A/N: I didn't know "flash-drag races" existed until this past weekend. It was a phenomenal experience. PS. I'm evil. Sorry, not sorry.
Part XIV
Petty Cash Taqueria, 7:33PM
"Oh my god!" Letty moaned. "This is the best fucking taco I've ever had."
"I'm telling Hector." Dom said around a mouthful of an al pastor taco.
"I'm just saying what we're both thinking." She swallowed and used her ring and pinky fingers to bring the straw of her margarita closer to her mouth.
"Fair enough."
Letty grabbed a napkin and wiped the side of his mouth.
"So," Dom took a swig if his Corona, "good food, good drinks."
"Good company." Letty added, gesturing to him.
"Thank you."
"You're welcome."
"Did you ever have even the tiniest of feelings that we would be together?"
"You mean now or in the beginning?"
"Both." He signaled for their waitress that he wanted another Corona. He pointed to Letty's margarita in question. She shook her head in the negative.
"In the beginning, I hoped. You know that."
"And then I finally got you."
"Bullshit. You didn't want me in the beginning."
"I wasn't supposed to want you. I was older, and you and Mia were best friends."
"Mhm." She said, and he knew she didn't believe a word he was saying.
"And then I saw you race." He gazed at her, smiling brilliantly. "And I just knew."
"Knew what?"
"That I would marry you."
"And you knew how much I didn't want to ever get married or ever have kids."
"I broke you down, baby."
"You did absolutely nothing. It was fate."
"Fate?"
"Yes, fate. Do you realize that we never have to speak on our relationship, and everyone just knows? As if it's as natural as breathing."
"It is."
For a moment, they just stared at one another, with Dom breaking the silence briefly.
"And then there's this." He mentioned.
He didn't have to explain any further. Letty knew what he meant. They could talk without words; conversations with their eyes. It was a skill they'd perfected decades ago, and had come in handy on more than one occasion.
"Then there's this." Letty repeated, in quiet agreement.
"You know something? For awhile, I lost my faith."
"In us?"
"In God."
Try as she might, Letty was unable to hide her surprise. If Dom was anything, he was a man of faith. He was driven by it. He prayed before meals, he attended Sunday mass, he went to confession when he felt called to do so.
"I know you inside and out," Dom said, "and I could tell you were changing. I could tell that we were changing. I prayed harder and more often. I asked for guidance. What should I do? How do I get us back to where we were? And we still got divorced. And I couldn't help but curse God. I mean, how could He give me something so perfect for me, only to take it away?"
"Did you ever get answers?"
"Mia said that God helps those who help themselves, and that if He gives us a garden, we still have to tend it, even in through the winters."
"Mia's right. I wish she would have told me that before I filed for divorce."
Dom shrugged. "I know now that the divorce was a part of the plan all along."
He held up his last burrito and looked at her expectantly. She gave a small laugh and held up hers, tapping it against the one in his hand.
"Cheers." He said.
"Salúd."
8:43PM
There was something about Letty's giggle that made Dom want to hear more. It wasn't a schoolgirl giggle. No, it was all woman; not quite a cackle and not a full-on laugh but it did come from somewhere deep within. And just as quickly as it left her mouth, it was gone, floating in the warm SoCal breeze. It was even more worth relishing when he was the reason behind it.
"Thank you for dinner. It was amazing." Letty said.
"You're welcome. There's more."
"What else do you have planned?"
"Wait 'til you see."
And there it was: the sweetest noise Dom had ever heard. They got into his car, shutting their doors in unison and Dom took off towards the Californian desert for the next stage of their date.
With the windows open, warm air blowing across their skin, Dom and Letty talked and laughed just like old times. LAnd even when silence fell over them, it was comfortable and familiar.
Suddenly, Letty heard the roar a multiple engines and she glanced at the side mirror. There were at least three pair of headlights zooming towards them. Dom pulled his phone from his pocket and held it up to unlock it before handing it to her.
"Tap the third icon." He instructed. She did.
A real time video began to play, and it looked as if it were being shot from way above them. She was able to see the multiple cars behind them, and as two shot past them on either side, Letty witnessed it on the app as well.
"What's this?"
"Keep watching." Dom grinned.
And so she did.
Joined by more and more cars by the minute, Letty watched as each car perfected a series of complex maneuvers. Each car had battery operated lights stuck to the roof of them and it made the show that much more beautiful to see.
"This is crazy." Letty breathed.
"Right?" Dom asked. "It's called a flash drag-race. Kind of like those flash mob dance videos. There's a drone above us. It's being live streamed and will probably go viral."
Letty knew she was getting old. The technology amazed her, and it was like nothing she'd ever seen before. Sure, Tej and Ramsey had some cool toys, but experiencing this was on an entirely new level.
Dom sped up towards the front of the line and all of the other cars fell into line behind him. Just as quickly as it began, it was ending with the cars behind him each taking off in a different direction.
Dom flew forward into a seemingly unknown destination, but before long, Letty could see the bright lights of the city below them. He drifted briefly around a bend that she recognized as the famous Mulholland Drive, home to the Hollywood sign, and it wasn't long before they were heading back into LA traffic.
Letty's, 10:01PM
"Want a drink?" Letty asked as they pulled up to her house.
"Definitely."
Once inside, Dom and Letty headed to the kitchen, stepping around each other while they figured out what they were drinking.
"Ice?"
"No, chilled is fine."
Dom pulled down wine glasses and Letty found the wine in the fridge. Their conversation was quiet, shy even, neither really knowing how the evening was going to end, but both knowing how they hoped it would. They decided to retire on the back patio. Dom lit Letty's firepit he'd built for her and sat on the semi-circle couch that surrounded it.
"I had so much fun tonight."
"I'm glad. I did too."
"Is it bad that I haven't once wondered what Mateo was up to?"
"He's sage and happy at Mia and Brian's. He and Jack are probably still up playing video games."
"True."
"Besides, it's good for parents to have adult time."
"Adult? Is that what we are now?"
Dom laughed. "Unfortunately."
"I can't believe we had to grow up so fast. I wish we were still those badass teenagers sneaking out to races, drinking underage, jacking electronic trucks."
"We had some good times."
"Yeah, we did." Dom tapped his glass against Letty's and they both took a sip.
"I know shit was hard, but I have to be honest, I'm glad we did it together, though, Let."
"Me too."
Dom rubbed his head and leaned forward until his forearms rested against his thighs.
"What are you thinking?"
"The other day I wrote something."
A little confused, Letty gave him a look and repeated his statement, "You… wrote… something?"
"Yeah. To you. A letter. Klaus said it would be a good idea."
"Where is it?"
Dom opened the side pocket of his cargos and produced a paper folded in fourths and handed it to her. Sitting her wine down, Letty took it from him and opened it excitedly.
Letty,
First, I want to be man enough to explain that I'm writing this letter because I'm afraid of you. Not physically, but emotionally. You're the strongest person I know and what really scares me is that you are strong enough to call me on my shit. You had enough strength to leave me when I wasn't being the man you needed me to be. You had enough strength to know that staying together while we were unhappy wasn't smart for our son. I'm afraid that you won't choose me, despite us being meant for each other. But what I'm truly afraid of is that I'm not strong enough to bear not having you in my world. Ever since our relationship began, I have never been alone. We've done everything as a team, until I forgot what being a team truly meant. Family has always been important to me, but even with the untraditional family that we've created, I tried to hard to control everything. And for that I'm sorry. I'm sorry for every heartbreak I put you through my my control issues. I'm sorry for any tears you cried, any anger you've felt because of me and any time you felt alone. You are a good person, Letty, and you've made me a better man than I've ever been. Thank you, and I love you.
Dom
When Letty looked up from the letter, Dom wasn't beside her. She hadn't even heard him get up. Taking the letter with her, she traipsed back into the house and searched for him. He wasn't hard to find; sitting on the couch in the living room, rubbing his bald head, nervously.
When he saw her approaching, Dom stood to his feet, immediately telling her, "Letty, I'm sorry for everything. I really am. I never meant for any of this to happen. Hurting you is the worst thing I've ever done. The one person who's been there for me throughout it all. I love you. I always have and I always w—."
Letty rushed over to him, stood on her tiptoes and kissed him soundly.
It was the first time since their divorce that he actually apologized for the hurt he caused her. Letty couldn't believe her ears. This was coming from Dominic Toretto. It was surreal. It was strange how hearing those words and seeing the action that Dom had put forth recently took away a lot of the hurt he'd caused. Of course it was easier to forgive than forget, but Letty appreciated the sentiment.
"I'm sorry, too." She said when she pulled away. "I should have tried to communicate more. Running wasn't the solution."
"I just want to move forward, Let."
"So do I. We still have a lot to work on, but we'll do it together, right?"
"Absolutely." He smiled his crooked smile and Letty put her hands on his face, kissing him again.
It took mere moments for the kiss to become something else entirely. Letty pushed Dom back onto the couch and straddled his lap before her lips found his again. Dom's hands found her hips almost immediately and his fingers dug into the material of her skinny jeans. Letty broke their kiss only to remove her singlet. When Dom got a sight of her black bra, he groaned audibly.
"Christ." He whispered before capturing her mouth again. "Are you sure you want to do this?"
"I know you're just trying to be a nice guy, but it's turning me on even more." Letty murmured.
"Upstairs?" He asked between kisses. Letty could only nod because her mouth was too busy allowing Dom's tongue entrance. He grabbed hold of her thighs and stood from the couch, making his way to the stairs, his lips never leaving hers.
