Page 14 of Atlas
She finally goes quiet. Ten minutes pass. Then twenty. Her breathing slows. I think she’s asleep, until she whispers, barely audible, “Thanks for coming to find me.”
I stay silent. But I hear it, the crack in her voice, and for the first time since Nita slammed the door on me, something in my chest shifts. Just a little.
Anita
I stare at the phone longer than I should.
No messages. No missed calls. No smug little text from Atlas reminding me what I’m missing.
Good.
I toss the phone onto the sofa and cross the apartment, heels echoing off marble tiles. Everything here is curated—polished, modern, detached. Just like me.
I’m dressed for dinner. My hair is pinned into a messy updo and my dress is sharp, with a neckline low enough to distractfrom how much I don’t want to be going.Another date. Another man who ticks all the boxes. Educated. Safe.Boring.
And not him.
Atlas hasn’t reached out since yesterday when he left the office. Not even a smartass comment through one of the guys. I never usually go a couple hours without him calling me or showing up. I should be pleased that he’s given me an out.
So, why do I feel so empty?
The buzzer sounds, and I grab my clutch, checking my reflection one last time. Lipstick flawless. Smile locked in.
Let the performance begin.
Damian always preferred this kind of place. Elegant, expensive, cold. My date, Anthony, fits in well. He orders wine without asking and tells me about his rich family like I’m meant to be impressed.
I laugh at all the right moments. I nod when I’m supposed to. I even let him touch my hand across the table.
But the whole time, I’m wondering where Atlas is. What job Axel sent him on. Whether he’s sleeping with someone else tonight. Whether she’s younger. Softer. Less of a goddamn coward than I am.
“You’re quiet,” Anthony says, tilting his head.
“Just tired,” I lie.
He smiles. “I’d love to help you unwind.”
It takes everything in me not to recoil.
Instead, I offer a polite smile and excuse myself to the bathroom. I lock the door behind me and lean against the sink, heart hammering.
What the hell am I doing?
Atlas is wrong for me. He’s messy, violent, reckless. My parents would faint. Damian would use it in court. Leo might hate me.
But the way he cares for me, the way he looks out for me. It’s the first time I’ve ever felt safe. And something inside me is screaming to tell him the truth, because the finality in his eyes as he left yesterday, scares the crap out of me.
I open my clutch and pull out my phone.Still nothing from him.
I lean my head back and stare at the glittering lights on the ceiling. “Come on, girl. Get it together,” I whisper.
I return to the table with a fresh coat of lipstick and the same frozen smile.
Anthony stands when I approach, polite, polished, completely performative. Just like this whole evening.
“You okay?” he asks as I sit down.
“Of course.” I fold my napkin back across my lap like nothing’s unravelling inside me.
