Fallin' From The Tree (StemxStud)

23

[ Valentine ]

"So how are you feeling?" I asked Dom for the second time this hour. I was helping her tidy up the house. My large clothes were dragging on her smaller frame. Maybe I could take her to the mall today, or order some things online for her.

"I might as well answer if you're gonna keep bugging me about things. I'm doing okay, I guess. It's just hard to believe Keris is gone- You know what, it's not even that. I was raised in the church, and although God may not love me for the way that I am, I know that when someone dies, how they lived their life will determine how they spend the rest of their new life, after this world. So, it's not the fact of knowing Keris is dead, or the other cousin. It's the fact that I saw them die. I saw someone die, Tino," she told me, tears in her eyes.

"Dom, if I could go back in time and never meet Keris, I wo-

"But you see, this is all His plan. We just have to hang on, Tino. Everything happens for a reason," she smiled, wiping her wet face.

I nodded along. Who was I to contradict her upbringing? "Well, keep praying, Dom," I said in a soothing voice. "I wanna take you out today, so you can be out and about in public. You know, once you start working for Anaela and I-

"Wait, what?" she cut in, frowning.

I smiled, then covered it up with a cough. "I forgot to tell you, I'll be working with your friend. I'm going to be assisting her a little bit with her leadership position," I informed her. "So, once you start working for us, you'll be under our protection and you'll be able to be out and about."

"Before January?" Dom asked, skeptically.

"Until you die," I shrugged, with a smile.

Dom embraced me in a tight hug. "You've done so much for me Tino when you could have just killed me or let my family do it. I thank you so much," she told me. "Everything does happen for a reason," I said numbly, thinking about a couple of things.

"Are you sure?" Dom asked.

"Yes, today we're going to find you some nice clothes and you're going to party it up tomorrow. You deserve a night out. Think about it, Dom. Tomorrow is your first night a free woman. You even get your own fake ID," I grinned at her.

"Yo, but like for real?" she asked excitedly.

"Yes, you're a free woman now," I smiled kindly. I was so happy to see Dom safe. This also meant that I didn't have any more liabilities under my wing. Once Teece gets better we can start moving forward with my plan. Nobody else can go down. I care for my own family and Teece's, but if a few people get killed they'll understand. We're only as close as family gets when you lead a life such as mine.

A life of deceit.

"I'm getting a new car soon. New place too, I'm gonna try to convince Anaela that her and I should move in together," I mentioned.

Dom nudged me, "You tryna hit on my friend or something?" she asked with a smirk.

"She's cute but I'm not tryna wife her. It's strictly business. It's better for our protection if we're together rather than far apart. And if I can get Anaela to agree, you can always come over if you want. I'm sure Anaela will arrange for you to stay separately somewhere else though, with your own car and your own life."

"Is it wrong for me...with all of these opportunities, to miss my normal life with my friends?"

I looked over at Dom who leaned on the passenger door, looking out of her window sadly. "Yes," I answered and she quickly looked over, frowning. "But you won't always make good decisions in life. Maybe decisions for yourself might even be considered bad decisions," I commented. "But always do what feels right."

I leaned back in my seat, making a turn.

"But also consider what's best for your new family."

"Like what?" she asked naively.

"Like, making sure your new leader stays strong and solid," I commented slyly. "How?" Dom asked curiously. "By having your full support in me, and not questioning decisions I make. I've gotten you this far," I gestured to her in the seat of my car. "Now, you have to get me further."