Page 12 of Where We Began

I don't hear the maid coming. “Nothing. I was just running for fun.”

Dominic narrows his eyes. Smoothly, he stands without my aid. He's wearing khaki pants; he dusts them off, moving his way up, making sure his black and gray shirt is clean. It has two buttons at the top, he's done them both up, but the collar is still loose around his elegant neck. I notice I'm staring just ashenotices. “How did you sleep?”

I'm blushing - I blame my idiotic crash landing. “I don't remember that part. But I woke up on the floor.”

He laughs, shaking his head while his easy smile slides into place. It calms me. “Between that and being barefoot in the halls, I take it you really like floors.”

“Have you ever felt this rug?” I ask, pointing down. “It's super soft.”

“I've walked on it in socks,” he says.

“Not the same. Try it out.”

Dominic's mouth curls into a knot. Then he bends down, untying the laces on his glossy brown shoes. His socks the same color as his dark hair—he yanks them off. Moving beside me, he puts his weight on the balls of his feet. “Huh,” he says, toes sinking into the red fibers. “That is nice.”

“Right?” Beaming, I retrieve my shoes from where I dropped them. “Now you get it.”

“I guess.” The pinched-skin above the bridge of his nose makes him seem torn. He glances down the hall, where he was coming from.

“Are you worried someone will yell at you?” I ask, crossing my arms. “A maid snapped at me. But who cares?”

Dominic breathes in slowly. “Father is coming home today. He'd probably hate seeing me like this.”

My arms unfurl. “Why?”

Instead of answering, he crouches so he can put his shoes back on. He knots the laces so tight I hear the material squeak. “I doubt you ate yet. Let's go get something from the kitchen.”

I know he's changed the subject. I'm fine with that.

I only wish I knew why.

- Chapter 5 -

Laiken

The kitchen is bigand bright. Bold, yellow colors decorate the room on every surface; towels, tea kettles, even seat cushions. There's a spread of leftovers on a long, shiny table. The savory smell travels through my nose into my belly, shaking everything up.