my heartbeat quickly began racing, there's a photo of dominic and i at coachella, circulating online?? i couldn't help but feel nervous.

"what's the photo of? i mean are we like doing anything...?" i asked hesitantly because truthfully, i didn't want to know the answer.

they all seemed so hesitant with their answer, which just made my heart rate and overall nervous emotions increase.

after a long pause, zoë spoke carefully, she always had a way with words. "not like that, i think you guys are just really, really, close. i mean, it almost looks like you two are dating."

shay who was probably fighting off a crazy headache muttered, "just show her the damn photo."

"okay," raelynn said as she took out her phone and showed me. immediately, my expression turned into a mixture of curiosity and shock, once i saw the photo i realized that in the eyes of anyone who saw this photo, it'd be quite obvious to point out that something was going on between dom and i.

~~

INSTAGRAM
user1

liked by 800,521 others
user1 dominic fike and mystery girl spotted at coachella. any idea who she is??

view all 16,422 comments

user2 thought he was with hunter??

user3 i don't know who she is but i hate her already

user4 does she realize how lucky she is.

~~

i handed raelynn her phone back, and flopped down on the couch next to zoë, who rubbed my back. none of us could help but stay silent for a couple of minutes. i was trying my best not to seem embarrassed or anxious that a photo of me and dominic together was circulating online.

finally, shay broke the silence by mumbling, "well i guess it's safe to say that people know about you two."

"do i text him about it?" i asked the girls.

raelynn quickly shook her head. "i promise you he'll text you, just give him a minute." she said as she started to put her shoes on, as if she was going out.

"going somewhere?" anaya asked raelynn.

"oh yeah, i'm going on a date with daniel, we're gonna go to this restaurant that overlooks the beach." she said softly.

"have fun..." i said, earning a warm smile from raelynn.

"thanks, i'll see you guys tonight. and if you brought me food, could you put it in the fridge? i'll eat it tomorrow." raelynn said with a subtle smile.

i nodded, "yeah of course! enjoy yourself rae."

once raelynn had completely gathered all of her belongings and made it to the front door she yelled something. "don't worry lane, he'll text you, i promiseee!" before i could respond, i heard the front door slam, indicating that she had left.

after she left, my phone buzzed.

~~

MESSAGES

dom

dom
did you see that post about
us?

elaine
yes i saw 😭

dom
and how are you?
you okay?

elaine
i'm fine, i just
wish it wasn't out there yet.
how about you?

dom
yeah, i'm fine. just a little
shocked, but it's nothing i'll
be worrying too much about.
by the way, i'm back in la. are
you home now?

elaine
yeah, i'm at my place rn. did
you want to come over?

dom
i mean,
if you don't mind.

elaine
no i don't mind.
my address is
2351 oaks branch rd, venice, los angeles
90292

dom
alright, i'll be there in an hour or so.

~~

i looked up at the girls. "sooo, he texted."

shay continued the conversation, "and?"

"and he's coming over" i said.

"ouu when?" anaya asked as she began to eat her spaghetti.

"he'll be here in about an hour. he lives in the hills and we're out here, so it's like fourty minutes away." i explained.

"that and it's like 5pm, so rush hour traffic." shay added.

"wait, elaine, where have you been all day?" anaya asked.

"oh i was recording with solana...i thought i told you guys." i said.

"that's so amazing, i can't wait for the song to drop" anaya said.

"thanks girl." i said with a bright smile.

for the next hour, the girls and i all talked about my music plans, shay's shop, anaya's modeling career, and zoë's plans for after college.

before we all knew it, the doorbell rang, loudly. i looked up and stared at the front door from the couch, i knew it was dominic.

"i'll get it!" i exclaimed as i jumped off of the couch, running over to the door.

the girls shared a couple of laughs, i took a deep breath, composing myself. i opened the door to be met by a short figure, raelynn's.

"raelynn? are you alright?" i asked the teary eyed girl.

she shook her head, "no more firefighter daniel." she said as she looked up at me, wiping her tears.

"whatt? what happened?" i asked, my gaze focused on her, until i saw a range rover pull into our large driveway, now i knew that was dominic.

my eyebrows rose as the range rover pulled up into our driveway. once dom stepped out of the vehicle, his eyes were locked on me, his face filled with confusion. i could tell he didn't understanding the ongoing conversation i was having with raelynn. i waved at dominic and gave him a soft smile, but i didn't want to walk away from my friend when she was in such a state. "what happened? did something happen between you two? i thought it was all going well." i said to raelynn.

raelynn's face suddenly began gushing out tears, it felt like she was on the verge of breaking down. my eyes followed the tears as they rolled down her face, making a clear spot in her makeup, "he said that i was getting too clingy and attached to him, and it wasn't attractive or cute or whatever."

as soon as she finished speaking, i wrapped my arms around her in a tight hug and whispered comforting words in her ear. "shhhh, it'll be alright, love." i rubbed her back soothingly as she cried into me. i smiled at dominic, as he stood near his car awkwardly.

raelynn's waterworks began to subside and she looked around, now noticing dominic. "shoot i didn't know you had company coming...you hang out with him, at least one of us deserves a good date. sorry if i ruined your plans or something." she said innocently.

"it's okay rae, the girls are in the living room." i directed her.

as soon as raelynn quickly walked away inside the home, i turned to dominic and gave him a subtle smile. i saw that he was still standing in the exact same place, his eyes fixated on me as if he had been watching us for a while. as i gave him a smile, he started walking over to me, extending his arms out. i instantly opened my arms for a hug which was quickly met with his embrace.

he then whispered into my ear, "you know i would've waited over there all night if it meant seeing you." he pulled away from me and placed his hands on my waist. he stared into my eyes, they were full of passion and adoration.

i wanted to express those exact feelings back, but the way he was watching me, was simply making me nervous. i couldn't stop blushing. "i'm sorry about the little awkward wait you had to do deal with. raelynn, she's had a rough night." i explained.

"oh don't worry bout it, you were being a good friend. can't blame you for that." he replied with a gentle smile.

"well, come on in..." i said to him, he let go of my waist as he walked behind me, entering the home. i shut the door behind him, and began to walk to the kitchen, i knew that was he was following closely behind.

"do you want a drink?" i asked as i opened the fridge widely enough for him to see the options.

"i'll take a corona, thanks." he replied, i gave him a subtle nod and handed him one, as well as keeping one in my hand for myself. it was obvious that he was still very much focused on me, his gaze locked into mine for more than a couple of seconds.

"do you wanna stay in here? other wise my room is upstairs...or we could go in the backyard, we just fixed up the patio." i said.

"your room does sound a lot more cozy, let's do that." he said as he walked over to the stairs, as he walked, he passed all of the girls in the living, giving them all a frie a wave.

i walked behind him up the stairs. "it's the very last door." i said.

he followed my directions and walked into the very last door. "your bed looks comfortable..." he said giving me a look.

"go for it." i said with a chuckle and a little nod.

he smiled and put his beer down on the nightstand, before jumping onto the bed.

i laughed and placed my beer on the nightstand alongside his. "was it as comfy as you thought?"

"oh definitely, probably the comfiest bed i've been on in a while." he said with an innocent grin. i took off my shoes and got onto the bed next to him. once i was settled right next to him, i could feel the tension that was radiating in the room. the silence was making me feel so many different emotions, all at once. "i saw solana's track list...and your name is on it." dominic said.

"you already knew i was gonna be on it," i said as i played with his hair.

"yeah, but seeing your name, well...it just had a deeper effect." he said as he took my hand and brought it to his lap. he began playing with my hand idly.

"what's that tattoo mean?" i motioned towards the one on his right hand.

"oh this one?" he raised his arm to me and let me examine it. "it's a portrait of john frusciante. i think of it as a tribute to the red hot chili peppers."

"that's so sick." i said as i studied it.

"yeah, i mean he's an amazing guitarist and a great man. that band's music helped me through a lot of tough times." he explained, still playing with my hand.

"and now you help other people out of tough spots with your music." i said to him.

"when you drop some music, i know you will too." he said as he brushed his fingers across the back of my hand.

i smiled at his words of kindness, and then continued the conversation. "so what about the apple tattoo under your eye?"

he chuckled and raised his free hand to his face. "that one is a tribute to my little sister, apollonia."

"that's beautiful..." i said to him.

"thank you." he said gently, we were getting closer together, we could feel the passion radiating between our eyes.

"what about the writing on your forehead?" i asked as i used my free hand to point to the letters 'LBE'.

dominic chuckled. "you're so nosey." he teased before continuing, "it stands for this little band i was in, lame boyz ent."

"lame boyz ent?" i repeated, making sure i heard currently.

"yep, we could've sworn we would make it big." he said with a laugh as he thought back to those memories.

"so what about that tattoo on your-" i began to ask before getting cut off.

"don't even finish that sentence. i'll give you a tattoo tour, how about that?" he reasoned with me.

"oooh, i'm getting a tattoo tour?" i asked as i raised an eyebrow, a playful grin written all over my face.

"yep, how about that?" dominic said as he rolled off of the bed, he stretched his arms and hands out, preparing for the tattoo tour. the tattoo tour was quick yet thorough, i went from seeing neck tattoos to chest tattoos to arm tattoos, every single one just complimented him so well. he had over 10 tattoos and i had just seen them all. "so do you have a favorite?" he asked as he pulled down his shirt, after revealing his chest tattoo.

"i love that house you have on your back." i said softly.

"ah my back house? it's about a collective i was in...i had a feeling you'd ask that next." he said.

i smiled and watched him as he sat back down on the bed. "i think someone likes tattoos." i said.

"mmhm, just a little bit though," he joked before leaning back on the bed with his hands stretched out behind his head. i noticed that he was getting comfortable with his body. "do you have any tattoos?" he asked me.

"nope, none." i said as i took a sip of my beer.

"no?" he asked, sounding intrigued. "have you ever thought about getting one?"

"a bit. if i get one, i think i'd get my first single name or my first album name tatted." i explained.

"oh yeah? what would you name your first album?" he asked with a subtle grin, his head tilted to the side.

"no rain, no flowers." i answered, now studying dominic to see his reaction.

"i really like that, it's really poetic..." he said, his tone indicated that he was being genuine.

"yeah i've already started working on it, lyric wise." i said.

"oh really? you already have a song or two?" he asked, now fully sitting up.

"i have three ready." i answered.

"don't leave me hanging, at least give me the name titles..." he pleaded causing me to laugh softly.

"so far i have, did we lose our minds, creation, and numb."

"those are great names. i can already imagine what the tracks would sound like." he said as he got completely comfortable, now laying on his back. "and you're like an rnb singer, right?" he asked.

"yes exactly." i answered.

~~

9:30pm

we laid in my bed, talking about music, life, and other various topics. three hours flew by without us realizing. as i looked at the clock hanging on the wall, i noticed that it was about 9:30. he noticed the clock too, and spoke. "hmmm...i guess i should get going..." he said as he rolled over onto his stomach and began rolling back up into a sitting position.

"oh, you have to go?" i asked, sitting up and placing my hands on my knees. i tried not to show any signs of sadness or emotion to his sudden notice to leave.

"ah it's getting kinda late. i really should get going." he said as he slowly went to roll off of the bed.

"are you sure? i mean it's like an hour long drive and it's pretty dark." i said.

"yeah, you're right. but i'm used to long drives, so i'll be fine." he said with a small smile.

"you could always spend the night if you don't feel up for a drive." i said nonchalantly with a shrug, not looking up at him as i didn't want to see his reaction.

"i mean, i guess i could." he said, the small gesture of him sleeping over made my heart rush.

"well then, make yourself at home." i said to him with a faint smile.

"i definitely will. this bed is amazing already." he said. i could tell he was trying to play it off and look super smooth, but i didn't mind, not at all.