Summary: The secret was slowly burning them down, so much so that they were slipping up, finding it harder and harder to keep it between just them.
She knew it was only a short time before it happened yet she could not help but be anxious for when it did. The secret was slowly burning them down, so much so that they were slipping up, finding it harder and harder to keep it between just them. It was only last week that Mia had almost caught them making out in the hall, a quick dash to Letty's bedroom and a small 'argument' leaving Dom slamming Letty's door before entering his bedroom. They knew it was just an act, a play and a disguise. However, Mia was oblivious, no idea to the feelings underneath.
"God, my brother is such a douche," Mia had said.
Letty only nodded in agreement.
The next Sunday family barbecue had almost revealed them. Yet they still hung a thread, more like a cat with nine lives than anything else. The only problem was they were slowly running out. A quick kiss in the corner while everyone else was otherwise occupied had become too little and one kiss was slowly turning into two, then three and four. The kisses had no hope of slowly down either. Quick kisses were so last year and every peck turned into a full on snog, lips connected longer, love displayed further and risk of exposure bigger each and every time. It was an inevitable disaster.
Sitting next to each other was normally easy. Too much practice and enough interaction throughout the day had allowed them to keep their hands off each other for at least an hour. But the last three days had been almost pure separation. The start of the summer holidays had meant Mia was dragging Letty to the mall or to the beach almost every day. With her 'annoying' brother banned from tagging along, and the increase of day racing had led the garage to pick a considerable amount of business as boy racers burnt out their cars in the intense Californian sun.
Letty had managed to sneak into Dom's room on the Friday night but a quick dash under the bed and overheard conversation between Dom and his father about how every girl, with the exception of Mia, that managed to find themselves alone in his room was either a slut or a wannabe. He had then proceeded to comment to the 'mystery' girl underneath Dominic's bed that she better find herself in someone else's bed quickly. Tony had then told Dom he should have known better before turning and slamming the door on his way out, leaving a shocked Dom and a well hidden Letty behind him.
That had only further proved Letty's argument to keep their relationship hidden from the rest of the family.
The Sunday barbecue had so far been successful. They had stolen touches as they messed around. Dom using the pool as cover as he wrapped his arms around Letty's waist and pulled them both into the pool, an innocent, playful moment to everyone else but a meaningful closeness to them. Letty had then proceeded to throw herself over Dom in 'revenge', pushing him down by his shoulders until they were both drifting in the water. Dom's heavy hand against her hip, her own balanced on his thigh as they pushed away from each other, their touches only measly compared to others they had had but both treasuring the contact.
Tony had called the group over, all taking their usual places at the table, Tony at the head as the others gathered around him. Dom sat himself down next to Letty, his father to his other side as he hoped that their earlier contact in the pool was enough to see them through. Casual conversation was thrown across the table, going from the holiday plans to the results of the latest football matches. However, it seemed another one of Dom and Letty's lives was close to death as they reached onto the topic of dating, a question directed entirely towards Vince and Dom.
Vince had played it cool, giving a small shrug of his shoulders while a smug look came across his face. Dom, on the other hand, was subject to a more intense interrogation. Letty deflected the conversation quite successfully, scoffing about how Dom didn't 'date', he 'shagged'. All she received was a warning look from Tony for her language but she had managed to stop the flurry of questions coming Dom's way, much to his relief. While he was not proud of his playboy past, it had happened and he could not ignore it. It even came in handy sometimes.
That night they had managed to get some quality time together, Letty sneaking out of her room when everybody was sleeping and crawling into Dom's bed. Her body fit like a mould against his and her leg instinctively wound its way around Dom's own. It had been close earlier. Their relationship was effectively hanging by a thread; there was no way that Tony was going to allow it. The only problem was they fit so well together, complimenting each other so well that it came to the point where they were finishing each other's sentences. But they would not see that.
Tony's birthday was the next big event that left them on edge. They had planned a surprise party at the local community centre. The whole neighbourhood had been invited. Tony was a respected man, his kindness and generosity reflected across the entire community. He would often service cars for free. It was his way of helping the single mothers. For the children, he would instruct Mia to make packed lunches for the more disadvantaged kids– or the ones whose parents had become so involved in the drug world that they could not take care of their children properly, let alone make them a sandwich.
A surprise party was the least they could do.
Letty and Dom had been left alone, both instructed by Mia to blow up the two packets of balloons without killing each other. If only she knew. The pair were alone, each armed with a balloon blower and a request that they be back by five for dinner. It went without saying that the alone time was appreciated. It did not matter that they were not wrapped up in the covers, hands wandering, kisses littered across both their skins. Their presence was enough. Their laughter was enough.
But every silver lining had its end and Dom and Letty were nearing it every day.
The revelation was not an interruption in the bedroom as they fondled between the sheets. It was not an intrusion while Dom pinned Letty up against the wall with her legs around his waist and her mouth clammed shut as she tried to stop her moans. It was a picture. A plain and simple picture of them sleeping together, Letty curled up against Dom's side with her face pressed against Dom's shoulder. Both were naked on the top half, the bed sheets covering below their waists but what was seen gave the family a clear indication of what was happening.
They did not know who had taken it. Or how they had got into Dom's room, taken the picture and then managed to creep out without waking anyone. But they had, and it had left both Dom and Letty in the dog house.
Mia had been upset that they had not told her. Her brother and her best friend. To start with she had thrown a fit, screaming about how she should have been told and that it was not fair that she was always the last one to know. That was until Tony pointed out that he did not know either. The room had gone silent when Tony took his turn to speak, his disappointed face and disheartened eyes telling Dom and Letty all they needed to know without uttering a single word. It was safe to say that he was pissed.
It took two days before Tony was even ready to stomach the fact that his son and 'adopted' daughter were together, a prospect so scary that he almost could not believe it was happening. He had cornered them in the kitchen one day after dinner and sat them down at the table. He had gone on to say that he was happy for them, that he believed that they fit well together and with a lot of hard work, they could be a pair to be reckoned with. But he also told them how disappointed he was, how upset he was that he had not been told, that they had kept it a secret.
Upsetting Tony was never the plan.
They had worked well to put it right, each speaking with everyone about all PG rated details of their relationship. When it had started, how they kept it a secret. Of course they kept the more intimate details to themselves but it did not stop Mia trying to extract the information from them. Thankfully, for both of them, she did not succeed with either of them. She did not need to know that. And if she had ever found out, she would have wished she had never asked in the first place.
Tony had gradually begun speaking to them like before again. To start with all conversation was short, sharp words, orders or commands that would never hold any emotion or convey any feelings. But as the time went on, Tony was more accepting towards them, even encouraging Letty to spend the night in Dom's room. Both had been surprised. He was finally starting the accept that whatever he said, whatever he did would never part them. That was when he realised that they were already the strong couple they needed to be. They did not need changing.
They were the couple they needed to be and boy had they been sneaky about it.
R&R