Chapter 16 Chapter 16
Chapter 16 Chapter 16
Dominic’s POV
I knew the second I walked into that locker room that something was off.
Not because of her.
Because of him.
Ethan Cole.
Of all people.
Standing there like he belonged. Like he had any right to be anywhere near her.
My jaw tightened just thinking about it again as I slammed my locker shut harder than necessary. The sound echoed, sharp and final, but it didn’t do anything to settle the irritation crawling under my skin.
Actually, it made it worse.
“Dude,” Marcus muttered from across the room, glancing over. “You planning to break the locker or just threaten it?”
I ignored him, grabbing my hoodie and pulling it over my head in one rough motion.
“Dom.”
Still nothing.
“Dominic.”
“What?” I snapped, turning toward him.
He raised his hands slightly. “Relax. I was just asking what’s got you acting like you want to punch through a wall.”
“I’m fine.”
Marcus snorted. “Yeah. You look real fine.”
I shot him a look that should’ve ended the conversation.
It didn’t.
“Was that Ethan Cole?” he asked, lowering his voice slightly like it mattered.
My shoulders tensed again.
“I don’t know,” I said flatly.
“Don’t give me that,” Marcus replied. “That was him. Thought he transferred out.”
“He did.”
“Then why is he here?”
I grabbed my bag, slinging it over my shoulder. “Why do you care?”
Marcus studied me for a second.
Then his expression shifted.
“Oh,” he said slowly. “This isn’t about him, is it?”
I stopped.
Turned.
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“It means,” he continued, stepping closer, “you don’t get this worked up over random people. So either Cole did something… or he’s about to.”
My jaw clenched.
“Drop it, Marcus.”
He didn’t.
“This about Aria?”
There it was.
I let out a sharp breath, running a hand through my hair. “Stay out of it.”
Marcus let out a low whistle. “Damn. It is.”
“I said drop it.”
“Okay, okay,” he said, though the look on his face said he wasn’t done. “Just saying… you might want to figure out why you care so much.”
“I don’t.”
“Right.”
I stepped closer, my voice dropping. “I don’t.”
Marcus held my gaze for a second.
Then nodded once.
“Sure,” he said.
But he didn’t believe me.
And the worst part?
Neither did I.
\---
I found her outside.
Of course I did.
Leaning against the side of the building like she wasn’t the reason my entire mood had gone to hell in the last ten minutes.
Aria Bennett.
She didn’t notice me at first.
Good.
That gave me a second.
A second to look.
To actually look.
Her hair was slightly messy, like she had run her hands through it one too many times. Her posture wasn’t relaxed, even though she was trying to make it look that way. And her eyes…
Her eyes were somewhere else.
Thinking.
About him?
The thought hit harder than it should have.
I pushed it down immediately.
Not my problem.
Not my business.
So why was I walking toward her?
“Skipping out already?”
Her head snapped up at the sound of my voice.
And just like that, whatever she had been thinking about disappeared behind that guarded expression she wore so well.
“I could ask you the same thing,” she replied.
I shrugged, stopping a few feet away. “Practice is over.”
“So is my patience.”
That almost made me smile.
Almost.
“Tough day?” I asked.
She let out a quiet breath. “You could say that.”
Silence settled between us.
Not awkward.
Just… loaded.
“You know him,” I said finally.
It wasn’t a question.
She didn’t pretend it was.
“Yes.”
“How?”
She hesitated.
I noticed.
“I asked first,” I added.
Her eyes narrowed slightly. “That doesn’t mean I have to answer.”
“It kind of does.”
“No, it doesn’t.”
I took a step closer.
“Aria.”
“Dominic.”
Same tone.
Same edge.
Neither of us backing down.
“Who is he?” I asked again.
She held my gaze for a long second.
Then sighed.
“He’s… someone I knew before I came here.”
“That doesn’t tell me anything.”
“It tells you enough.”
“No, it doesn’t,” I said, my voice sharper now. “Because he walked into the locker room like he had a reason to be there. Like he was looking for you.”
“He was.”
That answer hit faster than I expected.
“And you’re okay with that?” I asked.
Her expression shifted slightly.
“What is that supposed to mean?”
“It means,” I said, stepping closer again, “you don’t seem surprised to see him. You don’t seem bothered either.”
“And that’s a problem because…?”
“Because people don’t just show up like that for no reason.”
“And what if they do?” she challenged.
“They don’t.”
She laughed quietly, but there was no humor in it. “You don’t know everything, Dominic.”
“I know enough.”
“Clearly not.”
That did it.
“What’s that supposed to mean?” I asked, my voice dropping.
“It means,” she said, stepping closer now, matching my energy, “you’re acting like you have a say in who I talk to, who I see, what I do. You don’t.”
“I never said I did.”
“You don’t have to say it. You act like it.”
I clenched my jaw.
“That’s not what this is.”
“Then what is it?” she asked.
The question hung there.
Heavy.
Real.
And I didn’t have an answer.
Not one I was willing to say out loud.
“I’m trying to help you,” I said instead.
Her eyes searched mine, like she was looking for something deeper than that.
“That’s not what it feels like,” she said quietly.
“Then what does it feel like?”
“Like you don’t trust me.”
I frowned. “I don’t trust him.”
“That’s not the same thing.”
“It is when he’s around you.”
Her expression hardened slightly.
“You don’t get to decide that.”
“I’m not deciding anything.”
“You are,” she shot back. “You’re making assumptions. You’re judging him without knowing anything.”
“I know enough.”
“You keep saying that,” she said, shaking her head. “But you don’t even know the full story.”
“Then tell me.”
She went quiet.
And that silence…
That told me everything.
“Yeah,” I muttered. “That’s what I thought.”
“Don’t do that,” she snapped.
“Do what?”
“Act like you understand when you don’t.”
“I understand more than you think.”
“No, you don’t,” she said firmly. “Because if you did, you wouldn’t be standing here trying to control something that isn’t yours to control.”
The words hit harder than anything else she’d said.
Control.
That’s what she thought this was.
“That’s not what I’m doing,” I said.
“Then prove it.”
I stared at her.
“How?”
“Stop,” she said simply.
“Stop what?”
“Stop acting like you have a right to interfere.”
Silence.
Sharp.
Unforgiving.
And for a second… I almost did it.
Almost stepped back.
Almost let it go.
But then I thought about the way Ethan looked at her.
The way he spoke.
The way he showed up out of nowhere like he still had some kind of claim.
And something in me snapped.
“I’m not staying out of it,” I said.
Her eyes widened slightly.
“Excuse me?”
“You heard me.”
“You don’t get to make that decision.”
“I just did.”
She let out a disbelieving laugh. “You’re unbelievable.”
“Maybe,” I said. “But I’m not wrong.”
“You don’t even know him.”
“I know guys like him.”
“Oh, really?” she shot back. “And what does that mean?”
“It means he doesn’t just show up for no reason. It means whatever history you have with him isn’t over.”
Her expression faltered.
Just for a second.
But I saw it.
And that was enough.
“That’s what this is about, isn’t it?” I continued. “He’s not just some ‘old friend.’”
“Stop,” she said.
“No,” I replied. “Because you’re not being honest.”
“And you are?” she challenged.
“Yes.”
“Then answer me this,” she said, stepping closer again, her voice lower now. “Why do you care?”
There it was.
That question again.
The one I didn’t want to answer.
The one I couldn’t answer.
“I already told you,” I said. “He’s trouble.”
“That’s not what I asked.”
“It’s the answer you’re getting.”
“It’s not good enough.”
“Too bad.”
Silence.
Thick.
Tense.
And then she shook her head.
“You know what?” she said quietly. “Forget it.”
She stepped back.
Creating distance.
And for some reason, that felt worse than anything else.
“I don’t need this,” she added. “I don’t need you trying to control my life.”
“I’m not controlling anything.”
“That’s exactly what you’re doing.”
“I’m looking out for you.”
“I didn’t ask you to.”
“You didn’t have to.”
Her expression hardened.
“I don’t want you to.”
That…
That landed.
Harder than anything else.
For a second, I didn’t move.
Didn’t speak.
Didn’t react.
Because I wasn’t expecting that.
“Good,” I said finally, my voice colder than I intended. “Then we’re clear.”
She nodded once.
“Crystal.”
And then she turned.
Walked away.
Just like that.
No hesitation.
No looking back.
I stood there, watching her go, something tight settling in my chest.
Annoyance.
Frustration.
Something else I didn’t want to name.
I exhaled sharply, dragging a hand down my face.
This was ridiculous.
All of it.
She could talk to whoever she
wanted.
It wasn’t my problem.
She wasn’t my responsibility.
So why did it feel like something was slipping out of my control?
And why did I care?
I pushed off the wall, turning in the opposite direction.
I needed to clear my head.
Needed to focus.
Because if I didn’t…
This was going to get messy.
And I didn’t do messy.
Not anymore.
But as I walked away, one thought refused to leave
Ethan Cole didn’t come back for nothing
And whatever he wanted
It had everything to do with her.