I Thought You Hated Me

Chapter 5:

This University campus is probably my favorite place ever. Everything is nearby, the movies, the stores, the malls, everything. And it's all walking distance, well like a thirty minute walk total but it's a nice one.

I greet the cashier at the store and get chips, ice-cream, some candy and some drinks. The door of the store jingled and a voice I recognized greeted the cashier like they're best buddies. I was hidden behind one of the shelves, but I already knew who it was. I open the fridge and take another gatorade and close it to find him leaning against the fridge three rows from the fridge I opened.

I was a little startled but then I smiled and waved at him. "Hey." I say with a big smile.

"Hey," his expression is soft and it almost looks like he's smiling. Impossible, Dominic almost smiling at me? Yeah this is a dream. He looks at my hands full of snacks. "Should I be concerned?" He eyes me then eyes the stuff in my hands. I laugh and shake my head and I can almost see him laugh too.

"Emily wanted some snacks so I got some." I walk to the cashier and place the stuff and look around for more stuff.

I put some gum on the table and a cup of noodles. I look over at him and he's still leaning against the fridge looking at me. I raise my brow confused on what he's looking at then he leans in front of me to reach for the gum. His hot breath hitting my face as he eyes me, reaching for the gum. I froze up, looking into him, entranced by what he just did to my body.

"That'll be twenty dollars and fifty cents," I nod and hand him a twenty dollar bill with five dollars.

"Any plans today Natalie?" Bernie the cashier asks and I shake my head.

"Eating all of this with Emily then probably studying." Dom's head peaks, shocked that I'm talking as if I have been friends with the cashier for years. So I explain myself.

"Bernard was basically my bestie when I was really lonely," I tell Dom and Bernie laughs shaking his head.

"She'd come every day to talk and I would complain to her." He laughs and fixes his hat.

"I know everyone's secret on campus," I wink and laugh.

Bernard is a sweet old man. He had shown me pictures of his wife and kids and everyday he would say how proud he is of them. He always asked if I was okay and if I needed anything and would let me bug him with my life struggles. He'd always refuse to allow me to pay the full payment but I always managed to give the money to him so he gave up.

"Any news about Daniel?" Bernie asks disappointment seeping through his words.

"Ha, no. I don't want him to look at me or talk to me ever again." I try to hide the sadness in my voice. Even though he cheated, that doesn't mean I didn't love him. I was crazy in love with him, it's so hard to get over someone you gave your all to. Trying to heal without an apology from him is so hard, him being so oblivious to the damage he caused. I'm trying to get through it and am slowly realizing and accepting what has happened. Even without the closure I so badly need.

"Such a shame innit'," he shakes his head disappointed. "You're truly a wonderful girl Natalie. His loss." I smile so big, appreciating his words but also feeling sad about it. I look down to my feet.

"Thank you Bernie, tell Joanne I say hi." I grab the bags filled with snacks and wave bye to Dom and Bernie. I leave the store and hear the door open right after it closes behind me.

"Hey Natalie," he calls for me and I turn around to look at him. His jaw is tense and he looks a little...nervous? "Can I offer you a ride?" He unlocks his wrangler, the roof is off and on a sunny windy day like this it's a perfect ride.

"Oh it's no need," I shake my head and he frowns then points at me to get into the car and I oblige. "Okay, okay." I put the bags next to my feet tucked underneath. His car is neat and clean, surprisingly. Every car that's owned by a man is always dirty and always has a bunch of empty bottles or garbage. But not his car, his car is so clean.

"Back to the dorms right?" He asks, I nod. He connects his phone to the bluetooth in the car and starts playing songs. He starts driving and I bop my head to the beats and hum the parts I know in the song.

A few minutes had passed, my hair is a mess but I love it. He lowers down the music and rests his hand on the gear stick. "So did you consider?" I look at him confused. "The 'pretend to be with each other' thing." He cringes but there's a bit of seriousness in his voice.

"Uh, yeah I thought about it. I don't know, I just...why do you want to help me?" He lets out a big sigh.

"To pay back for every mean thing I've said or done to you." Oh, so Dominic Jensen does have a heart. I try so hard to hold back a smile.

"Dom, I accepted your apology, you don't have to do anything."

"I know, but I want to." I see the corner of his mouth twitch and I smile at almost witnessing him break a smile. I could just imagine how he would look like laughing his ass off, or smiling so much his jaw hurts. I imagine how the skin at the edge of his eye wrinkles as he breaks out a slightly lopsided smile. I would pay a lot of money just to see him smile or laugh or do anything other than frown.

We arrive and he stops the car clearly wanting to say something, instead I talk. "Okay, let's do it. We can set a bunch of rules or something." He nods and I gesture for his phone and he hands it to me. I type in my phone number and call it. I then save his number on my phone. "I'll text you to meet up and discuss the rules and um, yeah then we'll do this." I smile and take the bags from my feet. "Thank you Dominic, I appreciate it."

"Thank you Natalie." He lets out a small smile.

Dominic smiled. At me. He smiled at me.

I'm screaming inside. I wave goodbye and he does the same. I walk back to my room, enter and place the snacks onto the table. Emily jumps out of her bed and leans for the chips and gives me a hug from behind. "Life saver." She says while opening the bag of chips. She stuffs some into my mouth and goes back to her bed.

I fall onto my bed and take a break for a little then get my laptop and copybooks to study for my upcoming tests.