Page 21 of Signs and Signals

“I had a great time tonight, Indya. Even though you shocked the hell out of me by introducing me to your daughter, I quickly understood why you did it. She’s an amazing little girl, and that’s because of you. You’re a phenomenal mother, friend—girlfriend. You’re just an all-around amazing woman, and I’m grateful you let me be in your presence,” Atlas says, his voice low and growly, making him even sexier.

“Thank you. I’m glad you enjoyed meeting my family. I think when you meet my siblings, you and Silas will become instant best friends. You’re so much alike, it’s ridiculous. It’s nice to hear someone besides my sibling and best friend tell me I’m doing right by her. Some days, I question everything when it comes to her.” I lean against the wall, dreading his departure because we won’t see each other for eleven days. So, yeah, I’m procrastinating, making him stay longer than he planned.

“I meant what I told Haven earlier when she gave me the bracelet. I’m never taking it off, and if it comes off, I’ll be back for a new one. This is the best accessory I’ve ever owned. I think our friendship bracelets rank right up there with my Shelby,” he says, laughing and shaking his head, like he can’t believe he’s comparing a thread bracelet to a car worth more than I’ll ever make in my lifetime.

“You don’t have to wear it all the time, or at all. Haven won’t be offended if you don’t wear it daily. She makes me bracelets all the time now. I explained to her that I’ll wear them on special occasions because none of them match my clothing. But I’m grateful you’re happy to appease her for now.” I shrug, not wanting him to feel obligated to wear something made by a four-year-old girl he just met, though he doesn’t seem to be joking when he says he’s never taking it off. I reach for the door, and his hand lands on mine. The current that runs through me makes me feel like I’m in another world. I remove my hand from his so I can think clearly and tell him goodnight, wishing him asafe trip and to win all the games. He walks out the door, and I softly close it behind him.

I tidy the living room from our movie night. As I place the last glass in the sink, I hear tapping at the door. It worries me because it can’t be Atlas; he left fifteen minutes ago. My brother and sisters would have called if they were coming over this late. Maybe it’s someone from the building needing something, since you can’t get in without being buzzed in, which was one of the main reasons we chose this apartment complex—the security.

We don’t have a peephole, so I can’t see who it is. I usually ask who it is from this side of the locked door, but something in my gut tells me to open it and see for myself.

I open the door to Atlas, and before I can ask why he’s still here, how he got back in, or if he was just standing in the hall this entire time, he grabs me by the neck and pulls me toward him. One of his large hands holds my face while the other presses me closer to his body. Before I can even realize what’s happening, his mouth is on mine.

Chapter Eleven

Atlas

I don’t make it off the second floor; I only make it three feet from her door. For the past thirteen minutes, I have been staring at the welcome mat in front of the door, letting the evening’s events filter through my mind. Indya is a mother. She has a daughter. Haven is the most spectacular little girl I have ever known. Not that I know a lot of four-year-old girls, but you get what I am trying to say. She is so smart that if she weren’t so tiny, I would think she was older, just from her mind alone.

While Indya was making dinner, and we were making bracelets, Haven, Amara, and I played twenty questions. I think I have gotten to know each of them pretty well. Amara wants to move up in her company, so she has been taking online courses to get her degree. She says she still has a ways to go because she enrolled in an online course three months after they moved here. Apparently, she applied, interviewed, and accepted the job offer before they even got here. It’s cool to know that being at the company for such a short amount of time as the receptionist made her want bigger things for her career.

Haven was all over the place with her questions to me. Some were about my family, if I had a dog, and how she would probably like me more if I did have a dog. That I laughed at, because somewhere in the back of my mind, I was thinkingabout if it would be feasible for me to get a dog right now, in the middle of the season.

She asked questions about the game and why I thought it was the greatest game ever played. Her questions were wiser than her years. I thought she would ask me about what color I like, what I like to eat, basic things, you would think a child would ask you. Nope, she blew my mind, even going as deep as if I had a girlfriend or any kids of my own. Amara just translated like she was not witnessing the same intellect coming from this four-year-old little girl.

I shake the thoughts from my mind, I need to see Indya one more time, just for a moment. I am heading out for eleven days for a stretch of away games, so I won’t see her for probably twelve or thirteen days, because the coach sometimes makes us stay an extra night, so the drivers are not tired. We could have flown, but the teams we are playing are not far from one another and it makes more sense to take the bus this time.

I step up to the door, my heart pounding in my chest. I give it a few light taps, not wanting to wake anyone if she went to bed after I left, like Amara and Haven had done. The night is still, the only sound is the soft rustling of leaves in the gentle breeze. My breath catches as I hear footsteps approaching from the other side. The door creaks open, and there she is, standing in the dim light, her eyes meeting mine.

Before she can say a word, I close the distance between us in a heartbeat. Our eyes lock, a silent connection sparking between us. I reach out, my hand finding the back of her neck, pulling her towards me. My lips crash onto hers with an urgency that surprises even me.

Fireworks.

I’m twenty-six years old and have kissed my fair share of women, but never in my life has a kiss made me see fireworks. It’s as if the world around us fades away, leaving just the two ofus at this moment. I tilt her head, deepening the kiss, my tongue tangling with hers. I can feel her responding, giving as much as she’s taking, and it’s intoxicating.

I want more.

I press her closer, my hands roaming to the small of her back, pulling her flush against me. Every touch, every movement, is filled with a desperate need to convey everything I feel for her. The kiss is a dance, a symphony of passion and longing, and I lose myself in it.

If I didn’t know I was in love with her before, this kiss just cemented it. It’s a realization that hits me with the force of a tidal wave, leaving me breathless and yearning for more. I pull back slightly, just enough to rest my forehead against hers, our breaths mingling in the cool night air.

“I love you,” I whisper, the words slipping out before I can stop them. But I don’t regret it. Not for a second. Because it’s the truth, and in this moment, I want her to know it.

I pull back with a groan, not wanting to stop touching her, kissing her, but I need to get home, because I have to be at the clubhouse in just a few hours.

At this point I may as well spend those last few hours here, with Indya, and that sexy mouth of hers. I scan her from head to toe, hair mussed from my hands, chest and cheeks flush, pupils blown, breathing hard, her pulse at her throat is fluttering fast. It is good to know that I affect her as much as she does me—just that thought has me puffing my chest and standing a little taller.

“Wow.” Indya breathes out. Her eyes are wild, wanting me to stay, but needing me to go because we both have responsibilities to take care of tomorrow.

“That was some first kiss, Indya. If I had known thatthisis what it is like to kiss you, I don’t think I could have been as patient as I was, even though, I know now, the reasoning. Butfuck, Indy, please tell me you felt it too. That you feel the same way I do, because if you don’t, I am not sure I can continue this relationship, because it would destroy me being with you and you not feel the same about me,” I plead. Even to my own ears I sound like a pussy, and if the guys could see me right now, they would never let me live it down for as long as I live.

“You called me Indy and not Indya.” Her voice is soft, almost a whisper, but it carries the weight of her emotions. The gentle hum of the refrigerator in the background and the distant sound of traffic outside creates a cocoon of intimacy around us.

“Atlas, I know we have a lot to discuss and talk about,” she continues, her eyes searching mine. “I know you want to know my past and be my future, and I do feel the same as you.” Her hand reaches out, fingers brushing against mine, sending a shiver up my spine. “That kiss was mind-altering. I didn’t realize that kissing would make me feel as though I was floating through the universe.”

Her words hang in the air, and I can almost taste the lingering sweetness of our kiss. The scent of her perfume, a delicate blend of lavender and honey, fills my senses, grounding me in this moment.

“Maybe we can talk about everything when you get back,” she suggests, her voice steady but her eyes betraying a hint of vulnerability. “Taking the time you are away to let everything sink in. You just found out I had a daughter, Atlas, maybe your emotions are running high.”

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