Pitch of Hearts

TWENTY-TWO

The door creaked open as Dominik stepped into his home, a mixture of relief and discomfort lingering from the unexpected encounter with Talia. As he entered, he found Milica sprawled on the couch, comfortably adorned in one of his shirts, indulging in the guilty pleasure of Love Island.

For a moment, Dominik stood in the doorway, watching Milica lost in the antics of reality TV. The evening, tainted by the unwelcome episode with Talia, made Dominik hesitate about sharing the details with Milica. He decided to postpone the conversation, hoping that the encounter would fade into insignificance.

Cautiously, Dominik approached the couch, casting a playful grin. "Love Island, huh?"

Milica, tearing her gaze away from the screen, flashed a mischievous smile. "Don't judge me. It's a guilty pleasure."

Dominik chuckled, the weight of the night's events temporarily pushed to the background. As Milica made room for him on the couch, he couldn't resist the impulse to stretch out foolishly, resting his head on her chest.

Milica giggled, running her fingers through his hair. "You're such a goof, Dom."

Dominik, appreciating the moment of levity, decided to keep the darker shadows concealed—for now. As Milica leaned in for a kiss, Dominik welcomed the warmth of the connection. However, the moment was interrupted by an unexpected sneeze.

Milica pulled back, her nose wrinkling. "What's that smell?"

Confused, Dominik lifted his head, a genuine question in his eyes. "What smell? I don't smell anything."

Milica sneezed again, more pronounced this time. "It's something on you, Dom. Something I'm allergic to."

Dominik, perplexed, examined himself. "I don't know what you're talking about. I don't have anything on me."

Milica, narrowing her eyes, asked, "Who were you with tonight, Dom?"

Caught off guard, Dominik hesitated. "What do you mean? I was just out."

Milica, her allergy symptoms worsening, pressed further. "You smell like something I'm allergic to. Don't lie, Dom. Who were you with?"

In that moment, Dominik weighed the options. He could sense the potential turbulence this revelation might cause, and an impulse to protect Milica from unnecessary worry led him to choose a half-truth.

"Maybe it's just some after-shave or something," Dominik suggested, attempting to play it off as casual.

Milica, still suspicious, eyed him. "After-shave? Really? What's the real story, Dom?"

Dominik, choosing to avoid the shadows that loomed over the night, shrugged nonchalantly. "Honestly, Milica, it's nothing. I probably brushed against something while I was out. Let's not make a big deal out of it."

Milica, not entirely convinced but willing to let it go for the moment, sighed. "Fine, Dom. But you better figure out what that smell is, or you're sleeping on the couch."

As Dominik promised to investigate the mysterious scent, a complex web of concealed truths and unspoken details lingered in the air. Little did he know that the fragrance of the night, with its traces of hidden encounters, would become a lingering thread in the fabric of their shared moments, silently waiting to be unraveled in the chapters yet to come.