What Makes a Man? (Sensible Hearts #1)

by H. Q. Frost

  Dom eventually stopped going to Maleek's to check up on her. The phone calls and texts stopped. He wasn't even looking for her on social media anymore. By winter, he was applying to colleges across the country.

  "Dom!" Marilyn called out. "Hurry up!"

  Dom padded down the hall from the bathroom where he'd just got out of the shower, and stopped in front of the television.

  "Five! Four! Three! Two! One!" Marilyn popped to her toes to kiss the new man in her life, then she turned to her son and hugged him as gunfire and fireworks beyond their locked doors rattled the neighborhood to ring in the new year. "Happy New Year!" she squealed.

  "Happy New Year, Mom." He chuckled.

  "Happy New Year, Dom." His mom's new boyfriend stuck his hand out for a shake that Dom returned while looking the man in the eyes.

  He was a cop and worked at the precinct with Marilyn. Dom couldn't find anything shady on the guy, and hadn't noticed any bruises on his mom in the three months they'd been dating. He'd keep an eye on her and their relationship for a while, but he was hoping she had finally found her good book.

  "Happy New Year. I'm going to sleep." He kissed his mom's cheek.

  "Night, sweetheart." Marilyn rubbed his arm.

  "Night, Dom."

  "Tony." He nodded to the man he hoped he could confidently leave his mother with when he graduated high school.

  Stepping into Jeff's room, he glanced around and thought of the last New Year he spent with his brother. They were at a party, high or drunk, maybe both, and when the ball dropped, they were playing baseball with mailboxes in the neighborhood. The question of who taught whom popped into his head. There was an eight-year age gap between them. Jeff had taught Dom a lot of good and evil, but Dom's contribution was equal and eventually became enabling when he was old enough to be trusted with Jeff alone.

  "Happy New Year, bro," he mumbled before closing the door and heading for his bedroom, hearing the chime of his phone rattle with a slew of text messages from the people he only saw in school.

  After his stint in the hospital for alcohol poisoning, he hadn't spent time with friends outside of school or the end of the baseball season. His focus was initially on getting Nyla back, but slowly became school, work, and figuring out where he would go to college.

  With a smirk, he picked up his phone seeing the thirty-two text message alerts and shook his head, opening the list. It wasn't a surprise to see Boney first. Opening his text, he saw it was a picture of him wearing a party hat with a horn in his mouth, looking stoned and in a cloud of smoke.

  "Idiot." Dom chuckled and replied 'Happy New Year asshole'.

  Going down the list, he returned the new year wishes to his friends that had all asked him to go out and party that night, and it was nice to know that even though he shot them all down, none of them forgot him. Nyla's name appeared on the list as he scrolled, and he paused, unsure if it was an old message that somehow mistakenly was now showing one new alert. Clicking the text, the simple words 'Happy New Year Dom' appeared as the most recent text. Rereading it several times, the idea it was accidentally sent to him flitted to his brain, but the fact his name was in the text negated that thought.

  He eagerly typed out a reply, similar to the ones he'd been sending two months prior. 'Happy New Year. I miss you La. I'm sorry'. Before hitting send, he quickly deleted the message and responded 'Happy New Year La'.

  Before closing his eyes, he muttered the similar words his mother told him, "Falling in love is easy. Letting go is the hardest thing to do."

  Nyla wouldn't forget him, but that didn't mean she'd remember their story.

  ***

  Two months of not hearing from her again, but she was still on his mind daily. He didn't expect the text, but on his birthday it came through:

  NYLA: Happy Birthday Dom. Make it great

  "What are you smirking at?" Marilyn smiled, grateful to see the genuine happiness on his face she hadn't seen in months.

  "Nyla texted me." He looked at his mom before glancing over at her boyfriend, and then quickly closed his mouth, standing from the table and taking his plate to the sink.

  DOM: Thanks La.

  As usual there was more he wanted to say, but he was giving her the time she needed. He didn't want to come off as desperate as he had been when she broke up with him.

  NYLA: Big plans?

  When he got a follow-up text, his brows shot up and he grinned, sitting on his bed.

  DOM: Just had dinner with my mom and her boyfriend. Kind of a lame party but I don't mind.

  He set his phone down and laid back; when it chimed again, he chuckled and quickly grabbed it.

  NYLA: It's not lame. I woulda came if I got an invite. New boyfriend?

  He wondered how much truth was in that text, but he didn't linger on her claim.

  DOM: He's a cop. Works at the precinct she does. He seems alright so far. Only been a few months but she's happy.

  'I miss you.' 'Call me.' 'I still love you Nyla.' His fingers cramped as he strained not to text out those messages.

  NYLA: That makes me happy. What about you?

  DOM: What about me?

  NYLA: Are you happy?

  DOM: I think you know that answer La. You happy?

  NYLA: I've been happier. I miss you.

  He tried to hold back the smirk but it strained his lips.

  DOM: Come see me.

  That seemed less desperate than 'I miss you too'.

  NYLA: Maybe. I'm off to dinner with my mom and Andy. Enjoy the rest of your birthday.

  And apparently it wasn't desperate enough. He quickly typed out a message confessing how much he missed her and telling her he still loved her, but he held back hitting send and set his phone down, willing to wait for her. She hadn't forgotten their story yet, and he hoped she'd realize her happy ending wouldn't happen without him.

  ***

  "Dom, last picture, honey, I promise." Marilyn snapped another picture of him in his cap and gown.

  "Hi, Ms. Sestak." Leo politely smiled at the woman and she touched his arm.

  "Congrats."

  "Thanks." He nervously looked over at Dom, unsure if he was going to follow him to the after party.

  "Mom." Dom looked into his mother's face for a minute before he removed his cap and gown. "I'm gonna hang out with the boys for a few."

  Marilyn's mouth hung open as she tried to think of a way to tell her eighteen-year-old son he couldn't.

  "Just a few hours," he promised.

  "We'll go over your acceptance letters tomorrow?" she asked as her mind stayed on the stack of mail on their kitchen table.

  He'd received several and she was excited to get her son into college and moving in the right direction. Focused on work, he put it off until graduating, but he promised after the ceremony, he'd make his decision.

  "First thing in the morning," he promised, hugging her.

  "I love you. Jeff would be so proud."

  "I love you too." Dom quickly stepped away from her and looked at Leo before the emotions of missing his brother took over. "Let's go, dude."

  "You boys be safe, Dom. No drinking!" she called out and he offered solace by smiling back at her.

  It'd been months since Dom was seen outside of school for something recreational, and that decision wasn't hard for him to make. To get out of that city, to become the man he wanted, he had to let go of the crew that held him back and pulled him down. But he was ready for a final hurrah with the people he didn't plan on seeing again. Thoughts of the last time he hung out with them clouded his memory, and humiliation that Nyla knew how badly he fucked up made him clench his fists.

  "Sestak." Leo nudged him, offering a bottle of whiskey.

  "No, man, I'm not drinking. Just came along to hang."

  Leo pushed the bottle under the seat and glanced at his friend, not wanting to push the issue and turned up the radio.

  "Turn it down," Dom blurted while looking at his ringing phone. Keeping his tone level, he
answered, "Hello?"

  "So?" Nyla's giggle came over the speaker and it flipped his stomach. "You're a graduate now, right?"

  The last he'd heard from her was his birthday two months prior and through text. It was a shock she was actually calling.

  "Fuck yes." He exhaled a breath, unsure why she was calling, but the sense of calm the sound of her voice put in him had him feeling high.

  "Congrats!" she squealed with a giggle.

  "Thanks, La. What the fuck are you doing? Are you drunk?" He laughed.

  "No! Not yet. You got a party I can come to?"

  "Uh." He glanced over at Leo who kept looking over in confusion.

  "Dom? Hello?"

  "Yeah. Yes. You want to come down?" His hand went to the back of his neck as that familiar feeling of desperation for her filled him.

  "I think I can manage that if you're gonna be around. Me and a few of my friends were looking for a party and I figured maybe you'd be having one?"

  "At the hill." He winced, prepared for her to decline after hearing where because that gave away who'd be there.

  "What time?"

  "Uh, nine. You gonna come?"

  "Yeah. I'll come see you." Her chuckle came over the line and he sighed in relief.

  "Cool. I can't wait."

  "Me too, Dom." Her words seemed to linger but she didn't say anything else except, "I'll call you when I'm at the hill. Meet me in that lot where we park? We don't want to walk through the trees in the dark alone."

  "Yeah, I will," he responded quickly. "I can't wait to see you, La." The desperation in his voice oozed, but her responsive giggle didn't make him regret it.

  "Me too. I've missed you."

  Before he could respond, the sound of squeals and giggles filled the line.

  "Dom, I have to go, I'll see you tonight." And the line disconnected.

  "Holy shit," he muttered staring at his phone.

  "Who was that? Nyla? You're back with her?"

  "No," mumbled from his lips. "But she's comin' tonight."

  "Nice. A booty call that'll come to you. She was fucking dumb breaking up with you. She's not that much older, man. She's like, what? Five years older?"

  "Four."

  "Fucking stupid. Tap that shit and send her packin'." Leo grinned, but it quickly fell when Dom glowered at him. "I'm just fucking with you."

  "Watch what the fuck you say about her," he muttered looking out the window.

  Leo's words pissed him off, but nothing was killing his high that Nyla was going to come see him, and he started to wish he told her to head down immediately instead of three hours from then.

  Staring at Boney's front door, he hesitantly got out of the car.

  "Everyone's meeting here." Leo slapped him on the back as he headed for the porch.

  The reunion kept a smile on Dom's face, and as more people started showing up, Dom's judgment began to slacken. He denied alcohol but hit a joint a few times. He piled into the same Cavalier they all used to ride around in and they went for a cruise like they used to. A baseball bat was brought along to cause as much destruction as the rowdy boys possibly could. Dom didn't cause the damage, but the nostalgic feeling of watching his friends made a smile sit on his face. The fact he'd be seeing Nyla in an hour made it permanent.

  As the sun set and they prepared to go to the hill, Boney clapped him on the back.

  "Ride with me."

  "Where ya headed?" Dom followed him out of the house.

  "To get beer."

  "Let's just get it on our way to the hill." He looked back at the house, wanting everyone to head out at the same time.

  "Just get in the car, pussy." Boney chuckled with a shake of his head. "You decide on a school?"

  Dom glanced over at him before rolling down the window and sticking his arm out.

  "Not yet. I'm hoping to head east."

  "Who's accepted you?"

  "I don't know. I gotta go through my acceptance letters still. I figured I'll take the summer getting my mom straightened out. She's moving in with her boyfriend," he mumbled, staring out the open window.

  "He a dick?"

  "Naw, man. He's a decent guy so far." With a shrug he glanced at Boney. "I think she'll be cool." Looking out the window again, his eyes focused on a couple standing on the side of the road and he watched the guy push the girl to the cement. "I can't wait to get the fuck out of here," he muttered as they drove past and he buried his hatred for the city because he'd be seeing Nyla in less than twenty minutes.

  "You got booze money?" Boney looked over at him when he parked in front of the liquor store brightly lit with neon signs.

  "I ain't drinkin', man." He got out to get a couple energy drinks.

  Boney went toward the front where the liquor was protected behind the counter, while Dom headed for the fridges in the back. Looking over his selection, he heard Boney's laugh carry and he sighed. The man killed his brother, unintentionally, but it was hard to look at him and not think about Jeff. Grabbing an energy drink, a loud noise made Dom look behind him.

  "I said now!" Boney's voice belted through the store and Dom's brows furrowed as he headed toward the front, ready to defend his longtime friend.

  He rounded the corner expecting to see Boney toe to toe with someone ready to fight, but what he saw made his lungs seize momentarily.

  "All of it!" Boney screamed then glanced over. Tossing the car keys at Dom, he said, "Start the fucking car!" A gun was steady in his grip, pointed at the cashier that was unloading the register money into a bag.

  "Greg—"

  "Shut the fuck up and start the car!" Boney screamed.

  Dom bent and picked up the car keys, running out of the store guided by fear. Starting the car, he threw the unpaid for energy drinks out the window. The idea to leave Boney there hit him two seconds too late and Boney jumped into the passenger seat in laughter.

  "Go!" he barked through his amusement.

  When Dom reached for the door handle to get out of the driver's seat, Boney reached over and put the car in reverse.

  "Go! Drive, man!" he screamed, and Dom's fear guided him to flee the liquor store. "We been goin' to that fuck's store for years. He'll never rip me off again." He chuckled and clapped Dom's shoulder who was in shock and unable to process thought enough to speak. A loud whoop belted from Boney before he said, "Your last fucking run, man, and you're goin' out with a bang!"

  Blinking, Dom looked over at Boney. "What the fuck, Greg?" he screamed.

  "Right!" He reached into the bag and pulled out the pathetic stack of money.

  Dom jerked the wheel and pulled the car over, slamming the gear shift into park before jumping out.

  "What the fuck are you doing?" Boney yelled getting out. "Dom!"

  "Fuck you!" Dom screamed and continued to walk down the congested road where passing vehicles honked at Boney's car parked on the shoulder.

  A passing car slammed on the brakes, almost getting rear ended, but the car behind them swerved, blowing their horn.

  "Dom?" Nyla screamed out the driver's side window.

  The sound of her voice in person and not over the phone made his stomach flip and the feeling everything would be okay began to bury what had just happened with Boney.

  "What are you doing?" She laughed then quickly pulled a u-turn.

  Flashing lights quickly approached from behind and Nyla gasped as fear filled her. She would be ticketed for the u-turn.

  "Shit," she whispered while her friends in the car started to giggle.

  "Is that him?" the passenger asked, staring at Dom who was hard to make out with blue and red flashing lights bouncing off his stunned face that was focused on the cop car.

  "On your knees!" shouted from the loudspeaker of the police vehicle.

  Nyla's eyes left Dom and that was when she noticed he wasn't alone; he was with Boney. She slowly looked out the back window toward the police car, realizing they weren't there to pull her over for the u-turn. Her sight flashed back to Dom
who dropped to his knees with his hands in the air and as she shifted her gaze to Boney, expecting him to do the same, she saw the gun in his hand.

  The first fired shot made the girls in the car start to screech and duck, and as multiple shots rang out, Nyla's eyes went to Dom. His sight was on her through her windshield up until the moment the velocity of a bullet entering his chest flipped him off his knees and onto his back.

  "Dominic!" shrieked from her lips as she whipped open the car door.

  She didn't make it to him before she was tackled to the ground just inches from Dom by police.

  "Dom," she cried out, stretching to grab his limp hand until her arms were twisted behind her back and cuffed.

  Sirens, the cries from her friends, uniformed officers screaming orders suddenly fell silent as she stared at Dom's lifeless body.

  "This isn't the end to my story." She cried as she was pushed into the backseat of a police car. "This isn't my good book."

  "Dominic Sestak, you're under arrest for aiding and abetting. You need me to read you your rights?" Tony, his mom's boyfriend, sighed and grabbed his arm by the elbow when he shook his head no. "I have to cuff you."

  Dom stared at the ground complacently.

  Stepping onto the elevator, Tony shook his head. "Dom."

  "I don't need to hear it from you too. My mom just told me she doesn't want to talk to me again until I grow the fuck up and become a better man. I don't need you trying to act like a disappointed parent too."

  "I'm not your parent, but I am with your mom and I care about you. That store clerk was pointlessly killed that day. He handed over the money but still got shot, and—"

  "I didn't have the fucking gun," Dom growled as tears filled his eyes. Those were details he didn't know until he woke up in the hospital.

  "And that's going to save your ass, but you drove the getaway car, you were accomplice to murder the second you made the decision to drive that car away from the liquor store."

  "This is fucked." He exhaled and dropped his head to hide the tears as the elevator doors opened.

  "I know you're a good kid, Dom. We're gonna try and help, but you'll be doing some time in prison. I just want you prepared."

  "I guess it was my destiny. This city breeds lowlifes and criminals."