Chapter 45 - When she starts bringing up old dirt
AN: Hey all. Thanks go out to Bye-Bye1 and everyone else who reviewed. I'm really glad to know you think that my style/dialog have improved. I noticed it myself. I went back and read the whole thing over and was like 'man the first parts of this suck, just because the dialog is formal and forced.' But I really think it sounds more natural now and thank you for noticing. No, it's far from over. I have some more tricks up my sleeve. I can't just give ol' Coyote a girlfriend and then drop the story can I? Plus what about Letty and Rome.where's that gonna go? Who knows? I think that everyone needs to be happy and all my lose ends need to tie up first. Who know's how long it'll run. As long as the characters keep givin me stuff to write about. They're pretty well writing this on their own at this point. HEHE. I can't control them! Help! But seriously it's not over, I just don't know where it will go and when it will end myself at this point, but you'll get a real ending, I'll never just drop the story in the middle. Peace, and enjoy. Tempest.
When Dom woke up the next day Torrie hadn't moved. That was strange because normally she'd be asleep against his side. She was always either on top of him asleep or they were tangled up together in some way. He liked that. Her hair was still everywhere, even if she was asleep on her own side of the bed. Dom glanced at the clock. It was already 10 am. They had nothing to do on Sunday but it was still late for them to sleep in. He got up and dressed. He went to use the bathroom and when he came back Torrie was still asleep. He didn't think he'd worn her out that badly.
He decided to wake her, knowing she'd want to know that Vince had saved some girl from her abusive boyfriend and they now had another to take care of. He crawled over top of her and gathered her hair up and moved it off to the side. He started to blow on the back of her neck. He watched the little hairs raise on the backs of her arms. "Torrie." He called softly, straddling the small of her back. She murmured and turned her head to the other side. She was still sleeping. He licked the nape of her neck then blew on it again. He felt the shiver rack her whole frame, wondered at the play of muscles in her back and the way her spine and shoulder blades rippled and moved under her skin as she shifted in bed.
"Dom?" She asked sleepily.
"Yes baby. You awake now?" He asked.
"Nope. I don't wanna be awake." She was hard to make out through the pillow her face was half in, but he got the gist of it.
"Too bad princess. It's time to get up. You're buddy Vince took in a new team mate last night while we were busy, um.Convincing people we were together." Dom laughed.
"What do you mean Vince took in a new Team mate. Who?" She sounded much more conscious now.
"I don't know. She was in the spare room already when I went downstairs to check the house and Leon told me. So get up and we'll go see what's up with V and this chick."
"A new female team mate? Vince, our Coyote took in a girl? Does he like this girl?"
"Torrie, I can't answer these questions. I never talked to Vince or the new girl at all ok? I talked to Leon and he didn't know anything either. If you'd just get up we could go see what we could find out."
"Well as the supreme leader of this team I would have thought you would have let me sleep and went to find out yourself. After all, I need to recoup from all the exercise you gave me last night."
"Recoup in sweats in the kitchen baby girl. Time to get up." Dom got off her and waited for her to get out of bed.
"Fine." She decided to get her revenge at him in her own, woman's way. She stood gracefully out of bed and then tossed her head so her hair fell in it's curtain around her. "I'm up."
Dom watched her stand in front of him in all her naked glory and made a grab for her. She'd never been so obvious about not caring he was seeing her this way before. Even though he'd seen all there was to see she always wrapped a sheet around her to go get dressed in the light of day.
"Ah ah ah baby. I have to get dressed. We have stuff to do." She slapped his hand away and headed to her dresser. She opened her underwear drawer.
"Torrie." Dom groaned. "That's not playing fair. I mean you.Argh." Dom sighed as he watched her pull on a pair of underwear then a pair of track pants. She pulled on a tee shirt without bothering with a bra. "Why'd you go and do that."
"Well, I was ordered out of bed, told to get dressed and then you get mad at me when I do it. I'm still waiting for my vacation where we won't need to worry 'bout gettin' up or gettin' dressed," she added, "but you don't show signs of taken me anywhere yet."
"We'll go soon. I have to get rid of the backup at DT and get my car out there. You know that Torrie." Dom sighed. She was as bad as Letty about the stupid trip.
"We all need a break Dominic, I hope you know that." She gave him a pointed look and walked toward the door. "And when you gonna ask me to move my shit into this room huh? Who is the separate rooms thing supposed to fool?" Torrie had started off in a great mood and then Dom pulled his attitude shit. 'The stores backed up and that's more important then our happiness, and not everyone in Cali knows I have a new car.' Damn that boy was car nuts. He never thought of anything else, not how they all felt, not how burned out they were all getting.
"I didn't know I had to ask you Torrie. I thought you'd just know I wanted you to move in here with me."
"I've learned not to take anything for granted with you Dominic, I don't dare." She walked out of the room.
He sighed and ran a hand over his head. He had more stubble then he liked to but he didn't have time to worry about it now. He had to go make up with Torrie before she told the whole household he was a jackass. When she started bringing up old dirt and calling him Dominic he knew he was in for it. He guessed they all needed that vacation more then he assumed. He knew that Torrie had been an incredibly good sport lately. Well, through their whole relationship. She'd put up with his jealousy and Letty, working at her store and his. He resolved to call the travel agent on Monday and headed downstairs. Mia and Torrie were talking in the kitchen.
"He assumed I'd just move. As if I would ever dare, Mi. I mean I never know what'll be the one thing that sets him off you know? I could move all my stuff into his room and then have him flip out at me about how he never asked me to."
"I don't think he'd have flipped out at you over it no matter what Torrie, but you're right that you can't just move into his room without him letting you know in some way. I don't know why the big idiot didn't just move your stuff and let you find out that way. But try not to be too hard on him, he's a mechanic after all, not some sort of artist. You can't expect him to be all mushy soft and sensitive." The two girls laughed at that. Dom walked into the kitchen, pretending not to have heard them and wondering what he thought of what they'd said.
"Um, Mi, could you leave us alone for a minute?" Dom asked his sister.
"Sure." Mia left the kitchen. No one else was up yet.
"I'm sorry that I didn't know that you wanted me to give you some formal invite to move your stuff out of your room and into mine ok? But why do you have to throw old dirt at me over it Torr? I been trying so hard and it's like I didn't know that you were this upset over the whole room thing and you have to go and throw what I did before at me over it. How'm I ever gonna live what I did before down? I look the other way when you carry on with Vince even though it drives me nuts." She went to speak and he held up a hand to cut her off. "Let me get this out, please." He continued after she closed her mouth in a mutinous line. "I know there's nothing goin' on between you two ok? But I can't help bein' jealous over how you two carry on. I've never been the guy to talk about feelings, to want to work stuff out by talking all about it over and over and I don't see that changing Torrie. But I care about you and I don't do any of this stuff to hurt you on purpose. But when you throw what I did in the past in my face now you do it to hurt me on purpose. I'm sorry as hell I hurt your feelings but it's not fair for you to do that to me. You gotta find a way to leave the past in the past girl." Dom sighed and hung his head, looking at his hands.
Torrie was frankly shocked to hear all that come out of Dom in one conversation. And she was a little ashamed of the fact that she did what he accused her of. When he pissed her off she did throw old dirt in his face to try and get back at him and that wasn't fair. She guessed she just thought of Dom as someone who was impossible to hurt. Someone that didn't let feelings get in the way of doing whatever he wanted, didn't let feeling rule his life. And she now realized that because he didn't talk about his feelings a lot didn't mean he didn't have any, and didn't mean that they couldn't be hurt by her conduct. He was still looking at his hands in his lap. Torrie walked quietly over to him and kneeled on the floor in front of him.
"Oh Dommie," she slipped into her pet name for him, "I'm sorry. You're right and I just don't think. It's just that you act like superman all the time, like nothing gets to you and I guess I just forget that you're just like all of us inside, that when I say hurtful things to you just because you don't let on doesn't mean that you don't get hurt by what I say." He still didn't look at her. "I know you let me get away with a lot Dom, and I know that I do a lot of stuff you wish I wouldn't. It's not that I don't notice and don't appreciate it, it's just that we don't talk about it enough I guess. Maybe we need ta work on that." She thought back to the day that he'd nearly ripped her heart out, the day he'd accused her of cheating on him with Vince and remembered that one single tear he'd cried for what he'd done to her. Mia'd told her that she couldn't remember ever seeing Dom cry before. Maybe when their dad died but not before or after the one day of the funeral. She knew he loved her. He just didn't show it a lot. And she pushed him too hard. And that was just what Letty had always been doing and she didn't want to fall into that trap. "Are you gonna forgive me?"
He finally looked at her. "You have so much to forgive me for I think we better start there." He looked sad.
"Dom, I've forgiven you for everything. I told you it's just that you act like nothing bothers you. I know I take it too far but I'm always trying to make you show some sort of feeling other then wanting me I think. I mean, you're very honest about that, but then when I piss you off I have to really piss you off before you snap at me, if you're happy with me I might get an 'atta girl' but that's it. I guess because you don't get emotional until you're so deep into it I just try to push you into it. I know that's not right."
"No, it's not right but I guess I see where you're comin' from. But it can't go on like this forever." Dom sighed.
"I know baby. We need to work on this I think. It's not something you can just hope'll go away if we ignore it. We need to learn to communicate on some level." Torrie smiled. "We have one way down already." She couldn't stand to see Dom so sad. Dom was like her rock. He was always strong and steady. But she guessed that was half the problem they were having. Of course that was also why she was so upset to see him sad. He must be really sad to look this sad. She stood up and the crawled into his lap, laying her head down on his chest. "Please, let's just put it in the past and try to enjoy Sunday Dominic, please. I hate it when you're mad at me." She sniffled. He still hadn't really looked at her and she was getting scared he was really mad.
His arms came around her and he buried his face in her hair. "I'm not mad at you Torrie. I'm just upset that what should have been a simple discussion about why I'd never asked you to move your stuff turned into this sort of dramatic morning."
"Well, because you shoulda asked me, but I shoulda asked you when I knew it was botherin' me. And I shouldn't a used it to start a fight over other stuff." She glanced up at him.
"I'll try to talk about stuff more. Ok?"
"Sure baby. All you can do is try." She kissed his cheek. "I'm sorry for actin' like a bitch. Can we just have a nice, relaxing Sunday?"
"Of course. And I never think you're a bitch." He took hold of her chin and kissed her. He hated to see the sad, scared look on her face. He'd do almost anything, including talk about feelings to try and take that look away.
"Hey guys, you have a room for that shit." Jesse said from the top of the basement stairs. He walked into the kitchen and grabbed a bowl and some cerial. Leon was right behind Jesse.
"Yo Dawg, how's it goin'?" Torrie assumed he was talking to Dom. She was right.
"Good, still wondering what's up with Vince and this chick I've never met that seems to reside in my house now." "I don't know either Dawg, Vince isn't in his room." Leon grabbed the coffee pot and poured himself a glass.
"He's not?" Torrie asked. Would her Vince take a girl in away from an abusive boyfriend and take advantage of her on the same night that the poor girl went through that sort of traumatic event? "He wouldn't." She trailed off. "Well, you know, would he? With a girl who just left an abusive relationship only because he helped her."
"I don't think that's it Torrie." Leon answered. "But that still don't tell us where the hell he is."
"I'ma check the spare room and see if the girl is there." Torrie said just as Mia came back into the kitchen.
"Why's that?" Mia asked.
"Cause Coyote is MIA, he never went to his room last night." Torrie answered.
"He wouldn't a." Mia asked the same thing.
"Naw, I don't think so girls." Leon answered again. Torrie and Mia wandered off together to see what they could see. They pushed the door to the spare room open further and peeked in, Mia was taller then Torrie so Mia took the high position an Torrie took the low, two heads peaking around the door jam together. There was the girl in bed asleep and there was Vince, asleep on the floor, back to the wall facing the bed. It was like he was sitting on the floor looking at her and fell asleep there.
"You know, we should wake him up and move him before she wakes up and gets creeped out." Torrie said.
"I think that's so cute." Mia sighed. "And maybe he'll fall for her and leave me the heck alone." She smiled to take the sting out of the words. "But we should move him just in case he does creep her out."
The two girls crept into the room and Torrie shook Vince by the shoulder.
"V. V. Wake up boy." She shook him again.
"Huh?" He came to with a little start and looked into two smug smiles from Mia and Torrie. "What?"
"You fell asleep watching her in her sleep." Torrie said in that aw, isn't that cute voice women normally reserved for puppies and babies. Vince looked around. He mentally kicked himself and stood up.
"We figured we'd get you outta here before she woke up and got a creepy vibe from the fact you watched her sleep." Mia added. The three of them left the room.
"So V, what made you decide to bring this girl into the team?" Torrie asked.
"Hell if I know. It was just this broken look in her eyes. I couldn't let her leave with that jerk she came with, knowing what was in store for her there." Vince looked embarrassed.
"Aw, if you were in medieval times you'd a been a knight in shining armour V. That's so sweet." Torrie said in the same cutesy voice.
"Aw, shutup." Vince said and grabbed Torrie around the neck and gave her a nuggie.
"Vince, you need a shower big time, and you're messin' up my hair. Plus, we can't do this shit anymore." Torrie said with a sigh.
"What'dya mean we can't do this shit anymore?" Vince asked and let her up, keeping his arm around her shoulders.
"Well, this. The way you grab me'n shit. I guess it really bothers Dom, like more then we figured it did. So we should lay off it for awhile I guess. Plus you have this girl to worry about now." Torrie hated the look on Vince's face.
"Dom told you that we couldn't pal around anymore cause he's still suspicious of us huh?" Vince said with a bit of a sneer.
"Nothin' like that. I just think he gets mad that we, I don't know, communicate and don't fight a lot. We had a big fight this morning about how he never asked me to move my stuff into his room. He said he'd just assumed I would and he didn't think he'd haveta ask me, and then I got mad, like I always do, and I got pissed that he was so fuckin' calm about everything and I kinda threw the shit from before in his face and he got so sad. Not mad at all but sad. I just think we need ta cool it for awhile. Plus this girl isn't gonna like it, mark my words."
"She's not my girl Torr, I just couldn't send her home with that jerk." Vince wasn't going to think about this girl becoming more to him then that. He wasn't ready for that.
"Well either way, she won't like it." Torrie frowned.
"You know, come to think of it, she assumed you were my girlfriend. She called you 'that gorgeous creature' and thought you'd be mad at her for talken' to me."
"Really? That's interesting. What'd you say to that?"
"The truth of course, that you were Dom's girl."
"You didn't have a comment about the gorgeous part?" Torrie asked with a smile.
"Of course not, she's right. You are. But you're also Dom's girl, and I don't have any interest in you like that anyways." Vince hugged her tighter then released her. "If you think that we really bother Dom by being so buddy buddy then we'll try to cool it. But we been through a lot of shit Torrie. You know that. I love Dom like a brother but I love you like a sister and it's just how I am to wanna pal around wit you."
"I know Vince. Just let the shit blow over." Torrie looked at Mia and the other girl had a very enigmatic look on her face. Torrie didn't know if Mia was pissed at her for starting shit with Dom, pissed at Dom for making Torrie feel she had to censor herself with Vince, or just mad the house was in chaos. Mia walked away, Vince went to have his shower and Torrie went to find Dom.
She found him in the shed with the charger. He was just sitting in the car.
"Hey Baby, whatcha doin'?" She asked. "Thinkin'." Dom answered.
"'Bout what?" Torrie asked.
"Nothing' much really." Dom answered.
"It doesn't look like nothin'." Torrie answered, hoping against hope he'd take the chance to talk to her about something for once.
"Just things Torrie. Just about how things are." Dom sighed.
"Can I get in the car?" She asked.
"Sure." Dom answered and looked up at her where she was leaning in the passenger window. She got in and sat down.
"I found V. Guess where he was."
"Where."
"Asleep in the girl's room, it was like he went in there to watch over her while she fell asleep and fell asleep himself. I really don't think he knows what he wanted her for yet, or why he did what he did." Torrie smiled. "It was kinda cute that he'd do that for someone who's practically a stranger." Dom gave her one of his looks that she couldn't read. She hated it when he did that.
"You think he likes her then?" Dom asked.
"I don't know. I don't think he knows. You know it must be something in the water that makes guys in this neighbourhood wanna take care of the women. You did the same thing for me both when my night terrors got to me and when I, well, over did the liquor." She giggled.
"If you ever do that again it'll be too soon." Dom said but he smiled. "Even while you were being sick as a dog all I could think about was how great your hair was as I held it back and how I liked taken' carea you."
"I figured that was it, that you'd seen what a pain in the ass I was and you were gonna say bye bye."
"Never. Say does anyone know we're in here?"
"No." Torrie looked puzzled. "Why?"
"Cause for the next, oh, hour or so we're gonna need the privacy." And with that he pulled her across the seat and to him. About an hour later Torrie was napping on the couch and Dom was watching her sleep from the chair. Vince walked into the room and saw Torrie was asleep. Vince decided to talk to Dom about what Vince saw as his ultimatum about Torrie and Vince not paling around.
"Dom, did you tell Torrie that she and I had to stop playin' around wit' each other?" Vince asked softly.
"No, why?"
"Cause she told me that I had to stop grabbin' her and playin' wit her cause it was botherin' you. I thought this was all over wit' and in the past brotha."
"It is. It was just a stupid fight and I prolley said something to her in the heat of it that made her think that. She through that other stuff at me and I got pissed."
"You know what they say Dom, when she starts diggin' up old dirt, it's time to put the woman first brotha." With that Vince walked out of the living room. Dom reflected on that.
He'd pretty much told Torrie that DT and the car came before her this morning when he told her that their trip had to wait till the car and the store were in better places, when she'd as much as told him that she really needed the trip away. He'd make sure to plan the trip, and for soon too. He'd surprise her and the whole team with it. With that decided he picked Torrie up and carried her to his, no, their bed and decided to take a bit of a nap himself. He curled up around her in bed and drifted off easier then he had in a long time.
AN: Hey all. Thanks go out to Bye-Bye1 and everyone else who reviewed. I'm really glad to know you think that my style/dialog have improved. I noticed it myself. I went back and read the whole thing over and was like 'man the first parts of this suck, just because the dialog is formal and forced.' But I really think it sounds more natural now and thank you for noticing. No, it's far from over. I have some more tricks up my sleeve. I can't just give ol' Coyote a girlfriend and then drop the story can I? Plus what about Letty and Rome.where's that gonna go? Who knows? I think that everyone needs to be happy and all my lose ends need to tie up first. Who know's how long it'll run. As long as the characters keep givin me stuff to write about. They're pretty well writing this on their own at this point. HEHE. I can't control them! Help! But seriously it's not over, I just don't know where it will go and when it will end myself at this point, but you'll get a real ending, I'll never just drop the story in the middle. Peace, and enjoy. Tempest.
When Dom woke up the next day Torrie hadn't moved. That was strange because normally she'd be asleep against his side. She was always either on top of him asleep or they were tangled up together in some way. He liked that. Her hair was still everywhere, even if she was asleep on her own side of the bed. Dom glanced at the clock. It was already 10 am. They had nothing to do on Sunday but it was still late for them to sleep in. He got up and dressed. He went to use the bathroom and when he came back Torrie was still asleep. He didn't think he'd worn her out that badly.
He decided to wake her, knowing she'd want to know that Vince had saved some girl from her abusive boyfriend and they now had another to take care of. He crawled over top of her and gathered her hair up and moved it off to the side. He started to blow on the back of her neck. He watched the little hairs raise on the backs of her arms. "Torrie." He called softly, straddling the small of her back. She murmured and turned her head to the other side. She was still sleeping. He licked the nape of her neck then blew on it again. He felt the shiver rack her whole frame, wondered at the play of muscles in her back and the way her spine and shoulder blades rippled and moved under her skin as she shifted in bed.
"Dom?" She asked sleepily.
"Yes baby. You awake now?" He asked.
"Nope. I don't wanna be awake." She was hard to make out through the pillow her face was half in, but he got the gist of it.
"Too bad princess. It's time to get up. You're buddy Vince took in a new team mate last night while we were busy, um.Convincing people we were together." Dom laughed.
"What do you mean Vince took in a new Team mate. Who?" She sounded much more conscious now.
"I don't know. She was in the spare room already when I went downstairs to check the house and Leon told me. So get up and we'll go see what's up with V and this chick."
"A new female team mate? Vince, our Coyote took in a girl? Does he like this girl?"
"Torrie, I can't answer these questions. I never talked to Vince or the new girl at all ok? I talked to Leon and he didn't know anything either. If you'd just get up we could go see what we could find out."
"Well as the supreme leader of this team I would have thought you would have let me sleep and went to find out yourself. After all, I need to recoup from all the exercise you gave me last night."
"Recoup in sweats in the kitchen baby girl. Time to get up." Dom got off her and waited for her to get out of bed.
"Fine." She decided to get her revenge at him in her own, woman's way. She stood gracefully out of bed and then tossed her head so her hair fell in it's curtain around her. "I'm up."
Dom watched her stand in front of him in all her naked glory and made a grab for her. She'd never been so obvious about not caring he was seeing her this way before. Even though he'd seen all there was to see she always wrapped a sheet around her to go get dressed in the light of day.
"Ah ah ah baby. I have to get dressed. We have stuff to do." She slapped his hand away and headed to her dresser. She opened her underwear drawer.
"Torrie." Dom groaned. "That's not playing fair. I mean you.Argh." Dom sighed as he watched her pull on a pair of underwear then a pair of track pants. She pulled on a tee shirt without bothering with a bra. "Why'd you go and do that."
"Well, I was ordered out of bed, told to get dressed and then you get mad at me when I do it. I'm still waiting for my vacation where we won't need to worry 'bout gettin' up or gettin' dressed," she added, "but you don't show signs of taken me anywhere yet."
"We'll go soon. I have to get rid of the backup at DT and get my car out there. You know that Torrie." Dom sighed. She was as bad as Letty about the stupid trip.
"We all need a break Dominic, I hope you know that." She gave him a pointed look and walked toward the door. "And when you gonna ask me to move my shit into this room huh? Who is the separate rooms thing supposed to fool?" Torrie had started off in a great mood and then Dom pulled his attitude shit. 'The stores backed up and that's more important then our happiness, and not everyone in Cali knows I have a new car.' Damn that boy was car nuts. He never thought of anything else, not how they all felt, not how burned out they were all getting.
"I didn't know I had to ask you Torrie. I thought you'd just know I wanted you to move in here with me."
"I've learned not to take anything for granted with you Dominic, I don't dare." She walked out of the room.
He sighed and ran a hand over his head. He had more stubble then he liked to but he didn't have time to worry about it now. He had to go make up with Torrie before she told the whole household he was a jackass. When she started bringing up old dirt and calling him Dominic he knew he was in for it. He guessed they all needed that vacation more then he assumed. He knew that Torrie had been an incredibly good sport lately. Well, through their whole relationship. She'd put up with his jealousy and Letty, working at her store and his. He resolved to call the travel agent on Monday and headed downstairs. Mia and Torrie were talking in the kitchen.
"He assumed I'd just move. As if I would ever dare, Mi. I mean I never know what'll be the one thing that sets him off you know? I could move all my stuff into his room and then have him flip out at me about how he never asked me to."
"I don't think he'd have flipped out at you over it no matter what Torrie, but you're right that you can't just move into his room without him letting you know in some way. I don't know why the big idiot didn't just move your stuff and let you find out that way. But try not to be too hard on him, he's a mechanic after all, not some sort of artist. You can't expect him to be all mushy soft and sensitive." The two girls laughed at that. Dom walked into the kitchen, pretending not to have heard them and wondering what he thought of what they'd said.
"Um, Mi, could you leave us alone for a minute?" Dom asked his sister.
"Sure." Mia left the kitchen. No one else was up yet.
"I'm sorry that I didn't know that you wanted me to give you some formal invite to move your stuff out of your room and into mine ok? But why do you have to throw old dirt at me over it Torr? I been trying so hard and it's like I didn't know that you were this upset over the whole room thing and you have to go and throw what I did before at me over it. How'm I ever gonna live what I did before down? I look the other way when you carry on with Vince even though it drives me nuts." She went to speak and he held up a hand to cut her off. "Let me get this out, please." He continued after she closed her mouth in a mutinous line. "I know there's nothing goin' on between you two ok? But I can't help bein' jealous over how you two carry on. I've never been the guy to talk about feelings, to want to work stuff out by talking all about it over and over and I don't see that changing Torrie. But I care about you and I don't do any of this stuff to hurt you on purpose. But when you throw what I did in the past in my face now you do it to hurt me on purpose. I'm sorry as hell I hurt your feelings but it's not fair for you to do that to me. You gotta find a way to leave the past in the past girl." Dom sighed and hung his head, looking at his hands.
Torrie was frankly shocked to hear all that come out of Dom in one conversation. And she was a little ashamed of the fact that she did what he accused her of. When he pissed her off she did throw old dirt in his face to try and get back at him and that wasn't fair. She guessed she just thought of Dom as someone who was impossible to hurt. Someone that didn't let feelings get in the way of doing whatever he wanted, didn't let feeling rule his life. And she now realized that because he didn't talk about his feelings a lot didn't mean he didn't have any, and didn't mean that they couldn't be hurt by her conduct. He was still looking at his hands in his lap. Torrie walked quietly over to him and kneeled on the floor in front of him.
"Oh Dommie," she slipped into her pet name for him, "I'm sorry. You're right and I just don't think. It's just that you act like superman all the time, like nothing gets to you and I guess I just forget that you're just like all of us inside, that when I say hurtful things to you just because you don't let on doesn't mean that you don't get hurt by what I say." He still didn't look at her. "I know you let me get away with a lot Dom, and I know that I do a lot of stuff you wish I wouldn't. It's not that I don't notice and don't appreciate it, it's just that we don't talk about it enough I guess. Maybe we need ta work on that." She thought back to the day that he'd nearly ripped her heart out, the day he'd accused her of cheating on him with Vince and remembered that one single tear he'd cried for what he'd done to her. Mia'd told her that she couldn't remember ever seeing Dom cry before. Maybe when their dad died but not before or after the one day of the funeral. She knew he loved her. He just didn't show it a lot. And she pushed him too hard. And that was just what Letty had always been doing and she didn't want to fall into that trap. "Are you gonna forgive me?"
He finally looked at her. "You have so much to forgive me for I think we better start there." He looked sad.
"Dom, I've forgiven you for everything. I told you it's just that you act like nothing bothers you. I know I take it too far but I'm always trying to make you show some sort of feeling other then wanting me I think. I mean, you're very honest about that, but then when I piss you off I have to really piss you off before you snap at me, if you're happy with me I might get an 'atta girl' but that's it. I guess because you don't get emotional until you're so deep into it I just try to push you into it. I know that's not right."
"No, it's not right but I guess I see where you're comin' from. But it can't go on like this forever." Dom sighed.
"I know baby. We need to work on this I think. It's not something you can just hope'll go away if we ignore it. We need to learn to communicate on some level." Torrie smiled. "We have one way down already." She couldn't stand to see Dom so sad. Dom was like her rock. He was always strong and steady. But she guessed that was half the problem they were having. Of course that was also why she was so upset to see him sad. He must be really sad to look this sad. She stood up and the crawled into his lap, laying her head down on his chest. "Please, let's just put it in the past and try to enjoy Sunday Dominic, please. I hate it when you're mad at me." She sniffled. He still hadn't really looked at her and she was getting scared he was really mad.
His arms came around her and he buried his face in her hair. "I'm not mad at you Torrie. I'm just upset that what should have been a simple discussion about why I'd never asked you to move your stuff turned into this sort of dramatic morning."
"Well, because you shoulda asked me, but I shoulda asked you when I knew it was botherin' me. And I shouldn't a used it to start a fight over other stuff." She glanced up at him.
"I'll try to talk about stuff more. Ok?"
"Sure baby. All you can do is try." She kissed his cheek. "I'm sorry for actin' like a bitch. Can we just have a nice, relaxing Sunday?"
"Of course. And I never think you're a bitch." He took hold of her chin and kissed her. He hated to see the sad, scared look on her face. He'd do almost anything, including talk about feelings to try and take that look away.
"Hey guys, you have a room for that shit." Jesse said from the top of the basement stairs. He walked into the kitchen and grabbed a bowl and some cerial. Leon was right behind Jesse.
"Yo Dawg, how's it goin'?" Torrie assumed he was talking to Dom. She was right.
"Good, still wondering what's up with Vince and this chick I've never met that seems to reside in my house now." "I don't know either Dawg, Vince isn't in his room." Leon grabbed the coffee pot and poured himself a glass.
"He's not?" Torrie asked. Would her Vince take a girl in away from an abusive boyfriend and take advantage of her on the same night that the poor girl went through that sort of traumatic event? "He wouldn't." She trailed off. "Well, you know, would he? With a girl who just left an abusive relationship only because he helped her."
"I don't think that's it Torrie." Leon answered. "But that still don't tell us where the hell he is."
"I'ma check the spare room and see if the girl is there." Torrie said just as Mia came back into the kitchen.
"Why's that?" Mia asked.
"Cause Coyote is MIA, he never went to his room last night." Torrie answered.
"He wouldn't a." Mia asked the same thing.
"Naw, I don't think so girls." Leon answered again. Torrie and Mia wandered off together to see what they could see. They pushed the door to the spare room open further and peeked in, Mia was taller then Torrie so Mia took the high position an Torrie took the low, two heads peaking around the door jam together. There was the girl in bed asleep and there was Vince, asleep on the floor, back to the wall facing the bed. It was like he was sitting on the floor looking at her and fell asleep there.
"You know, we should wake him up and move him before she wakes up and gets creeped out." Torrie said.
"I think that's so cute." Mia sighed. "And maybe he'll fall for her and leave me the heck alone." She smiled to take the sting out of the words. "But we should move him just in case he does creep her out."
The two girls crept into the room and Torrie shook Vince by the shoulder.
"V. V. Wake up boy." She shook him again.
"Huh?" He came to with a little start and looked into two smug smiles from Mia and Torrie. "What?"
"You fell asleep watching her in her sleep." Torrie said in that aw, isn't that cute voice women normally reserved for puppies and babies. Vince looked around. He mentally kicked himself and stood up.
"We figured we'd get you outta here before she woke up and got a creepy vibe from the fact you watched her sleep." Mia added. The three of them left the room.
"So V, what made you decide to bring this girl into the team?" Torrie asked.
"Hell if I know. It was just this broken look in her eyes. I couldn't let her leave with that jerk she came with, knowing what was in store for her there." Vince looked embarrassed.
"Aw, if you were in medieval times you'd a been a knight in shining armour V. That's so sweet." Torrie said in the same cutesy voice.
"Aw, shutup." Vince said and grabbed Torrie around the neck and gave her a nuggie.
"Vince, you need a shower big time, and you're messin' up my hair. Plus, we can't do this shit anymore." Torrie said with a sigh.
"What'dya mean we can't do this shit anymore?" Vince asked and let her up, keeping his arm around her shoulders.
"Well, this. The way you grab me'n shit. I guess it really bothers Dom, like more then we figured it did. So we should lay off it for awhile I guess. Plus you have this girl to worry about now." Torrie hated the look on Vince's face.
"Dom told you that we couldn't pal around anymore cause he's still suspicious of us huh?" Vince said with a bit of a sneer.
"Nothin' like that. I just think he gets mad that we, I don't know, communicate and don't fight a lot. We had a big fight this morning about how he never asked me to move my stuff into his room. He said he'd just assumed I would and he didn't think he'd haveta ask me, and then I got mad, like I always do, and I got pissed that he was so fuckin' calm about everything and I kinda threw the shit from before in his face and he got so sad. Not mad at all but sad. I just think we need ta cool it for awhile. Plus this girl isn't gonna like it, mark my words."
"She's not my girl Torr, I just couldn't send her home with that jerk." Vince wasn't going to think about this girl becoming more to him then that. He wasn't ready for that.
"Well either way, she won't like it." Torrie frowned.
"You know, come to think of it, she assumed you were my girlfriend. She called you 'that gorgeous creature' and thought you'd be mad at her for talken' to me."
"Really? That's interesting. What'd you say to that?"
"The truth of course, that you were Dom's girl."
"You didn't have a comment about the gorgeous part?" Torrie asked with a smile.
"Of course not, she's right. You are. But you're also Dom's girl, and I don't have any interest in you like that anyways." Vince hugged her tighter then released her. "If you think that we really bother Dom by being so buddy buddy then we'll try to cool it. But we been through a lot of shit Torrie. You know that. I love Dom like a brother but I love you like a sister and it's just how I am to wanna pal around wit you."
"I know Vince. Just let the shit blow over." Torrie looked at Mia and the other girl had a very enigmatic look on her face. Torrie didn't know if Mia was pissed at her for starting shit with Dom, pissed at Dom for making Torrie feel she had to censor herself with Vince, or just mad the house was in chaos. Mia walked away, Vince went to have his shower and Torrie went to find Dom.
She found him in the shed with the charger. He was just sitting in the car.
"Hey Baby, whatcha doin'?" She asked. "Thinkin'." Dom answered.
"'Bout what?" Torrie asked.
"Nothing' much really." Dom answered.
"It doesn't look like nothin'." Torrie answered, hoping against hope he'd take the chance to talk to her about something for once.
"Just things Torrie. Just about how things are." Dom sighed.
"Can I get in the car?" She asked.
"Sure." Dom answered and looked up at her where she was leaning in the passenger window. She got in and sat down.
"I found V. Guess where he was."
"Where."
"Asleep in the girl's room, it was like he went in there to watch over her while she fell asleep and fell asleep himself. I really don't think he knows what he wanted her for yet, or why he did what he did." Torrie smiled. "It was kinda cute that he'd do that for someone who's practically a stranger." Dom gave her one of his looks that she couldn't read. She hated it when he did that.
"You think he likes her then?" Dom asked.
"I don't know. I don't think he knows. You know it must be something in the water that makes guys in this neighbourhood wanna take care of the women. You did the same thing for me both when my night terrors got to me and when I, well, over did the liquor." She giggled.
"If you ever do that again it'll be too soon." Dom said but he smiled. "Even while you were being sick as a dog all I could think about was how great your hair was as I held it back and how I liked taken' carea you."
"I figured that was it, that you'd seen what a pain in the ass I was and you were gonna say bye bye."
"Never. Say does anyone know we're in here?"
"No." Torrie looked puzzled. "Why?"
"Cause for the next, oh, hour or so we're gonna need the privacy." And with that he pulled her across the seat and to him. About an hour later Torrie was napping on the couch and Dom was watching her sleep from the chair. Vince walked into the room and saw Torrie was asleep. Vince decided to talk to Dom about what Vince saw as his ultimatum about Torrie and Vince not paling around.
"Dom, did you tell Torrie that she and I had to stop playin' around wit' each other?" Vince asked softly.
"No, why?"
"Cause she told me that I had to stop grabbin' her and playin' wit her cause it was botherin' you. I thought this was all over wit' and in the past brotha."
"It is. It was just a stupid fight and I prolley said something to her in the heat of it that made her think that. She through that other stuff at me and I got pissed."
"You know what they say Dom, when she starts diggin' up old dirt, it's time to put the woman first brotha." With that Vince walked out of the living room. Dom reflected on that.
He'd pretty much told Torrie that DT and the car came before her this morning when he told her that their trip had to wait till the car and the store were in better places, when she'd as much as told him that she really needed the trip away. He'd make sure to plan the trip, and for soon too. He'd surprise her and the whole team with it. With that decided he picked Torrie up and carried her to his, no, their bed and decided to take a bit of a nap himself. He curled up around her in bed and drifted off easier then he had in a long time.