and left, he scanned—till a smirk appeared on his lips.

"Then~ we go to the next step, baby."

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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:

https://youtu.be/KepraqwHqrg