Chapter Text
Dominik followed after Liv as she stormed off down the hall toward the women's showers. Suddenly, she stopped short and slumped against the wall with her head in her hands.
“Princesa?” he approached her slowly, as though she were an animal that might startle and run. He reached for her, brushing his knuckles across her shoulder. She whirled on him and his heart sank to his knees when he saw her eyes were red rimmed and glassy.
“Why?” She asked. She looked at the ceiling and tried in vain to blink back the tears.
“Liv, I swear, nothing is happening with me and that… kid… I,”
“No, I know, baby,” she sighed. Her already tiny frame deflated as she exhaled. She finally met his worried gaze, just in time for the tears to spill down her cheeks. “Why is Raquel gaslighting me?”
Her cheeks were hot and she wasn't sure if it was from the anger or embarrassment.Shebunever allowed herself to cry publicly, unless they were happy tears. But as she stood letting the wall hold her up staring down yet another friend abusing her trust, she couldn't fight it any longer.
“Oh, Liv,” he reached for her and pulled her into his arms as she fell to pieces. Her body shook with sobs. He rubbed her back and pressed his lips against her temple.
“I thought she was confused,” she sniffled against his chest. “I thought maybe she misunderstood what she was seeing. But seeing you earlier… there's no way she actually thought you were flirting with that girl. So why would she lie to me?”
“I…” he paused. As desperately as he wanted to console her, he was afraid to overstep. And to be completely honest, he had no idea what the hell was going on with Raquel. The woman seemed to have missed Liv terribly while she was gone, but he wasn't sure how often they'd talked or what they had said. He and Liv had spoken every day, sometimes twice a day, and Liv hadn't mentioned any tension or arguments. But there was something undeniably off about Raquel tonight. And what could she have said about what had transpired during Liv’s absence, that he hadn't already brought up?
“She's supposed to be my friend,” Liv continued, “my sister. Why would she make something up to hurt me? Why was she worried about Roxanne and not my match?” Her weight shifted against him, and he could tell she was starting to feel the exertion of the match and the emotional toll of the night.
“Guerita,” he murmured, “Please let me take you home.” He pulled back only enough so that he could tip her chin toward his face and look her in the eyes. “I don't know what to say, or how to fix this tonight. But I love you. Let me be here for you.”
She drew a shaky breath and nodded. He was right. He was usually right at times like this. One of the simple joys of their relationship was his ability to quietly and steadily shoulder the things she felt she had to conquer or be consumed by. So many times she had thought she had a partner in fighting battles head on, but his ability to stand behind her and make her feel supported was unique. She knew she had a partner, but also felt a confidence to do things on her own, knowing she finally had a safe place to land, no matter what the outcome.
“Go right on back to the locker room,” he encouraged her. “Get changed and bring the car around back. Do you have anything in the clubhouse you need to grab?” She shook her head. “Good,” he nodded. “I have to grab my bag, and I want to see to Finn's qualifier. But we can be out of here before the show is even over, yeah?” She nodded, and then leaned into his chest again. He could feel the tremble in her shoulders as she started to cry again.
“Mi amor, I promise you,” he whispered, pulling his arms tight around her, “we are gonna figure this out. And no matter what is going on,” he kissed her forehead and nuzzled into the blonde hair gathered at the crown of her head. “end of the day, it's always you and me, okay? I've got you.”
—
Liv had the Jeep running when he jogged out the staff door.
“My beautiful guerita, behind the wheel of the getaway car! I am the luckiest man alive.” He mused. He tossed his bag into the backseat and climbed into the passenger seat.
“Why is Bee a getaway car?” she asked.
“I told you I had to help with Finn's match. I helped him find a chair. With his head.” He continued, “Under Seth's foot.”
“Ugh, baby you didn't!” she winced. “He's annoying enough when he's trying to be cunning, but at least he's comically bad at it. Next week he's going to be absolutely belligerent.”
“Whatever bullshit he's up to spoiled your first match back.” He said with a shake of his head. “I can't let that slide. Besides, I have plausible deniability.” He looked over at her as his lips curled to a mischievous smirk. “I’m known to have absolute dogshit aim with chairs.”
Liv laughed out loud for the first time in hours. Relieved to see her smile, he reached to put his arm around her shoulder. He held her like that until the Jeep crunched to a halt as she pulled up on the farm's gravel driveway. He took her hand and kissed it as they reached the front door.
“I mean it, guerita,” he said tenderly. “Whatever is coming, it's me and you.”
“It's never a loss, as long as we're together.” She nodded. It was something they'd decided after what could have been a humiliating loss in Berlin last summer, and they'd since reminded one another as an occasional pep talk.
“That's right” he smiled and held the door open for her. He dropped their bags unceremoniously off to the side, and slid up behind her as she set her keys on the console table and toed off her sneakers. “You are mine, and I am all yours.” he dipped his head to kiss her shoulder and wrapped his arms around her waist.
“Is that right?” She chuckled softly. She turned in his arms and looked up at him. In the still dark hallway, the moonlight reflected in her eyes gave them a shining aquamarine glow.
“Show me.” It came out somewhere between a demand and a plea, in a voice soft but thick with emotion.
He kept one arm around her waist and scooped the other under her knees to cradle her against his chest as he carried her to bed.
—
It was barely light when Liv woke with a start. Her heart pounded, and she blinked away the image from her nightmare of Roxanne Perez’s hand reaching for Dominik's shoulder. ‘He's right here’ she reminded herself, forcing herself to focus on the warm weight of him in the bed beside her. ‘Right where he belongs.’
She rolled toward him, and slung her arm around his waist, pressing her cheek against his back. Hot tears stung in her eyes, but she forbid them to fall. She hated how badly she needed to hold him, that she had to cling to him as though he might slip away. She knew, in her heart, that he was the most genuine man she'd ever met, and that his love for her was real. But her mind was laden with memories of broken promises, broken bonds, and so many broken hearted nights.
He draped his arm over hers, and gently squeezed her hand. “It's early, mi amor.” he mumbled.
“I'm sorry, honey.” She groaned, pressing a kiss to the back of his shoulder, as she propped herself up on her elbow. I didn't mean to wake you, I'll go to the living room.” But he just held her hand tighter.
“Stay right here,” he yawned, rolling onto his back without opening his eyes, “and either I'll wake up the rest of the way or you'll fall back to sleep.”
She couldn't help but smile at his optimism, though after almost a year of waking in each other's beds he knew damn well that once she was up there was virtually zero chance of her getting any more rest. Partly to humor him, and partly because it was her favorite place to be, she tucked in at his side and rested her head over his heart.
“I've got to get up anyway,” she grumbled quietly. “I have to be down in Miami by 1 for Nattie's party.
“Oh yeah, I forgot that's today.” Dominik shifted, abandoning all hope of going back to sleep. “Can I drive you down? Soak up a few more hours?”
Liv smiled softly. “Depends. Are you going to hang around and get a room in the hotel with us? I mean, I'll need the Jeep to get home tomorrow.”
“An extra night with the love of my life, I don't know… sounds terrible.” He teased. He rolled over to face her, and reached to cup her cheek with his hand. “You are, you know,” he murmured, “you're the love of my life, Liv.”
She tilted her head into his touch. She had stopped questioning how he always knew what she needed. Sometimes it felt like her thoughts were being broadcast out loud in a language that only he understood.
“The feeling Is very, very mutual.” She smiled. She let him pull her up against him, sighing softy as the pad of his thumb found the strip of exposed skin between her tshirt and her shorts. She kissed him deeply, eagerly, and shut her mind to anything other than the sensations of where his body was touching hers.
He shifted his weight toward her, nudging her thighs open with his leg as he rolled her onto her back. He skimmed his hands over her skin slowly, almost reverently. He could feel her anxiety, and it devastated him. He knew he couldn’t change whatever was going on with Raquel, but he'd be damned if he didn’t go the extra mile to show her that with him, at least, she was entirely safe and loved.
So he took his time making love to her. He let his fingers trace every curve of her frame, and every cut of her muscles. His lips hovered over her skin letting his breath tickle and cool every spot after he kissed her. He wrapped her completely in his embrace while she came undone for him, and whispered her name like it was a magic incantation. To him, it very much was.
After, while she showered, he made her tea and sliced up some fresh fruit for breakfast. They ate in a companionable quiet at the counter. She sat close beside him, rocking her knee playfully into his. After they got the animals settled for the day and threw together their overnight bags, they hopped into the Jeep and headed south. Liv was excited for a day in the sun, and Dominik was relieved to see her feeling lighter and happy.
They held hands over the center console and sang along with the radio all morning as they drove.
—
The sun was setting when he picked up a giggling and sunscorched Liv at the marina. Half the women's roster wobbled back onto the charter's dock, shaking off their sea legs, the tequila, or likely some combination of both.
He exchanged a stony glare with Rhea as she passed by and he prayed silently that the boat was larger than it looked, so that she and Liv might have steered clear of each other.
When Liv and Jojo had stepped down and she caught sight of him, she had run to him and hopped into his arms. He grinned reflexively, though he blushed at the public display of uppies.
“What kind of night am I in for?” He chuckled to Nattie as she approached them to thank Liv for the party.
“Meh, the sun is gonna be her biggest regret.” She shrugged. “Make sure you have aloe vera. Otherwise, get her a nice dinner, and she'll be fine.” she assured him, but she exaggeratedly mouthed ‘carbs’ when Liv turned to wave goodbye to Bianca.
After dinner, pasta for Liv per Nattie's advice, they went back to the hotel. She had begged off drinks with the girls, blaming her blossoming sunburn which was only half a lie. He joined her in a ‘cold’ shower, which anyone other than Liv would describe as merely warm. He washed the salt water from her hair and after toweling off, he rubbed the newly purchased aloe gel into her reddening back and shoulders.
They say on the bed, her between his legs while he braided her still damp hair. She fell quiet and still, save fidgeting with the drawstring of her shorts as he tied the thick braid off with a hair elastic.
“Hey,” he said softly, tapping her temple lightly, “whats going on in here?”
She sat up on her knees as she turned to face him.
“I think you should pretend to pay Roxanne a little bit of attention.” she said solemnly.
“Guerita,” he started with uncertainty. “I don't like where this is going.”
“I'm not saying you should ask her out or anything.” She quickly clarified. “Trust me, baby, there is nothing in the world I want less than to have you entertain her.” She grimaced at the thought, and reached to twist her fingers in the ends of his hair. “But if we're going to find out what's the play, who is involved, and how deep…” she sighed. “I think we need to play along, just a little bit.”
Dominik frowned. She was already worrying at her bottom lip, and this whole thing felt like a disaster waiting to happen. But she had a valid point, and he had yet to come up with any ideas to suggest as an alternative.
“Can we sleep on it, at least?” He asked. “It's smart, mi amor, but it will get messy and it might actually kill me to hurt you.”
She nodded and trailed her hand down his chest to wrap around his side. Her head found it's usual place over his heart, and he kissed her hair as he wrapped her in his arms.
“I love you so much,” she murmured. “I love that you want to protect me.”
“You're everything to me.” He replied. “And if that's how we get things right in the long run, I'll do it. But I can't stand the thought of it getting between us.”
“It would just be at work,” she reasoned, "and I promise I'd let you know if it gets to be too much. At the end of the day, it's always you and me, remember.”
Nodding, he laid them both back on the bed, shifting her to his side. He leaned his head against hers and promised her “And I will never forget.”