The one thorn in my side is the fact that Dom is meeting me there. He doesn't want Susie to suspect a thing, even though I'm pretty sure she already knows about us. When I come down the stairs, it makes me a little sad not to see him waiting for me.
But I hear Susie honking outside, and there's no time for sadness. I rush outside and get into her car as she interrogates me about what's been going on. I laugh and remain vague, which drives her crazy.
"You little minx," she says, throwing me a look and nearly swerving off the road.
"Susie!" I yell in horror. "Eyes on the road!"
"No fuck? No dammit?" she asks, shaking her head. "I don't know what's happened to you, girlfriend."
We're still laughing when we arrive at the site of the carnival, getting out of the car. Susie has to help me get across the gravel in my high wedges, but my struggle is forgotten as soon as she spots the cotton candy stand. She shrieks in delight and rushes to get in line for the sweet pink candy.
I giggle and follow, reconsidering my choice of footwear. I'm already looking around, trying to spot Dom. I want our so-called random encounter to happen as soon as possible.
My eyes scan the crowd and my expression sours as soon as I spot a familiar group of guys, which unfortunately includes Adrian. As soon as he spots me, I look away in a rush, unwilling to spend a moment of my precious time with him.
But then my eyes land on another familiar figure, and this time it's someone I'm more than a little glad to see. My lips stretch into a smile as I drink Dom in with my eyes. But as soon as I realize what he's doing, my happy expression falters.
Dom is leaning against a vending machine, wearing a badass leather jacket I've never seen on him. As I watch him, he takes it off, revealing a V-neck black tee. His biceps are exposed and bulging, covered with the delicious ink I've come to love.
But what's more disturbing is the person he's flexing his muscles for. She's a pretty, petite blonde with perky breasts and a too-short tennis skirt. Her cleavage is practically pressed against Dom's face.
My lips purse when I see them talking, and I realize I'm fucking jealous. I'm jealous of the way he's laughing at her, jealous of his eyes appraising her tight, lithe body. I'm seething when he reaches over, poking her as she giggles.
And then Dom's eyes land on mine and his smile grows wilder.
As he comes towards me, saying goodbye to the blonde, my heartbeat falters. I don't trust him, I realize with sadness. Not completely. Not yet.
"Hey, darlin’," he greets me, his signature smirk ever present on his face. "Missed me?"
I make a shushing sound, looking around like someone's going to leap out of the bushes and bust us. I don't know why, but I'm already smiling, my cheeks reddening.
Dom laughs at my discomfort, grabbing my hips and pulling me closer, planting a kiss right on my lips, in the middle of the carnival. My mouth gapes in shock, but secretly, I couldn't be more pleased. He just acknowledged me… I can almost feel the blonde's jealous gaze upon us.
"What's going on here?" Susie wonders a moment later, her smile wide as she giggles at the sight of us. We refuse to answer, shooting each other guilty looks, and Susie snorts.
"Come on, lovebirds," she says with a dramatic gasp. "Let's have some fun. You can eat each other's faces when we've left."
Dom smirks, but I can tell he likes her. Susie has a no-fucks-given attitude, and I think she and Dom will get along just fine. For some reason, that makes me feel strangely happy.
We spend a fun evening together, eating sweets and carnival snacks and trying out every single ride in the park. Dom even wins me this goofy, enormous stuffed penguin. I say it's stupid, but I still insist on lugging him around with me for the rest of the night. There's a silly smile plastered across my face for the rest of the evening.
Finally, the night comes to an end, and a bunch of us are standing in the parking lot.
"Come on, Cass," Susie motions me over. "Let me give you a ride home."
Dom clears his throat, and I look between the two of them, feeling torn. "Erm," I say, and Susie gives me a hard look. "I guess I'll just go with Dom. We live in the same house, after all."
Susie glares at me but ends up laughing it off and winking at me as she comes over for a quick hug. She pulls me in closer and whispers in my ear. "I want to hear all the details tomorrow."