Fear of Falling

story? You know that’s bullshit!” Dom protested, throwing his half-eaten fry at her. Angel dodged it and stuck her tongue out at him.
    “It is not!” She turned to Blaine and me on the other side of the bar, her blue eyes shining with conviction. “Dirty Dom was quite the ladies man, even as a youngster. He was my first piece of peen and, thankfully, my last. Why anyone would want to stick that thing up in them is beyond me. Yuck! I’d rather fuck a frozen hot dog.”
    “Well, maybe that’s because you haven’t had the right one to turn you straight, darlin’,” said a familiar southern drawl. Angel turned just in time to see CJ easing onto the barstool next to her.
    “Trust me, one is enough. There is nothing soft and sensual about men. Sorry guys, but you have got nothing on the ladies,” she cooed, flashing me a wink and blowing me a kiss.
    “CJ, this is Kami and Angel’s roommate, Dominic,” Blaine said motioning between the two guys. “Dominic, this is my knucklehead cousin, Craig Jacobs.”
    “Holy shit, dude!” CJ exclaimed, leaning over to offer Dom his fist. “You actually live with these two? You are my new fucking hero!”
    Dom bumped fists with him and shrugged. “Trust me, it’s not as great as it sounds. This one,” he said nodding towards Angel “walks around practically naked, yet doesn’t like the D. And Kam…she doesn’t like anyone . A guy can only take so much cuddling before blue balls cripples him or renders him sterile.”
    My eyes widened with shock as I tried to eject daggers from them. How could he say that? I mean, yeah, it was true for the most part. But it wasn’t supposed to be public knowledge!
    “So cuddling, you say? Like naked cuddling?” CJ pressed. I rolled my eyes and tried to busy my hands before they spontaneously slapped him.
    “Naked enough,” Dom replied. “I mean, yeah, I see them naked. Angel is an exhibitionist and Kam never closes her door.”
    I could tell by the way he glanced at me and cringed, he regretted the words as soon as they left his mouth. What was wrong with Dom? Why was he spilling our personal business to virtual strangers? And why was Angel shrugging and nodding in agreement? I had to be missing something.
    Against my better judgment, I glanced at Blaine, who was intently looking at me. Not with disgust, or amusement, or even lust. He seemed thoughtful, and maybe even a bit embarrassed by the topic. Whatever was behind his gaze, it made me feel oddly at ease. It washed away the horror that tried to bubble its way to the surface.
    “Well, kids, I gotta get back to work,” Dom announced, standing up and tossing his napkin onto his plate. He looked to me with apologetic eyes before leaning over the bar. I knew I should’ve been slapping his handsome face right at that very moment, but instead, I pressed my lips to his for a quick peck. Dominic sighed with relief. He couldn’t stand when I was angry with him, and denying him affection would destroy him. I was mad at him, but I didn’t want to hurt him. He didn’t deserve to ever feel pain again.
    Angel left a kiss on my cheek before I could pull away, and wrapped her arms around our shoulders, resulting in an awkward group hug. It was silly and probably garnered quite a few sideways glances, but it was us. It would always be the three of us—the rejected, the abused, and the damaged. Nothing could penetrate our bond. No one else could fully understand it.
    “Ok, boys, see you tomorrow night!” Angel remarked, releasing us. “Hope you’re ready for A.D. to rock the house!” Tomorrow would officially be AngelDust’s first night as Dive’s house band. They were scheduled to play every Friday and Saturday, plus sit in and play on Thursday evening for Dive’s new Open Mic Nights starting next week.
    “No doubt,” Blaine nodded. “See you guys later.”
    After the lunch crowd had diminished and CJ had begrudgingly returned to his day job, Blaine turned to me as I was drying tumblers.
    “So no one, huh?”
    “Huh?” I asked, genuinely confused.
    “Dom said you don’t like anyone.”
    Heat crept onto my cheeks, urging Blaine to take notice. He did, and reached up to brush his thumb against the apple of my cheekbone down to my jaw. After he had repeated the ritual with the other, I let out the breath I didn’t realize I was holding.
    “Pretty pathetic, huh?” I asked, not knowing how to respond with his fingers still tracing my jawline.
    “No,” he replied,