Chapter 4
NeverMind © 2004
When Dom woke up on Sophia’s couch the next morning, he felt like he’d been run over by a cement truck. He groaned and heaved himself off his makeshift bed and went in search of a glass of water.
He bumped into Elijah in the hall again. “Man, we gotta stop meeting like this,” Dom told him.
“Yeah,” was all his friend said.
“Hey, what’s wrong?” Dom asked him, holding onto his arm to prevent him from bolting.
“Nothing.”
“Bullshit.”
“She does act weird around me,” Lij told him, freeing his arm and heading for the door.
Dom looked after his friend with bleared eyes then continued down the hall. He got to the bathroom, stripped down and clunked into the shower. He stood there and let the water beat on him for a while. When his nausea finally passed, he shut the water off. Toweling off, he brushed his teeth, pulled his clothes back on and went back down the hall. He stopped at Sophia’s door. She was just lying there, staring at the ceiling. Her bed looked a lot more comfortable than the couch he’d spent the night on so he decided to crawl into it with her.
“You touch anything under there Dominic Monaghan and I’ll castrate you.” Sophia warned when he accidentally touched her leg.
He stuck his head out of the covers, his hands in front of him, with a smile. “I wouldn't do that to you love, especially when I know your heart belongs to another.”
Her mouth dropped open. “How did you…” she stopped herself. “Shite, that was the part where I was supposed to deny it.”
“It wouldn’t have mattered anyway. I know you Sophia, the more you moan and groan about him the more you fancy him.”
“Oh you know me do you?” she harrumphed and pouted.
“I know that you act like you can’t stand Orlando and that you’d take a bullet for him if you had to.” He propped his head up on his hand and looked down at her as she gazed at the ceiling.
“That’s different, he’s me cousin.” She didn’t look at him.
He laughed. “You love Orli either way and you act like you don’t. I’ve heard you whinging about Lij and I’ve also seen you look at him. I was the one who introduced you remember?”
“It doesn't matter anyway,” she finally conceded.
“Why, because you're assuming he hasn’t noticed you?” He grabbed her face, forcing her to sit up and look at him. “Who was in bed with you this morning Sophia?”
She was getting annoyed, but suddenly Dom saw a light come on in her face. “You sound a lot like Nila.”
His heart dropped to his feet. His hands slowly left her face and he turned pale. “How do you know Nila?”
“I was at the Kiwi last night.”
“Bollocks!” He shouted and flopped back on the pillow.
“Why are you fucking yelling?” Orli walked by the room then back peddled and stuck his head in. “And why are you in my cousin's bed?”
Dom just groaned and ran a hand over his face. “Soddin’ fucking hell she’s going to hate me.” He sat up.
Sophia shrugged and looked over at her cousin. “He just got here, then got all weird when I talked about the Kiwi.”
“You were at the Kiwi?” Orli leaned against the door then raised an eyebrow at Dom. “Small world.”
“Damnit, don’t you think I fucking know that? Bollocks!”
“Shit, relax Dom. I’m hungry, let’s go get some breakfast.” Orlando suggested.
Sophia nodded and got out of the bed. “Yes you two go have a manly talk.”
Orlando shook his head at her and smiled. “Oh you’re coming as well Soph. I’m only here for a day and we need to talk. Now get dressed.” He clapped his hands and left the room.
She looked over at Dom. “Is he being serious?” she asked.
“Looks like it.” He swung his legs over the bed and stood up. “Let’s humour him yeah?” He put a hand on her shoulder and smiled, but he was visibly upset.
“I’m sorry Dom, I didn’t know then.”
He just sighed sadly. “I didn’t know until recently either. It’s not your fault Soph.”
Dom hardly said anything once they got to the restaurant and ordered their breakfast. Then again Sophia wasn’t saying much either because it seemed Orlando decided to go all fatherly on her.
“Do you want to know what I told Lij after I finally decided to let him stay at the flat?” He asked me as I sipped my coffee.
“How would I know that?” Sophia asked.
Dom was staring into his coffee, mumbling to himself. He was more frustrated with his situation than he had been the night before. And there was no alcohol to drown in this time.
Orlando continued, “I told him I’d have his nuts for dinner if he tried anything with you.”
“Orlando Bloom!” Sophia started. She was livid.
Orlando grabbed her hands before she hit him. “Could you maybe not shout my name that loud or we’re never going to finish this conversation,” he warned looking over at an older couple that were staring at their table.
“I’ll do anything I bloody well please, you meddlesome wanker.” she struggled under his hold.
“Listen to me for two seconds Sophia,” Orlando’s tone was more forceful than Dom had ever heard it.
“Fine but can I just remind you that I’m only ONE year younger than you Orlando. Don't talk to me like I’m some little teenager with a crush. I refuse to be patronized!” Sophia protested.
He sighed and let go of her. “I’m not trying to patronize you Sophia, but I know two things about this situation. I know you and I know his lifestyle. Are you sure you want to become more intimately involved in that?”
“How do you know I don’t?” she challenged. If Dom hadn’t been so obsessed with his own situation, he would’ve laughed. She sounded like a little kid.
Orlando chuckled. “Because you almost begged me to take you home after the press frenzy of the Fellowship junket. You’ve ranted and raved about press taking pictures of you because you’re me cousin. Do you have any idea what they’d do if you started dating Lij?”
She put her head in her hands. “I don’t know. I don’t know how much fancying him is just a fantasy in me head.”
That struck a nerve with Dom. He needed to know if that was his problem too. He shot up from his seat. “I, um…yeah, I gotta go.” He said and left.
Orlando and Sophia watched him leave then looked at each other. Sophia just shrugged it off. “He had a long night.” she explained.
Dom hailed a cab and told the driver to take him to the Kiwi. Once he got there, though, he remembered that they didn’t open until noon and he didn’t know where Nila lived. So he asked the cabby to take him to Elijah’s set instead.
“Hey Dom! Didn’t expect to see you here,” Elijah said when he saw Dom walk up.
“Just thought I’d stop by and say hi and tell you that you need to be free on Saturday morning.”
“Uh, okay. Why?”
“I have to be at Leeds U at 10:00 in the morning.”
“What for?”
“I need to find something out.”
“What?”
“If Nila likes me.”
“Are you kidding me? And you have a time and place picked out for this?”
“Fuck man, it’s complicated. Just come with me, okay?”
“Okay, but you’re being a girl.”
“I don’t fucking care.”
“Holy shit man, I’ve never seen you like this.”
“Yeah, well, you should talk. I’m doing this for your benefit too.”
“My benefit?”
“Yeah, I’m making Soph come with me too.”
“Aw, fuck man, do you have to do that?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“You bloody well know why.”
“Man, it was so awkward this morning. I didn’t think she’d come back, never mind end up in bed with me.”
“She went to the Kiwi last night.”
“Well, fuck me. I get it now.”
Dom just shook his head and ran a hand through his hair. “Fuck it all. I’m pretty sure I don’t have a chance now with Nila, but I just – I need to know for sure.”
“I didn’t realize you were that serious about her.”
“I didn’t either until this morning.”
“Quite the mess we’ve got ourselves into, huh?”
“I’ll say. You’ll come, though, right?”
“Yeah, man. Can’t guarantee I’ll work my own shit out, but I won’t abandon you in your time of need.”
“Fuck off. Thanks.”