While You Were Teaching

Chapter 21- One Step Forward, Two Steps Back

"This place is really starting to grow on me." I said, looking up at Dominic.  We were back at Hyde Park, sitting on top of a wooden picnic table staring at the pond.  It had become our place, just like Dominic had jokingly predicted on our first date.  It was the one place where I didn't feel the need to check over my shoulder every few minutes for prying eyes.  In all the hours we'd spent here over the last few months, the only other breathing thing I'd encountered were the ducks that Dominic and I sometimes brought bread for.

"See? I told you.  I knew you would like it." He put his arm around me and pulled me toward him.  I happily  snuggled up next to him, laying my head on his shoulder.  

"Why did you show me this place? I know you told me it was because you thought I would like it, but what made you think that? I mean, we hardly knew each other at the time."

He studied my face for a few moments and I watched as his eyebrows furrowed in concentration.  Damn, he's cute when he's thinking.  

In class, whenever someone stumps him with a particularly hard question, he always gets extra quiet and this really intense look overcomes his face and you can tell he's using all his energy to think of the exact words to say.  He's very articulate like that.

"Well, if you remember it was kind of a spur of the moment thing.  You had forced me into going to a movie with you." A brilliant smile lit up his face. "And I guess I wanted to show it to you because of how much I like coming here.  If you hadn't liked the park..." He trailed off, a smirk appearing on his face.

"What?" My mouth drops in surprise. "If I hadn't liked the park we wouldn't be dating?" My body started shaking from his weight as he began to laugh.  "What?" I shoved him playfully.

"I didn't mean for it to come out like that.  I guess what I'm trying to say is that up until that point I'd been trying to get myself to not think about you.  To not think about what kind of things you might like.  Or what kind of person you are.  And then everything happened so quickly.  I wanted to show you a part of me.  This park was my biggest secret.  I showed it to you to see if you felt the magic too."

"And I did." I smiled happily as I leaned back into him.

"You did."

We were quiet for a few moments, letting nature do all the talking.  Each of us was lost in our own thoughts.  There was something that had been on my mind ever since Dominic and I had made us official, but I wasn't sure how to bring it up.  I didn't want to offend him, or bring up anything that would remind him of all the reasons why we shouldn't be here, but I knew that if I didn't ask that everything would get even worse.

"Dominic?" My voice was hesitant as I braced myself for his response.

"Yeah?"

"You don't think we're making a mistake, right? I don't want to bring this up again, but I feel like anyone else not in our shoes would call this a mistake."  These were not the words I had planned to say, but they were the ones that came out.

However, Dominic didn't look too fazed with my doubts.  He was probably used to them by now.  I had certainly voiced them enough.

"Maybe." His voice was deadpan.  I couldn't read his expression at the moment, so I decided to take this comment as Dominic's usual dry wit.

"You always know the right thing to say, Dominic." I said sarcastically, but he surprised me with what he said next.

"Maybe we are." He said turning to me with a serious expression on his face.  His blue eyes looked darker than normal and his lips were set in a straight line. "It's only after the fact that you truly realize that it was a mistake.  I don't think you can really tell beforehand."