Glass Hearts [BL]
Chapter 29: Back to the Place Where It All Began

Chapter 29: Back to the Place Where It All Began

"Who would’ve ever thought I’d end up back here... back to the place where it all began."

"I’m glad you came, Ash. Really." Dominic said, walking into the mansion.

And suddenly, I was back inside the lion’s den.

The last time I was here, I left in cuffs. But all I could think was how unfair it was that he looked this good

"This is the main lounge," he said, pointing his fingers toward a two-story room with velvet couches, towering bookshelves, and a fireplace the size of my entire living room.

"That piano over there? No one actually knows how to play it. It’s just there for aesthetic."

"And this," he gestured to the same long corridor lined with sleek white doors, "is the Hallway of Bathrooms. Because apparently, we all need our own toilet per emotion."

We passed floor-to-ceiling windows to the backyard, where a sleek infinity pool shimmered under the garden lights. Lounge chairs curved along the edge like something out of a 5-star Malibu resort.

"And that is the pool. But I assume we’re saving the shirtless scene for season finale?" he teased, glancing sideways at me.

I rolled my eyes but couldn’t help the small smile tugging at my lips.

He turned another corner.

"To your right, that’s the bar. Full-stocked. Don’t ask for juice, it’ll ruin the aesthetic," he added with a grin.

We climbed few stairs and finally stopped in front of a dark wooden door at the end of the hall.

He turned the knob. "And this... is my room."

The door creaked open.

He pushed the door open and stepped aside, letting me enter first.

It was...beautiful.

One entire side was glass, overlooking the city skyline. A king-sized bed sat in the center. LED strips lit the corners of the ceiling. Posters of old rock bands and luxury cars hung alongside polaroids clipped to wire grids. There was a low coffee table, stacks of graphic novels and vinyl records, a guitar, and, of course, a sleek PS5 setup in front of a wall-mounted flat screen that was definitely too big.

"Damn..." I whispered.

"You can sit anywhere," Dominic said, tossing his phone unto the dresser. "Make yourself comfortable."

I hesitated for a second.

I lowered myself slowly onto the couch.

"You always this quiet?" he asked.

"I’m just thinking."

He smirked. "Careful, Rivera. If you start thinking too loud, I might actually think you enjoy my company."

He chuckled, as he grabbed two cans of soda from a mini-fridge by his desk, cracked it open a soda and handed me one.

I caught it, more surprised that it was my favorite flavor. Grape.

He leaned back, and said, "You know, you’ve got that look again."

"What look?"

"That one where you’re thinking too loud," he said. "Relax. I didn’t bring you here to haunt you. Not yet, anyway."

I rolled my eyes, but I couldn’t stop the smile tugging at my mouth.

"Thanks. That’s really comforting."

He shrugged, still watching me. "I mean it. You’ve been through a lot. You’re still here. That’s kind of badass."

I blinked.

Dominic Vale... giving me a compliment?

Maybe Dominic wasn’t the bad guy I’d painted in my head.

For a second, his smirk faded.

Then he leaned forward, elbows on his knees, studying me again.

"You ever think... maybe I’m not the guy everyone says I am?"

I stared at him.

"...You ever think maybe I’m not either?"

His mouth twitched at that. Like he wasn’t expecting me to throw it back at him.

"I brought you here for a reason," he said finally. "It’s about Liam."

Dominic grabbed his laptop from the nightstand and settled beside me on the couch, his bare knee kept brushing mine. I pretended not to notice....but my chest definitely did.

He opened a folder on his screen. It was filled with surveillance blurry screenshots, zoomed in images, digital notes, articles, even a blurry police report with names blacked out.

"You’ve been... researching?" I asked, surprised.

"Of course I have," he muttered, scrolling. "You think I only know how to lift weights and make out with the mirror?"

I snorted. "Please. You do have a mirror that faces your bed. You definitely flirt with it."

He finally turned, one eyebrow arched. "What can I say? The view’s worth it."

I choked out a laugh.

He tapped on the laptop again. "Look, I’ve been going over everything I could find about that night. But none of it’s adding up. It’s like there’s a piece missing."

He paused, then turned to me, with a serious expression. "Ash... that night.....do you remember anything specific about the guy on the roof? Anything weird? The color of his eyes, maybe a necklace, ring, shoes... anything?"

I rubbed my eyes, trying to focus. Trying to replay the memory. But it was fuzzy.

"I couldn’t see his face," I admitted. "It was dark and everything was happening so fast. But he wasn’t wearing anything flashy...no rings, no watch, nothing like that.

Dominic nodded slowly, biting his lip in thought.

"But," I added, pulling Alia’s sketchbook from my bag and handing it to him, "I did draw what I remembered."

Dominic took it and blinked.

He turned it over slowly, taking in the glittery unicorn sticker-covered cover, the pink washi tape on the spine, and the giant sparkly ’ALIA’S SECRETS.....DO NOT TOUCH’ warning scribbled in the corner.

He raised an eyebrow at me. "Wait... this is yours?"

I looked at him, deadpan. "Do I look like someone who puts glitter hearts on their murder investigations?"

He smirked. "I mean... you are full of surprises."

I rolled my eyes. "It’s Alia’s. I just borrowed a blank page."

"Ahh. That explains the unicorn riding a rainbow holding a flaming sword," he said, flipping through. "Wow. Your sister’s got range."

Then he stopped on a page and burst into laughter.

"What?" I leaned over to peek.

He held it up.

It was the same sketch of me....with triangle nose and six-pack abs.