As if a testament to what was holding her back, there was a commotion at the front door. Adaline turned to find Dominic entering; he was dressed fashionably in a blazer and slacks. Her breath hitched once her gaze settled on him. His hair was slicked back, revealing his beautiful dark eyes and the sexy pout to his lips. Eyes devouring him so thoroughly, it took her a moment to notice the woman standing by his side.
Tapping her lightly on the shoulder to regain her attention, Lucille asked, “Who is that?”
Adaline merely replied that he was an old friend. But Lucille sensed from the awe-struck expression on her friend’s face that there was more to the story. So, she gave her a gentle shove as silent encouragement to go over and talk to the man.
Adaline noticeably gulped but began to walk over. Sasha was talking to the new guests when Adaline made an appearance. With them occupied, she took the moment to look over the young woman at his side. She was beautiful- that was definitely one word to describe her. Long and wavy auburn hair fell down past her shoulders, shimmering in the overhead light. She wore a classy black jumpsuit that showed off her long legs and slim figure. The outfit was topped off with stilettos and a black clutch. Together, they both looked as if they had just stepped out of a magazine. Dominic had always been quite fashionable and mindful of his physical appearance. And it seemed he had met his match.
Suddenly, Adaline felt overly conscious of the jeans and t-shirt she had donned for the gathering. But brushing aside her doubts, she stepped up to them with a smile.
“There is a cannoli cheesecake! Can you believe it?” Sasha squealed excitedly. “And ice cream and…”
“Baby…baby,” Dmitri suddenly appeared behind her. He shook his head while trying to hide the grin spreading across his face. Dominic openly smiled down at his sister-in-law. “She asked where the restroom was. Not about desserts, honey.” Turning to Dominic’s guest, he answered, “Down the hall to your right.”
As she passed to follow his directions with a low-spoken ‘thank you,’ Sasha eyed her up-and-down with a hard glare. “Well, if you ask me, she needs to eat,” she grumbled while walking away in a huff.
“Sasha!” Dmitri chastised, following behind her.
Adaline caught Dominic’s gaze and they both laughed.
“She’s been such a spitfire ever since she got pregnant. I love it! It keeps my brother on his toes. He’s had to defuse so many situations when she’s been overheard. If you ask me, she isn’t really trying to be discrete.”
Adaline merely smiled. “How have things been?”
Now that they were no longer distracted by thoughts of Sasha and Dmitri, Adaline could tell that he seemed uncomfortable. Was it her? It seemed to confirm her thoughts that he was avoiding her.
“Things have been good.”
“W-who was that?”
“Oh, Audrey? We’ve been seeing each other for a bit. I thought we could stop by here before going out to the show tonight. I got us tickets to this concert. She’s a big fan so…” he shrugged.
“Oh,” she stated slowly. Not trusting her ability to hide the disappointment that weighed heavily on her shoulders, she signed, “That’s good. I’m happy you came over beforehand.”
“Like Sasha said, there’s some good food here.”
Adaline felt like she had been punched in the gut. He only came for the food? Before she could respond, they were interrupted as Audrey returned.
“What the hell are you doing with your hands?” she laughed.
Dominic’s eyes stayed on Adaline as he replied stiffly, “Oh, nothing.”
Audrey rolled her eyes and turned to Adaline. Smiling in greeting, she held out her hand, “It’s nice to meet you, I’m Audrey.”
Adaline shook her hand. Her throat felt unbearably dry and she barely croaked out, “Nice to meet you too. Adaline.” Unfortunately, her accented speech came out much thicker from the effort to get over the numbness and disappointment. It shocked her own ears to hear it, bringing back the insecurities she had faced as a child in an all- hearing school.
Cementing that memory, Audrey couldn’t hold back her curiosity, “Oh…are you…” she looked between both Dominic and Adaline, “challenged?”
Adaline wanted the earth to open up and swallow her in that moment as the beautiful woman on Dominic’s arm referred to her as developmentally challenged. She looked to Dominic for a split second but then decided to avoid his gaze. Taking in a deep breath, she supplied succinctly,
“No, I’m not. I’m guessing you might be though.”
At the woman’s sudden gasp, Adaline turned from them and walked back to the corner where Lucille waited patiently for her. She kept her head held high as the moment continued to replay itself in her mind. How could he possibly be interested in someone like that? He, more than anyone else, should’ve known how those assumptions had haunted her for most of her life. As she walked away, Adaline came to the stunning realization that history was simply repeating itself.
It had become routine for them. While he waited for Carla to get ready for their dates, he spent the passing time sitting with her on the bench outside their big home. Despite her warning to herself not to, she began to look forward to those times. She felt stupid to be falling for the very same guy every girl in her high school swooned over. But she couldn’t help herself. He was so much more than she had thought of him. Sweet. Funny. Smart. The list could go on.
When he had asked to learn sign language she had been beyond floored. And that had been the turning point for her in developing feelings for him. No one in her life had ever shown an interest besides her parents. And he caught on so quickly! Before she knew it, they were having basic conversations. It felt like their own private language.
The newfound friendship made her beyond happy to go to school again. He would smile at her in the hallway now. And she would watch him with his friends as they played football on the green quad or as they rambunctiously teased one another in the dining hall. Though she sat alone, it didn’t feel that way so much anymore. Watching him made her feel a part of the world she had always felt excluded from. He became her bridge to a world of the hearing that accepted her. And, one day, she got up the courage to cross the invisible line she had placed for herself.
Dominic was standing alone at his locker when she shyly walked up behind him and tapped him on the shoulder. When he turned around, Adaline smiled warmly and signed, “Hello, Dominic. Are you going to the game?”
She could tell from his wide gaze, he was more than surprised to have her not only speak to him publicly but to communicate via sign language. He opened his mouth to respond but Adaline jumped as a big, muscular guy in a tight V-neck slammed his palm against the locker by her head.
“Who the fuck do you think you’re talking to, retard?”
Adaline recognized the student as one of Dominic’s close friends. Not bothering to look in his direction, she scurried away. Discretely, she looked back and read the boys lips as he smiled at Dominic, “What’s up with you, Dom? You can’t encourage a stalker dude,” he laughed. “She watches you all the fucking time. It’s creepy as hell, man.”
She never bothered to read Dominic’s response.
As Adaline sat back down with Lucille, she forced a small smile onto her face. Yes, Dominic and she had a friendship for some time. But it was always something he kept behind closed doors. Because he was obviously ashamed of it. A trait she had conveniently forgotten in the happy haze that had characterized her experience in Boston thus far. Adaline could only sigh in defeat; she really only had herself to blame for holding out hope.
Chapter Eight
He had had his doubts about dating again, and now they were more than confirmed. Audrey’s statements mortified Dominic, and he could understand why Adaline walked away after giving him more than a few nonverbal choice words through her gaze and insulting Audrey in return. He remembered how much her disability had affected her confidence in social situations. And it seemed that she was still ba
ttling with those feelings. There had been a definite mix of both anger and hurt in her dark eyes when he had finally been able to look at her once more.
Dominic was dealing with his own precarious confidence at the moment- just in the relationship realm of things. But he had decided to take the plunge after coming across Audrey downtown. There was no denying her physical attractiveness, but she was not his usual type. He had found himself comparing her slim, lithe look to Dina’s more curvaceous figure. But as soon as the thoughts infiltrated his mind, he rejected them and simply said yes to her offer of dinner. He didn’t want to find a substitute for his broken heart. He needed something new to at least feel like he was moving forward.
Now, here he was after only being on a few dates with her. If he were honest with himself, he would admit that her insensitivity and lack of intelligence was no surprise. Their conversations were characteristically vapid at best, but Dominic figured he at least needed a rebound. But now look where that logic had landed him? As soon as Adaline had turned around, he recovered from his shock and embarrassment enough to turn to Audrey with a look of absolute disgust. Not wanting to cause a scene, he grabbed her forearm and led her out the front door. Dominic was rarely one to get angry, but it seemed that within these past couple of months, that was the only reliable emotion he had.
Audrey gasped at his uncharacteristic behavior, trying to get her arm out of his strong grasp. “Dominic, let me go! What the hell! Aren’t you going to do anything about what that bitch just said to me?”
He ignored her until they reached his vehicle. Opening the passenger door without a word, Dominic motioned for her to get in.
“What? Why are we leaving? We just got here!” Audrey looked up at him, exasperated. But she received no answers from him. In fact, Dominic’s gaze was distinctly hard and emotionless.
“Get in the car,” he gritted out.
Audrey quickly obeyed him, never having seen him look so serious before. She watched him warily as he went to take his seat behind the wheel. Eyes narrowed, she waited for him to finally reveal what the problem was. However, Dominic remained rigid and silent until she found herself in front of her apartment again. Her pouty lips opened in shock, it finally registering that he was cancelling their date.
“Wha-”
“You can take the tickets; I really don’t give a shit. What I will not tolerate however, is someone who is so completely fatuous. It was sign language by the way. And no, Adaline is not mentally fucking challenged. You seem to be if you think I would ever consider dating someone who would insult my friends. Now get out of my car,” Dominic ranted. He didn’t even bother looking at her as he finally let out his frustrations and anger.
“Fuck you, Dominic!” She yelled, snatching the tickets from the cup-holder and exiting his car. But even as she walked to her door, Audrey waited to hear him yell out an apology and come crawling back. Instead, she heard the distinct sound of wheels skidding on the street before fading into the night. She turned back to the road and he was no longer there. Her cheeks began to redden, having never been rejected so coldly. But she tried to regain her composure, assuring herself that he would come right back to her in the end. And she would be more than satisfied to close the door in his face!
Dominic had zoomed into traffic with complete tunnel vision. He debated with himself whether he should go to his apartment and sleep off what had amounted to the worst rebound in his life, or return to Adaline’s place to apologize. His mother had apparently trained him well because he found himself heading to the latter. Even if people were still there, he would wait to get her alone. There was no excuse, bringing such a disrespectful person into her home. But, more than that, Dominic needed to see for himself that what had transpired hadn’t destroyed her social confidence. It was very big brother of him- he knew that. And while he wanted to keep a safe distance from Adaline as he dealt with his changing personality following the incidences with Dina, Dominic couldn’t help but worry for her.
In his mind, she was still that young high school student afraid to say a word because of her accent. Those times they spent on the bench had been important to her, and even then he had been fully aware of that. The crush she had developed for him… he knew it was only temporary and had never given it a second thought. But now, even as he wanted to keep that image of her as a young girl in his mind, seeing her at the wedding and then again at the Lizard Lounge was starting to conflict with that. She was most assuredly a woman now; her many physical attributes a testament to that fact. But he shook his head, warding off the same feeling that had overwhelmed him after taking her out of the lounge and staring down into her eyes.
Speaking of which, what the fuck was that? He snorted in disgust at himself, blaming it on his tumultuous emotions following his break-up with Dina. Everything was out of sorts. But he didn’t have to pull Adaline into or affect her with his fucked up life.
When he finally re-entered their apartment an hour-and-a-half later, it was emptied of all the hustle and bustle of before. Instead, he found Adaline cleaning up in the kitchen. Carter and Teagan were doing their part in the living room, in between affectionate kisses and hugs. With a quick smile their way he approached Adaline, watching her for a minute.
Though she had on a simple outfit of jeans and a t-shirt, it only helped to maintain the dissonance that characterized his perception of her. While he wanted to treat her the same as during their high school years, every interaction solidified the impossibility. Even now, he appreciated the way the material of the jeans hugged her bottom and accentuated her waist. She had a more athletic build than he remembered, but it was softened by her natural hourglass figure. Realizing where his thoughts were leading, Dominic silently chastised himself. He needed a rebound and soon.
Clearing his throat, he stepped up next to her and reached out to help clean the kitchen counters with the extra sponge.
“Hey,” he said, feeling sophomoric and socially inept in that moment. He was definitely not used to needing to apologize to anyone.
Adaline, in her own world, didn’t even bother looking his way. Gently, Dominic placed his hand on hers as she was wiping the counter to halt her movements. Eventually, she looked up at him, and there was the same distinct hardness there from earlier. She didn’t greet him with a smile. Not like she usually would. In fact, he could even feel her hand tense under his. Taking that as his cue, he released her and took a tiny step back.
“Can I talk to you?” he asked.
“Why bother using sign language now? Isn’t it still embarrassing? Aren’t you afraid someone will come in and see you?”
Dominic told himself not to be surprised by the venom in her voice. Instead, he persisted, “I need to talk to you.”
Sighing in exasperation, Adaline threw the sponge in her hand into the kitchen. Carter and Teagan were sitting comfortably in the living room, now watching television. So Adaline turned to her room for them to have privacy. Dominic couldn’t help but to inspect the intimate space once he crossed the threshold. There were photographs he assumed she had taken on the walls in thoughtful geometric patterns. One in particular caught his eye. Dominic walked over and looked at the bench where they had first met. It had been taken at such an odd angle that at first he hadn’t even recognized it. But now he could see with familiarity the rose bush and large tree that bathed the wooden bench in shadows. The photo reminded him of her talent and keen eye for photography.
“Have you looked into selling your work?” He asked her.
Adaline hesitantly walked over to him. Her heart began to race when she realized which photo had captured his attention. Of all her photos, that was one she would never get rid of. It meant too much to her. Thankfully, she hadn’t displayed the one photo she had taken of him at the peak of her childish infatuation. While it had come out beautifully, it was another one that held far too much sentimental value for her to reveal to anyone else’s eyes but her own. Least of all the very man modeled in the image.
“I haven’t had much time to consider it,” she replied simply.
“Well, you should. You are very talented, Addy. I always told you that.” He looked down at her with a warm smile.
Adaline could feel the familiar bodily response she always had to his closeness and warm gaze. Frustrated with herself, she took a step back and crossed her arms.
“What did you want to talk about?” she asked abruptly. She wanted to get him out of such an intimate space before she did something mortifying.
“About earlier…” he paused and took in a deep breath. “I owe you an apology, Addy. I’m sorry for the things Audrey said. If I had known she was that type of person…I never would have brought her into your home.”
Adaline grunted in exasperation. “You don’t get it, do you Dominic? I don’t need you to apologize for her. I need you to apologize for you!”
At that, Dominic’s brow scrunched in confusion. “What are you talking about?”
“You stood there and said nothing…I could care less what she said. I don’t know her and frankly I don’t care to. But you…” Adaline grew more irate at the memory. She could feel tears beginning to form in her eyes as she became overcome with pent up emotions. “You are supposed to be my friend, Dominic. And you didn’t say anything to her. You stood there, silent.” Adaline took another small step away from him. “It was almost as if you agreed. Is that how you feel, Dominic? That I’m not good enough and am embarrassing to be around?”
Dominic opened his mouth to respond, but she interrupted.
“Because that’s how you’ve always treated me. You said at the wedding you wanted to see me when I came to Boston- that you wanted to rekindle our friendship- but you have done nothing to prove-”
“Prove what?” he yelled back at her. Dominic felt like he was being attacked, and while he could understand her anger to a certain extent, he refused to sit back and say nothing.
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