24 | ☕The Long Overdue Catchup ☕
Anya woke up, tangled in the soft blankets she had just managed to throw over herself the night before.
The fabric snaked around her limbs, trapping her in a cocoon of warmth that made it even harder for her to move.
The room was still dim, the first signs of morning light seeping through the gaps in her curtains and casting faint golden streaks on the walls.
A sigh escaped her lips as she moved, her muscles protesting the movement after a restless night of tossing and turning.
The sudden, insistent buzz of her phone on the wooden bedside table broke the fragile quiet of the early morning.
The vibration rattled against the surface, a harsh contrast to the dull silence that had spread through the room.
Anya groaned, burying her face in the pillow for a moment before reluctantly reaching out and letting her fingers finger around blindly until they found the cool surface of the device.
Blinking against the glow of the screen, she squinted at the notification as her drowsy mind struggled to process the words.
It was a message from Kaia.
"We're doing something today, right?"
Anya blinked at the screen, a small, tired smile playing around her lips.
She could trust Kaia to get back to her before she even had a chance to wake up properly.
Her best friend had a way of pulling her back into the world, pulling her out of the comfortable solitude she had so often retreated into.
The two had always been inseparable, bound by years of shared memories, whispered secrets and inside jokes that no one else would ever understand.
But lately—since things had changed so drastically with Atlas — Anya had become more and more withdrawn.
The weight of it all had settled heavily on her shoulders, weighing her down until even the thought of a simple outing was too much for her.
She dodged plans, filled her days with distractions and told herself that she would be in touch soon.
Yet, somehow, Kaia always knew when to push.
Her fingers hovered over the keyboard for a moment before she finally replied:
"Yeah. I'll be ready in an hour."
Kaia's response came almost instantly, as if she had been expecting hesitation.
"Perfect. Don't make me wait, or I'll come over and drag you out myself."
Anya chuckled softly, shaking her head. The familiar warmth of Kaia's persistence loosened something tight in her chest. Her best friend never said it outright, but Anya knew what she really meant: I'm not letting you slip away.
Sighing, she tossed her phone onto the bed and stretched, rubbing the sleep from her eyes.
A part of her still wanted to sink back into the covers, to steal a few more moments of quiet.
But another part—the part that knew Kaia would show up at her door, armed with determination and possibly coffee—was already pulling her upright.
It was time to stop making excuses.
She had promised herself a break. Today, she'd actually take one.
Anya stretched, immediately regretting it as her body cracked like an old wooden chair. "I'm too young for this," she muttered, wincing. Clearly, sleeping like a tangled-up pretzel had not been her best idea.
The past night was still a blur—a confusing, emotionally-charged blur filled with Atlas. The way he looked at her. The way he spoke to her. The way he had, for some reason, made her heart do an Olympic-level gymnastics routine just by existing.
Yeah. No wonder her brain had been running a marathon since sunrise.
Her phone buzzed again. She grabbed it, expecting another text from Kaia demanding that she get her butt out of bed already.
Nope. Atlas.
"Don't forget to eat. Don't skip meals. Call me later."
She snorted. Classic Atlas. The man could set an entire building on fire with sheer intensity, but somehow, her questionable eating habits were his top concern. Did she sometimes forget to eat? Yes. Was that any of his business? Apparently.
Shaking her head, she tapped out a response:
"I'm meeting Kaia today. I'll eat. Don't worry."
The response was instantaneous, almost like he had been waiting for her to text back.
"Let me know if she needs help with anything."
Anya stared at the message, blinking. Her heart did an annoying little skip—not a full somersault, but definitely a stumble.
What did he even mean by that? Was this his way of offering help, being genuinely thoughtful? Or was this Atlas doing that thing he always did—hovering like an overprotective guard dog, subtly reminding her that he was always paying attention?
It was almost maddening how he could be so calm, so collected, and yet somehow ridiculously possessive at the same time. Like, sir, this is just brunch with Kaia, not a dangerous quest to recover a stolen artifact. Relax.
But, of course, trying to get Atlas to relax was like trying to reason with a cat that had just seen a laser pointer—it simply wasn't happening.
With a heavy sigh, she tossed her phone onto the bed, rubbing a hand over her face. She was not about to spiral over his choice of words right now. That was a puzzle for Future Anya to solve.
Right now, Present Anya needed to get out of her apartment before her brain imploded from overthinking.
Dragging herself out of bed, she shuffled toward her dresser, yanking open a drawer with more force than necessary.
Fresh air. Sunlight. Social interaction.
All things that would probably do her some good.
Besides, if she didn't get dressed now, there was a real chance Kaia would kick down her door and do it for her.
And honestly, knowing Kaia, she wouldn't even pick a good outfit.
By the time Anya finally stepped out of her apartment, she found Kaia already standing outside, casually leaning against the wall.
Her arms were crossed, a playful smirk tugging at the corners of her lips.
The audacity of Kaia—waiting out there like a cat ready to pounce, clearly anticipating the moment Anya would make her appearance.
"Hey, slowpoke," Kaia teased, her brown eyes glimmering with mischief, her tone dripping with mock indignation. "I thought you were always on time."
Anya blinked at her, momentarily caught off guard by the sudden appearance of her friend.
Kaia didn't just show up—she appeared, like a force of nature, effortlessly punctual in that way that only Kaia could pull off.
Anya, on the other hand, was still in the process of zipping up her jacket while trying to tame her uncooperative hair.
"I was getting messages from... someone," she explained, her voice slightly sheepish as she adjusted the strap of her bag over her shoulder.
Kaia's eyebrow shot up. Oh no. That was the exact look Kaia had when she knew something and was about to make her life a whole lot more complicated. "I know exactly who you mean," she said, her tone a little too knowing.
Anya let out an exasperated sigh, already feeling the heat rising in her cheeks. There was no escaping Kaia's radar. "Oh, come on," she muttered, scrubbing a hand over her face in defeat. "It's not like that."
Kaia leaned in, her grin widening, and her voice dropped to a theatrical whisper. "Atlas is basically living in your apartment now, huh?" she asked, her words dripping with teasing intrigue, like she'd just uncovered a juicy secret.
Kaia smiled, clearly pleased with her subtle victory. "That's a good sign, right? You don't mind it?"
Anya's response was delayed, her feet shuffling along the pavement as she kept her gaze on the ground. She wasn't sure how to respond. How could she explain the complicated knot of feelings inside her? The joy of being close to Atlas—intertwined with the unease that his attention sometimes brought?
"Sometimes I feel like I'm always tiptoeing around him," Anya murmured, her voice quieter than usual. "He's Atlas, and I'm... just me."
Her words hung in the air between them like a confession she hadn't quite intended to make.
The doubt that often gnawed at her—the constant question of whether she was enough for someone like him, someone so confident and so...
intense. Was she enough, or was she just someone to occupy the space around him until something better came along?
Kaia's expression softened, the teasing edge momentarily fading as she nudged Anya's shoulder with an exaggerated grin, though her eyes were kind, understanding. "That's all you need to be, though. Just you. You've got a lot going for you, even if you can't see it."
Anya's heart skipped, but she couldn't bring herself to believe Kaia completely. It wasn't as easy as Kaia made it sound. No matter how much she tried to ignore it, the nagging feeling in her chest made it hard to just be with someone like Atlas.
"Thanks," Anya said, her voice hesitant, unsure.
She didn't argue, though. There was no point.
She didn't want to sound ungrateful, or like she didn't appreciate Kaia's support.
But at that moment, her own insecurities were louder than anything else.
She had a lot to figure out, and Kaia wasn't exactly giving her a clear path.
The two of them wandered through the city for the rest of the day, Kaia always a step ahead, leading the way with that contagious energy she seemed to carry effortlessly.
She bounced from one corner of the city to the next, laughing and talking about everything and nothing at all.
It was exactly what Anya needed—someone to distract her from her thoughts, even if it was just for a few hours.
But even as they explored, Anya's mind kept drifting back to Atlas.
The way his touch lingered, the way his eyes softened and hardened in the same breath.
The possessiveness that made her heart flutter, and the anxiety that twisted it into knots.
She found herself lost in thought, staring blankly at a street vendor selling bright flowers as Kaia continued to chat, oblivious to the storm of emotions brewing inside her. It was hard to focus on anything else when Atlas's presence lingered, like a weight that she couldn't shake.