Page 3 of Atlas Uncharted

His grin faded into something sincere. "No. I just like people to know we’re not monoliths."

I nodded, satisfied with his answer. "Good response. I’m a journalism major."

We started talking, and after a while, the noise of the party faded into the background. Mike was easy to talk to, with a sense of humor that kept me engaged and laughing.

In the middle of our conversation, Mike’s words trailed off, his gaze shifting past me. I followed his line of sight.

"You know ol’ boy?" he asked, nodding toward Atlas.

I turned to see who he was talking about, then shook my head. "Not really, met him today."

Mike’s eyes narrowed slightly. "He’s been staring this way damn near the whole time we’ve been talking."

"That’s my best friend he’s dancing with," I said, shrugging it off. "She probably got him looking out for me."

Mike nodded, the tension easing from his shoulders, but just as he looked away, I caught Atlas glancing over at me. Our eyes locked for a brief, heated second. He smirked, a small, almost imperceptible curve of his lips, before turning his attention back to Ashlen.

What was that about? I wondered, but not for too long. Mike and I kept talking for a while longer. Mike had an easy way about him, like he didn’t need to prove anything to anyone. It was refreshing, especially in a place where everyone seemed to be posturing. We exchanged numbers when his frat brother came to get him.

I ended up finding a quiet corner in the empty dining area, sitting on the floor. I pulled out my noise-canceling earbuds and let "Kissing My Tattoo" drown out the party noise. I closed my eyes and rested my head against the wall. As the night wore on, Ashlen found me, shaking my shoulder to grab my attention. I opened my eyes and looked up. She was bent over in front of me, cheeks flushed, hair matted to her head. She was drunk.

"Having fun?" she asked, rolling her eyes.

"Yeah," I replied, forcing a smile. "It's been a great night."

She rolled her eyes again. “I’ll be back, and we can leave then. Stay right here.” An hour passed before she came back and pulled me up from the floor. We walked back to our shared one-bedroom apartment, me half-carrying her along the way. Inside, Ashlen flopped onto her bed, outside clothes and all. I cringed and started taking off my own clothes, ready for a shower.

"Tonight was amazing. I can't wait for the next party," she mumbled. We had only been in school three weeks and had been to a party every night. There was always a party. I was going to have to start declining.

I smiled though, sitting at my desk and kicking off my sandals. "Yeah, it was a lot of fun."

She glanced at me, eyes glazed. “You think me and Atlas would be a good couple?”

I frowned. “I thought you didn’t do relationships?”

That had been her mantra ever since she was allowed to date at sixteen. She said she just wanted to date and fuck. I was the romantic.

“That was before I met him,” she nearly sang, like he was her muse.

I shrugged. “If you can see yourself with him, I can too,” I said, heading to the bathroom.

As I turned on the shower, I couldn’t shake the image of Atlas’s smirk. It was just a look, I told myself. But deep down, I knew it was more than that.

Chapter 3

Kairi

The sun was barely up when I woke. Ashlen was sprawled across her bed, snoring softly, her red hair a tangled mess around her face. I rubbed my eyes and stretched, feeling the slight soreness from last night—a reminder of how I’d ended up on the hard floor instead of a bed. I pushed myself up and shuffled to the kitchen, pouring a glass of water and taking a long drink, trying to shake off the fog still clinging to my thoughts.

As I sipped, my mind drifted back to that brief, confusing moment when Atlas seemed to actually notice me. I couldn’t make sense of it. Did it even matter? Probably not. I shook my head, trying to clear the cobwebs, and decided to go for a morning run. I was trying to be healthier, or at least that’s what I told myself.

The campus was dead quiet, the kind of quiet that only exists early on a Saturday morning. I started my run, letting the rhythm of my feet on the pavement and the steady beat in my ears drown out everything else. By the time I was done, I felt more centered, more like myself. When I got back to the dorm, Ashlen was still out cold. I left her alone. I took a quick shower, got dressed, and decided to head to the campus café for breakfast.

The café was packed, loud with conversation and the clatter of dishes. I found a quiet corner and ordered a latte and a croissant. As I waited, I pulled out my phone and scrolled through my messages. There was one from Mike, sent late last night:

Mike: Hey, it was great talking to you. Let’s hang out sometime.

I smiled and typed back a quick reply:

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