When Storm Clouds Hover

60: Dom - Unravelling

An hour into the formal, Dom began to long for the evening to be over. He hadn't anticipated how torturous it would be to watch Izzy with Cole. One moment they were dancing together, Cole's hand on the small of her back. The next, they were at the cocktail table, Izzy laughing at some lame joke of Cole's, him getting her drinks.

Dom had promised Izzy he'd make it through the night but truthfully, it made him uncomfortable to see the two of them together, especially knowing that Cole had feelings for her. They seemed to be having fun and Izzy hadn't said much to him or tried to come near him all night.

And then there was Em. She had been ridiculously flirty with him from the get-go. It was almost unbearable. He'd tried to be sensitive, but she was getting on his nerves.

Out of politeness, he'd asked Em to dance and now the music had slowed, and she was gazing at him like they were going to make out or something. Trying not to be too obvious, he took a small step back from her. He needed to put some distance between them.

'What's wrong, babe?' Em said.

'Don't call me that,' Dom said softly, in as gentle a tone as he could muster. 'You know we're not together, Em.'

'What that's supposed to mean?'

'Exactly what I said.' Dom responded irritably. 'We talked about this. We've broken up. You're looking at me like ... like, well, ...you know what you're doing.'

'What am I doing?' Em grinned. She put her hand on his arm.

'Em, I'm serious. I'm not into it!'

'God, you're arrogant!' Em said with a huff.

'There's no nice way to say it, though, is there?' Dom said. 'We said we'd go to formal as friends but you're not looking friendly to me.'

Em took a step back. 'Fuck you! I'm trying to make something work between us.'

'I'm sorry,' Dom said, and he meant it. He didn't want to cause her pain. 'You look so pretty tonight, you do...but...'

Em didn't wait for any further explanation. Instead, she stalked off the dancefloor leaving him alone.

Unfortunately, Izzy chose that moment to look up from where she was standing by the drinks table. Dom saw her expression darken. He watched as she leaned over and said something in Cole's ear. The next he saw; Izzy was going after Em.

God, what a mess!

Cole came over to Dom to ask what was going on but Dom brushed him off rudely. He sat down on an empty table and put his head between his hands, contemplating what to do next. He thought he should probably go after Em and check on her, but he didn't make a move.

Cole handed Dom a fruit cocktail into which he'd snuck some vodka from a hip flask. Dom downed it, the liquid was surprisingly delicious and spread a warm feeling through his chest.

'Thanks, man,' he said.

'The drama continues, eh?' Cole said.

Dom nodded. 'Don't you know it.' He stood up and made his way outside.

As he stepped out the venue into the crisp night air, Dom spotted Izzy on her way back from the car park. She seemed annoyed. He greeted her and tried to take hold of her hand as she attempted to walk past him. A waft of her perfume piqued his senses. Daisy by Marc Jacobs, one of his favourites.

'Don't,' Izzy said, pulling her arm back.

'Iz, I'm sorry,' Dom said. 'Where is Em? Is she okay?'

'She's waiting for her mum outside. She called her to take her home. The afterparty is off.' Izzy's eyes fixed him with a stare.

'I'll go and talk to her,' Dom said.

'She's upset,' Izzy responded. 'If you make it worse, I swear to God, I'll....'

'I won't...' Dom interrupted her mid-sentence. Lightly he squeezed her wrist and turned toward the car park. 'I'll be back, alright?'