Page 76 of On the Edge

Atlas

well christian bale is hot so

Chuckling, I hover my thumbs over the keyboard and try to think of something else to ask. What I reallywant to ask is if he will be my boyfriend on purpose, not as an accident. I want to ask if he will let me take care of him and treat him kindly—the way he deserves to be treated. Instead, I go with:

Henri

What are you doing today?

Atlas

unsure probably something with ethan though

dad has been making noise about going to a car show but i would rather drip battery acid in my eye than do that

might just come down with a cold and lie in bed all day

you?

Henri

I am working today, and then I will do a workout with my friend Carter. After that, I will make dinner with my friend Zeke. I am teaching German dishes.

Atlas

like the one you made me?

I smile down at my phone. Last Christmas is one of my favorite memories.

Henri

Yes! Zeke is a very good learner. Much better than me, who cannot remember the difference between tbsp and tsp.

Atlas

lmfao well to be fair those are pretty similar

I stare down at my phone in silence, unsure of what that acronym might mean. Across the hall, I can hear the soft noises of someone moving about. Probably Zeke, who usually wakes up earlier than Carter. Sliding out of bed, I pull pajama pants over my boxers and tug on a shirt, before leaving my room and heading downstairs to the kitchen. I’ve got eggs frying, and bread toasting when Zeke makes an appearance.

“Good morning, Vas,” he greets me cheerfully. I pick up the mug I pulled for him and pour him some coffee. My goal this summer is to make sure Carter and Zeke never have to do things themselves that I could have done for them.

“Good morning, Zeke,” I reply, which makes him laugh for some reason. Zeke is always smiling and laughing. He is, in many ways, the precise opposite of Atlas. Handing him the mug, I nudge him away from the oven.

“Take a seat. I shall handle breakfast,” I tell him. “Carter is sleeping in, yes?”

Zeke snorts. “Yeah. He told me he wants to take advantage of the off-season and catch up on sleep—he’s going into hibernation. But honestly, I’m so used to getting up at five, I don’t think I could reset my body clock even if I tried.”

“I am the same,” I agree. “Zeke, do you know what this ‘lmfao’ means?”

“It means: laughing my fucking ass off,” he tells me, taking a sip of coffee and eyeing me over the rim of the cup. “Did you end up reaching out to Atlas last night?”

“I did, yes.” The toast pops up, so I’m spared eye contact with him as I talk. Head down, I butter it carefully. “I called him and we are talking for a while. We are going to be friends.”

“Is that what you want?”

Carefully, I plate the eggs before pushing it across the island to him. He murmurs a thank-you, takes another sip of coffee, and gives me a politely questioning look. I wish I had a good answer for him.

“I…will be glad to see him still,” I answer diplomatically. “But no, it is not what I am wanting. I would prefer a…try again?”

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