14. Dominic

The clink of the ice cubes against glass sounded loud in the relatively quiet atmosphere of the room. The sun was setting, casting the room in a reddish orange glow to mimic the light of the fire I hadn’t bothered to light. The power had been returned, with Aldo having left me a note saying everything was replaced, and for me to not worry about anything.

The emphasis had struck me hard as I’d read the words, feeling a moment of guilt for even daring to suspect he might spread tales. No, the people who’d glared at me and mocked Cielo were either those responding to Steven’s story, or simply to Cielo’s presence. For all the brightness and joy he brought into my life, he was a magnet for other kinds of attention as well.

The thought saddened me, and I swirled the glass of untouched liquor around. Drowning my sorrows had seemed like a marvelous idea after the day I’d had. By the time I’d made it home, I’d been so miserable I couldn’t bring myself to do any work. Instead, I’d laid around all day until evening began to set in, doing both thinking and trying desperately to not think too much. The idea of a drink had started before sunset, and I had only gone so far as to pour it.

It was a fine liquor, and after a couple of full glasses of it, I was sure I’d be beyond any real thought. However, part of me felt I might deserve to be miserable and sober for a bit longer. The other part felt I needed to think clearly, if only to come up with some solution to my problem.

Yet, the more I thought about it, the more I realized that the problem wasn’t the people of the town. Cielo had been absolutely right, only a very few people had been outright hostile or rude to me. The majority of the town had been their normal, friendly selves upon seeing me, even with the bright and cheerful Cielo in tow.

“Is it possible they’d be the same way if they knew the truth?” I asked the ice cubes.

It would be easy for most people to dismiss Steven’s stories, and whatever accusations came with them as the product of one man’s spite. However, it would be a different matter entirely if they had concrete proof that there was more between me and Cielo than just a casual friendship.

The house and the orchard had never felt as isolated and empty before, and I knew it was missing Cielo. If anyone had ever asked me before his arrival, if I ever felt lonely, I would have been confused. I sought alone time and enjoyed being on my own. Sure, I’d mourned the passing of my parents a few years back, but even then, I had done so privately, as I liked to do most things.

I thought it was a bit like asking someone sensitive to noise if they ever missed concerts. The person would have snorted and shot the question down, and so it would have been with me.

Then again, that same person might change their mind if they found a concert that opened up a well within their soul and poured beautiful light into it. It was the same with Cielo, who had dropped unexpectedly into my life and changed it completely. Without him around, everything seemed dull and without any real joy behind it. The house was too quiet, and the property too lonely.

Rather than make another futile attempt to drink, I set the glass down and picked up the pad of paper beside the couch. I flipped open the cover, running my fingers over the doodles Cielo had left behind. He would probably eventually come by for his things before he left town, including the doodles. My chest clenched as I tried to smile at the goofy cartoon apple people who had a knack for finding trouble. Soon I’d have to let go of all pieces of Cielo from my life, with only the memory to keep.

A knock on the door dragged my attention away from the doodle pad. Sighing, I heaved myself up from the couch and made my way down the hall to open the door. I stopped when I caught sight of Steven standing on my porch, mouth a set of thin lines.

I blinked. “Steven?”

It was then I realized there was something clutched in his arms. It was a basket, which he promptly shoved toward me. Hesitantly, I took it, peering down into it as if it might have snakes in it. Instead, I found an assortment of baked goods, some I recognized as being Debby’s special chocolate and mint cookies, and galaxy-painted muffins from Edward’s bakery.

“I acted like an ass, and I want you to have these as an apology for it.”

The words were said evenly, with Steven’s eyes locked on my feet. I couldn’t help a small smile as I looked at the strong man, who had apparently been forced to come out on the night of the Lights.

“Debby?”

He sighed. “She tore me a new one and told me I behaved like a jackass. Thing is, she wasn’t wrong, I shouldn’t have talked like that in front of your… friend, or you. I don’t need to be running my mouth like that, especially about something I don’t know anything about.”

I kept my face free of any grin as I heard Debby coming through Steven’s mouth. She was a homemaker for sure, but she’d always been a fierce woman who didn’t take anyone’s nonsense either. If she’d caught wind of the true story of what happened when her husband had come here, I had no doubt in my mind that she’d given him the business.

Steven swallowed. “And I’m supposed to tell you that if you and the other guy want to come to dinner some time, to do it. You’re always welcome in our house… and I’ll be by tomorrow to spread the fertilizer around.”

I gazed down at the assortment of sweets in the basket, and my smile faded away. Steven had been a prime example of the sort of reaction I had always dreaded, but I’d never once thought about the people who would be like Debby. Sure, her husband was obviously still angry about the whole thing, but not so angry and prideful as to not apologize, even if it was begrudgingly. It was just like the people on the streets of Hilsbury. Sure, there were those who were cold, but the vast majority had been warm and friendly.

Closing my eyes, I sighed. “Steven, I appreciate it, and I’ll pay to replace the clothes that got ruined. But right now, I’m going to have to ask you to leave, because I’ve got to get down to the viewing.”

He looked up in confusion. “You’re going there? Didn’t seem like your sort of thing.”

Setting the basket down and grabbing my coat, I pushed out onto the porch. I ignored Steven’s confused stare as I hopped off the steps and jogged to my truck. My parents hadn’t raised a fool, but damned if I hadn’t been acting like one. I had been so caught up in trying to keep things how they were, that I could have very well thrown away the best thing to come my way.

“Why are you going there?” Steven called.

“To make my own apologies,” I called as my truck engine roared to life.

Maybe the world wasn’t all rainbows and unicorns, but that didn’t mean I should avoid any color in my life at all.

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A/N: we're almost to the ending ya'll! as always, votes and comments are much appreciated <3