Claudia spotted Elio waiting by the car just as classes ended for the day. She waved and smiled back at the people who greeted her on her way out.
" You took longer than I expected you to." Elio said, opening the car door and sliding into the driver's seat.
"One of the professors wouldn't let us leave her class until we all perfected our parts." Claudia's smile was tinged with exhaustion. Most times the fact that she was a student at one of the most prestigious performing arts schools in the country felt like a big dream come true but there were days, days such as today when the professors chose to work them to the bone, that it felt akin to torture.
She leaned head back on the car seat and despite her exhaustion, her smile remained firmly in place. It was because of him. It had been four months since she had last seen him, the longest they had gone without meeting up. Elio was wrong when he said she was risking far too much for a man who had never done the same for her. It was too easy to come up with that notion given the world they lived in where her family tried their best to control everything about her. It was easy to assume that she was risking the little freedom she had on him. The truth was they were both trapped in families that barely saw them as people.
There was nothing that Claudia was willing to risk that he wasn't already risking himself.
The car soon came to a halt and Claudia eagerly glanced out the window, pushing open the door and stepping out, all before Elio could even unfasten his seat belt.
In front of her was a vast expanse of white sand, with waves washing into the banks in fairly regular intervals. Seagulls squawked above her but she mostly ignored the sound.
It was almost three in the afternoon with the sun still high in the sky and reflecting in the ocean, making the water look as though it shimmered. It was beautiful. He also knew how much she loved the sea. He always brought her out to the beach whenever he could.
There was almost no one else on the beach except for her and Elio, who she had asked to wait for her in the car. There were two other figures in the distance. One of which stood back watching the waves, while the other was heading towards where she stood. His long legs seem to eat up the distance between them.
Dominic
It was just slightly short of a miracle how he was able to remain upright without toppling over with how hard she flung herself at him.
Dominic let out a chuckle as he caught her, a husky sound that washed over her like the waves that rolled over the sandy shore. His hand went around her waist to stabilize her, else she would have landed face first on the ground the moment he let go of her.
The previous exhaustion she had been experiencing moments ago had sipped out of her pore, and in its place was excitement that was quickly filling up her chest till it was just shy of bursting. Her grin couldn't be contained even if she tried. Her grin stretched wide across her face, the widest she had smiled in months.
Claudia raised her hand and grazed a loc of his hair with her finger.
" You grew it out." It was almost back to the length he kept it at when they still went to school together.
" Someone told me that she preferred me with longer hair." He replied. Dominic flashed her a sly smile and she giggled. In the back of her mind, Claudia knew that she sounded as ridiculous as her sisters when she giggled like that but she couldn't help it. Not when Dominic was standing so close, not when he was looking at her like that with that smile on his lips.
His hair hung at the nape of his neck, it was a little longer in the past and he would also tie it up to keep it out of his face. A day after his graduation, he buzzed it all off. He claimed it was because he wanted a fresh start and when he had shown it to her for the first time, she was far too overwhelmed by the feelings it evoked within her that she ended up blurting out that she preferred his hair before he cut it.
That day she had lied. It didn't matter whether his hair was longer or cropped close to his scalp, Dominic Kane would always be the most beautiful man she had ever seen.
Dominic had what people would call a striking face. His eyes were the palest shade of blue she had ever seen, the color contrasting with his raven black hair. He had a strong jaw, an aquiline nose and full lips that she had longed to kiss since the moment she hit puberty and felt sexual attraction for the very first time.
Dominic averted his gaze to stare intently at something behind her. Claudia turned around to check what it was, only to see Elio trudging over. Elio halted when he spotted the both of them staring back at him.
" Who is he?" Dominic said low enough so Elio wouldn't hear. His voice was so deliciously deep whenever he spoke with that tone, it was almost sinful. Claudia felt herself shiver.
" That's Elio, he works for my father. And he was supposed to stay in the car." She said the last part loud enough for Elio to hear.
" Why did you let him bring you here, aren't you worried he might tell your father?" Dominic asked.
" No, Elio cares too much for me to ever betray my trust like that." Instead of reassuring him, her words made him frown.
Claudia continued when Dominic didn't respond. " Besides, it's not as if I'm really doing anything wrong. I'm allowed to have friends. I won't be in trouble for meeting up with one of them."
Friends. It was what they had been for years and since neither of them had ever discussed wanting more, it was how they would remain.
Elio hadn't moved any further. He was close enough that he could easily keep a close eye on them but far enough that he wouldn't be able to hear anything they said.
Claudia turned back around to face Dominic.
" Why are you still scowling at him like that?" She asked and Dominic simply shook his head. Realization dawned and Claudia gaped in surprise. It took a few seconds for the shock to fade and once it did, Claudia threw her head back and cackled.
" Oh my, Mr Kane. Don't tell me you're jealous of poor Elio." She snickered.
Dominic only glanced back at her once before refocusing the force of his glare on Elio.
Claudia stood on her tiptoes and leaned forward to whisper into his ear. " Elio would sooner confess his love for you before he ever found me attractive."
Dominic's eyes widened slightly at her words but she placed a finger on his lips before he could speak. The longer he stared at her with widened eyes, the more her eyes twinkled with mirth. It took her mind back to the night when she had stumbled upon Elio kissing another male guard in a dark corner that was cut off from the rest of the house. Elio had spotted her standing there looking dumbfounded but he hadn't seemed worried about her knowing his secret. He knew she wasn't malicious and wouldn't use it to hurt him.
From the corner of her eye she could see the other figure slowly approaching them. Upon closer inspection, she saw it was Tobias. She smiled and waved at him when he finally closed the distance. Claudia didn't know Tobias as well as she knew Dominic but everytime they were in each other's space he always tried his best to be nice to her. Now wasn't any different either
She had always admired the close friendship Dominic and Tobias shared. They were like brothers in every way except by blood. It was so endearing that it made her heart ache for the closeness she never got to experience with her own brother. She brushed the thought away as soon as it came. It wouldn't do her any good to wallow on it any longer than she had in the past.
Tobias shot Dominic a look so sharp and fleeting, it was gone in a second. It happened so fast, one would have missed it. But Claudia had seen it and the confusion she felt was slowly being plastered on her face.
Dominic nudged her arm with his. " Can I show you something?"
Claudia looked into his eyes and all she could see were deep honest pools. She nodded and placed her hand in his.
" Lead the way."