Misery Loves Company: the Duets

Battle of One: Dom + Ji-hyun (Part 3)

Battle of One

A Misery Loves Company Spin-off

By theinkslingerr

My life was my own.

But when it came to my relationship with Dom, I could split it into three stages:

Pre-trial run

Trial run

Post trial run

The pre-trial run covered two time periods. The time I spent looking at Dom like an annoying little brother, and the time I spent trying to convince myself it was how I'd always feel.

The trial run started the night Blue Vendetta played at the Public Garden. The night Dom and I kissed for the second time in twenty-four hours.

To this day, it remains the happiest stage of our relationship. Right up until the messy, bitter end.

***

Needless to say when Dom suggested we date in secret, I had my concerns. The only thing Jae would hate more than me dating one of his best friends would be me lying about it. Dom swore it wasn't lying, but it was by omission. There were so many times we had to mislead our family and friends just to spend time together. But it had to be done even though I didn't like it. I couldn't upend Jae's life and tell him about me and Dom if we were just going to break up.

So the trial run began with a heavy dose of paranoia, and was compounded by the guilt of me already being in a relationship with someone else.

Telling Johnny I kissed Dom was one of the hardest things I'd ever done. And the way he handled it made me feel guiltier. He was angry, of course. Sad and disappointed too. But what he said made me realize I hadn't appreciated the amazing person I had in my life.

"The few times we were around Dom, I saw the way he'd look at you and the way you'd look back sometimes. Maybe this wasn't just about you using me to forget your dad's cancer. Maybe you were waiting to see if your head would catch up with your heart. I don't know if that makes everything better or worse, but I hope you treat him better than you treated me. And I hope your dad gets better so you can stop acting like this."

Johnny's words were a mirror— and not just the regular kind in bathrooms. It was the kind of mirror you used when you wanted to do an intricate makeup look. The kind that magnified your pores and highlighted every imperfection, so you were forced to see yourself the way you really were.

That Sunday after Johnny and I broke up at the Spicy Belly, I was forced to see myself the way I really was:

Selfish and attention-seeking.

I carried that shame into the trial, and it didn't let me breathe until Johnny could look me in the eye again at school. After a few head nods and casual greetings, the clamp around my heart loosened enough for me to start thinking about my current relationship.

I couldn't believe I was dating Dom. That he'd been right when he said one day I was going to be his woman. I made sure to never bring it up, but sometimes I caught him grinning at me and realized I didn't have to.

It was weird dating someone I'd once considered a little brother, but Dom was a surprisingly good boyfriend.

He was sweet, never chatted up groupies, and supported my dreams the way I supported his. I didn't know if he was just on his best behavior, because he didn't want me to cancel "the trial", but I found myself falling for him and it was scary. Every time he stared at me like he couldn't believe his luck, told me he loved me, or spent the night so he could sneak into my room while everyone was asleep and cuddle, I got overwhelmed. So I hid it by making cracks about him being younger, which usually led to him growling and slinging me over his shoulder just to prove a point.