Chapter 3 #3
“We don’t ask those questions. But there will be a summer festival parade,” I muttered.
Atlas’s shoulders began to shake, and I turned away from him, knowing that if I looked over at him, I would laugh.
This man was a menace, and he knew it.
By the time we went through all the items on the agenda, I was tired, my butt hurt from the hard seat, and I was ready to go home. Others were heading to the bar and grill for dinner and to enjoy time together, but honestly, I just wanted to get home and check on my parents.
I said my goodbyes and escaped before I had to say anything to Atlas.
I wasn’t in the mood to deal with more of the town’s onlookers when it came to that man.
We didn’t fight. Contrary to what other people believed, we liked each other.
But it was harder sometimes than others when it came to being near him. And that was on me. Never him.
I made my way home, calling my parents over Bluetooth and waiting for them to answer. It clicked over to voicemail, and I sighed. They never kept their phones on, and it killed me. I needed to stir my crockpot and get a few things done, and then I would head over to their house.
Just as I walked inside, my phone buzzed, and a sense of relief filled me.
“Mom.”
“I’m sorry, baby. We fell asleep watching our favorite movie and missed the meeting. Did I miss anything fun?” she asked.
I quickly stirred the crockpot and went to get ready for an evening in. It was still daylight out, but here I was, deciding to get in my pajamas before dinner. I really needed a life. But this was the life that I chose, and I loved it.
“You’ll never guess, but we do have a festival parade and dance on the way.”
My dad’s deep laughter filled the phone, and I smiled, leaning against the wall as my parents spoke about their day, and I filled them in on the meeting.
As I hung up, tears pricked my eyes. Well, there was a reason that I stayed behind. I would take them my leftovers later, so perhaps I wouldn’t get in pajamas fully. Mom and Dad still cooked, still took care of themselves, were perfectly able to do most things.
But I wanted them to know that I was always here for them.
There was a knock on the door, and I frowned, wondering who could be here. Then again, it was Ashford Creek. It could be any one of my friends dropping in unannounced.
I opened the door without looking through the window first and blinked.
“Atlas?”
“Hey. You didn’t say goodbye.”
I let my head fall back, and I groaned. “Really? Do you really think I should have given a heartfelt goodbye in the middle of town hall as if waiting for people to whisper?”
“Is it really always that bad?” Atlas asked.
And that’s when I realized that he didn’t know. He might think he had an idea of how this town reacted when it came to him, but he didn’t know what it was like when he wasn’t here.
“Come inside before somebody walks past and sees you standing on my porch. I don’t need to be on the front page of the Gazette. I’m fine with being in the middle, like always, when it comes to you.”
Atlas frowned as he stepped inside, and I closed the door behind him.
“Something smells good.”
“Pulled pork sandwiches, and I made coleslaw earlier.”
His eyes widened, and his lips formed a pout.
“You can have some. My God. Please do not whimper.”
“I thought you liked it when I whimpered.”
We both froze as the words echoed between us, and I just blinked.
“Sorry. I must be more tired than I thought.” Atlas ran his hand along the back of his head and winced. “Pretend I didn’t say that?”
“That’s fine. Though I don’t know if I ever actually liked the whimpering,” I teased.
“You’re right, I should have made a moaning sound.”
“I swear to God, Atlas. You and I are friends. But I really don’t need to know things like that.
” I wanted to reach out and touch him, to bring us back to where we had once been.
But then again, so many years had passed that I wasn’t even sure what that time had felt like.
Lives had been lived, hearts had been bruised, and times had altered irrevocably since we’d parted.
Since I’d been too much and he’d been too far.
And now here we were in my kitchen, and it felt as if no time and an eternity had passed within a breath.
Atlas tightened his jaw, the tension between us slightly dampening.
But never fully. And that was damn annoying.
We moved into the kitchen, with Atlas behind me.
This all felt normal, and yet so wrong, but I didn’t care in that moment.
I was hungry, needed to check on my family, and Atlas was here. In my house.
Again.
I turned to face him, not knowing what to say, when glass shattered behind me. I let out a scream, not realizing what was happening, and then Atlas’s arms were around me, his body covering me as a rock slammed onto the floor beside us, my chest heaving, and Atlas holding me close, bracing me.
And before I could say anything, Atlas cupped my face, checked me for cuts, and without a damn word, ran out the back door as if hellhounds were on his tail.