Title: Through Another's Eyes
Rating: T
Ship: Dom/Letty
Description: A background, foreground and future fic surrounding Dom and Letty and the circumstances invloved in the movie. Answering a lot of questions the movie left open.
Disclaimer: I wish. The things I could do with Dominic. ;)
Chapter 4
Letty's POV
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After Dom's mother died we became acquainted with a new Dom. Actually, there were 2. There was Dom, the guy we knew and loved. He was sweet and attentive, funny and serious all at once. He was a wonderful person. But we only saw him in private. Even then, very rarely. Then there was Dom, the man. He was arrogant, flirtatious and just plain annoying. We had the pleasure of his company while in the company of others. He'd latch on to any girl that smiled his way. He'd use her and throw her away. They all knew what their fate would be, yet for some reason they all kept coming anyway. It was this Dom that I found myself hating. And in doing so, hating myself.
I had so much trouble trying to reconcile my feelings for him. One moment I hated him and in the next I was falling for him. It was such a difficult time for me. But it was only the beginning of the Dom and Letty saga, as I came to call it.
I was 15 when things began to change between us. I had no idea, at the time, that Dom had started looking at me with anything other than a brother's eyes. I knew, for sure that my feelings for him were growing stronger and stronger. But I also knew that I had to hide it. I started working at the Toretto's Garage after school and some weekends. And I was enjoying it. But I hated seeing Dom leave every afternoon with a new girl. I hated watching him kiss her and hated myself for wishing it were me. But I kept working and I kept laughing with him when we were alone. I pretended I didn't care about him any deeper than I was supposed to. And I pulled off an award winning performance.
But it got harder and harder every week. As inevitable as it was. Watching him, hearing him. Even with Vince and his other friends, he was such an ass. I gave up trying to perform a couple of months before my 16th birthday. I only hung out with Mia and Tony. I'd ignore him at the garage as much as I could without alerting anyone to my feelings. And I stayed home all the time. I even made Mia come to our house when she wanted to hang. I know she didn't mind. She'd really latched onto my Mama since Maria's death. But it was stupid and it made me feel ridiculous. So eventually I gave in. I went back to being the good little friend. Of course it didn't hurt that we discovered street racing that year.
It was incredible. Watching these guys race made me feel... electric. Like my whole body was on fire. The speed. The cars. It was intoxicating. And I fell in love with it. I guess that's what really made me stop ignoring Dom. I overheard Dom and Vince talking about going to one at the garage one afternoon, only a few weeks before my birthday. Once we were alone, I begged him to take me with him. He agreed but made me swear that I stick by his side all night. He didn't want me to get lost or hurt. But as chivalrous as it sounded, to me it meant a night of torture.
You see, Dom was in his element at the races. And as great as it was to watch him in an environment that suited him so perfectly, it also meant watching him with skanky girls all night. He spent half the night talking to guys and the other half with his tongue down some girl's throat. And there I was, stuck beside him, unable to go anywhere. As soon as I took a step away, his hand would reach out and grab the neck of my shirt, or the belt of my pants, and pull me back. Even when I thought he was distracted by some girls mouth. I swear I heard people making cracks about the little girl tag along. Or the dog on the leash. But everytime I turned around the chatter stopped and I was left with a mean scowl on my face. One that still appears at every race, 10 years later.
I don't blame Dom for his behaviour back then. I mean, he is a guy and he was receiving the attention, not seeking it out. And he didn't know how I felt about him. Of course, I didn't know how he felt about me either. I would soon learn though.
He was great when I turned sixteen. Everyone was. Threw me a big party and they gave me my car. God how I love that car. Tony, Papi, Dom and Vince worked on it for so long. It became my world. I was in such a hurry to race it. Of course, Dom wouldn't let me. And looking back on it, I realise now that his over-protectiveness was the only way he could show me how he felt about me. I appreciate it now. But back then it made me so angry. I spent a lot of time angry at him. Wasted time. But it was spent none the less and there's nothing I can do about it now.
His behaviour toward me changed rapidly after I turned 16. The protectiveness took on a whole new level. Instead of just trying to protect me from harm, he started trying to protect me from men. I was legal, and I know that made everything more complicated, but i'd never been interested in anyone other than Dom. So I never saw the problem.
We'd fight over it. He'd see me talking to a guy and he'd flip. Think the guy was hitting on me, eyeing me up. Dom could be really cruel when he wanted to be. I remember one fight we had, he accused me of acting like a slut around some guy i'd been talking to at the race that night. I pointed out, in my not so subtle way, that I was only talking, and that he was the one acting like a slut. He flipped his lid, just as I was expecting. But I didn't expect what came out of his mouth next. He screamed at me "You like it don't you? Every guy staring at your tits falling out of your top. Your ass hanging out the bottom of your skirt. You like the attention. You like feeling like a whore." I still remember his exact words and the tone he said them in. Cause I can still hear his voice in my head. But I can also still remember the sound of my hand making contact with his face.
I never figured myself a slapper, thought i'd always go straight for the punch. But I'd slapped him that night. He'd gone way over the line and he succeeded in doing exactly what he was accusing me of. He made me feel like a cheap whore. I stormed out of the after party that was at some random's house and sped away. I went home and locked myself in my room. I refused to speak to him for days. I know our parents were worried about this latest fight we'd had. They were scared that it had finally driven us apart. But they never knew what he'd said and they never would. Dom came around the next day, and every day, until I finally gave in and let him in my room. He sat down on the bed beside me and apologised. He swore he hadn't meant it. And I believed him. I believed him cause it was the truth. I knew he didn't mean it. I just didn't understand him.. not then. He hugged me and kissed me on the cheek and we were ok. At least until the next time.
The next time came right after Dom turned 19, just three months after my 16th. Dom had raced that night and won, so we all headed back to the after party being held by Hector and his boys. It was a good night. Dom had won and we were all feeling pretty good. Dom was with another one of his girls, making out in the corner all night. I tried to ignore him. I started talking to this guy Leon. He was a really great guy. Really into cars, so immediately we hit it off. We laughed and joked, but when Leon went off with his girlfriend, I was left alone again. Dom was still wrapped around his latest girl and I'd had enough of watching them together. I got up to leave and was half way to the door when a hand reached out and grabbed me.
I whirled around ready to deck the offender and saw Dom looking down at me. He was fuming. He demanded to know where I was going. I didn't understand why he was so angry. I told him I was going home. That I'd had all I could take for one night. He pulled me into some room in the house, away from everyone else. You could still hear the music thumping outside, but it wasn't so loud now. We could actually speak without having to shout to be heard. Of course, that didn't mean we wouldn't be shouting. He asked me what that was supposed to mean. "The porn show really isn't to my liking." I still can't believe I actually said that. He looked confused for a minute before he realised I was talking about him. It only seemed to make him angrier.
He started accusing me of flirting with Leon. Of course, he only called him, that tattood freak. It makes me laugh now, but back then, it made me livid. I couldn't believe he was standing there attacking me when he was sitting in the corner feeling up another girl all night. I probably shouldn't have said what I did. Actually I know I shouldn't have. But I did anyway. "What's it to you? You're not my boyfriend Dom, you've got no claim on me. And you sure as hell ain't my brother."
I watched as his eyes flared. He was so mad. He just stared at me, his fists clenching by his side, unable to speak. I was actually scared for a minute. I'd gone too far. I'd given up control to anger and hurt him. But what he did next shocked the hell out of me. I had actually expected him to hit me. As ashamed as I am to admit that. Dom would never do that. But he was angry, and I really would have expected that over what he did.
Dom grabbed me around the waist, pulled me against his chest and kissed me. It wasn't soft and gentle. It was hard and passionate. And even a little rough. But it was exhilarating. I'd never felt like that before. Wherever his hands touched, I tingled. He pushed me, gently this time, up against the wall and attacked my neck with tongue and teeth. God it was the most amazing thing I had ever experienced. We ended up staying in the room for a good hour, glued to each other's mouths and bodys. Exploring and tasting. It was incredible. And when we finally pulled away from each other, breathless, all we could do was look at each other.
I remember him whispering something about how he had wanted to do that for so long. It made me blush. That I remember clearly. I'd never blushed before. And he called me on it. His hand rose to cup my cheek and he smiled at me. "You're blushing bella." He whispered and I couldn't meet his eyes. "Do you want me baby?" He'd asked. I probably should have laughed at the forward question, but my head was swimming. All I did was nod. "Then I'm yours." He'd whispered. It was kinda corny looking back. But it was amazing. That's when it all started for us.
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Dom's POV
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I was such a shit to Letty back then. She was only 16 and I was such an ass. I know it. I don't even try to deny it. I used to treat her like a little kid. Stupid considering the decidedly unchildlike thoughts I was having about her. But it was a way to distance myself from her. I'd let her come to races with us, but I'd never let her leave my side, even when I was completely engrossed in the girl I had on my lap at the time. I knew it pissed her off. I didn't know why. But I knew it did. I wish I could say that I felt bad about it. But I didn't. I wanted her to have that reaction to it. I wanted to believe that she felt something for me. Of course, if I hadn't been such a chicken shit, I could have just come out and asked. I would have known immediately and I could have saved us both a lot of trouble. But live and learn. Thats my motto these days. After everything we've been through, its really fitting.
I lived and I learned what an ass I was being. I was hurting her. Intentionally. Yeah I know, an ass right? But you don't understand. I didn't mean to start the fights with her. And I didn't mean the shit I said to her. I'd just watch her. To every race she would dress in these impossibly tight leather pants or really hot skirts that showed off her legs with shirts that emphasised her cleavage, and she'd drive me insane. She was developing such an incredible body, and somehow she seemed oblivious to it. But I certainly wasn't. And neither were the other guys. I saw them watching her and it made me so angry. I was jealous, i'm aware of it. I was jealous that they could look at her, stare openly, and I had to sneak glances. Jealous that they had a shot with her and I had to pretend. I was an idiot.
So I reacted the only way I knew how. I would accuse her of trying to attract negative attention. But I wouldn't do it in the best way, and somehow always managed to end up insulting her. We'd fight and she'd storm off angrily. But that time we had the massive blow up after I said something beyond stupid was the first time I thought I could actually lose Letty.
I'd called her something really horrible and I'd made her feel cheap. It was stupid and uncalled for, but I'd done it. I felt so bad afterwards, as I watched her driving away. I tried to follow her, but by the time I got to her house, she'd locked herself in her room and Lucy and Eddie thought it'd be best if I let her cool down. I went back the next day, but she wouldn't see me. I tried calling, she wouldn't answer. I tried every day to talk to her. I was terrified. I'd lost Ma and Joey, but I always thought that i'd never lose Letty. But my actions, being an ass, may have meant she was gone to me. I kept trying though. I couldn't bear the thought of letting her go. So I kept going back. Eventually she let me in. I'd sat in the hallway, outside her door, for over an hour trying to get her to listen to me before she gave in.
We sat on the bed and I apologised. Ok, I grovelled. I was sorry. I didn't mean it. And she forgave me. I was so happy. I couldn't have her in the way I wanted, but I couldn't lose her at all. That was the first big fight we'd ever had. But they'd get bigger. The next one, was pretty good. It was the first one we'd had that ended in us making out. But it certainly wasn't the last. They're our trademark now. Fiery, passionate arguments finished with fiery, passionate 'making up'.
I cant even tell you why then, of all times, I chose to kiss her. All I know was I was standing there, watching her looking at me with what looked almost like fear in her eyes, and all I could think about were her lips. That and how hot she looked all flushed and angry. I know she yelled something harsh at me. But I don't remember what. She does. She's still ashamed at what she said. But she doesn't need be. Cause whatever it was, it got my ass into gear. I kissed her and I didn't stop. It was so amazing. She kissed me back. I think I ended up saying something really corny to her, but I don't care, cause it worked. We started being an 'Us' that night.
TBC...