Atlas #3
“Thank you.” I grin, squeezing Julian’s thigh once more.
A pleasant silence falls over the dinner table as we begin to eat, but it only lasts all of five minutes before Oscar enters, having been keeping Abigail busy so the grown-ups could talk.
Now, as she enters, her big green eyes well up with tears as she runs to Julian’s side.
“Julie! I thought you left for good!” She buries her face in his stomach where he sits, and Julian winces.
“I would never leave you, my friend,” Julian wheezes. “I’d stay forever if I were allowed.”
“Can you? Oh, Papa, please, can Julie stay forever?” Abigail turns her tear-soaked face towards our father, and if that alone isn’t enough to convince him, what Julian did for me is.
“Of course he can. He can stay for as long as he likes.”
“Did you hear that, Julie? We get to play dolls every day, and we’ll always be friends!” Her excited tone is so adorable that I almost forget she’s crushing Julian’s broken ribs.
“Sit now, little star. Julie needs to eat,” I tell her softly, and Abigail pouts but follows my instruction and finds her spot next to Jeremy, muttering about how unfair it is that Julian switched spots.
“It’s just for tonight, Missus Abigail,” Julian promises. “Tomorrow I’ll be on your side again.”
“What?” I interject, my brows raised. “You’re not going to stay next to me?”
Julian just smirks, shrugging once more. “I couldn’t abandon my friend like that, Atlas. That’s rude.”
And for some reason, everyone finds that so hilarious.
We settle in for the night, making plans to take Jeremy’s truck into town to get their things in the morning. Not that they need them urgently; Julian will be sleeping in my room anyway.
As we enter my quarters at the top of the west tower, Julian’s eyes linger on the dangling metal chain, and it takes him all of two seconds before he has it wrapped in his fists and he’s ripping it apart.
The links, halfway down the chain, snap in half in his palm. Then, he tosses it into the trash bin by my dresser.
As our eyes meet, he gives me a sheepish smile.
“Sorry, but I refuse to be locked in here. And I doubt you want it lingering, reminding you of when you were.”
“Yeah,” I agree quietly. “Thanks.”
Julian strips to his briefs—with them having been washed and dried while he rested in a robe for the afternoon—and climbs into my bed, waiting with expectant eyes as I pull on my pajamas.
Once in bed, I curl up on his good side, resting my head on his shoulder.
“I’m still angry that you jumped, but I’m happy to be free,” I admit. “It’s weird, falling asleep without fear or anticipation. Just… relaxing.”
Julian tightens the arm he has wrapped around my shoulders, dropping a kiss to the top of my head.
“The moment I realized what needed to be done, there was no other option. I’m not sure how long I’ve been in love with you, but I’ll never regret what I did.
I’ll never regret loving you so much that I’d die for you. ”
I shift my head until I can look up at him, tears gathering in my eyes, but Julian isn’t looking at me. He’s staring at the ceiling, his own brows furrowed.
“And… And if you want to experience life now, I understand,” he adds.
“I know there was a lot you were kept from doing, or things and people you never met or did because you were scared or felt unworthy. So, if… if you now want to experience other people or other adventures, I won’t be mad.
You don’t have to settle down with me just because I jumped off a cliff for you. You owe me nothing.”
He’s being sincere; I can see it on his face, can hear it in his voice. But I can also hear the sadness, the fear. The reality that he might lose me anyway, even after everything we’ve been through.
I roll onto my stomach, propping myself on his chest while staying conscious of the areas of his stomach I should avoid.
The gash on his face is healing nicely, but I’m certain it will scar. It’s another reminder of how far he was willing to go just to protect me.
“I’ve had enough adventures for a lifetime,” I tell him. “And you are the only man I want to experience. I don’t need to sleep with anyone else to make sure; I just know.”
Julian turns his brown eyes onto me, searching my face. When all he finds is sincerity and longing, he can’t fight back the grin that shapes his lips.
“Good,” he says, clearing his throat.
He suddenly moves, rolling us until he’s lying directly over me.
“Your ribs!” I chastise.
“I tried playing the nice guy, but I think I’d freak out if another man touched you. You’ve already told me you’re mine, you know.” He’s still smiling, but I can see how honest the words are through the sharp glint in his eyes.
Raising a hand, I cup his cheek, rubbing my thumb over the bruise that’s starting to fade.
“I know,” I whisper. “I’m all yours, Julie. Body and soul.”
Julian likes that. He really likes that.
“Say it again,” he groans, shoving his face into my neck, dropping the full weight of his body onto mine.
“I’m all yours.”
And I repeat it until he falls asleep, pressed into me, right where he belongs.