Page 78 of Atlas
“I’m sorry,” I mutter, stiffening when Axel appears behind me.
“What the hell is going off out here?” he demands.
“He’s a lying, cheating prick,” she screams, jabbing a finger in my chest.
“Cool off,” Axel orders.
“It’s fine, Pres,” I mutter. “I’ll deal with it.”
He eyes me for a second before nodding and going back into church.
Kasey folds her arms over her chest, just like her sister did, and follows me outside. She keeps her back to me, stopping by the wall near the garage.
“I fucked up,” I begin. “I’m sorry.”
“I liked you,” she almost whispers. “I thought you were a good guy.”
“Kase, I am,” I say, my voice laced with regret. “I just . . . forgot myself.”
“You forgot Rue,” she snaps. “And how fucking amazing she is.”
“I did,” I admit.
She turns to me. “Why would you do that to her?”
“It’s complicated. I’ve only ever known Anita for the longest time, way before we even became a thing. I’ve been so focussed on her that it’s almost like a compulsion. She called and I ran. But I shouldn’t have.”
“If you still loved her, you shouldn’t have gone near Rue.”
I nod. “I know. But when Rue came along, she took me by surprise. And I couldn’t ignore her.”
“She wants us to leave,” says Kasey, her eyes filling with tears. “She’s trying to get money together to buy tickets to Ireland.”
My heart stutters in my chest. The thought of them leaving breaks my heart all over again. “She can’t go,” I mutter.
“She’ll never forgive you,” she snaps. “Not now.”
“I’ll make her see how sorry I am.”
“It’ll never work. She hates cheaters more than anything.”
“I didn’t cheat, not really.”
Kasey’s eyes widen. “That there, that’s the issue,” she says angrily. “At least own what you’ve done. If Rue kissed someone else passionately, if she got half naked, is that still cheating?” I hang my head, my hands on my hips, trying to keep my cool cos the thought of my Rue, my sweet, innocent, Rue, doing that with another man, brings my blood to boil. “Exactly,” she hisses.
I drag a hand down my face, jaw clenched, cheek still throbbing from her punch. I deserved it. Every damn bit of this.
Kasey doesn’t move. She just watches me like she’s waiting for me to tell her it’s all a joke. That I’m not really a piece of shit that cheated on her sister.
“I know I messed up,” I mutter, voice hoarse. “I know I don’t deserve her.”
“No, youdon’t,” Kasey snaps, arms still tight over her chest. “You gave her hope, Atlas. And trust for someone like Rue, that’s not something she gives easily. She finally believed that maybe not all men were liars or selfish or ruled by their dicks, andyouproved her wrong.”
My stomach knots. “I never wanted to hurt her.”
“But youdid. And then you stand here trying to explain it away like it wasn’t cheating because your zipper didn’t come down.”
I look up, eyes burning. “I didn’t sleep with Anita.”
