I held him so close; I didn't want to let him go. I knew that if he could read my mind he would try to change it. But I couldn't keep doing this to us, our relationship. Yeah it sounds selfish, but I refuse to lose Dominic Toretto a second time. I won't make it if I do. We sit like this for a few minutes before I pull away from him and straighten all of my things out. I feel his eyes on me, they're concerned and helpless. I could always read him, even when he said nothing I knew what was going on in that brain of his. It took a while but it just felt like we were one, when he hurt so did I. As I gathered my stuff he stood by the door waiting and we left together.
As soon as we got to the fort I hopped in the shower and scrubbed the grease off; really it was just an excuse to clear my mind and think. I couldn't think straight when I could feel him staring at me, wondering. He was to in tune to me just as I was to him. That's another thing that came about after Kade. It seemed like we could just communicate with each other, no words. I could read his mood as soon as I stepped into a room and I could also tell by his grunts if he was pissed or just thinking. Mia thought it was romantic how we just knew each other. I think Vince just called it some twisted freaky psychic shit, only the Coyote could turn ESP into that.
By the time I got out the shower I had about 30 min to meet Kade. Throwing on some board shorts and one of Dom's old tanks I bounded down the stairs in search of Dom. Mia was in the kitchen cooking and singing, I could hear V on the guitar and the other two were preoccupied with the new Grand Theft Auto, Dominic was no where to be found, his car was outside though. I poked my head in the kitchen to double check and I saw him sitting outback on the table staring straight ahead and my heart broke. I didn't hear the guitar stop or Vince come up but I felt him and looked up. With a smirk he nudged me towards the door.
When the door creaked open he didn't even move just kept staring straight ahead. I had to will my feet to move, I didn't want to keep talking about how bad we were falling apart but it seemed like everything led right back to it. Before I could sit next to him he pulled me in between his spread legs and into his lap. "Remember when you were about 13 and convinced Mia that picking peaches out of that tree in Miss Juarez's backyard was okay. You were mad at the old lady for telling your ma you skipped school. She had a fit that day and Mi got in so much trouble with you. You always did have a way of getting into trouble."
I remembered; I forgot to get my permission slip signed for a field trip so I couldn't go, but I wasn't gonna sit in school all day so I left as usual for school but instead made detour to the garage. My Pa knew where I was and what happened, we were gonna keep it between us, but that old lady saw me walking to the corner market to pick up lunch and told my Madre. She was mad of course and I got extra chore duty cause of it, so I decided that since the old lady's tree hung on the Toretto's side of the fence, some of the peaches were theirs. Mia thought so too, so we climbed up and picked a few. How the old lady found out, I'll never know but we got in trouble or I should say I got into more trouble. Those were the good days, when we had no worries and just each other.
Silence overtook us again and he squeezed me tight. I loved the way he smelled, even after a shower I could still smell little bits of the garage on him along with this clean soap smell. He never would let Mi buy him any nice body wash said soap worked just fine. Didn't want to smell like a fucking fruit is how he put it I think. Turning in his arms I kissed him. "I love you too baldy." Sliding my shades onto my face I made my way out the backyard and hopped in my car headed to meet Kade.
At 8 on the dot I pulled into the parking lot of the little beach diner I first took him to and hopped out. He was leaning against the trunk with his arms folded facing the water. The sun had already set and we were watching its rays fade away over the horizon. No words were spoken I just leaned next to him and took it all in. I missed him these past few years. We stood in silence for a while before he grabbed my hand and started for the beach.
"Why didn't you call me?" His voice was almost a whisper among the crashing waves but I heard it. "I don't know, I thought about it. It was hard enough making Dom believe we were just friends when you were here, I didn't want him to think anything otherwise if I was going to call you on a regular basis. Besides…."
"That's not what I'm talking about Letty. I knew you wouldn't call, you're too stubborn for that, and I know you could take care of yourself. I'm talking about the trucks, the damn trucks! Why didn't you call me? I would've helped you guys out, something, but why the hell did you let that bastard talk you into jacking fucking trucks!"
He was pissed, I had seen him angry before, but this was worse. His green eyes were blazing and his face held no signs of anger, but I knew. "How did you know, and don't call him a bastard. He didn't make us do anything, we knew what we were getting ourselves into!" He was beyond pissed now, livid I would say, but I was even madder. He knew; very few people actually knew it was us. Yeah some people speculated and guessed but not many knew for sure.
"Dominic Toretto is a selfish bastard, because he knew you wouldn't say no, Letty. You love him too much to tell him. I told you if you needed anything, call me. I would have come back, I would have helped. Once everything went down I couldn't get back here. I didn't know if you were okay or not. Why?"
I was so angry and sad at the same time. I knew he could have helped us out, but I also knew that Dom's pride wouldn't have allowed it. And maybe it was also me; I was too stubborn to admit that Kade was right about Dom on a few things. Back then he was so caught up in the life; cars, nitrous, money. We would shell out on cars and systems more than what we were bringing in at the garage and store. But back then we were so young and passionate about everything we did, afraid of nothing but sitting still. After the heists we grew up fast, we had to.
"Because, we got ourselves into it and we were gonna get ourselves out. Nothing we did was because he made us Kade. We are a team, we fuck up together, we win together, and we lose together. But just because you're my friend doesn't mean I'm going to ask you for money and I don't expect you to give me anything. I'm not your friend because you're loaded you know. Besides I knew what you were doing, and that was much more important than coming back to save my ass."
See Kade isn't just some dude; he's loaded. Kade Alexander McDonough was left on the steps of St. Mary's Orphanage when he was a baby. When he turned two he was adopted by a real estate mogul and his wife. By the time he was old enough to attend one of the most prestigious private schools in Manhattan he already had trust funds set up for him. When he turned 13 another separate trust fund was created for him privately, no one knows who but he received 100 million dollars on his 18th birthday and another 50 from his parents on his 21st. He followed in his fathers footsteps and joined the business after graduating from Stanford. When we met he was scouting out future prospects. When he left he was chasing his mysterious benefactor as well as a lead on his biological parents.
I had walked away from him while I ranted and dug my feet into the sand. Barefoot on the sand is a wonderful feeling, free pedicure too. He walked over to me and wrapped his arms around my shoulders, my back to his chest, resting his chin on my head. "My contact in L.A. told me. Wasn't sure it was you guys but when you dropped off the face of the earth for a few months I knew. I was so scared Let. You're one of my true friends and I don't know what I would have done. I was resisting the urge to go and smash Dom's head in earlier because I was so happy to see you. You are alright aren't you?"
In response I looped my arm in his."Feed me man, and tell me what you've been doing these past few years." He laughed at me, "Well you're hungry so I guess you're alright."
We talked for a couple hours about everything and nothing at all. Both of us were talking in circles and it was getting old. "Did you find them Kade?" He had been in the middle of telling me about his niece and her adventures of learning how to walk. His smile left as soon as my question slipped out. It really did slip, I had been thinking it, but didn't know how to ask, guess I just did.
He ran his hand over his head and sighed. "Yep, went all the way to England, Spain, Italy, the entire fuckin European continent for answers that they could have told me over the phone." His eyes were changing again and he was getting pissed. I rubbed his hand, wanted him to finish. "I'm the bastard son of a Greek fisherman and an Italian heiress. She's supposed to be of royal blood I guess, not sure if they even have a monarchy though. Apparently I'm their love child, they met when she was on vacation and she was in love with him and they wanted to get married but her father said no. She got pregnant and they fled to America thinking that they would be happy here together and could get married. Wrong, her father was a heartless bastard high in the chain of command and tracked her. By then she had me and they were married, but when he got here he wanted me taken away from them and their marriage annulled. She ran from him again and left me on the orphanage steps, said it was better than what he had in store for me. They charged my father with kidnapping and sent him back to Italy. The charges would only be dropped if she agreed to marry some guy and my birth was never recorded, no one ever knew about me except the three of them. By the time they let my father go I was already with my parents and he couldn't get me back. He had no paperwork on me, no money and her father threatened him with jail again. She married the other guy and my father died when I was 10, she said he drank himself to death. She cried while telling me this. I tracked her all over Europe; she's got three kids with the guy; I got two sisters and a brother. No one knows about me, I don't even exist Let. They're all grown and living life oblivious to the fact that they've got a big brother out there somewhere. But you know the kicker, she sold the old man's business. The day he died, chopped it up and sold it all. That's how I got the 100 mil. She's got a baby book with my stuff in it, what she could keep from him. She hated the man that much, she loved me that much. She said she never thought I would come looking but she's glad I did, met the husband too. He never knew either, the decision was both of their fathers and he found out when she sold the business. I never despised her Let, not once; I just needed to know who I was. Now I do, I was born Alec Christopher Dimitri after my father."
The entire time he was talking I never knew how much pain he had bottled up inside of him. He was always so distant sometimes when we talked about his family like he was incomplete and now he's whole. This is why I didn't call, he needed this. As much as I need Dom, he needed this.
As if his tirade never happened he throws some money on the table and pulls me out of the diner. "Don't think cause I dished on my fairytale that I'm gonna let you get away without talking. You've been stressing since you pulled up, so spill." I laughed at that and made my way back to the beach. I needed the ocean to calm my nerves.
"Me and Dom have been on the rocks lately. Don't get me wrong I love him more than ever, but it feels like he's drifting away, like we're drifting apart. I can't lose him Kade. I can't. I know you don't understand us, him, but I need him like I need air. This thing that's going on between us is just making it hurt worse. We slept in different rooms last night. We haven't done that ever, at least not since the heists. Fixing it is my, our number one priority, but I think the only way for that to happen is for us to be apart. Find that spark that's been missing, that fire. It's hurting everyone, not just us and ….I have to make this right Kade. Even if I have to leave him I have to make this right."
Fresh tears were leaking from my eyes. I didn't even know I was crying until he wiped them away. I was so tormented because I don't want to leave Dom, I don't know how. But it has to be done if not I don't think we'll last.