If You Lie Down With Me - D.F.

13 • Brutal

June 24th, 2023

Macy woke up to the smell of coffee and the soft clink of a spoon tapping against ceramic.

Her eyes fluttered open slowly. The blanket had slipped halfway down her shoulder. Dominics couch wasn't exactly comfortable, but somehow she'd slept like a rock. Or maybe that was just emotional exhaustion.

Sunlight streamed through the half closed blinds, warming one side of her face. She blinked, disoriented for a second, until she heard his voice float in from the kitchen.

"You want creamer, or are you still doing that thing where you drink it black so people think you're deep?"

Macy groaned into the pillow. "Shut up, i'm mysterious."

Dominic peeked around the corner, already fully dressed in one of his oversized shirts and shorts, mug in hand. "You're delusional,"

He said walking over and handing her the steaming mug. "But here."

She sat up slowly, taking the mug. "Thanks."

They sipped in comfortable silence for a moment, the kind only people with shared history could sir in without awkwardness. Dominic had his usual dumb bedhead, no matter how much he denied having it, and Macy kept catching herself looking him for too long.

"How'd you sleep?" he asked, rubbing his eyes.

"Like a homeless raccoon." She took another sip. "Your couch is as hard as a rock."

He grinned. "It's got personality."

"It's got scoliosis."

Dominic laughed, rubbing the back of his neck. "Fair."

Macy looked down in her cup, swirling the coffee around. "Thanks for letting me crash. I didn't mean to... you know overstay."

He shrugged. "You never do."

The words weren't mean, but something about the way he said them made her chest tighten. She wasn't sure why. Maybe because it was true. Maybe because she always felt like she was clinging to borrowed time with him.

They didn't talk about last night. About what she said. About what he didn't. It just hung there, heavy and invisible.

Dominic tapped her knee with his. "Wanna help me write sad songs about people we'll never admit we miss?"

Macy smiled. "Only if we can rhyme damage with baggage and call it a metaphor."

He nearly chocked on his coffee. "You're genuinely insufferable."

"But you love it."

He didn't respond, just gave her this quiet little smile, the kind that made her feel like maybe he really did.

—

Later, they headed to the studio. Macy's album was still in progress, and since Dominic had wrapped his own, he offered to help.