Glass Hearts [BL]
Chapter 32: One Breath at a Time

Chapter 32: One Breath at a Time

I sat there tracing the edge of the serpent tattoo on the sketchbook page, my mind spinning.

My chest still felt tight.

The kind of tight that doesn’t come from running....but from remembering too much all at once.

Then, quietly, I said, "Dom... how’s Liam? I mean... has he... is he responding to treatment yet?"

Dominic’s jaw tightened a little. He leaned back against the couch and rubbed his towel on his damp hair.

He finally shook his head. "No. Doctor says... he’s still the same way. Still in the coma. No sign of anything."

My throat went dry.

And right then, my phone buzzed in my pocket.

I pulled it out. A message from June popped on the screen:

Just put Alia to sleep. Heading home soon. Marcus said he’s staying over at the hospital tonight. Oh, and the doctor was asking about you again... about the bills.

I stared at the text.

My chest tightened until it hurt.

Dominic must’ve noticed my expression drop because he leaned closer. "Hey. What’s wrong?"

I blinked and slid my phone back into my pocket. "It’s nothing. It’s... life."

"Is it about your mom?" Dominic asked. "How’s she doing?"

I let out a shaky breath and rubbed the back of my neck. "The doctors say she’s stable. Like... she’s responding to treatment, her vitals are okay. But she’s still unconscious. Still hasn’t woken up."

I looked down at my hands, then at the faint crease in the couch leather beside me. Anything but his eyes.

"Sorry," Dominic said quietly. "That’s... that’s rough."

There was a pause.

He hesitated, then asked gently, "What exactly... happened to her?

"She’s been sick," I said. "For over a year now."

My voice cracked, but I kept going.

"t’s this... disease. It affects her breathing. Makes her lungs... just... shut down sometimes. Something rare.. She’s been on oxygen for months. Some days she was okay. Some days she couldn’t even talk without gasping. The hospital said they’d try new treatments, but it’s expensive. Then they kept saying she’d stabilize, but then it’d get worse again. And this last time..."

I stopped.

My hands were shaking.

I blinked fast, but a hot tear slipped down my cheek anyway. I wiped at it quickly, embarrassed.

God. I was crying. In front of Dominic freaking Vale.

"I’m sorry," I muttered, turning my face slightly away.

"I didn’t mean to... I don’t even know when I became this person, you know?" I whispered. "Sitting here crying in someone’s room. I never wanted to be the kid with the sick mom. Or... or the kid who’s... barely holding it together... I..."

I tried to laugh it off, but another tear spilled out instead.

"Hey," he said, and before I could finish the sentence, he pulled me into a hug.

Not a polite, awkward one.

It was full-on. Warm. Safe hug.

His arms wrapped tight around me like he wasn’t letting go until I let myself fall apart.

I froze for a second. Then something inside me cracked.

I let myself lean into him, feeling the warmth of his chest, the faint scent of his soap, the steady thump of his heartbeat under my ear.

Just for a moment.

His hand moved slowly up and down my back.

"Hey," he whispered into my ear. "Don’t. Don’t apologize for any of this. You’re allowed to feel everything you’re feeling, okay? You’ve been carrying too much alone for way too long."

I tried to answer, but my throat closed up completely.

Dominic held me tighter. "It’s gonna be okay, Ash. I swear. Maybe not all at once. But piece by piece... it’ll be okay. I promise."

I closed my eyes.

The tears came slower after that.

"I don’t know how I’m supposed to keep doing this," I whispered. "Everything feels like it’s breaking."

Dominic’s grip tightened. "You just do. One breath at a time. One day at a time."

Dominic’s shirt was a little damp where my face pressed into his shoulder. I felt his heartbeat, against my cheek.

I stayed there longer than I meant to.

Finally, I pulled back, wiping at my eyes with the sleeve of my hoodie, suddenly aware of how close we were. How his hand was still resting on my shoulder. How warm he felt. How safe I’d felt....even for just a few seconds.

And that terrified me.

I sniffed, sitting up straighter, trying to get my heartbeat under control.

Dominic didn’t say anything. He just leaned back a little, like he didn’t want to spook me.

I looked at him.

At the boy who once made my blood boil, who stood by while my name got dragged through the mud, who I swore I’d never trust.

And now here he was....holding my sketchbook, hugging me like he actually gave a damn, saying things that made my chest ache.

"Why... why are you being so nice to me all of a sudden?" I asked.

Dominic blinked, looking taken aback.

"What do you mean?" he asked softly.

I shook my head. My words tumbled out faster than I could stop them.

"I mean... before all this, you barely looked at me. You were Liam’s friend, not mine. We ran in different worlds. You didn’t even talk to me except when you absolutely had to."

He opened his mouth, but I pushed on.

"And now... all of a sudden, you’re hugging me. You’re helping me dig into all this. Letting me into your house. Sharing secrets. Acting like you care." My voice cracked, and I hated how fragile it sounded. "Is it just because you think I can help you figure out what happened to Liam?"

He stared at me for a long moment.

I swallowed hard. My eyes dropped to my hands.

"Is it just because you need me?" I whispered. "Because I’m your only way to figure out what happened to Liam?" I repeated.

"No," he said. "It’s not just that."

"Then what is it?" I asked.

Dominic leaned his head back against the couch, exhaling like he’d been holding that breath for days.

"Yeah," he said. "At first... maybe it was about Liam. Okay? I’m not gonna lie and say I wasn’t desperate to figure out what happened that night."

He rubbed his palms together, searching for the right words.