If You Lie Down With Me - D.F.

7 • Liability

June 8th 2023

It had been a couple of weeks since... everything. And in that time, Macy and Dominic had practically been attached at the hip. She was still very sad though.

But even though she smiled more, laughed more, even though she had him, she was still quietly falling apart.

She didn't like people knowing that.

Especially not Dominic.

Which, unfortunately, she was doing a terrible job hiding from him. He could read her like a book.

Today was especially rough. She couldn't explain why. Maybe it was the fact that she'd only slept for 3 hours, or that she hadn't heard from Dominic all day. Which was her fault, honestly. She'd avoided him.

Because if he saw her face, if he heard her voice even for a second, he'd know. And she couldn't handle being known like that today.

Her apartment didn't help. She hated living there, hated that every inch of it whispered Derek. The couch they bought together. The record player he never used. The kitchen they danced in when they were still pretending to be in love.

So she lay bed, eyes closed, pretending to sleep, ignoring every text and call that buzzed her phone.

Until there was a knock on the door.

"Macy?" Dominic voice said.

She groaned into her pillow. He had that tone. Soft, worried, Dominic-y. The one that made her chest tighten in that stupid way she was trying to ignore.

Dragging herself out of bed, she didn't even bothering checking her reflection. What was the point?

She opened the door and the second he saw her puffy eyes, tired face, hair that probably hadn't been brushed all day, his expression dropped.

"Oh no. What happened?" he said, stepping inside and wrapping his arms around her.

The second he hugged her, she lost it. Like full body sobbing, embarrassingly loud kind of lost it. She hated it.

"Im fine. Im sorry." She sniffed, trying to pull away.

"Why are you apologizing?" he asked gently, still holding her.

"I don't know." she fake laughed through tears.

She did know. She always knew. Because being sad around people made her feel like a burden. Like she was too much.

"It's okay. Really. Whats going on?" he asked, finally pulling back and leading her to the couch.

She sat beside him, wiping her eyes with her sleeve. "I just... I hate this apartment. Everything in it reminds me of Derek. And i hate talking about Derek to you, so thats been super fun."

Dominic didn't say anything, just nodded. She could tell he already knew. He always knew.

"I think I just... Ive lived here with someone for so long now, being alone feels like this massive, echoey silence. And I know i'm supposed to be learning how to be more independent or whatever, but honestly? it just sucks."