Losing Love

40

Hope's POV:

I drive Dominic's car back to his house as he sits in the passenger side and stares out the window in silence. The radio is off as cold air blows through the air conditioner, Dominic's bloodshot eyes refuse to make contact with mine as the pungent smell of whiskey and all sorts of liquors flood the car. This happens to be a reoccurring event in the past two weeks since Cheryl was murdered by the Spanish Mafia. It was revenge for taking Luca and Anna back from them. Apparently Cheryl wasn't the target. Cole was, since he was the one who lit their warehouse on fire.

Dominic is always at work, trying to come up with a plan. When he's not at work then he's at some bar getting wasted till 3am. I've always known what a determined person Dominic is, but he's becoming obsessed. He already is obsessed, I can barely recognise him anymore.

I bring the car to a stop as I approach Dominic's garage, he instantly opens the door and makes his way out, wobbling and tripping over his own steps. He eventually places a hand on the wall and uses it as support. I shake my head in disappointment as I pick up the keys and step out of the car, closing the door gently behind. I pull open the main door and head inside.

The whole house is dark and empty, there are papers spread across the dining table and more papers laying across the kitchen table. I hear a wince as I turn around and notice Cole lifting his head from the couch. I walk over to him, "hey" I whisper as kindly as I can, "hi" he whispers back. He tries to keep his voice neutral but as it has been for the past two weeks, it's laced with sadness and heartbreak and anger. The smell of strong whiskey layers him too.

I gaze around him in attempts to find the bottle, I find it laying on his stomach. It's almost empty. He must've passed out while drinking. I gently lift the glass bottle off his stomach and place it on the table in front of the couch. I notice a rectangular piece of paper, I pick it up and analyse the picture of Cheryl. She's smiling brightly with one hand pushing her long red-brown hair behind her ear. She's wearing a white shirt and is standing in front of some sort of plant. I smile sadly as I stare at the picture, my eyes begin to water but I quickly look up at the ceiling and blink them back.

I turn back around at Cole who is half asleep on the couch. His eyes, like Dominic's, are bloodshot and puffy. "Alright, let's get you to bed" I whisper as I gently lift Cole's left arm and wrap it over my shoulder. I grab onto the side of his waist with my right hand and lift him up. He leans onto me and I struggle to support him, but manage. I guide him as he stumbles towards the stairs, I look up and begin wondering how I'm supposed to get him up the stairs without either one of us getting hurt.

As if he could hear my calls, Carter opens the front door and rushes to my side. He wraps Cole's right arm over his shoulder and together we escort him up the stairs and into a guest bedroom. We gently place him down on the bed, Carter takes his boots off as I pull the covers over him. "Thank you" I whisper to Carter, "no, thank you" he says back to me, "you have taken care of everyone, including me, for the past two weeks. I know you're grieving too and I'm sorry that you had to push everything aside for other people. But you don't have to do it alone anymore" he continues with sincere apology in his tone.

I nod my head as my eyes begin to water again, "it's what Cheryl would have done" I reply. He nods his head in agreement as he pulls me into a tight hug against his chest.

I pull away after a bit and quickly wipe the tears that escaped with my hands in hopes that Carter didn't see. "I-I should go check on Dom" I voice quickly, instantly cringing at my stutter. "Okay" he replies lowly as I leave the room.

I knock on the door, I don't hear an answer so I knock a bit louder. Still no answer. Finally, I choose to just open the door.

I slowly pull the door handle down and push the door open. Dominic is pacing the room slowly while stumbling with a bottle of whiskey in hand. He makes eye contact with me for the first time in what feel like forever, before quickly looking away and taking a massive swig of the whiskey. I rush towards him, "don't you think you've had enough?" I inquire as I pry the bottle from his tight grip. "No" he replies firmly as he attempts to make a move to grab it back. I pull it away further and he fails due to the alcohol slowing him down. "You should get some sleep" I suggest, "no" his face fills with anger as he lifts his fists and it collides with the wall, forcing a hole into it. I make a move to stop him but decide against it. He lifts his other arm up and hits it with as much force as possible against the wall. Then he lifts and hits it again. I notice the blood that's beginning to drip down his fists and decide to interrupt him now. I rush over to him and place my hand on his shoulder, making sure to stand slightly further from his body to ensure he doesn't accidentally hit me. "Dominic" I warn, he ignores me as his fist collides with the wall again, "DOMINIC" I shout louder this time.

He finally stop hitting the wall and turns to me instead "what the fuck do you want?" he replies harshly, "JUST LEAVE ME THE FUCK ALONE" he begins to shout. I stare at him blankly as he attempt to glare at me, though I can see the pain behind his eyes, "you should get some sleep" I repeat sternly. Before walking out the room with his bottle of whiskey in hand.

I rush down the stairs and step into the kitchen, letting out a deep breath of air. My eyes turn watery once again as I look down at the bottle. I don't know why but I lift it to my lips and take a large gulp of the strong liquor. It burns my throat as I let a couple tears fall out of my eyes and down my cheeks. I hear footsteps in the distance so I quickly wipe the tears from my face and place the whiskey down. I look towards the door to see Carter approaching.

The whole house is still dark but I can tell that he understands what I just did by the look on his face, I shoot him a 'don't mention it' look and he quickly covers it up. Instead, he walks towards me and lifts a closed hand. "Thanks for letting me use your car tonight" he opens his hand to reveal my Mercedes keys, "it's okay" I respond, unemotionally, as I take the keys from his hand. We stand in silence for a bit. "I should get back to my place, it's nearly 3:30" I announce, Carter nods his head, "I'll see you soon" he smiles softly. "Yeah, you should get some sleep, goodnight" I suggest, I place my hand lightly on Carter's arm as I pass.

I get out the front door and head to my car. Once I'm in, I slam the door shut and let out all the despair I've been holding in today. I sob quietly, slamming the steering wheel a couple times with my palms, before gathering myself and starting the car. This has become a routine for me. 

I head into my bedroom, not bothering to change my clothes and I fall onto the bed. I close my eyes and remember Cheryl's funeral from a week ago as I let the darkness take over.