Before I start this next chapter, I just want to thank everyone who has read and reviewed my writings. Thank you for helping me accomplish a dream. I cannot stress enough how grateful I am for all of your kind words. I've been writing all my life and it is a blessing to finally be able to share my thoughts and ideas with others and be received so well.

                                            ~Andie

Chapter 3

Dead silence. No words, no sounds. Only the low growl of the engine kicking into 5th gear. Letty keeps her eyes forward, on the road. Dom keeps his fixated on the scenery. He breaks the silence.

"I thought we were gonna talk?", he ask in an annoyed tone. They've been driving now for an hour and a half.......in complete silence.

"We are", she tells him. There's no more hint of hurt in her voice and manner. It's still there, but it's locked away from the surface. She's had time to think about this. She's past feeling sorry for herself and thinking she's nothing without him. Now she wants an answer. After loving him for so long and so deeply, after giving him her very soul, she deserved that much. It's not about his infidelity, it's about their love. Their love. She's by no means over him, but their relationship can't ever be the same again. Even if she were to forgive him, how could she ever trust him again. All these thoughts run through her mind. She begins to doubt herself again. Letty, be strong..........don't let him get away with hurting you. You know what you have to do......., she mentally reminds herself. Soon Dom notices that traffic has ceased. He looks ahead. He sinks down into the seat.

"Where are we going?", he asks, now calm.

"I needed to talk to you.....away from everybody.....away from everything.", she answers him, not taking her eyes from the road.

"So there's more to talk about?", he retorts with touch of hope in his voice. He turns and looks at her.............loose hairs that have escaped from her ponytail whip at her face. She stares at the road like it may disappear if she looked away. Letty could hear the hope. Still confused on what the outcome of this will be, she cant just give him a 'yea' or 'nay'. With a yes, he could assume that her mind was already made up to forgive and forget. Like, I could ever forget this. If she said no, then why would they be out here in the middle of nowhere. She figures the best answer to his question, is no answer at all. She remains silent. He continues to look at her. He settles back into his seat. He looks back out at the scenery and his surroundings suddenly become familiar. The pull off of the lonely 2-lane road, and drive through the barren desert until they reach an oasis of sorts, where the forest meets the desert. Red rocks cascade down the cliff where the forest ends She rides up to a cave-like formation in the side of the rock. A smile creeps across Dom's face. His laughter begins to fill the car. Letty smiles in response.

"I didn't think you remembered this place", he chuckles.

"How could I forget it?", she smiles back at him. They pull up to the mouth of the cave and park. Dom gets out first, grinning.

"Aww man!.........I haven't been here since......God knows when.", he walks towards the cave looking up, mouth gaping open.

Letty gets out, still smiling, almost forgetting the reason they are there. She sits on the hood of the car, watching him inspect every inch of the old hangout.

He turns towards her and smiles. His eyes light up as an idea enters his mind.

"I wonder if that car.......you know?.......the one we used to race out here before......you know?..........the one in that shed.", he says pointing to the dilapidated shed behind them.

Letty looks back at it. "I'm sure it is..........I mean it wasn't that long ago." She hops off the car and follows Dom who has already started towards it. They open the doors and bust into laughter. The car is no longer even recognizable as a vehicle. Dom walks over to open the door and it falls off in his hand. They laugh even harder.

"I cant believe we actually used to drive this thing", Dom struggles, crying from amusement.

They take in a few more looks at the rust encrusted automobile and exit the shed still laughing. They reach Letty's car and sit on the hood as their laughter fades. For what seems like an eternity, they just sit.......quiet..........neither wanting to dive into the inevitable sooner than necessary.

"Letty?", Dom breaks the silence.

"Yeah?"

He hesitates for a moment, then licks his lips before continuing.

"I love you", he says softly.

"Dom....."

"No, I.........I never told you that enough......And I'm sorry for that.......I mean I know that doesn't change the fact that..................but I just want to apologize to you........for any time I ever made you feel.......unappreciated or..........inadequate............for all the times I hurt you............you're the best thing that has ever happened to me...............and I should've let you know that. I hate myself for hurting you. And I know that you don't want to be with me anymore...........but........Letty......I cant.......I get physically sick at the thought of not being with you. My chest hurts, I cant breath. Last night, when you left, it took every bit of strength in me to just blow my head off......", he gushes emotionally, which is not in his nature. Because it's not like him to just pour out his feelings, especially without being pressured into it, she knows he honestly means every single word he's saying. It's too much for her.

"Dominic.....", Letty's weakend voice interrupts. Tears streaming down her face, the only evidence of her pain. She cries a silent cry. No sobbing, only wet salty trails left by a lifetime's worth of pent up sadness. They fall and make small muddy droplets in the dust. She sits with her hands clasped at the back of her neck and her head down. She raises her head and turns away from Dom. She can't look at him right now. It's all too much. Her voice still hoarse from sobbing all night in her gaudy hotel room, she begins to think aloud on purpose.

"How.......how can I just let you do this.........and........if I took you back......how do I know you wont just do it again...............I cant trust you Dom.................the only reason you...........is because you got caught and........You just......you just fucked everything up...", she rants.

"Lett, I know I........."

"No, Dom, you dont know. We're not kids anymore. This is not like the time you took my underwear out of Mia's room and showed them to all your friends and made fun of me. God.....even then you only apologized cause your parents made you", she rages regaining confidence.

"Letty...."

"This is real, with real feelings, and real lives involved Dom. You and Mia and the team are my entire world. You're the only people, next to my mom that matter to me. Did you think about any of that while you were banging Lisa or Nicole or Melody or.....who ever the fuck else you fucked around with?", Dom now standing, drops his head, "What did you actually think people dont talk? Like you never noticed the 'hey I fucked your boyfriend' looks I get at the races, the whispers every time I walked by a group of race queens", her hardness fades a bit as she also stands and walks away from the car, "You don't think that shit hurt, Dom?"

He follows her as she walks towards the sunset still talking.

"Do you even know how hard this is gonna be? Seeing each other everyday and not....", she turns around to see Dom facing her. She looks into his deep brown eyes piercing her, then down at the ground.

"You can make this all go away...........It doesnt have to be like that", he pleads. He gently pulls her chin up and kisses her softly. She surrenders for a moment, missing the touch of his lips, the taste of his mouth, being that close to him. Her hands move from her sides to his neck then down his chest resting on his stomach. His hands now on her hips advance to her back. His massive arms swallow her petite body and they embrace. Neither wanting to let go, they just stand and hold each other. Without words they just mutually agreed to forget for a moment. They've been through so much together. No matter how hurt she was, the fact of the matter was that she still loved him, and nothing would change that. Whether they ended it now or 50 years from now she will love him as long as she lives. After a few moments, Dom jolts them both back into reality.

"Letty.....I can't be without you."

She stands back from him, emotionally drained and just plain tired. 

"Yeah, Dom........you can", she pauses, "because I wont have it any other way", she tells him, looking him directly in the eye. That's the final word and he knows it. He looks her up and down, then nods. She looks behind her at the setting sun then back at Dom who is making his way back to the car. She ensues then gets in. She puts the key in the ignition, then leans back into her seat. Without looking at Dom she breaks the silence.

"So what happens now?"

"You dont have to quit, if that's what your asking", Dom answers blankly staring out the window with a cold look plastered on his face.

"Thanks", she says quietly, "but that's not all I meant.....what happens with us.......are we still gonna be close or do you want me to never talk to you again?"

"We can be close if you want, Letty", he remarks dryly, still blankly staring into the wilderness. She cranks the car, exhausted, weary, and anticipating having to actually sleep in her own house tonight. She's tired. Tired of constantly rehashing this and tired of hurting. She pulls back on to the asphalt road and heads home....... literally. She looks over at a silent pensive Dom. It's gonna be a long ride, she thinks to herself.

Ok.....you dont have to say it.........but in my defense I just want to blame it on the alcohol. Yeah this chapter sucks, but you will all be glad to know that my graduation shindig kicked big fat ass! While I am partial to liquor(you cant go wrong with vodka and O.J.), as a tribute to TFATF I did down a few Coronas, and I will have you know that I did not hurl, but the hangover was something serious.

Fun Fact: If you have a weak stomach, don't touch the Goldschläger. You'll be picking gold flakes out of your nose for weeks!(trust me on this one)

*For Diedra

                 Senior Trip: A drunken stupor laced with spurts of unintended stupidity

                                      with the occasional pass of gas and other bodily fluids!!!!!!

Be safe and God bless kids! Please review!

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