Page 76 of Atlas
Her tone punches me in the chest.Pleading. Begging.“I didn’t go through with it,” I whisper, my eyes back on the floor.
Her breath catches in a soft, pained inhale like something inside her cracks, but she doesn’t cry. She doesn’t break. She just stands there, rigid, barely blinking. “You sound like every man I’ve ever known,” she mutters. “You stink of lies and secrets and . . . guilt.”
“Because I’m not good at this,” I cry. “I’ve never been in this situation before.”
“Really?” she demands, arching a brow. “Because you’re really good at the lying part.”
“Rue, please,” I whisper, my voice strained because of the lump clogging my throat. “I’m sorry.”
“For what exactly?” she asks, placing her hands on her hips.
My fingers itch the tuck her stray hair behind her ear as it falls around her face. “She kissed me.Again. And I let her.Again.”I take a breath. “She took off her dress,almost.” My head falls back, and I stare at the ceiling, hating the words as they leave my mouth. “And we nearly . . .” I bring my eyes to hers and almost crumble from the pain I see there. “But I didn’t. I swear I didn’t.”
“Your words mean nothing,” she whispers, wrapping her arms around herself again. “I don’t know what’s the truth and what’s a lie anymore.”
“I haven’t had sex with her, Rue. It’s you. Only you.”
Rue
I stare at him in disbelief.
“It wasn’t me an hour ago, Atlas. It wasn’t me when you lied so easily so you could rush to be with her. Stop lying to yourself.” I pause before adding, “And to me.”
“I’m not a cheat,” he mutters.
“You kissed your ex,” I suddenly yell, taking us both by surprise. “Twice. She was practically naked in front of you, and what? You expect me to believe you didn’t touch her, trail kisses down her body.” My voice breaks with emotion. “You are a cheat, Atlas. You’re just shit at covering it up.”
“You don’t curse,” he mutters, frowning and I almost laugh at his words.
“That’s your concern?” I ask on a cold laugh. “You’re no different,” I add. “From my dad, from all the men that hurt my mum. And I refuse to be second best to your ex.”
He shakes his head, his frown cutting deep on his forehead. “Baby, you’re not second best. I want you. Ineedyou.”
I pull the door open. “You should leave now.”
“Rue, please don’t do this. I’ll make it up to you.”
“No.” It’s firm and clear as I stare past him. “I’ll make arrangements for Kasey,” I add. “She’ll be out of your hair in no time.”
“That’s not what I want,” he mutters, stepping closer to me.
I move back from his reach. “There’s nothing else to say,” I mutter. “Just go now.”
He steps over the threshold and turns to speak, but I slam the door in his face, twisting the key in the lock and resting my forehead against it.That was the hardest thing I’ve ever done in my life.
My phone rings out and I snatch it off the table, thinking it’ll be him calling from outside. Instead, it’s Kasey’s name I see on the screen.
“Hi,” I say, forcing the sadness from my voice. “How are you?”
“Bad,” she says. “Very, very bad.”
“Oh?” I peek out the window to see Atlas mounting his bike. He places his helmet on and grips the handlebars, his head lowered like he’s contemplating if he should leave or stay. “What’s happened?”
“I just heard something I shouldn’t have. And I want to tell you, but I’m scared it’ll hurt you.”
“If it’s about Atlas, I know.”
She’s silent for a long minute. “What do you know?”
