A/N: I decided to do the time jump most of you preferred. I wasn't sure if I should spill anything about the nature of Dom's secret mission, but I thought I owed you guys for being so patient with me. However, I decided to split this chapter into two parts. That means you'll have to wait till the next one to see what Dom is/was up to. Your reviews keep me going. Always so thankful for everything you have to say Xo
Flashbacks start and end in italics.
"Aren't you going to bed?" Mia asked when they had finished cleaning up.
These past few days, Letty had been awfully quiet. She was numb; she went through the motions of eating tiny meals and sleeping fitfully, but her mind was in a far-off land. She probably thought no one would notice, but Mia had, and it worried her, even though Dom had told her that everything between him and Letty was fine – as fine as it could be – and that she didn't have to worry about anything.
"I'm gonna work on my car," Letty answered, taking a six-pack out of the fridge, "until Dom gets here."
Mia sighed. "But you don't know if he'll be back tonight." Dom had told her that he needed to go away for a bit, according to him, to visit family, but wasn't his family here? Wasn't Letty his family? Mia knew what her brother was doing right now meant a lot to him, he wouldn't have left Letty if it didn't, but she still didn't think that had been a smart move considering those two had just gotten back together.
"Your brother said he'll be back for his birthday and that's tomorrow, so I'm taking him at his word and wait up for him," Letty countered, a bit annoyed, convinced that Dom could contact her at any moment, saying he'll be home soon.
"Letty!" Mia tried reaching out her hand, thinking that if she couldn't tell her where Dom was at least she could comfort her somehow, but her friend backed away before she could get a hold of her arm.
"It's okay, Mi," Letty said, taking a step back, as she looked at Dom's sister with a weak smile. A fake one, admittedly. "Really... I just... need something to do." Because I'm going crazy, she added in her mind. Too many thoughts, worries, were racing around in her head to sleep right now, so why should she even care to try? She couldn't.
"You sure?" Mia asked, obviously not buying it. But she knew too well that there was nothing she could do to keep Letty from doing what she wanted. Besides that, she was already too tired to even deal with the Latina's stubbornness. That was a fight she couldn't win, especially not at this late hour.
Letty nodded. "I'm fine," she told Mia, almost convincing herself as she said it. But she wasn't fine.
Letty was seriously worried. Not knowing what Dom was up to put thoughts into her head that she didn't want to have. She was sad. And angry. She was really angry at herself for feeling that way and at him for making her. Even when he wasn't with her, he could make her feel anything from good to bad. No one should ever have that power over her, but Dom did. He did and she hoped that at least she had the same kind of power over him.
Entering the garage, Letty slumped down on the old, rusted couch and put the pack of beer next to her on the empty drum of oil. With a sigh, she grabbed a Corona and opened it. Looking around, her eyes quickly fixated on the spot where she had last seen her husband before he'd gotten into his car and driven off to wherever he'd been wanting to go. He probably had no idea how much she missed him. Was he okay? Why wasn't he back yet?
"Where the hell are you, Dom?" she mumbled, taking a sip of her beer.
Dom reached behind his neck and undid the clasp of the necklace, but Letty's hand stopped him from taking it off. She put the cross back in its place, as she smiled at him, and let her hands move tenderly down his arms until she found his hands. She threaded her fingers with his and gave both his hands a gentle squeeze. Her eyes were on him, and they looked happy and sad at the same time.
"Keep it this time," she told him, "I'll be okay and I know you're gonna come back... to me."
Letty cupped his face and brushed her lips across his. It made them tingle, like blood was pumping liquid heat into them. Dom's lids dropped, his gaze falling to her mouth. He traced the line of her lower lip with his thumb in a way that was light and slow, but for Letty, torturously erotic. Every ridge of that thumbprint, she could feel smoothing over her skin, permanently marking her.
Dom turned his gaze to her face, his thumb still on her lips, nudging them slightly apart. Letty closed her eyes. She was completely savoring his touch. She wouldn't wanna miss this for the world; the way he could make her feel so much with just so little. A touch, nothing more. But Dom had the most amazing hands. So masculine and capable; they wore the mark of sensuality in each line and protection in each crease.
"I am gonna miss these lips," Dom whispered, smiling. "And I'm gonna miss the hell outta you," he added, his voice almost breaking.
Slowly opening her eyes, Letty put her hands back on his soft cheeks, stroking his skin with her fingers. Her husband's eyes took on that hot, sultry look, Dom's breath hissing between his teeth. He was full of sexual lust for her, and she could see that. She knew that. He had never made a secret of how much he wanted her. Even when she had had no memories and he had been more of a stranger to her, she had always known that he longed for her touch in a way she couldn't please him; not back then. Could she now, though?
"You'll be the death of me," Dom managed to get out, his voice husky with desire, and it made Letty emit a soft laugh.
"You were mine," she chuckled, as she pulled his head to hers with her arms round his neck. "And I swear to God, Dominic Toretto, if you're not gonna show up here again, I'm gonna hunt you down and put a bullet through your heart," she told him, "For real this time."
Dom just laughed, and then his lips were already on hers, as Letty had used her hands to pull his face so close there was almost no space between them. Dom kissed her passionately and Letty kissed him back, the two of them nearly silent except the sound of their hungry lips, their deep breaths and their beating hearts. Soft moans came from their open lips whenever they parted, but they never did for more than just a second.
Letty's hands grasped his hips, and when she started pushing his shirt up, there was a moment where Dom just wanted to let it happen. Yet he broke away from the kiss to divest himself of it in one fluid motion. But he didn't pull away completely. His breath was warm against Letty's face as he stared into her eyes, breathing heavily. Dom's hand slid to cup the side of her head, and his thumb softly stroked the underside of her chin, an arm sneaking out to circle her waist while he smiled shyly at her.
Letty could stand there all day and let him look at her like that. Dom's eyes were mesmerizing. She could fall into them and never come out. His smile landed like a punch to her stomach, knocking all the air out of her lungs. She felt like she couldn't breathe let alone speak. She didn't know what to do with her hands, so she let them stay beneath his shirt, fingernails pressing lightly into his back. Letty clung to Dom like she might hold him to her forever, not willing to let him go. Angling her head, she pressed her cheek into his palm and closed her eyes.
"I–" Still staring at her, Dom had to swallow hard, swallow his desire to be able to think straight. He knew this wasn't how she wanted it, if she was even ready for that at all. "You don't really," he started, that's when Letty opened her eyes again, "wanna do this, do you? Because I want you to be sure," Dom said with a concerned look on his face.
Letty sighed deeply. He really knew her too well. This clearly wasn't the right time. She didn't want to rush things, and she was sure that if she had continued taking his clothes off there would've been a moment where she would've wanted to put an end to it, because they were going too fast. And he was about to leave, so it would be the Dominican Republic all over again – she would be left alone, wondering where he went and when he'd be back. No, she didn't want this. Not now, not today. She wanted to have more than just a small moment of true bliss with him when it happened.
"I just want you so much," Letty admitted, her voice louder than a whisper yet soft as a dying lovers' words. "And I want you with me, Dom. I don't–"
Dom stopped her from talking by pulling her closer until Letty's small body nestled against his. "This will be our last goodbye, Let... Trust me." He had told her this so many times already in the last couple of days, but he would promise that over and over again if he had to.
Letty said nothing, feeling a great warmth go all through her body as Dom picked her up in his arms and cradled her against his chest. She wrapped her legs around him and lay her head to rest on his shoulder. Dom just stood there for minutes, with Letty in his arms, eyes closed, reveling in getting to hold his wife one last time before he would be away from her for a while.
"You know, you're still my trophy, Leticia Ortiz," Dom whispered, heaving a deep sigh.
Though she usually hated it when people called her by her full name, she could listen to Dom say 'Leticia' forever. The way he said it, and she knew how cheesy that must sound, was just like his mouth had never called out a name more beautiful in his life. He made that awful name sound so damn sexy, sometimes it even turned her on. Dom was the only one who was allowed to call her that. Everyone else usually got an evil look from her, a rude comment, or slapped against any body part that was within her reach.
Letty took his face in her hands and began nibbling his brows, his nose, his cheek, Dom's chin, all the time moving toward his mouth. Tracing his jawline with one finger, she stared right into his eyes again. They seemed to sparkle even brighter than before, lending his face a soft, friendly expression; the kind of look a man had when he was at peace with himself. Letty put her index finger to his mouth, gliding it over Dom's lips. Her touch created such evocative sensations, the big guy feared that he could collapse with Letty still in his arms.
"It's Toretto," she smirked, before she leaned forward to kiss him, holding onto him tightly.
The touch of her lips was all it took for Dom to lose his footing. At first, he just stumbled but then fell right flat on his back. He tried to break Letty's fall to keep her from getting hurt, and groaned with pain as his back hit the ground hard, his wife landing on top of him. The Latina laughed. It started out as a little giggle and quickly turned into a hearty laugh, which filled the vast space. Dom rubbed the back of his head and looked at her, just when Letty turned to him, still laughing.
"So that's what your trophy's worth to you, huh, bubba?" she laughed, smacking Dom lightly against the chest. "You just let it fall." At least her husband had such a strong, muscular body, it had only hurt a little; probably less than it had hurt him. "You okay?" She looked at him, slightly worried.
"Yeah, I'm okay" Dom nodded, "but I think I should– I gotta go now," he mumbled, smiling when she shook her head vigorously.
"Not yet," she uttered, tucking her head under his chin. She used her fingernail to trace a pattern over his chest, and her eyes fell shut. She just wanted to hold on to her dear husband for a little while longer. Was that too much to ask?
Dom rubbed his hand over her back, his strong arms wrapping over her, pulling her close only a moment later. Letty hugged him tightly. She tried memorizing the feel of the soft cotton of his shirt under her cheek and the sound of his heart beating so close to her ear. She had experienced it so many times, it was familiar to her, yet the finality of the moment was agonizing. It's only for a few days, she said to herself in her mind over and over again, but she couldn't help feeling a little sad.
"Hey, look at me," Dom whispered, sensing that she had a hard time right now letting him go. Letty lifted herself to meet his gaze and stared down at his face. Dom's eyes were honest, and his emotions pure, as he told her, "I love you."
Letty's head fell back on his chest, slowly, like a feather falling down to the ground, touching it gently. Dom could feel her smiling against him once she had settled back in his arms. He released a small chuckle. He didn't know where it came from, maybe he was just foolishly happy, but he could feel Letty reacting to it with one of her own and that made him even happier. The sweet giggle that came out of her mouth was a relief. He felt relieved knowing they wouldn't part ways on bad terms. Their relationship had some cracks, but at least they weren't entirely broken. They were still very much in love.
Letty licked her lips, like she could still taste him, but there wasn't the unique flavor of Dom's mouth, just the hint of beer. Frustrated, she got up from the couch. Maybe fixing her damn car would make her feel better. It usually did. Then again, cars also reminded her of Dom, so she didn't think it would actually work this time. Even the smell in the garage brought back memories of him – of her and Dom having a little fun in here, especially when they had been younger.
She spent about ninety minutes in the garage before she finally decided it was enough and she was too tired to do anything. She walked back to the house and went straight to the bathroom. Eyes closed, her head tilted back, she let the water of the shower wash over her, hoping it would help her relax. Unfortunately, her mind didn't want to shut up. Letty knew in her heart that Dom wasn't cheating on her, but she really needed to hear something from him; needed to know that whatever he was doing, he really did for them. Whatever he did, it was obviously more important to him than being with his wife.
God, she knew that wasn't true. It was mean of her to even think that anything could be more important to him than making up for all the lost time with her. She didn't want to be mean, she had just developed the bad habit of overthinking things lately and it was like she couldn't do anything to make it stop. But it was kind of his fault. If he had told her why he needed to go away, she wouldn't have to doubt him. So, did she trust him? Sure she did, but he certainly didn't make it easy for her with all this secrecy.
For hours, she had rolled from one side of the bed to the other and it started to really annoy her. Letty shoved the blankets off her body and got out of bed. She left the room and walked softly down the hall, holding herself with both arms. She couldn't stop thinking about Dom. Why wasn't he back yet? Last time they had talked, he had told her he'd be there when she'd go to bed and now she still hadn't heard of Dom nor was her husband anywhere to be seen.
Downstairs, she turned on the TV, trying to distract herself from all the negative thoughts that kept entering her mind. She still didn't get what was so important that he had to run off to some place she couldn't know of. Why couldn't he just have told her what it was that he had to do or at least where he was going? It would've been a lot easier for her to make it through the last couple of days had she known where he was.
While switching channels, Letty decided to watch a chick flick. These kind of movies had the satisfactoriness of boring her to death, so whenever she couldn't sleep, she turned them on. Every now and then she yelled at the TV – "Oh, c'mon! Are you kidding me?" – when the storyline became too absurd just for the sake of bringing the protagonists together, or rolled her eyes at something that was being said. She was glad she and Dom didn't have this cheesy relationship thing going on. Of course, they could be a bit corny sometimes, she had to admit that, but their romance was definitely not the kind Hollywood made movies about.
"So..." Mia started, as she crawled under the sheets, grinning broadly at her best friend.
"So..." Letty repeated, adjusting her hair. The Latina was half-dressed, a loose shirt hanging over bare thighs, panties underneath. "So, what?" she smirked.
"So... I saw you kissing my brother tonight," Mia revealed, not able to wipe that grin off her face.
She knew there was something going on between Letty and her brother, she just wasn't exactly sure how serious it was. Knowing Dom, that thing with Letty probably was like any other encounter he'd had with girls in the past, a fling, nothing more, but after today, it seemed like Letty had actually more to offer him than just her body. Even though she expected Letty not to admit anything, Mia thought it was worth a shot trying to get something out of her.
"You've seen me kissing Dom a lot lately," Letty laughed, "What's the big deal? You know we're enjoying ourselves," she chuckled.
"You never kissed him like that, though," Mia had noticed.
"Like what?" Letty raised a brow. It seemed like this conversation was about to get very interesting.
She wasn't stupid, though. She knew Mia was extremely good at reading people, and she couldn't deny that she had had a moment where she had felt like she'd been acting as if she were in love with Dom, but that was just that – a moment. Of course she thought Dominic was the coolest guy she had ever met, and he was really sexy, and yes, he had always had her attention, but in love? No, she didn't love him. She liked him. A lot. And she was happy he obviously liked her back, at least enough to make out with her, and sleep with her.
"Oh, c'mon, Letty," Mia laughed, throwing a pillow at her. "You know you had your hands all over his face today. And I've seen the way you looked at him when he broke the kiss... Hearty eyes, huh? Didn't know you have them too."
"You're pathetic!" Letty picked up the cushion from the floor and threw it right back at Mia before she joined her in bed, pulling the blankets over her body. "I don't know what you saw, but you might wanna consider seeing an eye doctor, 'cause the hearty eyes you're talking about... I sure as hell didn't–"
"So, you don't like Dom," Mia raised a question she certainly knew the answer to.
"Of course I like him," Letty replied. "I wouldn't do... things with him, if I didn't. But not like– I could end it today and it'd mean nothing to me."
Letty turned on the TV, switching channels, all the while wondering if what she had just said was really true. If she were to end things, end this little fling they had, would she feel any regret? There surely was something about Dominic Toretto that made him special, so that she was, helplessly rather than willingly, drawn to him, but that didn't mean anything, did it? She could still live without the kisses and the sex, and everything else they did together. Her happiness didn't depend on Dom – and it never would.
"Are you trying to convince me or yourself," Mia asked another one of her questions Letty felt bothered by, grinning as she did. "Because you can't convince me that this... you and Dom... isn't something you've been waiting for, for like eight years." Slapping her lightly against the shoulder, Mia laughed. "C'mon, I know this is serious, Let. You can tell me. I promise I won't say anything to him."
"Like I said... You're pathetic," the Latina scoffed, clearly not willing to take this conversation any further.
Mia would never understand the core of Dom's and her relationship. This wasn't a thing for eternity. This was just a lot of fun, a friends with benefits thing, no strings attached. She'd probably be sick of him in a few months anyway, because his ego could be annoying as hell. She got really mad at him sometimes. And some day she might not let him calm her down by having sex with her anymore. Some day she might be done with him for good. Just like that. Why? Because this thing between her and Dom wasn't serious at all. No matter what Mia or anyone else thought, it wasn't.
Mia heaved a frustrated sigh and closed her eyes for a second. Why did Letty have to be so stubborn? She would probably never admit that she was slowly but surely falling in love with Dom. Mia knew why, though. Letty didn't want to get hurt and Dom sure had a real talent for treating women in the most disrespectful way. Even her dad didn't really like the way her brother acted around girls and had tried to tell him many times that not every one of them was as much into this macho behavior as he thought they were, but Dom had just laughed it off.
But Mia also knew that Dom could be a sweetheart. She only wished he were that way to Letty, so that she would stop being so afraid to be honest with herself. She wanted her best friend to be happy, and Mia had no doubt that for Letty, happiness included being with Dom. That wasn't just something her mind had made up. She knew Letty well enough to see behind this tough act. Maybe some day she could get her to see it too – that she had fallen for Dominic Toretto no matter what she made herself believe.
Looking over at Letty again, Mia asked, "Do you wanna watch a movie before we sleep?"
"It depends on the movie," Letty noted, happy that this talk about Dom was over, at least for now. "Not if it's any of those bad chick flicks where they try so fucking hard to make people cry they forget about a decent storyline."
"God, Letty, sometimes I just really hate you," Mia rolled eyes at her.
"What? Just because I don't like this cheesy stuff you do?" Letty laughed. "Stop kidding yourself, princess. You loooove me." Gently digging her elbow into Mia's side, she smirked. "And you love me 'cause I'm nothing like the other chicks you're hanging out with. In fact, I'm the best friend you have, so stop whining and go get Lethal Weapon from the stack."
Mia tried not to grin, as she got up and grabbed the movie from the stack of DVDs she had in her room. And she still managed to keep that straight face on when she crawled back into bed. But seeing Letty grin broadly at her out of the corner of her eye, she couldn't help it anymore and burst out laughing. Becoming such close friends with the Latina, even though they were so different in character, definitely was her greatest achievement in life so far. She was beyond happy to have Letty by her side, knowing she would never leave it. No one could ever come between them.
"You know, one day, Letty, you'll find that this corny stuff isn't even half as bad as you think it is... and when you do, I'll be there laughing my butt off 'cause Dom managed to turn you into a mush ball," Mia said, hoping she'd be right.
"The only thing your brother will ever turn me into is a pissed-off woman, if his ego will get any bigger. I'm so sick of it!"
"You keep telling yourself that, girl. You keep telling yourself that." Mia grinned, slapping her lightly on her upper leg.
"What?" Letty asked, frowning.
"If you really were sick of his ego, you'd dumped him a long time ago, but deep down you probably love that most about him." Mia found it hard not to laugh at the expression on Letty's face which was a mix between confusion and annoyance. Who would've thought that tough-acting badass Leticia Ortiz could be so cute when she was in love and failing miserably at trying to hide it.
"Oh, shut up already," Letty said, her voice raised. "Seriously, Mia, if you won't stop talking about your damn brother, I'll sleep in my own bed."
"No, you won't," Mia laughed. "And you know why? Because you love staying at our house too much." Imitating Letty, she added, "And because you loooove me." She nudged her with the elbow, just like Letty had done to her. "C'mon, admit it. You love me."
As much as Letty wanted to look pissed off, she couldn't hide the smirk that her lips were turning into. "Okay, fine," she almost shouted, "I do. I do love you."
"Aww, see? It's not that hard to admit these things," Mia chuckled.
"But," Letty continued, looking at her, "the annoying you really needs to take a time out. How about you'll be silent you from now on? I like that version of you the most."
Mia made a gesture as though she was locking her lips with a key and throwing it away afterwards. Ending her pantomimic performance, her lips transformed into a wide grin. She turned her eyes away from Letty and to the TV. Mia was pretty sure she had gotten all the answers she was looking for. Letty was only ever really annoyed with something if it was extremely stupid behavior or something that appealed to her feelings, otherwise she didn't care enough about other people to be annoyed by their actions or words. That meant Mia had been on to something. Letty really did love Dom. The question remained, did her brother feel anything for her?
Letty followed Mia's movements closely with her eyes. Something was clearly going on inside that pretty head of hers, and hell, she needed to know what it was. It had to do with Dom and her. That was all Mia seemed to be thinking about at the moment. Why did she even have to say anything? Now, Letty couldn't stop thinking about Dom herself. What a mess she was in. The last thing she needed right now was guy trouble.
"What are you smiling about now?" Letty asked, raising her eyebrows.
Still grinning, Mia looked at Letty, and with one finger, she pointed to her lips. They were sealed, just like Letty wanted. Letty wanted her to keep her mouth shut, so that was what she would do. If she had a problem with that, it was Letty's to figure out, not hers. But boy, did she love getting to tease her like that. It was so much fun!
"Ugh, I really hate you," Letty growled, trying to focus on the movie instead of the thoughts that occupied her mind.
Letty opened her eyes again when the end credits appeared on the screen, and she wasted no time in going back to her room. There was a real chance of getting some rest now. She had to take it. Crawling into bed, weighted with weariness, and wishing she could snuggle into Dom, Letty promptly fell asleep. It happened so fast that she didn't even check her phone for any text messages or calls, any updates on Dom's arrival. In that moment she didn't care about anything else but sleep. She only cared about finally being able to shut up the voices inside her head.
