Ignited

Give

After seeing the state of the living room and calling the maids, I start to feel the stress fade away, just like how Mak is faded on the couch between the solo cups and the stale stench of old, cheap liquor. Seeing her in that state gives me flashbacks of when she was my age—too much hair spray and too much powder in her nose. It's not like my parents didn't know what she was doing; they were just too caught up in their own lives to care. I'd like to say our mother cares, but she also cares about her fundraisers and commities. So while she was gossiping about her next victim or shopping for the third time this week, Mak was staying out too late and not waking up enough.

After the third time she got sent off, it was only six months, but she came back a mold of herself. Mak sounded like herself, looked like herself, but one look in her eyes and you could tell she was miles away. Empty. If that's how she looked, I assumed that's how she felt too. That's the first time we ever started to talk to each other, willingly at least. I guess that's when I realized that not only did I have no connection with my only sibling, but also that we were both just trying to survive in our own ways.

It's Saturday, and the party already feels like a distant memory. Now that Mak has recovered, I can't help but ask her about Dominic.

"Hey, Mak," I say hesitantly while walking into her room.

"Yeah, what's up?" she replies in her sing-song tone.

"You and Jagger have been dating for a while, right?" I ask hesitantly.

"Mhmm, something like that. Why?"

"What do you know about his brother?" I blurt out.

"I know that he and his brother are not close, and I think they have different dads or something because they have different last names. I don't really know; Jagger gets very defensive about the topic, and most of the time we're a little preoccupied," she smirks. She pauses before looking at me questioningly, "Why?"

"I met him at the party, and he knew my name. It seemed like maybe he knew me from Jagger or you," I sigh.

"Lilith... don't. He's trouble. Stay away or, even better, run."

I want to get defensive, but after how I've been imagining Dominic, or picturing him doing certain activities with me, it only makes me want him more. It's like I consume every little piece of knowledge I can about him. I just want more; I want to know him.

"Listen," Mak says, "I know we're more friends than siblings, but he's involved in things you have no business in, things you can't be part of. It's dangerous."

"You sound like you know. You sound like you're speaking from experience, Makenzie. What are you not telling me?"

"Listen, you know my past, and you should also know I don't get into it."

"Okay," I say before walking off.

If I was being honest with myself, that only made my feelings stronger. I go back to the account I found and hit follow. Let whatever the hell this is begin.

It's about twenty minutes before I get that sweet little notification sound on my phone. He messaged me. I'm stunned and excited, so I open it quickly.

"Call me," followed by his number.

Normally, I would never call a stranger, but that same feeling of fate floods my consciousness once again, so I dial.

"Hey, whiskey girl," he says with that sexy, husky tone.

"Hey, Dom," it sounds oddly informal as it rolls off my tongue.

"Mhmm, I regret leaving the party, but I had some clients and business to get to," he says.

"No, it's okay. I understand."

"Did you party after I left?"

"Uhh, not really."

"That's my whiskey girl."

My immediate thought is I'm not his girl. What the hell is he on?

"Uhh, I just met you," I laugh, "are you high?"

"Only on you."

Holy hell, he's going to be the death of me.

"When are we gonna see each other again?"

"Mhmm, Thursday?"

"I'm free. What are we doing?"

"You'll see, whiskey girl."

"Bye, Dom."

"Bye, Lilith."