37 | ☕Will You Marry Me, Anya? ☕
Anya had no idea what was coming. Atlas had been acting unusually distant over the past few days, but not in the way he'd been before.
Instead of the usual overbearing attention, he'd become...
thoughtful. Quiet, even. He still made her laugh and showed his usual affection, but there was a new intensity in his eyes. Something she couldn't quite place.
She wasn't the only one who had noticed. Kaia, her best friend, had been on her toes, asking Anya multiple times if she had caught on to anything. "He's acting weird, right?" Kaia had asked, her curiosity getting the best of her. "Come on, spill. You know something's up."
But Anya had no clue. It felt like Atlas had been a little too good at keeping his secret. "I'm sure it's nothing," she replied, but Kaia didn't seem convinced.
The weeks passed with Atlas continuing his odd behaviour, and while Anya tried to ignore it, a small part of her couldn't shake the feeling that something was coming.
She caught him watching her more often than usual, his expression unreadable, his fingers occasionally twitching as if he was resisting the urge to sign something.
One evening, as they sat together on the couch, Atlas had pulled her closer, resting his chin lightly on the top of her head. His arms wrapped around her, holding her a little tighter than usual. It was comforting, but there was something about the way he held her—as if he were bracing himself.
"Are you okay?" she asked, tilting her head up to look at him.
Atlas hesitated for just a second before giving her a reassuring smile. He reached for his phone—something he only did when he didn't want to sign too much at once—and typed something before holding it up for her to read.
Anya narrowed her eyes at him, suspicion creeping into her expression. "Thinking about what?"
Atlas paused for only a moment before his lips quirked into a teasing smirk. He grabbed his phone, his fingers moving swiftly across the screen before he turned it toward her.
Anya let out an exaggerated groan, rolling her eyes as she lightly swatted his arm. "You're the worst."
Atlas grinned, his silent laughter shaking his shoulders as he pulled her closer, wrapping his arms around her.
His embrace was warm, familiar, grounding—but there was something else lingering beneath the surface.
The way he held her was different tonight.
There was a quiet weight to it, as if he were bracing himself for something.
Anya rested her head against his chest, listening to the steady rhythm of his heartbeat.
Normally, this would be enough to soothe her, to lull her into the comfort of his presence, but tonight...
something felt off. Not in a bad way, but in a different way.
Atlas was planning something—she could feel it.
What Anya didn't know, what she couldn't possibly guess, was that Atlas had been secretly orchestrating the biggest surprise of her life.
For weeks, he had been working behind the scenes, making sure that every detail was perfect, from the smallest gesture to the grandest element of the plan.
He had even gone as far as asking everyone—everyone—to keep it quiet, including Kaia, Anya's best friend, who couldn't keep a secret if her life depended on it.
Kaia's protective nature was one of the things that Anya loved most about her, but it also made her a terrible conspirator.
Atlas knew that. So, he'd done his best to keep Kaia distracted—making her believe there was something else happening, something harmless that would keep her from catching on.
He'd asked her to help with some vague task, something unimportant, all while subtly dropping hints to keep Anya from getting suspicious.
It was a delicate balancing act, one that he pulled off with precision.
The worst part, though, was that Atlas had to hide his own excitement. There were days when he wanted to blurt everything out, to tell Anya how much he cared for her, how deeply he wanted this moment to be perfect. But he couldn't. It had to be a surprise. It had to be her moment.
The morning of the big day, Anya woke up to the usual quiet calm of Atlas's penthouse.
Nothing seemed different. She moved through her morning routine with a casual ease, as if today were any other day.
She slipped into her clothes, poured herself a cup of coffee, and glanced out the window at the bustling city below.
Nothing felt out of place. It was just another ordinary morning, and for a moment, she allowed herself to enjoy the comfort of familiarity.
But as the hours passed, Anya couldn't shake the sense that something was...
off. Not in a bad way, but there was an undercurrent of something unusual that tugged at the edges of her consciousness.
Little things—tiny, almost imperceptible shifts—began to stand out.
Her phone buzzed with a message from Kaia as she sat at her usual table at the café, stirring her coffee absentmindedly.
"Hey, I know you're working, but are you free tonight? You should leave early. You'll want to be free later."
Anya furrowed her brow, the hair on the back of her neck prickling slightly. She tapped out a reply without much thought, already feeling the weight of Kaia's cryptic tone.
"I'm not falling for this, Kaia. What's going on?"
The reply was swift, almost too fast, and Anya could almost imagine her friend's grin behind the message.
"Nothing! Just trust me on this one. You'll see."
Anya couldn't help but laugh. She had no idea that Atlas had been in contact with Kaia, arranging everything down to the last detail. The only thing Anya had to do was show up—just be herself.
"Okay, okay, but you know I don't trust you when you're being this secretive."
She hit send and leaned back in her chair, glancing out the window again.
She felt the tug of anticipation creeping up her spine, a curiosity she couldn't shake.
She didn't know why, but something told her that Kaia had something bigger planned.
Maybe it was the way Kaia had said "You'll want to be free later."
Maybe it was the odd energy in the air, the way everything around her felt just a bit too... perfect.
Meanwhile, across the city, Atlas was waiting for the moment when everything would come together.
His stomach churned with excitement, nerves fluttering beneath his calm exterior.
He had already done everything—confirmed the details, ensured Kaia would keep Anya distracted, coordinated with the staff at the venue, and arranged for the final touch that would make this moment unforgettable.
He had only one task left now. Wait for Anya to walk into the perfect scene he had built for her.
He didn't know exactly what she would say.
He didn't know what emotions would spill out of her when she saw what he had planned.
But he was certain of one thing—he wanted her to feel everything.
He wanted to give her a memory that would shine brighter than anything they'd shared before.
Something that would make her smile for years to come.
As the hours ticked by, Atlas checked the clock again, unable to stop the thrill of anticipation.
Soon. Soon, he would get to see her face when she realized what he had been planning all along.
His heart raced at the thought, and he could hardly contain the joy that swelled inside him.
He would never forget the look on her face—the smile that reached her eyes. That, he knew, would be his reward.
By the time the evening rolled around, Atlas had everything set up to perfection, like something out of a dream. He had carefully chosen the beach—quiet, secluded, the kind of place where only the sound of the waves and the rustling breeze would fill the air.
The sand was soft beneath his feet as he meticulously arranged everything.
White linens were draped over low tables, their edges fluttering gently in the evening wind.
Soft golden lights were strung above, casting a warm, intimate glow on the scene.
Candles flickered in the sand, casting dancing shadows that seemed to come to life with every shift of the breeze.
The sound of the ocean crashing gently against the shore created a rhythm, a natural melody that settled the tension in his chest.
Atlas had always prided himself on being in control of every situation, but tonight, his nerves were palpable.
This wasn't just a date. This was something more.
This was a moment he wanted to be perfect—a moment to show Anya just how much she meant to him, to give her something beautiful after everything she had been through.
The cool evening breeze tousled his hair, and he exhaled slowly, trying to calm the butterflies fluttering in his stomach. This was it.
Anya had been told to leave work early, instructed to meet him at the beach. And though she was intrigued, even slightly suspicious, she hadn't connected the dots yet. She was still in the dark, and Atlas had no intention of ruining the surprise until the very last moment.
When she finally arrived, her breath caught in her throat as she stepped onto the soft sand.
She hadn't expected this—this—but she should have known better.
Atlas had a way of going all in, of making even the smallest moments feel like they were worth something.
As she walked towards him, the glow of the candles and the soft golden lighting revealed him standing by the table, looking more handsome than she had ever seen him.
The wind tousled his usually neat dark hair, giving him a relaxed, almost effortless charm.
His usual sharp suits, the ones that made him seem so distant and untouchable, were nowhere to be seen.
Instead, he wore a fitted shirt that hugged his frame just right, dark jeans that gave him a laid-back vibe.
There was a warmth in his eyes as he smiled at her—an emotion she couldn't quite place but that made her heart beat faster nonetheless.
Her footsteps faltered for just a second as she reached him, her heart skipping a beat at the sight of him standing there.