Dirty Secrets (Book 1)

Ch.23 Confrontation

Half an hour passed. The three were still patiently waiting in the living room. Sam was scrolling through his phone, occasionally stopping to show them funny memes, J was leaning on Grian while he read a book, and Grian was just sitting there. As the time ticked on by, Grian grew more and more anxious. What if Dom was upset again? What if Taurtis got mad at him because he didn't listen? What if Grian had just single-handedly set them all up for failure and their relationship crumbled to bits around them? Grian needed to breathe. That's what a voice that sounded an awful lot like his mother's kept reminding him, "Remember to breathe, Sweetie. You can't think clearly if your brain's not full of fresh air." Grian missed her. Even if he talked to her every day, it wasn't quite the same. If she were here, she'd know what to do.

They all jumped at the sound of the front door opening.

"What are you three doing?" Taurtis smiled as he closed the door behind Dom.

"You," Sam stood up, scowling at Dom.

Dom glanced at him, "Oh, you got it down."

"You're an ass. You know that," Sam growled, "You're lucky J's a genius."

"There's also something we wanted to ask you two about," J stood up, "Right, Sam?"

"Oh, right," Sam skipped to J, treading his arm through his.

"Okay," Taurtis sat down, pulling Dom with him, "What about?"

"Do you want us to stay or do you want to do this on your own?" J asked Grian.

"Stay."

Taurtis looked worried, "What's wrong?"

Grian could feel guilt churning in his stomach. Why did he do this? Why couldn't he have just stayed in his room and kept doing his homework? He should have known that he was going to destroy everything just like always. Now, all he wanted to do was crawl into a hole and just lie there until death came for him. Maybe he should have just never- "Grian. Grian, breathe."

Grian took a deep breath, focusing on J, who was crouched down in front of him.

"You okay?"

Grian nodded. He snuck glances at the others, who all wore faces of concern.

J turned to Dom and Taurtis, "I think you both owe Grian an explanation."

Dom froze and Taurtis sucked in a breath, "Oh, that's what this is about."

Grian was worried he was going to freak out again, but J grabbed his hand and laced their fingers together. Sam came to sit beside J. All three of them with their eyes glued on Taurtis and Dom.

Taurtis turned to Dom, "Do you want to tell them or should I?"

Dom didn't look up. Taurtis sighed, "Long story short, during winter break of freshman year, Dom's parents heard a rumor that Dom was dating a boy. The Doritos have never been the nicest people and they're super homophobic. They've treated Dom like shit ever since."

Taurtis gazed at Grian, "I'm sorry that you were there to see it. Usually, we're pretty cautious about it. But they have periods of time where they do everything to try to contact him. Mainly, ever since they found out that the boy he's been seeing way me."

"That's what you meant," Grian said timidly, "when you said you weren't their spy."

Dom nodded, "They wanted me to get the company on the Johnsons' good side, but why the hell would I do that?"

Taurtis shook his head, "I still don't understand how you survive breaks with them."

Grian frowned, "But I thought you said they shut you out?"

Dom froze again. This time, Taurtis looked confused, "What do you mean?"

"They kicked you out," J guessed.

Dom took a shaky breath before nodding, "Last year when winter break was over. Though I had been expecting them to eventually."

Grian gasped, "That's why you have so much stuff in your closet."

Dom nodded again, "I took as much with me as I could."

"Shit, Dom. Why didn't you tell me?"

Dom glanced sheepishly at Taurtis, "What would you have done? Your parents wouldn't have let me stay over without an explanation."

"Still, I could have helped. What did you do over summer break?"

"I rented an apartment nearby."

"Well, you're not doing that again. I'll talk to my parents, but no matter what you're coming with me over winter break."

"You don't-" "What happens when they shut down your credit card? Sure your phone's safe, but not that," Taurtis shook his head, "There's no negotiating. You're coming."

Dom sighed, running a hand through his hair, "Fine."

He glanced at Grian, "I know it won't change anything, but I'm so sorry. I never meant to hurt you. I tried to keep calm, but I couldn't. I'm sorry."

Grian didn't say anything. He simply slid off the couch and enveloped Dom in a hug, burying his face in the crook of his neck. He could feel Dom's arms snake around his waist.

"Everything's gonna work out just fine," Grian whispered, "You'll see."

Dom pressed a kiss to Grian's forehead before Grian pulled away. As if having sensed the m0ment, Dom's phone began ringing. He wasn't even able to check it before Taurtis snatched it out of his hand and shoved it under a pillow.

"Have you tried blocking them?" J asked.

"It doesn't work, they just get new numbers."

"They're persistent assholes," Taurtis added.

"We should do something," Sam suggested.

"Like what?"

"Like go out or a movie night."

Dom groaned, "We had a movie night a few days ago."

"So, movies are perfect distractions."

J shook his head, "I have homework to finish."

"Me too."

"We can watch whatever you want this weekend," Taurtis assured him.

"Fine," Sam pouted as he crossed his arms.

"Aww, come on, Sammy. I know something that will cheer you up."

Sam instantly perked, causing J to roll his eyes at the three. Grian laughed as Sam dragged Taurtis and Dom down the hall. J shook his head, "They're crazy. All of them."

Grian felt like a weight had been lifted off his shoulders. Things didn't go horribly wrong after all; that was a first. Though he couldn't shake the feeling that it had been too easy. It felt like everything was killing him into a false sense of security. Of course, he also knew that he was just over reacting. As long as Dom knew he could depend on them to be there for him, that was a win in Grian's book.

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Hey guys, I don't really know what to write here. This book is coming to a close, to be honest, I'm really excited for the sequel. Though I am nervous that WattPad's gonna bite my ass over certain aspects of the storyline. I swear, I've been reading over the terms and conditions, like, "Please don't hurt my book." Anyways, I hope you all are enjoying the story so far, I hope you all have a wonderful day, and I'll see you all in the next chapter, Bye~!
~PinkBoss