The world outside the room seemed distant, muffled by the thick silence that hung heavy between Elijah and Dominic. The air was thick with unspoken words and unaddressed emotions, but neither of them made a move to break the tension. Elijah was still in Dominic's arms, feeling the steady rhythm of his heartbeat, but it was like being trapped in a cage of his own making.
Elijah wasn't sure what to feel anymore. Everything was so mixed up, so tangled between the desire to be with Dominic and the fear of what it would mean for him—his life, his future. The life Dominic led was dangerous, it always had been, but it was the weight of that reality that Elijah was beginning to understand. His hands slowly rested against Dominic's chest, feeling the steady, unyielding muscles beneath the tailored suit.
"Let me go," Elijah said quietly, his voice strained. He wasn't ready for this—whatever this was. He wasn't ready to dive into Dominic's world, to be tangled up in his obsession. But at the same time, something deep within him pulled him closer. He didn't want to be alone. Not anymore.
Dominic's grip on him tightened for a second, but then he slowly let go, stepping back. His expression was unreadable, a mask of control. "You're not ready for this," he repeated, almost as though it were a mantra. "You think you can just walk into my world and expect it to be easy, Elijah? You think this is just some game for you?"
"I never said that," Elijah responded quickly, his voice filled with frustration. He could feel the tension building in his chest. "I never asked for any of this, Dominic. You're the one who can't seem to decide what you want. One minute, you want me, and the next you're pulling away."
Dominic's jaw clenched as he stared at Elijah, his eyes darkening with a storm of emotions. "I want you more than you'll ever understand," he muttered. "But I'm not letting you walk into something you can't handle. I won't have you destroyed because of me."
Elijah's breath caught in his throat. The way Dominic spoke, like there was some inevitable danger hanging over them—it made him doubt everything he had thought he understood about the situation. Dominic was pulling away, but the intensity in his gaze made it clear that he wasn't done with him. Not by a long shot.
"I don't need your protection, Dominic," Elijah snapped, more bitterly than he had intended. He felt the anger bubbling up, pushing away the confusion. "I'm not some helpless kid."
Dominic's lips curled into a small, rueful smile. "You're not a kid, Elijah. You're just someone who thinks you know what you want. But trust me, you don't."
The words stung more than Elijah cared to admit. He took a deep breath, trying to hold himself together, but he couldn't. He didn't understand Dominic. One moment, Dominic was touching him, showing him affection, and the next he was pushing him away like some unwanted distraction. Elijah didn't know where he stood with him, but it felt like he was losing his footing with every passing second.
"You're right," Elijah said, the words coming out bitter. "I don't know what I want. I just know that I don't want to keep running around in circles with you."
Dominic didn't say anything at first. Instead, he turned and walked toward the bar in the corner of the room, his back to Elijah. The silence stretched between them, thick and unyielding, like the air before a storm.
Elijah watched him for a moment, his heart pounding in his chest. Dominic had always been so controlled, so sure of himself, but in that moment, there was something vulnerable in the way his shoulders tensed, something raw and unspoken.
"I'm not pushing you away, Elijah," Dominic's voice was low, almost a whisper as he poured himself a drink. "I'm trying to protect you. From me, from this. From what I am."
Elijah's eyes narrowed. "I don't need protection, Dominic," he said, his voice shaking slightly. "What I need is for you to stop treating me like I'm some fragile thing that will break the moment it gets too hard."
Dominic turned to face him, his eyes flashing with an intensity that made Elijah's pulse race. "You're not fragile, Elijah. But you have no idea what this world can do to you. What I can do to you."
The weight of his words hit Elijah like a punch to the gut. The room seemed to shrink around him, and for the first time, he felt the full force of Dominic's world bearing down on him. The mafia, the power, the control—it was all too much. But as much as Elijah wanted to walk away, to take a step back, a part of him couldn't bring himself to leave.
He stepped forward, his heart pounding in his chest. "So what now? What do we do?"
Dominic's gaze softened just a fraction. "You stay away," he said, his voice quiet but firm. "You get out of this. Because once you're in it, there's no going back. I'm not the kind of man you can walk away from when it gets too much. You'll either be destroyed by it, or you'll come to me—and I'll own you. Body and soul."
The words hit Elijah like a wave, crashing into him with an intensity he wasn't prepared for. And yet, despite the warning, the danger, and the clear threat hanging in the air, Elijah couldn't help the pull he felt toward Dominic. He knew he should run. He knew he should leave and never look back, but his feet felt rooted to the floor, caught in the pull of something darker, something dangerous.
"I'm not afraid of you, Dominic," Elijah said, his voice quieter now, but no less firm. "You don't scare me."
Dominic's lips twitched into a small, almost imperceptible smile. "You should be, Elijah. You don't even know the half of it."
With that, the air between them grew thick again, and for a long while, neither of them moved, both trapped in the tension of what was unsaid.
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